High School Online Guide Training

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Starting the fall 2019 semester, the Borrego Springs Unified School District offered 11th and 12th grade students an elective Certified Interpretive Host course following curriculum from the National Association of Interpretation.

The National Association for Interpretation confirmed that all 14 of the Borrego Springs High School Interpretation Course students have completed requirements to receive their Certified Interpretive Host (CIH) accreditation.

We congratulate them for all their hard work. The CIH Certification includes a one-year membership with the NAI, and the students will also have access to NAI's Career Resources service.

Thank you to our Borrego Springs High School National Association for Interpretation Certified Interpretive Hosts: Danielle Del Bono, Juan Fuerte, Jennifer Ramirez, Daniela Carmona, Kenneth, Blanca Arias, Cindy Sanchez Valdez, Ximena Torres, Jose Rangel, Ty White, Laurynn Strate, Maria Fuerte, Andres Reyes, and Alvaro Delgado Galindo.

The courses success led to a second NAI course offered the spring semester of 2020 to train and certify students as Interpretive Guides. Midway through the course, in-school classes and field trips were cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Strong dedication to continue the course from Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Borrego Village Association, Anza-Borrego Foundation, and Borrego Springs Unified School District students and staff, resulted in a plan to continue teaching the course through remote learning. Once a week the 14 students enrolled in the course participate in online instruction to complete the remaining National Association of Interpretation curriculum and finalize their course projects.

Borrego Springs students are the first ever to be offered the course through online learning and are serving as a test case for the adaptive curriculum being offered remotely by instructors in the National Association of Interpretation Western Region.

Upon completion of the course curriculum, students will submit a 10 minute video presentation, complete a literature review and take a test. Students who pass will be awarded a nationally recognized certificate showing their readiness to successfully serve in positions at parks, museums, nature centers, zoos, botanical gardens, aquariums, historical and cultural sites, commercial tour companies, and theme parks. When tourism resumes in Borrego, students will have the opportunity to participate in practical internships in co-operation with Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Anza-Borrego Foundation, Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association, Bike Borrego and California Overland Tours.

Thank you for the funding support from the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, Borrego Valley Endowment Fund, Borrego Water District, Borrego Rotary and the Civic Foundation. We also thank the BVA Directors associated with these organizations for making this funding possible.

For additional information about the course, please contact the Borrego Village Association, Jim Dion, BorregoVillage@gmail.com. For information about the Borrego Village Association please see BorregoVillageAssociation.org.

– Borrego Village Association