Class Notes

Company helps Creative Writing Club at Rowland High

2009-08-22T00:21:20Z

The Creative Writing Club at Rowland High School appreciates the help of a local business. The club had a busy year, hosting three writing competitions and producing an impressive literary magazine.

As the illustrations, narratives and poems were submitted, club members were amazed at the volume of submissions, but the project was becoming cost-prohibitive.

Then the Envision Computer Design Company in Industry stepped forward to generously print 150 copies of the magazine at no cost to the club. T

The Creative Writing Club wants to thank Envision for its generosity. The magazines were sold at school as a club fundraiser.

Rowland Unified kicks off the new school year

2009-08-20T18:12:47Z

Rowland High's cheer squad performs during the Rowland Unified School District's Employee Back-to-school Kick-off at the Industry Expo Center on Aug. 18, 2009. Blanford Elementary teachers and staff cheer during the back to school event. (Staff photos by Leo
Jarzomb)

Schools post gains in English and math on state tests

2009-08-19T16:40:35Z

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell goes over charts related to the results of the 2009 Standardized Testing and Reporting Program. (Andy Holzman / Staff Photographer)

Nearly all school districts in the San Gabriel Valley made gains in English and math scores on state tests, according to data released Tuesday by the California Department of Education.

ONLINE EXTRA:Find your school's results

Valley students in grades two through 11 posted scores slightly above the state average in the 2009 Standardized Testing and Reporting Program.

Just under 51 percent of students across 14 school districts were at least proficient in English-language arts, up from about 46 percent last year. About 48 percent of Valley students were proficient in math, an increase from 45.5 percent last year.

Statewide, 50 percent scored proficient or advanced in English-language arts, an increase from 46 percent last year.

In math, 46 percent of students scored at the proficient or advanced level, up from 43 percent in 2008.

"I am pleased and encouraged to see that for the seventh year in a row, California public school students continue to improve," said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell in a written statement.

Walnut Valley Unified had the highest scores in the region. Just under 77 percent of students were proficient or above in English and about 73 were proficient or above in math.

The region's largest school district, Hacienda La Puente, had increases in English, 50.2 percent, and math, 43.4 percent.

The rest of the school districts posted modest gains, although a few were still below the state average.

Read the whole story in the Hacienda, Rowland and Walnut Highlanders.

Rowland Unified holds kickoff event for teachers

2009-08-18T21:58:54Z

Rowland Unified held a big rally for employees to kick off the new school year that begins on Monday.

The grand event was held at the Industry Hills Expo Center on Tuesday morning. Rowland students presented the program with the presidents of the Rowland and Nogales ASBs as masters of ceremony.

The teachers were also entertained by Rowland's comedy team, as well as the choir and band. Cheerleaders were there to cheer the teachers on.

The keynote was a recitation by the Nogales Poetry Club titled "You Are the Ones We've Been Waiting For."

The event was sponsored local businesses.

Staff honored at Rowland High School

2009-08-13T17:02:20Z

Rowland High School honored several faculty and staff honors. Employees of the Year included instructor Barbara Robbertze and plant supervisor Bruce Ekblad. They were chosen for their hard work and dedication.

Rowland teacher Kelli Baumunk and Parent-Teacher-Student Association President Susan Shaver also got Golden Apple Awards. The awards are given to those who have made significant contributions to students and schools.

Teacher Sandi Wong received a $1,460 ECOLAB grant to purchase books for the READ 180 program. Her grant was titled "Adventurous Readers Who Reach for the Wong Sky."

Hacienda Heights students win Junkyard Challenge

2009-08-12T16:55:27Z

Congratulations to the Youth Science Center in Hacienda Heights. Volunteer Alaric Qin and teammate Daniel Tsai won first place in the Junkyard Challenge for the 2009 State Science Olympiad.

In the challenge, each team was given a paper plate that had to become an integral part of the project.

Qin and Tsai's project was a coin sorter that offered 98 percent accuracy.

Their project went on to the national Science Olympiad in Washington, D.C., where it placed third.

Science labs near completion at Los Altos High School in Hacienda Heights

2009-08-11T23:43:19Z

Just got back from a tour of the new science buildings at Los Altos High School in Hacienda Heights.

The Hacienda La Puente Unified School District is spending $12 million of Measure A Bond money to build the new science laboratories at Los Altos and renovate the labs at Wilson, Workman and La Puente High Schools.

The labs feature state-of-the-art work areas with sinks, fume hoods and preparation rooms. Board members say the new labs show the district's commitment to enhancing its science curriculum.

Read about the new labs in an upcoming story in the Hacienda Heights Highlander.

Rowland Unified names two new administrators

2009-08-11T00:36:20Z

Two more new administrative appointments have been announced by the Rowland Unified School District Board of Education.

Karen Magana is the new learning director at Alvarado Intermediate School. She is an experienced teacher in primary and upper grades and is fluent in Spanish.

She was most recently the assistant principal at Lakeside Middle School. Magana earned her bachelor's and her master's degrees in educational administration from Cal State Los Angeles.

Glenda Lisette Marin is the new learning director for Killian Elementary School and Ybarra Academy of the Arts and Technology. Her experience includes adjunct professor at Loyola Marymount University, assistant principal at Robert F. Kennedy Elementary in Los Angeles Unified School District, and coordinator of English language and academic intervention programs.

