• CTE (Career Technical Education) at EHS:3 Sports Medicine

Sports Medicine has become a lot more advanced from a generation ago when "rub some dirt on it" was the go to for injuries where a bone wasn't sticking out of the skin.

This course, taught by Mr. Robbie Harrison, has students with varying levels of interest. From those that have a casual interest, or are sports fans, all the way to kids that already know they want to be in the medical field as adults.

From the official webpage

Welcome to Mr. Harrison's Sports medicine classes. Within these classes students will have the opportunity to learn about sports related injuries and how to manage and treat them. We discuss injuries from sprained ankles to skin wounds and concussions. 

Advanced sports medicine is a course where students take the knowledge that they learned in sports medicine one and apply it to actual EHS athletes as they are assigned to a sport as a student athletic trainer.

Robbie Harrison Email

Mr. Harrison estimated that 90%-95% of his advanced class has aspirations to be either a doctor, nurse, EMT, physical therapist, athletic trainer or something along those lines.

The pathway of this course begins with Sports Med 1. It's a yearlong class where they'll learn things like anatomy, physiology, injuries of the body and how to treat them, concussions, heat illnesses, bone fractures, tapping skills, basic evaluation skills.

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After SM1 they can apply for the advanced class where they take their skills and apply them, hands on, as student athletic trainers for one or more of the twenty sports teams on campus.

For example, if they get assigned to the football team they go to practices, they go to games, they tape up players before practice, and they help with minor injuries during a game.

What type of projects do Sports Med students do?

There is a skeleton poster project. This is where they trace a body out, then draw and label the entire skeleton —with some fractures. 

There is a rehab project where they are assigned an injury where they put together a PowerPoint presentation in front of the class regarding the rehab. Including how long the rehab takes, is surgery necessary, types of procedures, types of exercise(s).

There is an anatomy in clay project. Similar to the skeleton poster but this is done with clay. They use a plastic skeleton and then create the muscles and ligaments from clay and attached them to the skeleton.

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In the advanced classes, a video project demonstrating a "how to" situation, such as how to tape an ankle, is one of their projects.

I asked, "What is something you'd like the parents to know about this course?"

"One cool thing about this class is all the kids have the opportunity to get CPR/First Aid certified, and AED certified (Automated External Defibrillator). I'm a CPR instructor through [the] American Heart Association. So [with] every kid we do a lesson in class as part of the unit. They get graded on it, they still have to go through the information and take a test. We charge $15 [for those interested] to get a two year First Aid/CPR/AED certified. They can take that [for] babysitting, [a] job they want to do. Every kid has an opportunity to do that within this program. "

- Robbie Harrison

HOSA

Health Occupations Students of America

Through HOSA, the students also have the opportunity to compete at a state level when it comes to sports medicine, medical terminology and other health related topics. Last year EHS had students that placed first and second in the state championships in sports medicine. One of them went on to nationals and earned first place in the nation for sports medicine. 

Internships 

Mr. Harrison mentioned his efforts with the Storm baseball team and a possible internship. They also do some college tours every year. Recently they visited University of San Diego, Chapman University and UCLA in the past. 

It gives an up close perspective of how the athletic trainers, at the various schools, work. It also gives them the chance to ask questions and tour the campuses.

I spoke with one of the outgoing seniors about Sports Med at EHS.

I want to be in the medical field myself. I've learned a lot about the medical field and it's taught me with cool, hands on experience. 

I'm one of the trainers for varsity football, so I get to go down to the football field with the [head] athletic trainer (Mr. Harrison) and he lets us help the athletes. If someone gets hurt, we're out on the field with them.

This is a good program to be in if you want to be in the medical field or if you want to be an athletic trainer. it's good experience, and I'm going to put this program on my resume, I've been in this program all four years of high school. It's been really fun and it's taught me a lot. 

— Student, Jacob Ruggles

A big thank you to Stacy Styrcula, EHS's College and Career Center Technician. Without her help I couldn't have done this series. 

