The school, a joint project of Fresno and Clovis unified school districts, has students spending the morning or afternoon at CART and the rest of the day at their home school. They take classes such as English, math or science in a lab that relates to their career or field of choice. There are 15 labs such as robotics, architectural design and computer science.
CART's newest lab — psychology and human behavior — had the second largest enrollment out of all of the labs at the start of the school year this week. About 131 students were enrolled in the lab, and CART had a total enrollment of 1,203.
Since CART opened in 2000, the school has struggled to fill its 1,350 capacity. Last year, only 850 students showed up on the first day of school. Official numbers for this year won't be made final until September as some students will drop out and others will enroll. "We're waiting for the dust to settle," said Dan Resciniti, CART's dean of curriculum and instruction.
CART officials plan to hunt down the 300 students who were enrolled but never showed up the first day of school. They also plan to contact the 100 students on their waiting list. "Our capacity is 1,350, and we really wanted to be at 1,350," said Susan Fisher, chief operating officer.
A full enrollment would help offset CART's operating costs because more students means more of the state's per-student dollars called Average Daily Attendance.
CART officials created the psychology lab in an effort to draw more students. They surveyed Fresno and Clovis students to find out what kind of lab they would like to see at CART. "Psychology and human behavior was a slam dunk for the kids," Resciniti said.
Jaycie O'Connor, an 11th-grader at Clovis High School, is considering a career in psychology. She enrolled at CART because Clovis High only offers one psychology course — not enough to satisfy her curiosity. "I want to learn about the brain and how everyone thinks," she said during her first day at CART. She also likes the idea of getting off the Clovis High campus. "You get to leave school and drive by yourself," she said. "It's more freedom and responsibility."
Students will get credit for English, chemistry, psychology and technology by the end of the year. Three teachers who specialize in the different subject areas will team teach the lab, assigning projects throughout the year. Students will create a portfolio about their learning style, present a lesson to multiple age groups to learn about developmental psychology, write a research paper on a mental illness and explore a profession in the field of psychology.
Lori Kirby, a junior at Buchanan High School, wants to research the effect of drugs on the brain. Like Jaycie, she's considering a career in psychology. She is also excited about studying at a place like CART. "I heard you learn a lot more," she said. "There's hands-on stuff and it's more interesting."
CART opened a second new lab this year: interactive game design. The 32 students who are enrolled in the lab will learn how to create two- and three-dimensional games. "Gaming is very popular right now with kids," Resciniti said. "So we decided to set up a lab that would interest them." DeVry University is sponsoring the lab, one of the first high school game design programs in California, according to a news release. DeVry University's Fresno Center provides business, technology, health care and management education. "They have an 18-month game and simulation program so they're very interested in someone coming out of high school with those skills coming into their program," Resciniti said.
For more information on CART, visit its Web site at www.cart.org.
E-mail Gabriel Alexander at galexander@clovisindependent.com.
