Press Release

Metropolitan Education District 760 Hillsdale Ave San Jose, CA 95136 April 08, 2008

Contact: Michelle Alaimo Communication Specialist (408) 723-6464 malaimo@metroed.net

CCOC Students Win Top Honors at StRUT Competition

Central County Occupational Center (CCOC) students won three medals--a gold, silver and bronze at the 8th Annual StRUT (Students Recycling Used Technology) Competition at Mission College on April 5.

Three teams from Instructor Justin Locketz’s CCOC’s Computer Technology Class competed against 36 other teams from 14 different high schools and were scored in three different timed areas: Computer build/presentation, challenge, and written exam. Kevin Camozzi, a senior at Leigh High School and Johnny Cordova, a junior at Liberty High School had the highest scores overall, earning them each a laptop and a gold medal.

“The competition was challenging, but we were very prepared, thanks to what Mr. Locketz has taught us in our CCOC computer class,” Camozzi said. He added that they applied all the skills they had learned in class such as the proper way to hold computer parts and how to communicate with customers, was very useful for the competition.

The computer build/presentation is a timed portion in which students take apart and rebuild a computer as fast as they can. The team gives a presentation to judges who score on their ability to communicate, organizational skills, use of visual aides, delivery, and teamwork.

In the Challenge portion, students troubleshoot 10 different computers, determine the problem, and suggest a solution. Students also take a written exam with questions on computer knowledge and A+ certification content.

CCOC, a unit of MetroED, provides career-technical education for high school students in six districts: Campbell Union High School District, East Side Union High School District, Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District, Milpitas Unified School District, San Jose Unified School District, and Santa Clara Unified School District. Students attend CCOC for half of their school day and the other half of the day they attend their home high school.

Both members of the Gold Winning team attend CCOC’s computer technology class in the afternoon. Their fellow classmates and silver medal winners, Shawn Dadvar from Leigh High School and Jay Jaber from Santa Teresa High School also attend the afternoon session. The Bronze medal team: Adrian Reyes from Gunderson High School, Marvin Moreano, from Santa Teresa High School, and Niko Dore from Silver Creek High School attend CCOC’s morning Computer Technology Class.

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MetroED is the largest career-oriented educational organization in Santa Clara County, comprised of high school and adult occupational, academic and community programs.

MetroED annually provides 50,000 diverse students with the skills to help them be productive, income-earning and tax-paying contributors to Silicon Valley.