Rowland Heights High adopted by CRAEF Enhanced ProStart program
The California Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (CRAEF) has adopted Rowland Heights High School as an Enhanced ProStart school, one of only three schools in the state to earn the distinction and supplementary support from the California restaurant industry.
“It is an exciting time to begin this partnership with Rowland Heights High as they transform their traditional home economics-style culinary program into a serious, industry-driven curriculum focused on preparing students for careers and higher learning through ProStart,” CRAEF Executive Director Alycia Harshfield said. “The Rowland instructors are top-notch and we hope to support and assist them however we can to bring their vision to life.”
An urban high school in Los Angeles County, the student population at Rowland Heights is predominantly English as a Second Language, with high concentrations of Hispanic and Asian students.
The school recently unveiled two new facilities funded by a state matching grant, including an instructional classroom with six state-of-the-art kitchens and a computer lab, as well as a fully functioning restaurant, which includes a service counter, point-of-sales system and professional prep and production areas.
As an Enhanced ProStart school, the Rowland Heights instructors will have a consultant in Programs Coordinator Erin Mascho, who will assist them to implement the ProStart curriculum. They also will have access to regional instructor trainings, an annual competition preparation boot camp and summer institutes offered by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF). CRAEF also will assist the school to fund and coordinate mentorships, field trips, guest speakers and job shadowing.
In addition, CRAEF is supplying the school with a set of Level 1 ProStart textbooks for fall 2011, and with Level 2 in spring 2012. The school also has been working with CRAEF to roll out the ProStart program throughout the Rowland Heights School District. Also, CRAEF and the Collins College at Cal Poly Pomona are working with the school to develop a mentor program that would ultimately provide Collins College students with credits for assisting the high school program.