Approximately 100 students from across the Merced Union High School District participated in the first-ever CTE Competition at the Atwater Community Center on Tuesday February 10, 2026. Eighteen different teams from Atwater, Buhach Colony, El Capitan, Golden Valley, Livingston and Merced high schools made presentations to judging panels made up of community industry experts. The event was an opportunity to highlight MUHSD’s high-quality CTE pathways, industry engagement and college and career readiness.

“This was a way to get teams from every industry in one place and focus more on career-ready practices,” said Tiffani Gong, the K-12 Pathway Coordinator, Merced Community College District and Program Administrator, MUHSD. “Even though they are getting industry feedback, they’re really getting feedback on employability skills, professionalism, presentation and that is invaluable feedback.”

Students were asked to identify a real problem in their industry sector. They were then asked to design a solution, product, prototype or campaign and then present a live pitch to the judge panel. 

Each year several students from El Capitan who are also Sheriff Explorers participate in the annual Merced County Peace Officer Memorial ceremony.  Having your students attend Peace Officer Memorial ceremonies can have a powerful, lasting impact that you honestly can’t replicate in a classroom—especially for teens who are still figuring out what public service actually means beyond lights and sirens.  

Introduction to Public Service students visiting the Superior Court in Merced.  Observing live courtroom proceedings enhances student understanding of the justice system by providing authentic, experiential learning opportunities. This experience strengthens students’ legal literacy, reinforces professionalism and accountability, and supports informed career decision-making within law enforcement and related public service fields. 

In 2025 El Capitan officially started the Public Safety club.  Students in the club are currently training for the annual Merced County Explorer Competition.  They will be competing against Explorer Posts from all over Merced County.  Students will be competing in the following events:  Responding to domestic violence calls, felony vehicle stop, suspicious person call, obstical course, active shooter, simunition house, and take a written exam.  

Students who go into Exploring gain valuable experience and have lots of fun working on details.  Any student in the Public Safety pathway who also participates in Exploring or the Public Safety club gains tons of community service hours for the work they put in.  Students work on everything from football games, the County Fair, parades, toy drives, prom night, and numerous other community service events.  

This year, the El Capitan Public Safety club joined the Merced Sheriff Explorers to work the golf tournament at Pebble Beach.  The students earned money for their club.  More importantly, they learned so much about what it means to be in public service.  Students had 3:15 am wake ups and had to be at their assigned posts by 5:00 am.  They worked until around 5:00 pm, often in rain, wind, or darkness.  They learned how to work checkpoints and traffic control, and had to interact with citizens asking questions or needing help finding out where they needed to go.  They did a great job!!!