Link to blog 1: Video and Photography

Link to blog 2: Graphic Design

Link to blog 4: Screen Printing
Link to blog 5: ROTC

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The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.
– Voltaire

The art of Wildomar Rap consists of amusing the readers while occasionally sharing important information.

This blog was produced for viewing on a desktop or a laptop. Though it's been optimized for smartphones, the formatting can look odd on a smartphone or if you get this delivered through email (such as missing video links). Link to proper format.

• CTE (Career Technical Education) at EHS:2 Graphic Design

Is your child creative? Do they love to draw, sketch or even doodle? They don't have to want to pursue a career in graphic design to be part of this course, but... if they do... BINGO, they've struck gold.

This is no light weight elective 
Industry standard Adobe CC software is taught. Primarily Illustrator, but InDesign, PhotoShop and LightRoom are also part of the course. 

All skill and interest levels are taught in the various levels of Graphic Design.

I spoke with instructor Mr. Reed Steiner a bit about the differences between PhotoShop (something I use everyday) and Adobe Illustrator (something I've never been able to get comfortable with).  

"Usually when I teach [graphic design] I start with Illustrator, because if I do it the other way around, people hate it. So I teach Illustrator first and that tends to keep people more interested in it."

- Reed Steiner

I needed to be in Mr. Steiner's class about 10 years ago... ☺

Graphic Design tackles many different projects

Beginning classes focus on learning the principles and elements like might be taught in a drawing and painting class, and getting their feet wet with the software.

They do about twenty projects throughout the year. Things like photo collages in PhotoShop, posters for concerts, animated GIFs, with the final project for Graphic Design 1 being a video. 

Looks legit to me.

The second level class focuses more on industry type projects

Examples include: beverage labeling, advertisements, book covers and the like. The students will also bring in objects to photograph in EHS's studio to create original artwork so that everything in their project is theirs, not just clipart online.

A few samples of past work.

In third and fourth level classes they do production with their large format printer. They make banners, decals, stickers. It's like a small business where they produce for the school and the community.

If you're a team parent of a youth sports team, this is a good option for your banner.

Real world skills are learned in this class.

Mr. Steiner is working on getting all his Graphic Design classes articulated (which means eligible for college credits too). He was telling me that, "RCC is willing to work with all my classes, so all of my classes [the student] could potentially get college credit for, and a weighted grade."

Some of the artwork that adorns the classroom walls.

Design for print publication, aka Year Book
Another of Mr. Steiner's subjects is Design for Print Publication, which oversees the school's yearbook design and production. 

The yearbook is created "all from scratch" in InDesign... which means they don't use a template someone else came up with. This teaches "how to publish a book in the industry".

My name is Reed Steiner. I am proud and honored to say that I have been teaching at Elsinore High School since the 2014-15 school year.  I love sharing my passion for art and design with my students, and preparing them for college, career, and life out in the real world. 

Reed.Steiner@leusd.k12.ca.us 

I grew up on the north end of Lake Elsinore, and received my K-12 education from LEUSD. I received my Bachelors of Fine Arts in Illustration from CSULB. I earned my teaching credential in Art and Masters in Digital Teaching from APU. I also have a CTE Arts, Media, and Entertainment teaching Credential from OCOE. 

A big thank you to Stacy Styrcula, EHS's College and Career Center Technician. Without her help I couldn't have done this series. 

Link to blog 1: Video and Photography

Link to blog 3: Sports Medicine
Link to blog 4: Screen Printing
Link to blog 5: ROTC

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I draw like other people bite their nails.
– Pablo Picasso

Wildomar Rap has seen much of Picasso's work, and has to agree with his self assessment. Too bad he didn't draw like Segovia played guitar.

This blog was produced for viewing on a desktop or a laptop. Though it's been optimized for smartphones, the formatting can look odd on a smartphone or if you get this delivered through email (such as missing video links). Link to proper format.

