Friday, April 22, 2016

What's New in GUHSD

Grossmont Healthcare District Awards Scholarships to GUHSD Healthcare Scholars 

Grossmont Healthcare District Board with Healthcare Scholarship Recipients
The Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD), a public agency that supports various health-related community programs and services in San Diego’s East County region, recently awarded $81,000 in scholarships to 24 GUHSD high school students who have expressed interest in a career as a healthcare professional. The scholarships were presented at the GHD board meeting on Friday, April 15.

Students were selected by school administrators for their academic excellence, outstanding citizenship and a desire to improve our world in the healthcare field. Two students from each high school will receive either a $3,000 or $1,500 check from GHD at the end of their first semester of college, contingent on completing at least nine units with a grade point average of 2.0 or better.

“We applaud these specially selected students who have demonstrated great potential in leading the next generation and shaping the future of healthcare,” said Board President Robert “Bob” Ayres. “We are proud to invest in America’s youth and encourage these young adults as they continue their studies in the healthcare field. We look forward to their future success through college and beyond.” 

GUHSD Scholarship Recipients Include:

El Cajon Valley:  Lenda Lawrence, Maryam Shaoo
El Capitan:  Vivian Maldonado, Ahtziri Gallegos-Enriquez
Granite Hills:  Andy Yousif, Kaylie Hildebrand
Grossmont:  Jazmin Morales, Halee Scott
Grossmont Middle College:  Nancy Tomka, Sara Froomin
Helix Charter:  Diondraya Taylor, Jessica Irvine
Monte Vista:  Jolissa Manuel, Bethany Mudge
Mount Miguel:  Brandol Camacho Frasco, Francis Evangelista
Santana:  Michael Chase, Catelyn Renna, Santana
Steele Canyon:  Allison Hall, Alexander Rodriguez
Valhalla:  Salam Allahwerdy, Regina Mansour
West Hills: Savannah Fakhouri, Dakota Betz

GHD has honored more than 500 local high school students interested in a healthcare career with scholarship grants since 1999. Over the years, hundreds of local high school students have received individual scholarships totaling more than $1 million.

GUHSD Celebrates Successful Completion of Proposition H 

Food Services Staff Created a Special Prop. H Cake for the Celebration
At the Governing Board meeting on Thursday, April 14, we officially celebrated the completion of Proposition H, a $274 million bond approved by voters in 2004 to fund repairs of aging schools, improve student safety and security, build new science classrooms and improve ADA compliance throughout the district.

Superintendent Swenson delivered a presentation sharing Proposition H project highlights, thanking the CBOC members past and present, and the voters for their investment in the future of education in East County. 

Click here to view the presentation; click here to access the program brochure.

Proposition H was approved by 62 percent of voters in March 2004 to fund repairs of aging schools in the district. It was the first bond passed by voters in the East County in 37 years. The $274 million program included student safety improvements, upgrades and expansion of technology and other infrastructures, renovations of outdated classrooms, the construction of new science classrooms, district-wide ADA upgrades and extensive infrastructure upgrades. 

Grossmont Middle College High Students Recognized

Grossmont Middle College English Teacher Christine Bisera-Morales with Student Winners
Grossmont Middle College High School students were recognized for a local literary contest put on by Write Out Loud, an organization located here in San Diego. The students were asked to read a work by Robert Louis Stevenson and then to re-imagine and recreate that novel and its themes in a creative format. 

They read Jekyll and Hyde and then the students submitted their projects. On Monday, April 18, at the Old Town Theatre many of the students were recognized for their efforts.

Our students received awards, including cash prizes, in the categories of Visual/Media Arts, Literary Work, and Performing Arts. The students’ projects included creative writing, dance, film, photography, and painting. The top three winners in each of these categories also received cash awards.

Mount Miguel Girls' Empowerment Conference a Huge Success

Conference Attendees Listen to Keynote Speaker Geena the Latina
On Saturday, April 16, Mount Miguel High School hosted its 10th Annual Girls' Empowerment Conference in the gymnasium. The theme for the event was, "Hardships Often Prepare Ordinary People for an Extraordinary Destiny," a topic that was addressed by many of the speakers, including the keynote, Geena the Latina from Channel 93.3.

The guest speakers shared their experiences with the girls and spoke to them about the importance of believing in themselves, their talents, and abilities. It was an incredibly powerful conference with break-out sessions for the girls, giving them the opportunity to share and to learn from each other. In addition, many of our girls came back with information about post-secondary opportunities and even door prizes. Deep appreciation is extended to Sylvia Sposato who has been the driving force and the inspiration for this conference over the past decade.  

CTE Hosts Annual District Advisory Committee Meeting

Participants attend the CTE District Advisory Committee Meeting
The Grossmont Union High School District Career Technical Education Department hosted the annual CTE District Advisory Meeting on Thursday, April 7, at Grossmont College. The goal was to obtain input on moving forward with our CTE Strategic Plan to better prepare students to be college and career ready. Over 70 participants attended, representing 11 Industry Sectors. CTE students at each table presented one of their CTE projects and shared their challenges and successes as they learned the skills needed to complete the project. 

The conversations and input at each table represented views from students, parents, teachers, community college partners, workforce development partners, and district and site administrators.  Using an interactive digital survey tool, participants shared their ideas and input on a variety of topics providing over 500 feedback entries which will be used for the continued improvement of our CTE programs and services.  

If you are interested in learning more about our CTE pathways and how you can become involved, please visit our website at cte.guhsd.net.

Save the Date: Online Safety Presentation on 4/26

GUHSD is proud to announce its partnership with State Senator Joel Anderson in hosting a presentation about online safety provided by Facebook on April 26, at 6:00 p.m., at West Hills High School.

The presentation will empower parents to be active participants in their children’s online experiences in order to help keep them safe. The presentation from Facebook will also explain the many tools available to members of the Facebook community to report harassment, inappropriate content, and other forms of cyberbullying.

Click here for the event flyer and to RSVP online. You may also call 619-596-3136.

Announcement: Parent-at-Large Vacancy on CBOC

The Grossmont Union High School District is seeking applications to fill a vacancy within the eleven-member Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee (CBOC). The CBOC oversees the implementation of Proposition U, the $417 million general obligation bond measure passed in November 2008, to bring facility improvements and renovations to the Districts’ schools. 

The appointee will serve a two-year term beginning June 2016 in the capacity of “Parent-at-Large” and will be eligible for up to two additional two-year terms, with the condition that the appointee have a child or children continuously enrolled in a District school for all term periods.

Click here to view the application.

Superintendent Ralf Swenson