February 13, 2014
OXNARD HIGH SCHOOL, 3400 W. GONZALES ROAD, OXNARD, CA. 93036
Retirement Beckons Beckham
[involve] two things -- I had two knee replacement surgeries in the last two years and I never took any time to really rehab and take the time to do the things I needed to do. I had the surgery, and a month later I was back at practice.
I haven’t been able to take care of [myself],” he said. Even with the distraction of Coach Beckham’s surgery, varsity football cornerback Joshua Cervantes said, “[Coach Beckham] came out to practice with
Volume 8 Issue 3
the attitude that we were going to dominate.” Head varsity football coach Mr. Mark Beckham retires Coach Beckham said, “The By Juan Quero other thing is [that] my wife retired in June. She has gone withReferring to himself as a “When I came here sixteen out me for a long time -- I’m years ago, my plan and goal was “blue collar kind of guy,” Coach never around because of football. to build a program and compete Beckham said, “My It’s not like I am getting in league and in the playoffs,” goals as a coach on younger, so I need to do said recently-retired Oxnard the field and off the some things to take care High School head varsity football field were to build of [myself] so we can have young men and if coach Mark Beckham. a good quality of life after With a total of thirty-six I built the young my teaching career.” years of athletic coaching, he men and they grew Varsity football playspent sixteen of those years ded- as people, then they er Blake Kilgore said, “As icated to the Oxnard football pro- can be successful.” we saw in the paper, he gram. “Really, my highlight in Aside from building said ‘first you are going to everything here at Oxnard High great character and hate me, then you are goSchool has been the students and work ethic in his ing to understand me, then the players...because they are my players, his main foyou’ll forgive me.’ It hurts cus was ensuring his kind of players.” to lose him [to retirement], The feeling is mutual, as ev- students made their but we understand.” idenced by the players’ apprecia- education a priority. Coach Beckham said, He said, “A lot tion of the man who led them to “I love being a Yellowthe playoffs this past season. De- of guys can start but jacket. My sixteen years spite his winning record during not many people were awesome. I wouldn’t the 2014 campaign, the players can finish sometrade it for anything in the appreciate him even more for his times, and it’s not world. I left it better than always about the contribution to them as people. I found it...I am a better Varsity football player Rico person who finishes person because of all the Telles said, “Coach Beckham is first that’s importexperiences I have had a very special coach. There aren’t ant. It’s just finish with the young people of very many coaches like him. He -- period. So if you Oxnard. They have made isn’t all about winning. He cares build a person, then my life better and they becomes a lot about his players and he football have touched my life and, doesn’t just make great players easy to teach.” Photo by Juan Quero hopefully, I have touched “The main rea- Recently retired coach Mark Beckham speaking to next years’ varsity football players. out of his team -- he makes great theirs.” sons that I am retiring people out of them.”
Hello, Hola, Bonjour
Oxnard Union High School District offers a Seal of Biliteracy to high school students By Stephanie Chavez
For those students who can cient in English and another lan- cia said. other than English by “passing Such test must be certified by the speak a language other than En- guage...The OUHSD promotes Additionally, students must a foreign language Advanced school district to make sure that glish, the Seal of Biliteracy, is a [it] because it is a way to prepare demonstrate mastery in English Placement exam, including the test shows the “rigor of a fourrecognition worth obtaining. students with the necessary 21st by scoring proficient on the American Sign Language, with year high school course of study “The State Seal of Biliteracy Century skills to be successful in CAHSEE or receiving a 500 or 22 a score of three or higher…[or] in that foreign language,” Ms. is an award granted to high school life,” she said. on the SAT critical reading sec- successfully completing a four- Calderón-Garcia said. seniors upon graduation certifyThe eligibility requirements tion or ACT tests. Also, if those year high school course of study For those whose primaing attainment of mastery of two for those whose first language examinations do not apply, they in a foreign language and attain ry language is not English, Ms. or more languages, Calderón-Garcia said one of which is Enthey must “achieve glish,” said English Early Advanced proLearner Learning Deficiency level on the sign Coach Ms. VaCalifornia English nessa Calderón-GarLanguage Developcia. ment Test (CELDT), Getting such seal which may be adminis a great opportunity istered an additional for students to show time, as necessary.” their mastery of two Even so, they can also languages. The word apply if they meet any biliterate can someof the criteria for those times be confused students whose first with the word bilinlanguage is English. gual. However, “beThere are several ing bilingual means advantages for those to have the ability students who receive to speak in two or the Seal of Biliteracy. more languages, beMs. Calderón-Garcia ing biliterate means said, “First, a student Graph provided by Ms. Vanessa Calderón-Garcia no longer has to take a to have the ability to read, write, and speak The graph shows the number of awards given to students of different high schools in the past four years. world language course academically in two at the college level or more languages,” said Ms. is English include that “students can still qualify if they pass any an overall GPA of 3.0 or above in because he or she already fulCalderón-Garcia. must have completed all English– AP English exam, or if they score that course of study.” filled that requirement. Once the “The Oxnard Union High language arts requirements for college ready in the exam. If for any reason there are student is looking for a job, they School District awards the State graduation with an overall grade Ms. Calderón-Garcia also no other tests offered to confirm have greater advantages on atSeal of Biliteracy to students who point average of 2.0 or above in said that students must demon- their proficiency, then the student taining the job and higher salary can demonstrate they are profi- those classes,” Ms. Calderón-Gar- strate proficiency in a language must take an “off-the-shelf” test. because they are biliterate.”