Among over a dozen Career Technical Education (CTE) courses offered at SJHHS, is Criminal Psychology.
Criminal Psychology’s coursework focuses on how psychology and legality intertwine, as well as discussing relevant job opportunities in public service such as law enforcement or social services.
The goal of CTE courses is to integrate “core academic knowledge with technical and occupational knowledge to provide students with a pathway to postsecondary education and careers.”
“Every year, Career Technical Education has a public advisory meeting where we meet with professionals in that industry right now to find out if we’re teaching content that’s still relevant to be hired in that field… In May 2023, the sheriffs told me that one of their new hiring requirements is people who are serving the public already,” said Criminal Psychology teacher Colleen Magaña.
A required assignment introduced in Criminal Psychology this year is 10 hours of community service per semester.
“They are looking for people who are already serving their community during their interview process. I want my kids to have every opportunity they can to be hired into community service so we are doing everything we can to get them hired, including service hours,” said Magaña.
Not only does the community service requirement help students find more job opportunities, but it also boosts positivity and generosity in the community.
This semester, many students participated in food drives, pajama drives, and Adopt-a-Family, an initiative to provide holiday gifts and necessities to families in need.
“A lot of kids did things that catered to their interests so that they could build their own resume with their own interests. The kids that are in dance coached dance kids. The kids that are in cheer camp did cheer camps,” said Magaña.
For students who were not able to donate or attend volunteering events, there were take-home options available.
“We sent home cards that they could handwrite for the holidays. Some went to military personnel overseas that are in active duty, and some went to the Mission Viejo Police Foundation, and those got dropped off to the Meals On Wheels recipients and senior facilities… A lot of kids during tutorial like to color cards for NEGU [kids with cancer] joy jars,” said Magaña.
The array of volunteer opportunities that are made available for Criminal Psychology students allows for the assignment to be more accessible to students who lack time or money, while also presenting volunteer opportunities that require greater involvement and commitment.
“I feel like in order to make a difference in your community the most effective way is to go into communities and work with individuals or organizations,” said Criminal Psychology student Kate Radley.
Thanks to the volunteer hours requirement in Criminal Psychology, three struggling families were provided with Christmas presents, many children with cancer received cards, tons of veterans and senior citizens received letters, police officers received care packages, the food bank received many non-perishable donations, and students learned a valuable lesson in how to make a positive impact.
