Alternative Education Schools
Natural Bridges High School/Career Training Center
Natural Bridges High School celebrated the graduation of the first students in the Green Canteen Program with an awards ceremony for the 16 students who participated in a Save Our Shores program on reducing plastic pollution. Read more in the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Natural Bridges High School/Career Training Center is a program for students in grades 10-12
seeking employment training while
earning credits toward high school
graduation. The program includes training
for careers in agriculture, construction,
alternative energy, habitat restoration and
computers; courses in local ecology,
history, economics, as well as other
graduation requirements; and instruction
in written and spoken communication,
presentation and leadership skills.
Students Gain:
- Knowledge about environmental issues and
solutions
- Employment skills training and internships
in growing green careers to increase
employability.
- Instruction in written and spoken communication, presentations, and leadership skills to encourage participation in local community decisions
- Education in local ecology, local history, local economics as well as other high school graduation requirements
- Information about post secondary educational programs and options, as well as assistance in designing a career plan for the future
Natural Bridges students are enrolled in both Alternative Education and ROP. In addition to taking high school graduation requirements, students will participate in Green Careers and Organic Gardening ROP classes, where they will learn:
- Monterey Bay ecology and habitat restoration practices
- Green building technologies, materials and methods
- Alternative transportation resources and energy sources
- Natural resource protection including recreation and open space protection
- Organic gardening, sustainable agriculture and marketing practices
- Green career information and assistance with enrollment in post secondary
programs
In addition to their work in the classroom, students will listen to guest speakers, be taken on field trips, be involved in community service projects, and participate in short and long-term internships in green businesses and agencies.
Career education and work experience are important parts of the program. Students will develop an employment portfolio including documentation of their internships and field placements, resume and letters of recommendation.
Students will also be taught public speaking skills, computer skills and leadership skills to allow them to better participate in local conservation efforts.
“ When one tugs at a single thing in nature,
he finds it attached to the rest of the world”
--John Muir
Expected Schoolwide Learning Results
SCCOE Alternative Education will prepare its graduates to be:
- Academic Achievers
- Problem Solvers
- Effective Communicators
- Collaborative Workers
- Responsible Community Members
- Productive, Self-directed Adults
Directions
- From the Santa Cruz County Office of Education,
turn right on River Street
and make right turn onto
Highway 1 North
- Follow Highway 1 North to
the stop light and make a right turn onto Mission Street/Hwy 1.
- Take Mission Street out to Swift Street and make a left turn on Swift Street.
- Go through one stop sign and the school will be on your right.
Also visit the Alternative Education Programs Career Center.
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