MJUSD students doing hands-on work. Photo courtesy of MJUSD 

MARYSVILLE, CA (MPG) - MJUSD has a robust college and career technical education program at each of its high schools. These multi-course pathways allow students to experience work-based learning in different career fields. Superintendent for MJUSD, Dr. Fal Asrani and her team have been keenly focused on developing industry partnerships to support job preparation for students through internships and job shadowing experiences. While several businesses have always supported students with internship opportunities, major partnerships for Lindhurst High School have been established during the 2023-24 school year. Hard Rock Hotel is a new partner to the Culinary Pathway and 93Q Radio is a new partner to the Multimedia and Broadcast pathway. Several such partnerships are being identified for Marysville High School.

The most exciting addition at Lindhurst High School is the new Engineering Academy being introduced in the Fall of 2024. Starting with the incoming freshmen class, students in this academy will complete four courses developed by UC Davis. The completion of these courses with a grade of C or better will lead to a certificate from the Academy. The district is working closely with UC Davis to train teachers in these courses which focus heavily on Coding and Robotics. MJUSD is also working with MIT in instituting a Coding and Robotics course of studies at the new Middle College High School. Students will be engaged in hands-on project development, ultimately leading to a national competition at MIT during the senior year. The focus on STEM is not just at these two high schools; MHS is also working with their team to discuss the possibility of developing a Medical Academy to train students for the Medical profession. “It is truly wonderful to see how local business leaders are becoming our partners in the work of preparing students for jobs after high school,” said Gary Criddle, Board Trustee at MJUSD.

“We want our students to have options: whether they choose two or four-year colleges, we want them ready to step into hard-to-fill positions in our local community with tangible skills that make them an asset to the team.  We need our business partners to lead the way.” 

MJUSD offers 22 pathways in eight Industry Sectors including Medical, Dental, Agriculture & Natural Resources, Business & Finance, Digital Arts and Multimedia, Supports Medicine, and more.

The district is set to host a Farm-to-Fork luncheon with Agriculture industry leaders to share information about the high school Agriculture Pathway programs and learn more about what the agriculture industry needs in job-ready employees. The district plans to host a Business Connection Breakfast in partnership with the Yuba-Sutter Chamber of Commerce for a “State of our Schools” event to share information about students, teachers, and programs with the business community. 

“The schools belong to the community, and we must engage with our business partners so that they understand the needs of the schools and the students we serve and help guide the work we do,” said Dr. Fal Asrani, Superintendent for MJUSD. “We graduate the future employees of the business community, and we want them to tell us what they need from us while the students are in the K-12 system, so that we can make the necessary adjustments to what we teach and how we teach,” said Asrani. MJUSD teachers and administrators are working collaboratively to pave the way for student preparation for more expansive college and career options.