News
The Staff and Students of Rancho Cielo are constantly learning, participating in the community at large, and making a difference.
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A new program at Rancho Cielo aims to give high schoolers employable skills in the ag business.
High school in the traditional sense wasn’t for Kassandra Martinez. During her freshman and sophomore years at Everett Alvarez High School, she decided to just stay home, figuring her mom wouldn’t notice because she’d already left for work.
But that plan caught up with her, and Martinez started looking for an alternate path. That path led her to Rancho Cielo, where next week she will enroll in the first class at the nonprofit’s newest academy for agricultural mechanics and electrical.
Read the full story by Sara Rubin in the Monterey County Weekly ...
Rancho Cielo unveils brand new ag facility and program
Rancho Cielo is opening their new Ted Taylor Ag Vocational Training Center. The new facility will offer Ag Mechanics and Electrical training, giving students hands on experience and a behind the scenes look into the Ag industry.
“They will be learning the fundamentals of refrigeration, HVAC systems, basic and more advanced classes in electrical,” said Cecilia Romero, the deputy director for Rancho Cielo. “They’ll learn how to apply those skills by using the machinery they’ll find out in the industry.”
Read the full story on KSBW.com .
Family Fun Day is August 25
Family Fun Day is on Sunday, August 25 from 10 am - 2 pm. There will be food, performances, bounce houses. face painting, and more. Admission is FREE!
Rancho Cielo Founder Featured in Agile Aging
Curious about how Rancho Cielo came to be? Wondering about where we are going next? Check out this profile of our founder Judge John Phillips in Agile Aging where he talks about the challenges he faced before construction even began and the future of the Ranch.
Drummond Culinary Academy Featured on FoodTank.com
Rancho Cielo Youth Campus was featured on FoodTank.com's list of "23 Restaurants Giving At-Risk Youth an Opportunity to Succeed."
Read the full story here .
The journey is 'to be continued' for 2019 Rancho Cielo graduates
Standing in a warm, sunny amphitheater Thursday as hawks wheeled overhead, dozens of Rancho Cielo graduates moved their tassels from right to left, signaling that their time at the school had ended.
About 20 students graduated from the Drummond Culinary Academy in the morning, followed by another 20 or so from the construction training and other programs later that afternoon.
It also conferred high school degrees from the John Muir Charter School on the youths.
Read the full article by Joe Szydlowski and Kate Cimini at TheCalifornian.com .
Rancho Cielo culinary academy opens doors for youths overcoming barriers
The cozily-lit dining room is rimmed with glass so patrons can look out onto a star-dotted Salinas night, distant crumpled mountains cradling the sky. Waiters slip between tables, delivering salads sprinkled with prosciutto and balsamic vinegar, followed by plates of tender pork chops and hand-made apple tarts.
Pass through the doors to the kitchen and you’ll see staff quietly churning out plate after plate of locally-grown, seasonal food, the sous-chef calling out orders one after the other.
One cook, stirring a risotto, calls over the head chef, Estevan Jimenez, asking him to taste it....