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Back to School
EVIT expands Power campus, renovates main
BY CECE TODD
East Valley Institute of Technology
The 2022-23 school year at the East Valley Institute of Technology will include expanded programs at the Power Campus, renovations at the Main Campus and reorganization as EVIT prepares to grow its adult programs, off er associate degrees and create more opportunities for youth in foster care.
In the spring, state lawmakers approved legislation that will allow Career Technical Education Districts (CTEDs) like EVIT to off er associate degrees. Gov. Doug Ducey also signed a new state budget that includes $10 million for EVIT to construct a residence hall for foster youth on its Main Campus.
“EVIT’s foundation is rooted in seeking ways to support students and communities that at times have been overlooked, underserved and under-supported,” said Superintendent Dr. Chad Wilson.
For instance, he said, “Arizona has a qualifi ed labor shortage and poor education attainment levels. With CTEDs being able to off er associate degrees, adults will have another option for obtaining the training and education they need to be successful.”
Arizona also has a growing number of youth who are facing signifi cant challenges as they transition out of foster care. EVIT off ers a program that allows foster youth to enroll in EVIT career training while they work toward obtaining their GED. The residence hall that will be constructed will provide additional services and support.
“EVIT now has the opportunity to truly change their lives by giving them the structure and support they need to transition into a better future,” Wilson said.
EVIT will be laying the groundwork for associate degree and foster care initiatives this year by seeking approval from its accrediting body, the Council on Occupational Education, to off er associate degrees, reorganizing and hiring staff , and renovating the Main Campus.
Upon approval by COE, EVIT plans to off er its fi rst associate degree in registered nursing in 2023-24. EVIT has also entered into a partnership with Heritage Academy to allow the charter school to open a high school on the Main Campus that will give preferential placement to foster youth. The charter high school will open in 2023-24.
Meanwhile this school year, EVIT has expanded programs at the Power Campus, 6625 S. Power Road, to better meet the needs of the growing population in the southeast Valley.
Facilities have been expanded for the veterinary, aviation and engineering programs and renovated and upgraded for cosmetology and health care programs.
The Power Campus also has three new programs this year – criminal justice, aesthetics and welding – that are also off ered at the Main Campus. “The expansion of these programs will allow students in the southeast Valley to attend EVIT closer to home,” Wilson said.
At the Main Campus, 1601 W. Main St., Mesa, EVIT off ers over 40 career training programs for high school students and a dozen post-secondary programs for adults. EVIT also provides programs at a branch campus at Apache Junction High School.
Over 5,000 high school students and adults are currently enrolled at the three campuses for the 2022-23 school year. High school students attend tuition-free; adults pay tuition with fi nancial aid available in some programs for those who qualify.
Enrollment is still being accepted for 2022-23. Start the process at evit.com/enroll. For more information, visit evit.com.
CeCe Todd is the public information offi cer for the East Valley Institute of Technology.
Left: EVIT’s medical assistant program is one of about a dozen health-care career programs off ered by the East Valley Institute of Technology. (EVIT) Right: Welding is one of three new programs that the East Valley Institute of Technology has added to its Power Campus this year. Other new programs at Power include criminal justice and aesthetics. (EVIT)
Bella Montessori teacher Corina Brajerich off ers encouragement to Asher Redshaw during a learning session.
After 13 Years, Bella Montessori under new ownership
BY COTY DOLORES MIRANDA
Contributor
A well-respected Gilbert Montessori school serving Chandler, Gilbert and Mesa, has undergone an ownership change.
Bella Montessori began in 2009 in Davina Goff ’s home before growing into a site at 700 S. Island Drive West in 2011.
It is now owned by Mary Navarro, a former special education and high school math teacher who has been an instructor with Montessori for years.
A Chandler resident and mother of four, Navarro met Goff in 2016. Goff ’s daughter, Bella, was one of her students, and the two women bonded and became friends.
Their association grew as both were teaching colleagues at the Arizona Montessori Teacher Education Program, the Montessori training center located at Bella Montessori.
When Goff considered selling the 6,500 square foot, multiple- classroom school, she suggested Navarro might consider taking it over.
For Navarro, the opportunity was exactly what she’d hoped to explore in her future.
“It’s always been a long-term goal of mine to start a Montessori school,” Navarro confessed. “I’ve worked at many Montessori schools in the state, that because of size and administrative complexity, never quite measured up to my expectation of what Montessori should be.”
To her, Montessori schools meant enriching their charges by utilizing cooperation between the teaching staff , parents and students.
“I’ve always envisioned a small community that could serve staff and families with a holistic approach - not only for the child but for the families and staff as well,” she said. “Raising littles doesn’t come with a manual, and having a village of support can be life changing.
“The impact parents and teachers can have in brain development early on in childhood is astronomical, and at Bella we strive to optimize that window by building strong family partnerships, and ongoing staff professional development to maintain the best practices while maintaining Montessori as our core.” Goff received her Montessori certifi cation through the Center for Montessori Education/New York and is currently an instructor for a valley Montessori training program.
She said life changes spurred her letting go of the school that she named for her daughter.
“I absolutely loved my time as owner/teacher at Bella, but my life is shifting with my son, Mason fi nishing his software engineering degree at ASU, and my daughter Bella, beginning her second year at NAU,” she said.
“Mary and I met while she worked for another local Montessori and she was one of my daughter’s teachers. Both my husband Aaron and I really appreciated the way she fully embraced the Montessori philosophy,” Goff continued.
“Mary has always been well respected in the Montessori and educational realms, and I knew from Mary’s passion for Montessori and education that she was the one to carry on the legacy that my husband and I built.”
“The stars aligned and we talked about it and here we are. I truly could not have hoped for a more amazing person to pass the torch to than Mary.”
Located at the border of Chandler and Gilbert, the spacious and bright classrooms house separate spaces for the toddler, primary and elementary students and the NIDO Program for infants beginning at six weeks.
Enrollment is currently underway for the new fall session that begins Tuesday, Aug. 2. Free tours of the school can be scheduled at www.bellamontessori. com. Tours are off ered year-round except during the fi rst two weeks of each school session.
Both the new owner and Bella’s previous owner are instructors for Arizona Montessori Teacher Education Program helping train Montessori teachers from throughout the state.
Bella Montessori full-day classes run from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, and half-day programs 8:30 to noon. Extended care hours are available for an additional cost. Information: BellaMontessori.com.
Scholarships are available in Kindergarten-3rd grade through Arizona Tuition Connection.
All Montessori Schools follow the Montessori methodology, an education approach developed by Italian physician Maria Montessori. The approach focuses on independence and hands-on learning.
(Special to SanTan Sun News)
