Engineering and technology, four years deep.

The Cardinal Academy of Technology is a California Partnership Academy at Whittier High School, a four-year engineering and technology pathway for students in grades 9 through 12. Students design, build, and ship real projects while earning industry certifications and college credit.

Explore the pathway Contact us

About CAT

The Cardinal Academy of Technology (CAT) is a four-year engineering and technology pathway at Whittier High School in the Whittier Union High School District. Students move from robotics in the freshman year, through engineering design and mechatronics, to a senior capstone in full product design. Along the way they earn industry certifications and college credit while building real, working projects.

CAT is co-directed by Daniel Oliver and Steven Swanson. To keep the academy running, we build and operate our own classroom tools, the four web applications below. They are used by CAT students and staff, and we collect only the information each tool needs to do its job.

The four-year pathway

Students move through a connected engineering spine, each year building on the last, from robotics in the freshman year to a full senior capstone.

  1. 1

    CAT 1 · Robotics

    Grade 9

    The foundation year. Students build and program robots, learning control systems, sensors, and the engineering design process that carries through all four years.

  2. 2

    CAT 2 · Engineering Design

    Grade 10 · Honors

    Computer-aided design and fabrication: SolidWorks and Fusion 360, 3D printing, laser cutting, CNC, and the fundamentals of precision and tolerances.

  3. 3

    CAT 3 · Mechatronics

    Grade 11 · Honors

    Where mechanical meets electrical: Arduino, circuits, PCB design, and hands-on projects that blend hardware, code, and modern AI tools.

  4. 4

    CAT 4 · Senior Capstone

    Grade 12

    The full product lifecycle. Students research, design, prototype, and professionally present a finished product, start to finish.

What students gain

100% of CAT students complete the a-g college-preparatory requirements. vs. 58% school-wide
72% earn Rio Hondo College Engineering 101 credit before they graduate.
92% earn a 10-hour OSHA safety certification.
Recent graduate admitted to Harvey Mudd one of the nation's top engineering colleges.
Real tools 3D printers, a laser cutter, CNC, a waterjet, electronics benches, and a makerspace.
Industry partners local engineering and technology employers connect classroom work to real careers.

Contact

Cardinal Academy of Technology
Whittier High School
12417 E. Philadelphia St., Whittier, CA 90601

Steven Swanson, Co-Director, steven.swanson@wuhsd.org
Instagram: @cardinal.tech