Yolo High School is located at 919 Westacre Road in West Sacramento and enrolls students from the ninth to the twelfth grade who are age 16 or older. Photo by Seth Henderson

WEST SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - Yolo High School, a continuation school in West Sacramento, is a campus of less than 100 students equipped with the faculty and staff aimed at preparing students for life after high school. 

Ophelia Coronel, an English teacher at Yolo High and educator for 18 years, said that each subject, such as math, science or English are all departments of one, meaning that there is one educator per subject. She said the school’s structure and small population allow for a more comprehensive and intimate learning environment, where teachers meet regularly to discuss the performance of their students. Coronel said that she has taught at Yolo High for 16 years and each student shares most of the same teachers, allowing educators to monitor behavior and performance in a more controlled environment. 

“We realize we really need to equip our students with some skills, some exposure, so when they leave here, they will be considered adults,” Coronel said. “We can do it through standards, definitely, in education, but what are things that we think these kids need to have an understanding of?” 

Coronel said she was teaching a course titled “Life After High School,” which prepared students for things such as job interviews, resume building and networking, but after speaking with her colleagues, developed a curriculum to incorporate life lessons into every subject. She said the Yolo High educators met and discussed various skills that students should have under their belt before they graduate, such as credit scores, insurance, contracts and other aspects of adult life. 

The “Life After High School” course has expanded beyond the English department at Yolo High School, incorporating every department to apply a life skills unit during the quarter. 

Yolo High School Principal Noe Guerra said that a new resource for students this year is the availability of a social worker to address the emotional aspect of high school education. Each student on campus is under the caseload of a social worker, he said. 

“This is what I tell students,” Guerra said, “‘You're already doing it, you're already here. Think about life. Think about eight months from now. Think five years from now, what will that life look like?’ So how do we get them ready for those five years?  

“That's our biggest goal right now. We're working towards that. It is building some basic essential skills on how to speak with adults, versus when you’re speaking with friends.” 

For several reasons, Guerra said, some students may not have gotten the attention, skills or support they needed in a conventional school setting and that it’s a race against time to make the most of their time at Yolo High, preparing them for the workforce and society at large. 

“Whatever obstacles they had in life, we're here this is why we've got to try to clear that path, 
have you move, even if it's slowly. We're to have you move ahead. and we're going to guide you, we're going to try to support you with the resources that we have available,” Guerra said.  “Do we need more resources, of course, but then this is something we have to work every single year the best way we can. And what better than actually should we hear from our own students?”

Guerra said the first step to student success at Yolo High is a staff that believes in its students, helping them to believe in themselves. He said several students have expressed a lack of belief in themselves during writing assignments or evaluations. 

Coronel said that in addition to insurance, credit and resumes, the course covers how to fill out tax forms and other adulting activities. She said students are the subject of an interview panel as one of their final projects, answering questions that potential employers would ask during the hiring process. She said students have expressed relief after the mock interviews, saying that students felt confident enough to apply for a job they may have been nervous about.

Past students have come back to the school to share their success and gratitude, Coronel said. Some students also come back to the campus after five years or more, apologizing for any hard times they may have given the staff while students at Yolo High, Coronel said, appreciating the lessons that they learned while enrolled there.

According to U.S. News, 89% of Yolo High School’s population is economically disadvantaged based on the reported number of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunches. The data shows 70% of the student population is reported to be twelfth graders and the graduation rate is reported to be 74%.

Yolo High School is located at 919 Westacre Road in West Sacramento and enrolls students from the ninth the the twelfth grade who are age 16 or older. The school is part of the Washington Unified School District and to learn more information, its website is https://yolo.wusd.k12.ca.us/.