Stepping into high school for the first time, students may be uncertain of what career to pursue after graduation. Serving as career preparatory curriculum, the CTE programs here at PRHS alleviate the uncertainty by giving Bearcats opportunities to gain experience in numerous fields, whether it’s repairing vehicles in the auto shop, cooking up new meals in the kitchen, performing new healthcare skills in the laboratory, or coding in the computer lab, and various other possibilities. Paso Robles High School (PRHS) award winning and diverse pathways, dedicated to widespread experience for Bearcats in CTE programs.
Starting in 2005, the Career Technical Education (CTE) program was adopted by the California Board of Education, allowing these college and career preparatory programs to be introduced to middle and high school classrooms. Since then, CTE programs have spread from Northern to Southern California, preparing high school students for a profession in the work industries.
In the Healthcare Pathway instructed by Shelby LaMendola, Bearcats can spend their freshman year in Introduction to Healthcare, sophomore year partake in CTE Sports Medicine Honors, and the following two years, have the option of taking two practicum capstone classes: CTE Healthcare Laboratory Practicum Honors, and CTE Community Healthcare Practicum, either junior or senior year. Students partaking in the Healthcare Laboratory Practicum can earn certifications in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Basic Life Support and First Aid (CPR certified), Bloodborne Pathogens, and Patient Care TechnicianAssistant. From the Community Healthcare Practicum, students can earn certification to become an emergency dispatcher, and receive dual enrollment credit with Cuesta’s Work Experience course. Senior Griselda Martinez, a CTE Healthcare pathway completer, aspires to go to Cuesta College and enter the pre-nursing field to become a registered nurse. “I check in with my supervisor, and we go through her, then my coworkers’ schedules, and decide if I want to be with her for most of the day, or work with other physical therapists. I sometimes observe between two to three evaluations for new patients, and then the rest of the patients are getting evaluated for treatment, like seeing how the physical therapist talks or interacts with patients.” Martinez said. Martinez reflected on how Sports Medicine and Healthcare Laboratory have significantly prepared her for her internship senior year, “Lab was the most that helped me prepare because it was more hands-on, but because my internship is in physical therapy, sports medicine is also helping right now,” Martinez said.
The Education Pathway offers the following four courses to take, with Developmental Psychology in Children taught by Margaret Roberts freshman year, sophomore year Early Childhood Development, junior year Careers in Education, and senior year Practicum in Education and Training, all three taught by Brenda Matthysse. Certifications earned from the pathway include paraeducator, Mandated Reporter, CPR, Associate Teacher Certificate in Child Development and Family Studies. An additional opportunity provided by the Education pathway includes the Bearkitten Summer Camp internship, an opportunity for Bearcats to participate in the instructional practice for Bearkittens. One of the participants in the 2025 summer internship was senior Frida Bejar. Bejar, an Education pathway completer. and taking the Education and Training practicum class, remarked on her exciting experience with the Bearkittens, “I really enjoyed doing it because it felt like starting off my morning great, and having the rest of the day hanging out with kids and having fun. Something new I gained was giving teachers more responsibility, like letting them come out of their comfort zone and supporting them.” Bejar said. Graduating with her diploma and Associate's degree from Cuesta this summer, Bejar plans to attend a four-year university, and obtain her Master’s Degree in Speech Pathology, with the hopes of opening up a laboratory for speech language pathology in Paso Robles or San Luis Obispo, as inspired by a close friend and her younger brother.
Instructed by Business teacher, Breanne Overton, the Business Management pathway starts off with Introduction to Business and Finance freshman year, Business Communications sophomore or junior year, followed by the final course, Business Management Practicum senior year. Students participating in the Business courses may also earn a certificate from the Institute of the Assessment of Skills & Knowledge of Business. CTE Business Management Practicum students dedicate an hour each block day outside the classroom, completing tasks with the application of their business expertise. Senior Jack Hiteshew, a two year member of the pathway explained what he does in the class, and shared what he looked to gain from the class. Following graduation, Hiteshew said his plans after high school is to go into computer science, specifically gaming development, and to start his own company making games or opening a toy store, where these business skills will carry over.