February 2012 Archives
Rowland High School students Sherman Lam and Wesley Ru won first place with their Robot Arm at the Science Olympiad competition last weekend.
Last
weekend, the Los Angeles County Science Olympiad tournaments were held at Occidental College, where elementary, middle and
high school students from across the region competed individually and in teams
in rigorous competitions in the disciplines of biology, earth science,
chemistry, physics, computers and technology.
Rowland Unified sent teams from Alvarado Intermediate, Rowland High School, Ybarra Academy and for the first year, Hurley Elementary. All brought home medals! Rowland High School's Science Olympiad team placed 7th out of 44 high schools.
Individual medals went to the following:
1st
place - Robot Arm - Sherman Lam and Wesley Ru; 2nd
place - Sounds of Music - Sherman Lam and Kevin Hayakawa; 2nd
place - Thermodynamics - Kevin Hayakawa and Wesley Ru; 2nd
place - Protein Modeling - Kevin Hayakawa, Philip Chung and Jean Tan; 4th
place - Write it, Do it - Jean Tan and Philby Wang; 5th place - Anatomy and Physiology- Alexander Chan and Richard Lim; 5th
place - Towers - Philby Wang and Richard Lim; 6th
place - Astronomy - Sherman Lam and Michelle Wang; 7th
place - Experimental Design - Sherman Lam, Shuen Sun and Wesley Ru.
Students are encouraged to participate in this week's competitions. Winners may move on to attend the national conference at Nashville, Tennessee, from 6/21 - 6/25/12.
Contests range from on demand video and photography to a technology bowl and winner's showcase on Friday. For more information, check their website at BRAHMA.
Call them the 3Ms of success - mentoring, monitoring, motivation - a successful model for a model high school. Valley Alternative in Hacienda Heights is one of 25 California schools recently named a Model Continuation High School.
"The schools we are recognizing today have gone the extra mile to help kids get the education they deserve and need to succeed in life and careers," explained State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson.
He noted that 69,000 students attended more than 500 continuation schools in the state last year. The state's top educator added that the local school was recognized for helping students struggling to stay in school.
The Hacienda La Puente Unified campus offers a comprehensive program for students woefully short of the credits needed to graduate.
Read more in Rich Irwin's story VALLEY.
Tickets are $5. The breakfast includes pancakes, sausage, juice or coffee.
The KIWIN'S,a high school community service club sponsored by Kiwanis, will have a paper shredding truck on site to shred any documents or files that you need securely shredded. Proceeds from recycling the paper will support their Project One, which works to enhance the lives of elementary students.
For more information, call Lon Salgren at 626-369-0040.
The official, who arrived more than an hour after expected, saw a
performance from the kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school's
cheerleading squad.
The Wilson High School band, which was bused into the school, also put on a short show, playing several pop hits for the official and a few other Chinese government figures who tagged along.
The official then took a short tour of the school's Confucius Classroom.
Parents will need the following documents for enrollment: proof of address, child's birth certificate, current income statement and immunization record.
For more information, call 626-933-6547 or stop by the Students Services Center at 455 N. Glendora Ave., La Puente from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Glendora Unified will seek a two-year waiver from the California Department of Education that would allow the district to exceed class-size limits set by the state.
At its meeting Tuesday, the school board unanimously approved a
request for a waiver that would let the district have an average of 33
students per classroom in grades four through eight.
It would allow the district to exceed the state's maximum average of 30.6 students - a figure set when a class size law was passed by the state in 1964.
The waiver would remain in place through the 2013-14 school year and renew a waiver in effect since 2010. It is expected to save the district about $750,000 annually, according to district documents.
Read more in J.D. Velasco's story CLASS.It would be part of a dual-immersion program proposed by German-American parents - who want their children to maintain their heritage and language - to the Whittier City School District.
While district officials say they're still exploring the idea, Superintendent Ron Carruth was expected to provide more information to the board at its Tuesday night meeting.
Still, educators like what they've seen so far.
"I think the proposal is a great idea," said Rebecca Gonzalez, Phelan principal. "We have seen that students who are proficient in two languages are very successful in school."
Phelan was selected as the right location because the school already was planning on becoming a language and literacy academy, Gonzalez said.
Eventually, the school could expand to other languages, like some other schools have, Gonzalez said.
For example, Franklin Elementary School in Glendale offers dual-immersion programs in German, Italian and Spanish, she said.
These young women are willing to take it to the mat for Nogales High School. Literally. They're women wrestlers. And hopefully one will place in the upcoming state championships Feb. 24-25.
Last year, senior Rosalinda Guzman placed eighth in the first CIF sanctioned state tournament for girls. The 17-year-old competes in the 98-pound weight class and expects to do even better this year.
"Rosie has been ranked first or second most of the year," noted coach Victor Bonilla. "She won first place in the all-girls tournament at South Hills High over the holidays."