Marin earned her bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley and her master of science in educational administration from Pepperdine University.

St. Matthew's Preschool gets new director in Hacienda Heights

2009-08-07T20:35:40Z

Welcome to Heather Holmes, the new preschool director for St. Matthew's United Methodist Church in Hacienda Heights.

She has taught in a low income / high risk preschool, and has experience in curriculum, parent workshops, music programs and special needs activities.

Holmes began her new position on July 22.

Lakers Cleamons talks to basketball camp in Walnut

2009-08-06T23:55:51Z

Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Jim Cleamons talks with players during the Edge Basketball Summer Camp in Walnut on Tuesday. Cleamons spoke to nearly 60 campers during the second session of the camp. (Staff Photo by Keith Durflinger)

College 4 Kidz packs students in at Mt. SAC in Walnut

2009-08-05T16:15:10Z

Trapezoid prisons? That sort of makes sense, but it's certainly a novel way to learn about geometry.
Welcome to the College 4 Kidz at Mt. San Antonio College, where learning is a fun way to spend part of the summer vacation.
The students in Laura Johnson's geometry class were busy laying out imaginary cities. The sixth to eighth graders were using different geometric shapes for their buildings.
"Physically working with the shapes helps them remember them," said Johnson, a former teacher's aide at Rowland High School.
They joined 686 other fourth- to eighth-graders at the Walnut campus. Students could choose from many classes, ranging from physics and math to forensic investigator and computer animation.
"These enrichment programs help Mt. SAC meet the needs of the community. Many parents are interested in these summer courses," explained Donna Burns, the dean of continuing education.
Read all about the fascinating classes in the Walnut Highlander.

Girl Scouts earn Gold Awards by helping Walnut students

2009-08-04T19:12:58Z

Five Walnut Girl Scouts helped local schools and other organizations to earn their Gold Awards: Christina Dobson, Kelley Lu, Stephanie Lui, Queenie Ma and Laura Wong. To earn the coveted award, the Scouts had to plan a challenging, large-scale project to help their community.

Christina Dobson's Gold Award project was a three-day camp for children. She used her experience in performing arts at Walnut High School to teach the children about drama and improvisation skills.

Kelley Lu's Gold Award Project, titled "Cooking Crafts," became a program at Westhoff Elementary School in Walnut. Lu taught nutrition, food preparation and kitchen safety. She was the president and founder of the Culinary Arts Club at Walnut High School.

Stephanie Lui made Christmas decorations and displayed them for the Walnut Senior Center in a project titled "Movement Through Music." She sang songs and performed for the First Chinese Baptist Church congregation with three other girls.

Queenie Ma's Gold Award project "Learning Literacy" helped children learn about environmental awareness and helped their reading comprehension. She taught at Vejar Elementary School in Walnut, making origami creations from recycled newspapers and playing bingo about the reuse-reduce-recycle way of living.

Laura Wong's project was "Best Friends Pet Care," a program to teach 5- to 12-year-olds and their parents about pet care. She introduced them to a wide range of animals that would make good pets.

Rowland seeks members for bond oversight committee

2009-08-04T00:17:01Z

Rowland Unified School District is looking for residents to serve on the oversight committee for the Measure R Bond.

The Board of Education appoints seven members of the community to the committee. The committee is responsible for overseeing the expenditure of funds raised by the $118 million Measure R Bond that was approved by voters for the continued modernization of classrooms and schools in the district.

The committee reviews expenditures of bond proceeds, including district personnel construction management costs. They also make sure that no bond proceeds are used for any teacher or administrative salaries or other operating expenses.

The panel will serve for one or two-year terms and by law, members must be representative of the community in specific areas: (business community, senior citizen's organization, parent/guardian of child enrolled in the District, taxpayers association, parent/guardian of a child in the District and active in a parent-teacher organization, and two community members appointed by Board). The committee meets quarterly.

The application deadline is Aug.12. Download an application at the Rowland Unified Web site.

Sam Oramas named vice principal at Nogales High School

2009-07-30T13:00:00Z

Formerly the assistant principal at Laguna Hills High School, Sam Oramas joins Rowland Unified from Saddleback Valley Unified. Oramas was responsible for discipline and attendance in Laguna Hills. He is now a new vice principal at Nogales High School.

Earlier in his career, Oramas served as dean of students at Temple City High School, where he handled discipline.

Oramas also taught math and social science at Downey High School for seven years. There he worked with at-risk students, as well as English language learners.

Fluent in Spanish, Oramas received his doctorate in law from Brigham Young University and a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering.

Doi Johnson moves to Nogales High as vice principal

2009-07-29T18:42:25Z

Doi Johnson is glad to be returning to his alma mater, Nogales High School, as a new vice principal. He looks forward to working with Principal Nancy Padilla at his old school.

Johnson had been an assistant principal at Lynwood High School, where he was responsible for discipline, attendance and security.

For 16 years, Johnson taught physical education at Jordan and Jefferson High Schools in Los Angeles. He had also been a special education math teacher at Gardena High School. Johnson also taught history and language arts at Eliot Middle School in Pasadena.

Rowland's newest administrator received his bachelor's degree in Political Science from Whittier College. He earned a masters in administration from Pepperdine University.

Johnson also has had many years of coaching experience. He served as president of the Los Angeles Football Coaches Association from 1997 to 2007. The popular coach has won many coaching awards, including Coach of the Year from the "Los Angeles Times."