A SWEETWATER UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT PUBLICATION
SWEETWATER CURRENTS
JUNE 2012
Sweetwater Schools Named Among Best in U.S.
The 16th Annual Mariachi Scholarship Foundation Concert
Math Field Day 8 Middle Schools Bring Home the Medals
TOP HONORS Sweetwater Schools Capture Two Innovation in Education Awards
Laura Charles Congratulations for 40 Years of Service
PLUS! APPLE COMPUTER www.sweetwaterschools.org
Russ Sperling Artissimo Administrator of the Year
EMPLOYEE PURCHASE P.9 JUNEPROGRAM 2012 SWEETWATER CURRENTS
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SWEETWATER CURRENTS JUNE 2012
CONTENTS FEATURES
KUDOS
03 SWEETWATER SCHOOLS NAMED
04 LAURA CHARLES
04 MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
05 SHEILA KROTZ
05 MONTH OF JUNE
06 RUSS SPERLING
07 MATH FIELD DAY
08 SHERYL SANCHEZ
11 TOP HONORS FOR SWEETWATER
10 OTAY RANCH HIGH
13 SUPERINTENDENT’S COLUMN
11 MARCELA ALVAREZ
Among Best in U.S.
Benefits Sweetwater Students
40 Years with Sweetwater
San Ysidro High School Teacher
Children’s Awareness Month
Artissimo Administrator of the Year
Middle Schools Bring Home the Medals
Innovation in Education Awards
The Class of 2012
Hilltop High School Assistant Principal
Boys Volleyball Team
Montgomery High Student
Board of Trustees Jim Cartmill • Bertha J. López • John McCann • Pearl Quiñones • Arlie N. Ricasa Dr. Edward M. Brand Superintendent
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Produced by: Grants & Communications
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Sweetwater Schools Named Among Best in U.S. In its annual ranking of schools, U.S. News & World Report magazine named the best schools in the nation. All 12 of the Sweetwater District’s comprehensive high schools were named Silver Medal winners, placing them among the top nine percent of over 22,000 schools in the U.S. Schools were also ranked within each state. Sweetwater Schools ranked in the top 360 out of over 2,400 schools. Olympian High (#101 in CA and #522 in the U.S.) and Eastlake High (#102 in CA and #531 in the U.S.) were the top schools in the district and only narrowly missed being named Gold Medal winners, an honor given to the top 500 schools in the nation. For more information on the U.S. News list of America’s Best Schools, see their website at: http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools For more details about the Sweetwater District Schools, see: http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/california/districts/ sweetwater-union-high
Injury Prevention Report and Home Safety Video Join the Trauma Research Education Foundation (TREF), Safe Kids San Diego and County Health Services to get the latest information on injury statistics in San Diego County. The event will also feature the premier of the “Home Safety Makeover” video. The event will take place on Thursday June 7 from 11:00 A.M.-1:00 P.M. at the Ultra Star Cinema at Hazard Center. For more information or to RSVP contact Mary Beth Moran at mbmoran@rchsd.org
www.sweetwaterschools.org
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KUDOS! Laura Charles Congratulations to Laura Charles, teacher at Sweetwater High School, for her 40 years of Service to SUHSD. Read up on her Spotlight... Written by Meg Garcia, Sweetwater High Teacher and 2011 Sweetwater District Teacher of the Year
Memorial Scholarship Benefits Sweetwater Students Like many families, the Murphy family has a long history in the Sweetwater District. Sean, Patricia, Maria Elena, Brian and Conan all attended CVH. Four of the Murphy family either became teachers or married teachers in the district and their children attended Sweetwater schools. Tragically, in 2010, Brian’s son Quin, a freshman at HTH died unexpectedly. To honor Quin’s memory, the family established a memorial scholarship fund to benefit students from the Sweetwater District. Starting with scholarships at HTH and eventually moving to other schools, the foundation gave away nine scholarships for $500 to students from five different schools. The Murphy family hopes to make this a perpetual scholarship in the years to come. For more information about the Quin Murphy Foundation, visit www.quinmurphy.com
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JUNE 2012 Children’s Awareness Month
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Last Day of School
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Board Meeting
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Flag Day
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Father’s Day
Freedom Writers Institute Opportunities The Freedom Writers Institute (www.freedomwritersfoundation.org) offers highly regarded professional development opportunities for teachers. The Foundation offers several training sessions each year, with 20 - 25 participants at each session. The Institute accepts educators from all U.S. territories and Canada and is a competitive program- to apply, educators must provide information regarding their students, school and teaching experience. Each applicant is reviewed by the Foundation's Educational Advisory Board and carefully selected so that each session is diversified by region, teaching level and experience. Educators, including teachers, administrators, coaches, and social workers, interested in applying to the program can contact the foundation directly at fwi@freedomwritersfoundation.org. www.sweetwaterschools.org
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2012 Artissimo Administrator of the Year
KUDOS! Russ Sperling Congratulations to VAPA Director Russ Sperling, for being named Artissimo Administrator of the Year for 2012 by the San Diego County Art Education Association.
