Recreational Occupational Center also know as ROC has been a very popular program since the beginning of its establishment. The program is so popular that there is a new building being constructed near Independence High School. The program is highly populated and has given students many advantages for their life after high school.
The new building will be called CTEC, and will open in August of 2020. One of the main reasons why they are opening a new building is to be able to enroll more kids and the community has been asking for one for the past couple years. According to Brian Miller, principal of ROC, “We have nearly 2,000 students enrolled currently. The new building will release some of the pressure off of the facilities at ROC, which will benefit students at both schools.” Once the building is open, they will be able to enroll close to 3,000 students between ROC and CTEC. The new CTEC building will offer the same programs that ROC has. It is basically being built to be able to give more kids a chance to be able to get in and help the staff of the other building by not overflowing classes with so many kids.
ROC offers a lot of advantages to students who are in the program. Jesus Penuelas, a student currently enrolled in ROC, has ROC in the afternoon and really enjoys everything they have to offer him. He is in the Diesel and Agriculture program. When he was asked what advantages ROC offers to him, he said, “They teach me skills related to the program that I am taking and they are going to help a lot after high school.” ROC has helped students massively. Miller said, “Every year I hear lots of student’s success stories of ROC students who complete their program and are going on to do great things. Additionally, it seems like almost every day I meet someone who was a former ROC student that benefited from the program.” Students in ROC have a head start in life after high school and get taught certain skills which they can use in their future when they get a job or even in college classes. Another ROC student, Daniel Miranda, had this to say about the program “ The program really has helped me a lot. I like that I get college and high school credit while doing something I enjoy, and it helps me get ahead for the future.”
ROC is a great program and everyone should try to get involved in it. They have a lot of programs that you might be interested in and could help you in the future. ROC gives you a head start, when enrolling into the program you can gain high school and college credit, also gain leadership skills and earn industry certifications. ROC gets you ready for the future by doing something you enjoy. ROC is always a program to consider especially if the have a program that involves something you want to do in the future.