CART Event Showcases Local Students' Brain Power

Computer game design among class choices.

By David Witte / The Clovis Independent

Tom Tran holds a computer hard drive in his hand. It makes a high-pitched grinding sound. "He messed it up somehow," says his project partner, Reggie Dolack of Clovis East High. "This is not how it's supposed to sound," Tom replies. He turns the hard drive over in his hand. "Oh that's what's wrong," he says after a minute.

Not many high-schoolers can diagnose a problem with a hard drive in just a matter of seconds, but Tom and Reggie are among a special group. They are students at the Center for Advanced Research and Technology, a joint venture between Clovis Unified and Fresno Unified. Students spend mornings at their regular high schools, and their afternoons at CART, where they learn about everything from Miranda rights to architecture.

"For the last two years, 96 percent of our students have gone on to college," said principal and chief operating officer Susan Fisher. "They don't all have that plan when they come here, but I think the emphasis that we put on the real-world applications of our learning, and the personalization of the program, helps convince a lot of kids that they can go to college."

The students of CART gathered earlier this month for a public showcase to display their abilities.

"The purpose of this showcase is to put the focus on learning," Fisher said. "To give the students an opportunity to be in the spotlight and to be recognized for their academic skills."

Caleb Adams and Samuel Aguayo, two juniors from Clovis High, displayed a presentation on the history of Georgian architecture.

"I'm pretty sure I'll go to college. I'm just not sure which one," Samuel said. "A couple of my friends in the architecture class went to Idaho."

Next to Caleb and Samuel, another Clovis High student, Angela Bermudez, showed off a device called a Fire Popper, which she designed with classmates Sean McDougall, Eric Smith and Caleb Pardon.

"One of our classmates had a grandpa who died because the fire extinguisher was too close," Angela said. "We're trying to save as many people as possible."

The Fire Popper is designed to douse an entire area with carbon dioxide foam, and Angela said it could be air-dropped in a forest fire, instead of firefighters battling the blaze by hand.

"A lot of these kids, this is a product they have thought of, and what they have is basically a prototype," Fisher said. "We have one of three game design courses for high school in California."

Senior Vitaly Maximov of Buchanan offered a role-playing game he designed with partners Justin Her and Matt Petterson.

"It took us eight weeks to put it together," Vitaly said. "We wrote a whole pile of documents as we worked on the design."

Vitaly credited Matt with the design documentation and Justin with the artwork.

"These kids have had one semester," said Fisher. "They have to know art, they have to know graphics and they have to know programming.

"In one semester we already have two games out here, and probably another 10 games that they have designed and tested, and now you can actually play."

Senior David Stolling of Clovis High took a break from teacher Michael May's electronics class one day, picked up a phone, and called CART's front office.

"Hello," he said to the receptionist who picked up, "my name is David Stolling, and I'm calling you on this phone I just built."

David said the class worked an hour each day, three days a week, for three weeks. He then launched into a 10-minute explanation of exactly how his telephone works.

"Because it's integrated and project-based, kids get involved in their learning," Fisher said. "It's not 'read the chapter and answer the questions. Here's your test. Be quiet.' "

Other phones on display were built by Brannon Widmar and Rebecca Leonard of Clovis High, Dennis Ngo of Hoover, and Chris Tobey of Fresno High.

The graphics department includes seniors Bryan Geis and J.J. Terry of Buchanan, who both took film their junior year and graphic arts this year.

"It's pretty fun, it's the field I want to get into," J.J. said. "I'm looking at the New York Film Academy, which is on the back lot of Universal Studios."

(Published January 26, 2007)