November 2007 News

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy Awarded Grant for New Facility, $3 Million in Matching Funds to be Raised

The Santa Barbara High School District, in partnership with the Santa Barbara County Education Office, announces Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy grant funding from the California Department of Education for the construction of a new facility on the Dos Pueblos High School campus. Under the terms of the Career Technical Education New Facilities Grant, Dos Pueblos High School will receive up to $3 million. Matching funds of $3 million will be raised locally to meet the total $6 million budget.

The funds will cover the cost of building construction and the acquisition of new equipment for an 11,000 square-foot engineering and manufacturing facility on the Dos Pueblos campus. The new facility will support the existing classes, allow for the introduction of new course offerings, and enhance the Regional Occupational Program (ROP) robotics classes. Students will have the opportunity to learn in a facility that has state-of-the-art machinery and instrumentation, with space for classes, laboratories, engineering shops and offices.

County Superintendent of Schools Bill Cirone, whose office runs the Regional Occupational Program, stated, “The ROP robotics classes add a dimension to the high school experience that is unmatched, combining rigorous courses with a strong hands-on career component in a highly technical field. We are so pleased that this funding will provide for a new facility that will strengthen opportunities for all the students who take part.”

The Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy (DPEA) was launched in 2002 and is one of the most advanced engineering and science programs in the state of California. The four-year integrated course of study offers classes in physics, computer science and engineering design. The hands-on curriculum culminates in the construction of a robot during the senior year, which competes on the national stage. The combination of academics and technical innovation in the program gives students the competitive edge and true mastery of the skills necessary to enter the workforce and pursue post-secondary education.

All students from the Santa Barbara area are eligible to apply to the DPEA. Currently serving 128 students, the program accepts 32 new students (as freshmen) per year. Almost half of the enrolled students are female, far surpassing the national averages for women in science and engineering.

The dynamic program and the success of its graduates have increased demand for entrance. The DPEA now turns away as many deserving students as it enrolls, due to a lack of space and facilities. Presently, a single regular science classroom houses the Engineering Academy. The DPEA wants to expand this opportunity to all interested students in the community and improve the DPEA educational experience. A new facility would enable the Engineering Academy to triple enrollment.

Mark Swanitz, principal of Dos Pueblos High School, said, “Dos Pueblos High School is honored to have been selected to receive this grant. DPEA is a rigorous, highly-engaging career technical education program which prepares students for higher-education and for high-paying entry level jobs in industry. Given our current facilities, the capacity of the program is maximized. We are excited by the prospect of expanding the academy by giving the program a state-of-the-art building into which they can grow to serve even more Dos Pueblos students. Having been selected for funding under this grant makes that prospect a very real possibility.”

The Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy Foundation was recently established as a non-profit corporation and is launching a capital campaign to raise matching funds for the new facility. The foundation has already received substantial contributions from DPEA parents and friends for the sustaining fund to cover the annual expenses of the academy. Sandra Seale, president of the foundation, said “The DPEA Foundation is grateful to the many generous families and friends, and to its corporate sponsors, who have contributed to the sustaining fund this fall, giving us added momentum for our capital campaign.” Over the last three years several corporate sponsors have provided support to the Engineering Academy: Raytheon, Valley Precision Product, National Security Technologies LLC, AFAR Communications, Impulse Internet Services, Renco Encoders, NASA, and FLIR Commercial Vision Systems.

For more information, contact DPEA Director Amir Abo-Shaee, or visit www.dpengineering.org. Those interested in the foundation should contact Sandra Seale, zenmeda@verizon.net.