By admin 
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – Patagonia Public Schools students returned to class Monday Aug. 3, as the district marks its 100th year of operation.
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Superintendent Kenny Hayes said the centennial is a milestone, but the district’s attention is focused on what comes next for students.
Expanding career pathways
The district is expanding its Career and Technical Education program this year. Hayes said Patagonia currently offers three CTE certifications: auto mechanics, welding and coding.
“We’re adding cybersecurity to our CTE program, and then we’re also looking at adding some other CTE programs like bike repair and that sort of thing for the tourist economy here in Patagonia,” Hayes said.
The district also offers 29 dual credit courses for students who want a jump start on their college course load.
Border proximity shapes safety planning
Safety preparation was also a focus over the summer. Because the district sits near the U.S.-Mexico border, Hayes said staff worked with Border Patrol to review emergency response plans.
“Since we’re real close to the border, they’ve all walked through our campus, so they understand our campus, so if we have an unfortunate incident they’ll be ready to support us,” Hayes said.
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District calls on community to protect campuses
District leaders also used social media to address campus upkeep. A Facebook post reminded the community to help keep campuses clean and free of vandalism.
Hayes said the district wants to keep campuses accessible to the public but is asking residents to respect school property.
“We want to keep the campus open for the people to be able to use, and we don’t want the few people who don’t respect the rules to ruin it for everyone else. So that was just a reminder on how people need to act on campus,” Hayes said.
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