CTE Blog

The Air Force Junior ROTC (AFJROTC) program at Gilbert High School has earned the highest possible rating of “Exceeds Standards” following its official Unit Assessment conducted on April 17.

The program received an outstanding score of 95.5, reflecting exceptional performance across all evaluated areas. According to Air Force officials, the unit demonstrated excellence in leadership, organization, and community involvement, with no discrepancies noted during the assessment.

The achievement highlights the leadership of Major (Ret.) Vicente G. Maldonado and Master Sergeant (Ret.) Elwin L. Longnion, whose mentorship has helped guide cadets to success. Evaluators specifically praised the unit’s strong cadet leadership, active participation, and commitment to service.

School and district leaders say the AFJROTC program continues to play a vital role in developing student leadership, character, and civic responsibility.

“This recognition reflects the hard work and dedication of both instructors and cadets,” officials noted, emphasizing the program’s positive impact on the school and the broader Gilbert community.

Click here to learn more about AF JROTC at Gilbert Public Schools

Students from Desert Ridge High School’s engineering program recently put their skills to the test at the SkillsUSA Mobile Robotics competition on April 7th and delivered an impressive performance.

During the competition, students designed, built, and programmed robots to complete real-world challenges. In addition to the hands-on portion, they also participated in technical interviews, where they explained their design process and demonstrated their understanding of the engineering behind their work.

The event showcased a wide range of student skills, including coding, mechanical design, problem-solving, and teamwork, which are all essential in today’s engineering and robotics fields.

The success reflects the program’s focus on hands-on, project-based learning. “Desert Ridge Robotics uses project-based learning to prepare students for moments like this, where real-world skills, teamwork, and innovation lead to success in competition,” said Wendi Harden, DRHS Engineering teacher. 

Click here to learn more about Engineering at Gilbert Public Schools

Desert Ridge High School’s DECA chapter joined more than 2,000 students from across Arizona at the State Career Development Conference (SCDC) on February 26, held at the Arizona Grand Resort.

Over the course of three days, students competed in one of 65 business and marketing events, attended workshops, and connected with other DECA members from around the state, all to qualify for the International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in April.

Desert Ridge had a strong showing, with five students earning finalist spots: Kaycee Cambell (Principles of Hospitality and Tourism), Logan Graef (Principles of Business Administration), Kenneth Reyes (Human Resources Management), Marlie Wells (Hotel and Lodging Management), and Bailey Jackson (Retail Merchandising).

Two of those finalists, Marlie Wells and Bailey Jackson, will advance to the international level, representing Highland at ICDC from April 25–28.

The success reflects the continued growth of the program, which added 10 new members this year. Advisors shared that seeing students compete and succeed at such a large-scale event was a rewarding experience for everyone involved.

To learn more about Marketing at Gilbert Public Schools, click here. 

Gilbert High School’s Culinary Arts and FCCLA students took on a major challenge at the end of January, helping to cater breakfast for 300 advisors attending the Annual AASC Convention.

The three-day convention brought together more than 3,000 students and 300 advisors from across Arizona, and Gilbert High students played a key role behind the scenes. For Friday morning’s breakfast, the team prepared an impressive menu that included more than 300 muffins, 400 quiches, 200 parfaits, and fresh fruit salad.

What makes the accomplishment even more notable is that everything was created in Gilbert High’s original home-ec style kitchens, the oldest in the district, without access to commercial-grade equipment. Despite that, students worked together to pull off a large-scale catering event that typically only happens a couple of times each year.

Preparation for the event began weeks in advance, with Culinary II students testing recipes, scaling ingredients, and applying culinary math skills. During the week of the convention, students spent days producing quiches and baking muffins, while a team of 15 volunteers arrived as early as 6:00 a.m. on the day of the event to prep fruit and assemble parfaits. Other students managed the buffet line, providing professional service throughout the morning.

“I am forever grateful to the students who showed up outside of typical class hours to help wrap and label hundreds of quiches and store them properly in accordance with the FDA Food Code,” said Culinary Arts instructor Ms. Lawless. “Their dedication, professionalism, and attention to food safety made this event possible.”

The experience gave students a real-world look at what it takes to execute a large catering event, highlighting not only their culinary skills but also their teamwork, adaptability, and commitment.

“This experience represents everything our Culinary Arts program stands for: real-world learning, teamwork, and pride in doing meaningful work,” Lawless added. “Their willingness to step up and take ownership speaks volumes about the culture of our program.”

To learn about Culinary at Gilbert Public Schools, click here.

This past weekend, January 23rd-25th, Campo Verde FFA Agriscience and Engineering Program proudly represented Gilbert Public Schools at the Tempe Blooms Festival, a large-scale floral and art event in Downtown Tempe. With more than 90,000 attendees, the event transformed downtown with vibrant floral displays, where Campo Verde FFA’s installation was showcased, placing students' work at the heart of the celebration. Their display, themed “Rooted in Agriculture,” won the People’s Choice Award. 

Campo Verde FFA was selected as just one of two high schools invited statewide to compete alongside professional floral designers. Their “Rooted in Agriculture” display highlighted agriculture as a way of life that sustains communities, utilizing earth-toned colors to symbolize soil, resilience, and agricultural heritage. Their design honored the dedication of farmers and ranchers and their connection to land, labor, and livelihood. Entirely student-designed and fabricated, these concepts were brought to life with welding animal forms, fabricating the boot structure, and selecting the color palette, with students leading the creative and technical process from start to finish. 

Through public voting, Campo Verde FFA earned the People’s Choice Award, securing $500 for the chapter and highlighting strong community support. FFA Advisor Keili Summey reflected on the experience, saying, “Watching my students come together, work hard, learn new skills, and flex their creative muscles reminded me exactly why I do this. It wouldn't be possible without our amazing assistant Anissa McCleve, who is an incredible resource and always willing to go the extra mile to support our kids and this program. Seeing the public connect with their work and their agricultural roots was incredibly meaningful. This is ‘Learning by Doing’ at its finest.”

Campo Verde FFA’s participation in Tempe Blooms highlights the impact of Agriscience and Engineering as a Career and Technical Education (CTE) program, where students gain hands-on experience in design, construction, problem-solving, and teamwork while exploring real-world agricultural careers.

Learn more about our CTE Agriscience and Engineering program.