• CTE (Career Technical Education) at EHS:1 Video and Photography

In the past it was known as ROP or vocational training, but today's CTE (Career and Technical Education) programs are so much more than what the past generations were offered.

With the aid of Stacy Styrcula, EHS's College and Career Center Technician, I had the opportunity to chat with the instructors of various CTE classes.

This will be a series that touches on eight different CTE courses at Elsinore High School. This blog covers Video and Photography. 

The others will include: Ag Science, Screen Printing, Graphic Design, ROTC Airforce, Sports Medicine and Automotive.

Some students will be capturing images of the school's sporting events.

Ron Kusayanagi has been teaching at EHS since 2003. He's the instructor for Digital Photography/Video and Computer Science. "My heart is all about our students and preparing them for a college and career path," is part of his Video Production Class webpage.

Students use high end gear. They have good working relations with Canon and Sony

If your child loves photography and/or video, and they are in the LEUSD, they should consider this series of classes at Elsinore High School.

I asked: What should parents know about these courses?

"For our digital media classes, the kids are learning skills that are relevant and important if they want to get into these fields. It also applies to college. If they go to college they will put together a nonlinear presentation; that's video, photos, music, voice overs."

— Ron Kusayanagi

Video editing work stations.

I learned that the classes can be worth college credits too, "We're in the process of getting all of our classes articulated, which is college credit... they just have to earn a B or better, and they will get three units per class through either MSJC or RCC." 

I asked if there were additional costs to the students, and Mr. K let me know that there are no additional costs. The school supplies all the equipment, workshops, field trips. They're funded by the school's CTE grants. The programs are "well funded" and well connected with the outside industries.

If you're a photographer, this is the place to feed your creativity.

Mr. K shared with me the many opportunities that advanced students have to work as interns for some pretty high profile companies. He mentioned some well known company names to me, but I'm choosing to leave those out of the blog... but I bet he'd be willing to chat with you about specifics when you catch up with him. ☺ 

A small portion of their studio. You can see their green screen to the right.

His goal is to get the top students at the professional level before they graduate

In video 1, the new students learn the basics, how to put things together, and then getting it out on the web. The advanced classes produce projects for the public to see. 

Examples include the E-1 News (bi-weekly news channel), promos for all the school athletic teams and pep rallies, "how to" videos for the school's administration. The advanced group did five short films for Sony last semester (they are the first high school to get that gig). 

Adobe products such as Premiere Pro and After Effects are staples in video production.

"We're teaching kids skills that they can use in the outside industry. The top kids in our school are in all of our CTE classes. The teachers here are very passionate about what we do and we want our kids to be top notch. We don't want them just to get through."

— Ron Kusayanagi

The students that are in video and photography class range from beginner with few preconceptions, to those that know they want to work as professionals when they hit the workforce.

Interested students can get into this program several different ways

Seniors get first preference when it comes spots in this course, but the way to get into the program is to sign up on the course selection sheet.

For more information, Mr. Kusayanagi's webpage encourages email.

ron.kusayanagi@leusd.k12.ca.us

Link to blog 2: Graphic Design

Link to blog 3: Sports Medicine
Link to blog 4: Screen Printing
Link to blog 5: ROTC

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When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.
— Ansel Adams

Wildomar Rap is often unclear but rarely is content with silence.

This blog was produced for viewing on a desktop or a laptop. Though it's been optimized for smartphones, the formatting can look odd on a smartphone or if you get this delivered through email (such as missing video links). Link to proper format.

• Twin Wildomar Press Releases

If you're signed up for city emails you probably already saw these press releases... if not... keep on reading. 

If not, sign up at this link

Press Release #1

WILDOMAR, CA – The City of Wildomar has been awarded the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA).

You know you're jelly!

“The Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management,” the GFOA stated in a press release regarding the award.

The award specifically recognized Wildomar’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the fiscal year ended 2018, which was judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program.

