The Criminal Justice Club is hosting an online fundraiser to send students to competition next year. Students or staff can donate until May 23 by giving donations to a criminal justice member or click on the link at the bottom. 

“The money is going toward helping us pay for SkillsUSA competitions,” teacher and sponsor Fugi Navarro said. “Each individual that plays a part has to pay about $50. In order to compete, we need the worker-collared shirts or else we get points deducted .”

According to the SkillsUSA website, the SkillsUSA competition is a series of career competition events that showcase the best technical education and career students. 

“The goal is for us to come together as a team and have fun,” Navarro said. “And one day bring home a trophy.”

In January four club members participated in the building sweep contest in the Criminal Justice Preliminary event held at Temple College.

“It was nice,” junior and Criminal Justice club vice-president Grant Forsythe said. “It was really interesting to actually put into use all these things we learned.”

The Criminal Justice Club meets once a month and started three years ago. There are more than 15 students in the club.

“The club, basically, is SWAT, FBI and CIA, all those big agencies, but in a high school,” Justice Club Social Media Coordinator Paige Carmichael said. “We do things like building searches, traffic stops and CPR. All those things like law enforcement would do.”

Navarro teaches Principles of Law PSCS, Law Enforcement 1, Law Enforcement 2, Criminal Investigation and Practicum. He is also the assistant varsity and junior varsity soccer coach. Navarro used to be a juvenile detention officer but started working in the district five years ago.

“I would try and reach these kids, and majority of the time, it was too late,” Navarro said. “I figured maybe if I could go back in time, hit a lot of the students during the high school years, when they are at the crossroads, maybe I could make a difference.”

Donate to the Criminal Justice Club