Read more in Rich Irwin's story WRESTLERS.
The Los Altos show choir has a lot to show for all the hard work it's put in since rehearsals began in August.
The Hacienda Heights production choir moved into high gear when it went up against other "glee clubs" last weekend. But if recent rehearsals are any indication, the Conquerors should do well again this year.
"While the TV show 'Glee' has improved the image of show choirs, it has caused unreasonable expectations," explained director Amanda Benavides. "On the show, the kids produce a different show in one week. High school performers can't do that."
Which explains why the Los Altos singers have been practicing their
new show for more than five months. Between the singing and dancing, the
production has jelled into an entertaining show.
Read more in Rich Irwin's story GLEE
Gourmet food trucks will include Don Chow's Taco's, the NomNom Truck, Sweet E's Bake Shop, the Jogasaki Sushi Burrito Truck, and more.
The admission donation is $2 for adults, $1 for students, and children under 5 years old are admitted free. No outside food or beverages are permitted. For more information follow the event on twitter @DBHSFoodFest.
In the midst of economic woes that have public universities cutting enrollment and many institutions upping their standards, students are finding ways to make themselves more marketable to college admissions officials.
One of the ways they are getting a leg up on their competition is taking rigorous Advanced Placement courses, which also prepare students for college coursework and earn college credit.
According to the eighth annual Advanced Placement Report to the Nation, nationally more than 540,000 seniors in the class of 2011 successfully completed AP classes, representing a 1percent increase over the previous year and nearly doubling the number of students who successfully completed the classes compared with a decade ago.
Read more in Maritza Velasquez's story TESTS.
The Los Angeles County Office of Education turned down their request to review the school board's recent decision to start the 2012-13 school year on Aug. 8, three weeks earlier, and end in May instead of June.
"It is our conclusion that the county office has no legitimate rationale to intervene," wrote Arturo Delgado, superintendent of the county office in a Jan. 27 letter addressed to Concerned Parents of Hacienda La Puente USD.
Read more in Steve Scauzillo's story REJECTED.
St. Mark's Lutheran School cleaned up in Clorox's Power a Bright Future contest. The Hacienda Heights students won $25,000 in the create division.
"We won for our weekly news show with students producing video segments announcing the events taking place on campus," explained teacher Julie Evangelista, who co-produces the show with teacher Mala Williams.
The students couldn't have won without the support of their parents and families. By the end of the contest, 88,686 people had voted for St. Marks between Oct. 24 and Dec. 9.
"It was a close contest with another school in Missouri. One day we were ahead in votes, then the next day they would push ahead of us," Evangelista noted
Read more in Rich Irwin's story CLOROX.
Offensive tackle Blake Benjamin will play for the Navy and aim for medical school. Defensive back Chris Miller will make it easy for local fans to follow his career by playing in the Pac-12 at Oregon State.
"It's a college town and everybody in the town is friendly," Miller said of Corvallis, Ore. where Oregon State is located. "Being in the PAC-12, that's a competitive conference. Any school that would've given me an offer, I would've taken it. Oregon State gave me the offer and I hopped on it."
As part of an effort to improve the health of its students, Mt. San Antonio College may soon outlaw smoking on campus except in certain designated areas.
The stricter smoking policy is being developed by a special task force and the President's Advisory Committee. It could come to the board of trustees for approval sometime this year. If the board approves the new policy, it could take effect as early as June, school president Bill Scroggins said.
Students, staff or faculty caught violating the policy would
be subject to a $35 fine for the first offense and $70 for a second
offense, according to the committee meeting minutes of Dec. 7.
Read more in Steve Scauzillo's story SMOKING.
Athletics Vice Principal Bob Withers and Principal Mitch Brunyer congratulate Rowland High's Nick Rivera after getting a scholarship to Texas Tech.
Yesterday was National Signing Day and Rowland High School students, staff and the family of senior Nick Rivera gathered to celebrate with a signing ceremony of their own. Rivera received a scholarship in track and field from Texas Tech University.
Athletics Vice Principal Bob Withers said, "Getting a scholarship is an extremely difficult process - not everyone gets one and a lot goes into it. You have to work hard, get good grades, a good SAT score, be athletically gifted and more important, good character. Nick represents all of these traits."
Rivera made a heartwarming speech to the crowd, thanking in length his family and his coaches.
"I want to thank the coaches - Coach Luna has helped me so much with the recruiting process. Even though he's tough - at the end of the day, he is a really good guy, a good teacher and good coach and I'm glad I had him," said Rivera.
"I also want to give a shout out to my team mates - the cross country team - the journey has been even better with them. I want to thank all of you and the teachers for keeping me in check and making sure I am doing what I am supposed to do and helping me every day. Everyone at Rowland High School - the support you have shown me, I'll never forget it."