www.sweetwaterschools.org
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Greater San Diego Middle School
Math Field Day Congratulations to Middle School participants in the Greater San Diego Middle School Math Field Day. The eight middle schools brought home a total of 17 medals among them.
Participants: Bonita Vista Middle Chula Vista Middle EastLake Middle Granger Junior High Hilltop Middle Mar Vista Middle Montgomery Middle National City Middle and Rancho del Rey Middle
www.sweetwaterschools.org
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Sunday June 10
Mariachi Scholarship Foundation Event The 16th Annual Mariachi Scholarship Foundation Concert and Scholarship presentation will be held on Sunday, June 10, 2012 at the Chula Vista High School Jack Tygett Theatre. The event will feature student performance and a performance by the Mariachi Sol de Mexico. Tickets are $40 per person. A silent auction will begin at 3:00 P.M. and student performances will begin at 5:00 P.M. For more information or to RSVP for the event contact Sandi Smith at (619) 796-7715 or at sandi.smith@sweetwaterschools.org
KUDOS! Sheryl Sanchez
Congratulations to Sheryl Sanchez Assistant Principal at Hilltop High School, for receiving the Administrator of the Year Award by the San Diego Science Alliance 2012 Partnership Awards. She was honored for her many contributions to science education in SUHSD, developing the summer bridge and AP science programs and being an integral part of the award winning Poseidon Academy at Mar Vista High School.
www.sweetwaterschools.org
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Sweetwater Mariachi Students to Get Training from Master District mariachi students will receive musical training from Jose Hernandez, renown leader of the “Sol de Mexico” group at the Mariachi Extravaganza conference. At the conference produced by VAPA, students will be in engaged in two days of intensive instruction from Mr. Hernandez and musicians from his ensemble in playing mariachi with correct style and energy. The Mariachi Extravaganza will culminate in three major concerts that are all open to the public. The first is a Student Showcase composed of all student participants on Saturday, June 9 at 6:00 p.m in the Jack Tygett Performing Arts Center at Chula Vista High School. Admission is $5.00. The exciting conference finish will be a concert by Jose Hernandez and “Sol de Mexico,” with the top two student mariachi bands opening the show. There will be two shows on Sunday, June 10, one at 1:00 p.m. ($15.00 admission) and one at 5:00 p.m. ($20.00 admission), both at the Jack Tygett Performing Arts Center at Chula Vista High School. www.sweetwaterschools.org
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Apple Computer Employee Purchase Program Apple Computers is offering all permanent Sweetwater District Employees an opportunity to purchase a variety of Apple hardward, including desktops, laptops and the iPad with no finance charge and no credit check. An automatic monthly payroll deduction will be made for up to 12 months. Orders are now being taken and must be received by June 15, 2012. For more information and a list of equipment offered, visit the Fiscal Services website at www.sweetwaterschools.org/fiscal or call Denise Loader at (619) 691-5552
KUDOS! Otay Ranch High Boys Volleyball Congratulations to ORH Boys Volleyball for making it all the way to State Regionals this year.
