The scene… The class gathered around a chalk outline, blood splattered across the ground, hair fibers and fingerprints providing evidence for analysis. Community partners walking students through evidence collection. Students engaging in the investigative process and evidence collection with community partners, following historical clues in the form of primary and secondary sources. This is only a small glimpse into the life of a Public Safety student in our lab.
In addition to crime scene analysis, students will walk through history in order to examine the foundation of our rights, the creation of laws, and the agencies tasked with public safety. Students will turn a critical eye on current events using history to provide context and connections. Emphasis will be placed on the importance of effective communication and interpersonal skills, strong academic skills, problem-solving, safety, and the use of technology.
Public safety begins with understanding civic duty and working to better the community as a whole. Local law enforcement and correctional officers, firefighters, and other community partners will be a part of the classroom in order to bring real-world experience and insight into the topics and themes being discussed. Through projects, students will learn about civic duties, rights, criminal procedure, and how laws are made.
The Public Safety Lab will prepare students for success in the high school public safety pathway. Careers in this pathway include those in corrections, probation, law enforcement, military service, and fire science.
Chantel Martins has worked as a secondary-level English Language Arts teacher in California’s Central Valley for the last ten years. While she currently holds an M.A. in English, she plans to continue her education, both formally and informally, as a lifelong learner. Driven by her passion for using language to learn and grow, she strives to empower others to do the same. Her biggest inspirations come from seeing thriving communities living and acting in respectful, open-minded acceptance of one another in celebration of the diversity of the world in which we all live. When she is not working as an educator, she can often be found reading, writing, or traveling the world.
Johnathen Tonozzi grew up in Fresno, CA where he graduated from Bullard High School and CART (Center for Advanced Research and Technology). As a student at CART, this was his first introduction to the value of the project-based model for learning. After he graduated from Fresno State with a BA in History, he obtained his social science teaching credential and master’s degree in education with an emphasis on critical thinking and project-based learning. He returned to CART where he long-term subbed for six months in the psychology lab. It was surreal for him to return and team-teach in the psychology lab. He saw firsthand that model of instruction he was inspired to achieve with his students. Now a Social Science teacher at MadTEC, he will use all of his skills to prepare students to be self-sufficient, hardworking, and productive future members of society. He has always had a passion for social science; especially slice-of-life history or how the everyday person lived. His hobbies include cooking, baking, spending time with his girlfriend, baseball, professional wrestling/lucha libre, role-playing games, and Godzilla movies. He looks forward to meeting you all!
Madera Unified is where students are challenged to broaden their vision, inspired by meaningful opportunities and strive for authentic achievements.
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