ROP serves college bound kids, too

By Stephanie Bertholdo Acorn Staff Writer

It used to be that high school students who attended Regional Occupational Program (ROP) classes were considered non-college bound. Not anymore. Today’s ROP courses are attended by about half of all students in Las Virgenes Unified School District, according to program officials.

Even though the program is still called ROP, there are several sub-categories. At a recent school board meeting, the ROP VIPs introduced it as a "School to Career" program. Enrollment is up at both Agoura and Calabasas high schools; 1,075 students enrolled in ROP courses this school year, up from 820 last year. Calabasas High School experienced the biggest growth.

Les Van Dyke, steering committee representative, said, "Our growth has exceeded everyone’s expectations." He added that students see value in vocational training because it can help them decide how to earn a living.

"I haven’t seen anything like what’s happened here," Van Dyke said.

Part of the allure of the ROP courses isn’t just practical training to get a job. High-tech courses in "E-marketing" and "Website design" offer students a chance to enter an exciting field immediately after graduating from high school. The Website design course gives students an opportunity to network with professionals who are already successful in the field.

Marlene Jadowski, the ROP counselor at Agoura and Calabasas high schools, said that for most students, ROP offers a means to earn money for their college education. "The hands-on training allows students to find out what they like best in a career, and what they don’t like, which is sometimes more important," Jadowski said.

The jump in ROP enrollment, according to her, probably makes a statement about the spiraling cost of a college education. Many of the ROP courses have been approved by California state colleges as well the UC system, Jadowski said.

Becoming more attractive to LVUSD high school students are classes in television/film production, commercial art/digital design, animal care and control, animation, building and construction, commercial photography, education, computer applications and repair, drafting, electronic publishing and food service—just to name a few.

Some of the more traditional courses being offered through ROP are office occupations, manicurist training, retail marketing and word processing.

ROP courses are offered at various times. Some classes are taught during regular school hours, while others are offered after school and some are in the evening. To participate in a ROP course, a student must be 16 years old.

The future is bright for the ROP, according to Jadowski. She and other officials want to offer more, including classes in robotics, sports marketing, entertainment marketing and training for emergency medical technician (EMT).

The ROP is funded separately from high schools. According to Van Dyke, the budget for ROP was cut only 8 percent and the program is completely self-sufficient.

Other school officials voiced opinions about improved ROP courses. "School to career does not mean school to some low-paying job," said a district official.

Although the program is considered a success, ROP officials would like to connect with business officials more frequently and create more internships, job shadowing and roundtable discussions with students.

Susan Cox, a ROP official, said she is "convinced this (ROP) is school to life, and needs to be in the curriculum."