But in an effort to prepare for life after the armed forces and to get in shape for the Army's physical exam, the senior is taking a law enforcement class offered to high school students through the Metropolitan Adult Education Program's Central County Occupational Center.

Schofield—whose family has a barrack bearing her family name at a military base in Hawaii and whose father and brother also serve in the military—wants to become a probation officer after the army.

The MetroED law enforcement class offers her the physical and academic training to prepare her for this career. Now in its second year, the program is designed to prepare students to become arson investigators, park rangers, detectives, security officers, court bailiffs, corrections officers and highway patrol officers, among other entry-level positions. The students meet for three hours, five days per week and earn 30 elective credits upon completion of the course.

No other class in the county offers such extensive hands-on experience, says instructor Rico Sciaky, a former police officer and sheriff's deputy. Once students finish the yearlong course, they have accumulated 525 hours in training—three-quarters of the time required in the police academy.

That's one reason the class is so popular. With 56 students enrolled in two classes, the course is currently at capacity, and there is a waiting list. If there are no budget cuts, another class might be added, according to MetroED Public Information Officer Joyce Monda.

"This class lets them know what to expect in the academy, like uniform standards and grooming," says Sciaky, 38. "Most people know nothing going into the academy, but for these students nothing should be a surprise to them."

In the law enforcement class, students learn about traffic investigation, drunken driving, police vocabulary, penal codes and how to write a police report.

On Mondays and Fridays students do physical training—running, jumping jacks, sit-ups and push-ups. This will help Schofield pass the Army's physical exam, she says. Tuesday through Thursday students learn academics associated with law enforcement.

Several times a month they also practice shooting using a program called the Firearms Training System, which simulates real-life crime scenarios.

Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer Think Fast: Confronting a dangerous situation during a virtual simulation using the Firearms Training System is part of the MetroEd law enforcement program.

Students also drag a 160-pound dummy around cones—to simulate moving an unconscious victim—and take down a dummy on a mat, pretending it is a suspect.

For more training in dealing with suspects, Sciaky puts on a thick, red suit and pretends to be a criminal. Students practice using a baton by hitting him in the suit.

The class was added to the occupational center's curriculum after administrators surveyed high schools and students about their interest in a law enforcement class.

Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer No Dummy: The MetroEd law enforcement class requires students to drag a 160-pound dummy around cones. The exercise simulates moving an unconscious victim. This is only one of many physical requirements in the course.

But the class is not all fun and games. It is run like an actual police department with a chain of command. As an officer, Schofield reports to the sergeants, who report to the lieutenant, who answers to the captain.

"If someone doesn't like someone in class then the person tells their superior," says Schofield, 19. "If there is tagging in the locker room or smoking weed on campus we let the sergeant know and they tell the campus security."

To be placed into a certain rank, students fill out a form telling Sciaky reasons they would be good candidates, says class captain Billy Frias, 18, a senior at Oak Grove High School who wants to become a corrections officer.

Rank placement is based on after-school activities, accomplishments and an interview with Sciaky. The ranks change each semester, and students help decide the rank placement of their classmates for the upcoming semester.

The captain's responsibility is to line students up single file and inspect for polished boots, ironed uniforms, no jewelry and no hands in pockets.

Class values are emblazoned on a yellow emblem on students' uniform shirts—integrity, ethics, knowledge and leadership.

"Integrity is really big here," Schofield says. "If a cell phone goes off and someone doesn't 'fess up they have to do 10 push-ups. We learn about discipline."

Schofield discovered the class when some Willow Glen students took a tour of the occupational center campus. Since she was a child she has wanted to become a police officer and follow in her uncle's footsteps.

Fifty Willow Glen High School students are enrolled at the center in various classes, and the high school has a counselor at the center who Willow Glen High School Assistant Principal Carmen Mahood speaks to daily to check on the students.

"I'm a huge supporter of CCOC," Mahood says. "Our students find the courses very valuable. For students wanting to learn a vocation, the center provides a pathway to higher education and job placement."

Last summer Schofield took a summer law enforcement class at the center, where she learned about fingerprinting. An activity she recently did was simulating a foot chase through a parking lot by running through the quad and past cones and jumping over hurdles.

During the class' 30-minute break at the cafeteria, students stay away from doughnuts and junk food because they "need to stay in shape," Schofield says.


Learning the Streets

And the class isn't restricted to the classroom. The students assist security guards at events like last month's San Jose Titan Games, which featured 150 athletes from 15 countries. They also go on field trips to the San Jose jail and morgue.

"We met inmates and found out about how their lives were on the streets," says Jennifer Lopez, 18, a senior at Pegasus Continuation School in San Jose. "The morgue is a place we'd go if we were police officers and dealt with a homicide."

One of the future field trips is to the San Jose Police Department, where students will study different divisions, such as homicide, narcotics and fraud.

The class recently formed a partnership with the San Jose Police Department. If class members join the Police Athletic League (PAL) Cadet program, they are eligible for college scholarship money. The law enforcement class is a stepping stone to join PAL and later get a job with the police department, Sciaky says. The class also offers internships with the San Jose Police Department.

San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales visited the occupational center on Sept. 25 last year to watch the students in action. The students stated their rank and told the mayor why they are taking the class.

The program is one of the most advanced in California, according to the mayor's website.

"You have great opportunities ahead of you—an opportunity to be trained by the best police department in the nation, an opportunity to serve in an honored and respected profession and an opportunity to improve your community," Gonzales said at the event.

Sciaky agrees with the mayor.

"I wish I had had this kind of help when I was young," Sciaky says. "We walk them through and hold their hand each step of the way to get a job."

So far eight students have joined PAL, a program that teaches a curriculum similar to that of the law enforcement class but with more opportunity to go on ride alongs and work side by side with police officers.

But some occupational center students also go on police ride alongs. David Tram, a senior at Leland High School, wants to become a police officer even more after going on a ride along that lasted from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. He observed an officer responding to calls about petty theft and domestic disturbances.

"Since I knew the police codes on the computer from this class, the officer told me if I felt safe I could get out of the car with him," Tram says. "I was like his partner."

During physical training the students often get into full gear, wearing vests, riot helmets and belts with a baton and gun.

They also study how to take care of situations like rape, domestic violence and traffic problems.


Working toward a career

In June the class has a graduation ceremony at which they receive a certificate. Since the class began last year, no students have gone into the police academy yet, but some have landed jobs as dispatchers and corrections officers.

In some counties, 18-year-olds can become corrections officers if they are "mature enough and have no criminal background," says Sciaky, who started in law enforcement as a reserve officer with the city of San Carlos at 23. "There is the potential to move up to deputy from there. It is pretty good money for a young kid."

And the class teaches students how to arrest, search and fingerprint, says James Lick High School junior Mario Mendoza, all skills he'll need to fulfill his dream of becoming a corrections officer.

"This class is interesting because we search the Internet about cases like Lacey Peterson, draw our own conclusions and discuss them," Mendoza says.

Like Schofield, Jonathan Jumanan, 16, a junior at Independence High School, will enlist in the military. After serving six years in the Marines, he wants to work for the San Jose Police Department.

"This class will give me more experience than regular people, and I'll know what to expect in the police academy," Jumanan says. "It's also good cardiovascular exercise."

The teacher—Mr. S., as he is affectionately called—is one reason some students take the class.

"[Sciaky] likes us to be truthful, respectful and upfront," Lopez says. "He's a good teacher. We're all a tight-knit group here. It's like family."

And the family spirit shows during physical training. While Schofield struggles to lift the 160-pound dummy and carry it down the quad, her classmates cheer her on by clapping and saying, "Good job, Valerie. You can do it."