HELIX EDGE/CTE

There has been a lot of exciting changes to our CTE Program in just the past couple of months! We believe all of these changes will further advance our mission to equip our students with real-life career and technical experience. Learn more about these changes below!

Gifford Asimos recently retired as teacher and School-to-Career Coordinator at Helix Charter High School in La Mesa, where he led the Business/Entrepreneurship Pathway. He was one of the Top Ten Finalist for the San Diego County Teacher of the Year in 1999, the Helix Charter High School Teacher of the Year in 2003 and in 2023. He received the statewide Adam Smith Award in 2005 for his contributions to Economic Education and was the California Council on the Social Studies High School Teacher of the Year in 2021. He was also named teacher of the year by both Junior Achievment and the Classroom of the Future Foundation.

Although retired, he still plans to remain active in economic education by conducting in-service activities for the California Association of Economics Teachers and by continuing as a member of Board of Directors and Secretary/Treasurer of the EconEd Foundation of San Diego. Mr. Asimos stays in contact with the work of Helix and we wish him the very best as he enjoys retirement and this new chapter of his life. Thank you for your continued service and dedication to the students at Helix.

In honor of the tremendous work of Mr. Asimos has accomplished over the years, the Honeycomb Lab has been renamed "The Asimos Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation."

Amy Hull will be taking over Mr. Asimos' position as the Business/Entrepreneurship Lead. Mrs. Hull has a background in business and has previously taught Marketing and Principles of Money Management at Helix.

She received extensive training last year under Mr. Asimos and we know she'll be pushing the pathway to even further heights!

Congratulations to Julio Torres. In addition to being the Edge Lab Facilitator, he has earned his teaching credential in Computer Sciences. He is teaching Intro to Computer Science and the Maker Lab class.

The Sports Medicine Pathway will now be called the "Patient Care/ Sports Medicine Pathway" as we shift our focus to providing our students opportunities to work across a broader-range of healthcare fields

Students who take Sports Medicine 3C/4C will now be eligible to earn articulated credit through Grossmont College. As long as a student earns a B or better both semesters, they will receive credit for ES 255 "Care and Prevention of Athletic Injuries," a 3 unit course that they may utilize towards a degree in Exercise Science!

Congratulations to Mrs. Welch and the Patient Care Pathway. 70% of the pathway passed the Medical Assistant Examination and earned their certification to be hired in the health care industry. This is a wonderful accomplishment and we want to thank the Girard Foundation for their continued support.

Biocom California Institute is the largest amd most experienced advocate for California’s life science sector. Their mission is to develop and promote a skilled and diverse pipeline of talent to accelerate the growth of California’s life science ecosystem.

We have partnered with Biocom in the past for teacher professional development. They also have been helpful with parterning our students with programs that allow them the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in life science careers.

Every year, Biocom partners with Deloite, to provide data on the outlook of the life science industry in the state of California.

Their report includes industry trends and the economic impact this sector is having on the economy.

Check out part of the report below.

CTE prepares secondary, postsecondary and adult students with technical, academic and employability skills for success in the workplace and in further education.

On February 23, 1917, the Smith-Hughes National Vocational Education Act was signed into law, launching the Federal investment in CTE. Since then, federal CTE policy has evolved in response to changing U.S. economic and social conditions.

Helix EDGE is an opportunity for students to gain a Career Technical Education (CTE) that consists of a multi-year sequence of academic and technical courses to prepare students for a full range of post-secondary options.