National City Collaboration Looks to Improve Community Health Granger Junior High is leading an effort to improve public health in the National City community. School leaders are bringing together National City leaders such as the mayor, the city council and local social service agencies to address issues such as childhood obesity and wellness. Through this collaboration, Sweetwater High, Granger Junior High and National City Middle will participate in several health challenges, tree plantings and educational sessions for both parents and students.
www.sweetwaterschools.org
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Sweetwater Schools Capture Two Innovation in Education Awards Top honors countywide were awarded the Sweetwater District Robotics Program and the San Ysidro High School Medical Pathways Program at the 2012 Innovation in Education competition. The event showcased programs that use unique learning practices in the most innovative and effective ways in K-12 San Diego County public schools. San Ysidro High was awarded the Impact Award and a $10,000 award and Robotics Program received the Inspire Award and a $5,000 award. In addition to these honors, students from across the county were also honored. Marcela Alvarez from Montgomery High received a scholarship of $1,500. Watch the highlight videos here.
KUDOS! Marcela Alvarez Congratulations to Marcela Alvarez, student at Montgomery High School who received the 2012 AVID Founder’s Scholarship Award.
KUDOS! Roufieh Carmody Congratulations to Roufieh Carmody, Biology Teacher at Granger Junior High, for being awarded a Noyce Master Teacher Fellowship through UCSD.
www.sweetwaterschools.org
KUDOS! Maureen Rymer Congratulations to Maureen Rymer, teacher at Sweetwater High School for being named Teacher of the Year 2011-2012 by the Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair.
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Visual and Performing Arts
VAPA Summer Events Summer entertainment offerings are planned by students in the Sweetwater District Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) Department. After polishing their talents at a weeklong Summer Arts Academy, students will perform in concern on June 30 at 2 p.m. at the Chula Vista High School Jack Tygett Theatre. Finally, the Summer Theatre Institute will present West Side Story at the Ruth Chapman Theatre at Eastlake High School. Performances will be held August 2 to 4 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, August 5 at 3:00 p.m. at the Ruth Chapman Performing Arts Center at Eastlake High. For more information about these programs, contact the VAPA office at (619) 796-7700
www.sweetwaterschools.org
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Superintendent | Dr. Edward M. Brand
SUPERINTENDENT’S COLUMN The Class of 2012 The end of the school year means a lot of different things to a lot of people. For many it’s about graduations and promotions and a time for new opportunity. It’s the beginning of summer for many a time for rest and relaxation. For many it will mean summer school, a new school and time for refocus. This year we are proud to say that nearly 6,000 students will have graduated from Sweetwater District high schools. As those students look back at their time in Sweetwater I know that they will be taking with them some great experiences. They will take with them the skills that our teachers, administrators and staff members helped them acquire. They will take with them the highest levels of academic and extracurricular experiences. Most importantly, they will take with them a high school diploma and unlimited potential for their futures. I want to take this opportunity to thank the entire Sweetwater staff – teachers, administrators, counselors, classified employees – for the work that you do in preparing our students for the future. I also want to thank you for making my return to Sweetwater a positive and productive one. The organization and students is truly why we are all here. Whether it is teaching, office work, driving a bus, coaching, or any other work, you have made a difference in the lives of our students. They say that the little things are what matter, and you have done countless “little things” for students.
www.sweetwaterschools.org
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Graduates from Sweetwater Schools have shown that they are prepared for the future. We have students attending schools like Harvard, M.I.T., UC Berkeley, UC Los Angeles, San Diego State and countless other schools. We have students who will be entering the workforce prepared for their trade thanks to Career Technical Education Courses or other work experiences that they gained while in school. At every school the list of accomplishments and achievements by students and staff is impressive. Teachers and administrators have been recognized for their hard work at the local, state and even national levels. We continue to see teachers raising the bar for their students and
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students who not only meet those expectations, but exceed them. There have been students recognized for their academics, their athletics, their community service work, as artists, as musicians, as leaders on their campuses. As we move into the summer, let’s all take a little bit of time to reflect on the year that’s past. While there have been challenges, there have been many more successes. I hope that this year was a great one for you and that next year will be even better. Education is Job One in the Sweetwater District and thanks to you, it will continue to be for many years to come.
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