Mayor Marsha Swanson

“This is a big deal to us because it shows transparency and readability of our financial report,” said Mayor Marsha Swanson. “Staff works diligently on our reports to ensure full, clear disclosure and we are proud to be recognized for this exemplary award.” 

Press Release #2

The Future is Bright: Wildomar’s Street Lights Getting an Upgrade


WILDOMAR, CA - Wildomar’s street lights are in the process of being upgraded to LED lights, which will provide a longer lifespan, lower maintenance, minimize light pollution and provide better visibility for our streets. The retrofit program is projected to save the City of Wildomar more than $2 million in reduced energy and maintenance costs over the next 20 years.

A look at the old LPS style lights.

The street light retrofit project began in Wildomar on July 19, 2019 at the east end of the city on Clinton Keith Road and will be moving west and then north throughout July and August (please see attached map).

The work will be completed in about a month.

Street closures will be minimal, with most work being performed in the shoulder.

Once retrofitted, each pole will have a unique pole identifier that will allow both city staff and residents to identify a light that requires service in the future.

This project is part of the Western Riverside Council of Government’s (WRCOG) Regional Street Light Program that will ultimately retrofit 55,000 streetlights across Western Riverside County.

Mayor Marsha Swanson

“This project was the right thing to do for Wildomar and for all of Western Riverside as part of WRCOG’s regional program,” said Mayor Marsha Swanson. “The cost savings for the reduced energy, reduced maintenance plus clearer visibility and less light pollution; it was just the right thing to do for our residents.”

Any questions, please contact Dan York, Assistant City Manager at 951-677-7751 x 216  or email him at dyork@cityofwildomar.org. Posting questions on facebook will NOT get you answers... jus' sayin'.

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The lunatic, the lover and the poet are of imagination all compact, and in the night imagining some fear how easy is a bush supposed a bear.
– Bill of the Shakespeare
A Midsummer Night's Dream

Wildomar Rap has often been confused with a bear... usually Boo Boo Bear.

This blog was produced for viewing on a desktop or a laptop. Though it's been optimized for smartphones, the formatting can look odd on a smartphone or if you get this delivered through email (such as missing video links). Link to proper format.

• Fire at the Freeway July 22, 2019

No official names have been bestowed on this fire that was along the freeway from Bundy Canyon north to past Lemon Street (it was put out very quickly and no serious damage was done).

 The fire was already out near the Bundy Canyon northbound exit.

No cause has been determined yet.  Early official word is 8 acres north of Bundy Canyon, no injuries, no displacements (email time stamp 5:39pm). It was reported that there was a similar fire along the freeway in Murrieta. 

The first view of the fire in Wildomar while traveling north on the I-15.

You can just make out the outlines of the fire fighters through the smoke.

I got called by fellow council member Bridgette Moore at 4:39pm regarding the fire(s). She'd heard about them through a facebook post and a local resident.

It was stunning to see so many separate fires. 

Soaking the hot spots.

I was told it was on the east side of the freeway at Bundy Canyon. Not knowing if the freeway would be open or not I still headed east on Baxter.

On the Bundy Canyon northbound on ramp. 

I couldn't see any smoke until I got past Round Up.I noticed that the freeway was still going at normal speed so I entered the on ramp going north.

 I lost count of all the fire engines that were on scene.

I was just getting to the Bundy Canyon off ramp as it was being closed.I headed to the next exit (Railroad Canyon) and headed back along Grape Street and met up with Bridgette at the corner of Lemon and Orange.

There were large flames shooting up as late as 5:00pm. 

The dry vegetation burned quickly.

 People stopped on Grape street to watch the fire.

This power pole took some light damage.

Orange Street was blocked off by a deputy. In the 20 minutes that we were there, we saw at least ten cars get turned around by the officer. 

 This officer was serious about people NOT being able use Orange St.

The line up of cars on Lemon at Orange got long at times.

Engine 85 was making sure the fire was out.