Dr. Ben Churchill
Superintendent
CARLSBAD UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Touring a manufacturing facility, testing the acidity levels in lagoon waters, creating an engaging video for a business partner, or meeting with City officials to share perspectives— such real world experiences are a hallmark of our educational program at Carlsbad Unified. Our purpose is to prepare our young people for rewarding employment in the future, and we’re committed to providing worldclass opportunities for students, in partnership with Carlsbad industry, business, and community leaders, and the Carlsbad Educational Foundation (CEF).
The contributions of the Carlsbad community are too numerous to mention, but here’s a rundown of some of the programs our community makes possible for our students:
- This year our first graders will experience an “onsite field trip” to the San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum, as it visits each elementary school with a mobile exhibit and five interactive labs to engage young students.
- In second grade, all students study an exciting twelve-week coding and robotics curriculum with the support of LEGOLAND® California Resort.
- Third graders will visit the Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation Discovery Center three times this year to learn about our local natural habitat and the indigenous peoples who once lived here. They also will study environmental science at the San Diego Botanical Gardens. And they will learn about local government through the City Stuff program, which culminates in a trip to City Hall to meet our local elected officials.
- In fourth grade, some of our students will visit the Leo Carrillo ranch for a day of art activities.
- A highlight of the year for fifth graders will be a trip to Junior Achievement’s Biztown, where they will explore careers and learn about personal finance.
- Seventh graders will take part in Next Generation Science Standardsaligned activities such as testing lagoon water samples for salinity and microplastics through a grant from the Agua Hedionda Foundation and Carlsbad Education Foundation.
- High school students will take part in a multitude of career pathways activities, such as mentorships, site tours, job shadowing, and classroom presentations by local professionals.
- At Carlsbad High School, our Internship Academy places over 100 student interns in local businesses each year. At Sage Creek High School, students tap the rich resources in the community for expertise as they create their Genius Projects.
- Nordson Corporation continues to support the Tech Time STEM essay challenge for all middle schoolers, robotics at middle and high school, and the SEMI Hi Tech U program, a three-day career exploration program that features STEM team challenges, practice and mock interviews with industry professionals, and a visit to UCSD. In addition, Viasat employees over the last few years have dedicated over 2,000 hours of volunteer time to mentor students in our Science Olympiad program. And Thermo Fisher supports elementary and middle school science days and an 8th grade DNA lab for our students.
The glue that holds all of these impactful activities together is the Carlsbad Educational Foundation (CEF), which works with local companies to find ways to support our schools through donations of time, talent, and treasure. With the substantial financial support of partners such as Nordson, Legoland, Omni La Costa, Gelson’s, ViaSat, ThermoFisher, SDG&E, and Erickson Hall Construction, and many others, CEF funds music programs at every elementary school, science teachers for 4th and 5th grades, Project Lead The Way at Calavera Hills Elementary and Middle Schools, K-12 robotics, high school science assistants, the International Baccalaureate program at Jefferson Elementary, musical theater at the high schools, and much more.
Beyond that, our partnership with MiraCosta College allows students to earn college credit for articulated career pathway courses, receive free tuition for college courses, and gain access to work-based learning experiences. Cal State San Marcos provides guaranteed admission for qualified students, a variety of support services under the Alliance agreement, and Manufacturing Day, where 100 students are given the opportunity to visit a local manufacturer and talk to industry professionals.
And I am happy to acknowledge the numerous campus fundraisers supported by local eateries, the school silent auction donations, the career day visits, the parents and friends who give their time and contributions, and the three pages of local companies that gave discounts to kids during Red Ribbon Week.
Our Carlsbad students are fortunate to have the strong support of this community in countless ways. This support will have a profound impact on their lives for years to come. We couldn’t do it without you.