Friday, April 8, 2016

What's New in GUHSD

Santana Robotics Team Earns Top Regional Honor

Santana Robotics Team Wins 2016 Las Vegas Regional
The Sultan Robotics team competed in the 2016 FIRST Robotics Competition at the Las Vegas Convention Center from March 31 to April 3. The game was called First Stronghold, and students had six weeks to build a robot for the event.

On Friday, April 1, the team won the Imagery Award, in honor of Jack Kamen, for his dedication to art and illustration and his devotion to FIRST. This award celebrates attractiveness in engineering and outstanding visual esthetic integration of machine and team appearance.

The next day, the Santana team left the competition as the Las Vegas Regional Winners! Congratulations to the team on their first place finish. We are proud of their hard work, dedication and the team comradery demonstrated in front of the judges and the FIRST community.

El Capitan FFA Wins Regional Awards

El Capitan FFA Students Showcase Awards
The annual Southern Region FFA Awards event was held at Sonora High School in La Habra on Saturday, March 19. 

Top honors recognizing outstanding student achievement went to:

Ag Mechanics Design and Fabrication
Dustin Suttles, region winner and state finalist

Ag Mechanics Repair and Maintenance, Placement
Tanner Pies, region winner

Agriscience Research Animal Systems
Tatiana Woliung, region winner and state finalist

Agriscience Research Plant Systems
Blake Jackson, region winner and state finalist

Agriscience Research Integrated Systems
Tyler Mellott, region winner and state finalist

Diversified Agricultural Production
Anne Signore, section winner

Equine Science Entrepreneurship
Tera Galea, section winner

Forage Production
Jacob Nichols, section winner

Landscape Management
Robert Fryhling, section winner

Outdoor Recreation
Aaron McCranie, region winner and state finalist

Poultry Production
Tatiana Woliung, region winner and state finalist

Small Animal Production & Care
Garrett Rebarchek, section winner

Swine Production, Placement
Elizabeth Garcia, section winner

Southern Region Star in Agriscience
Tyler Mellott, region winner

Southern Region Star Administrators
Joe Cota, bronze
Lynelle Nicholson, bronze
Dave Watkins, bronze
Laura Whitaker, gold

Southern Region Star Support Staff
Michele Storton, bronze

Southern Region Star Counselors
Joe Herman, bronze
Stephanie Picon, silver
Frank Quinones, bronze

Congratulations, El Capitan FFA students and staff on these outstanding accomplishments. 

El Capitan was also notified from state FFA that the school’s FFA Chapter is a finalist for the National Chapter Award. There are six schools from the state of California that will be interviewing for this award on April 24. Best wishes El Capitan FFA in the pursuit of this national award! 

El Cajon Valley Hosts SkillsUSA 2016 Competition

A Student Welder Competes at El Cajon Valley High School
On Saturday, April 2, El Cajon Valley High School hosted SkillsUSA. High school teams competed in a fabrication tournament building sand diggers. Individual welders – both high school and college - competed in a skill competition in four different welding processes. All students were assessed by American Welding Society certified welding inspectors. 

El Cajon Valley welding students acted as hosts. They organized, provided and cut materials for the welding competition, set up the equipment, served as guides and replaced gas cylinders as they ran out.  

Teachers Ashley Wolters and Ryan Sawyer oversaw guest school comfort, helping competitors set up our welding equipment, positioning tables and heavy shop equipment, and provided instruction to visiting students and teachers on proper use of El Cajon Valley High’s equipment. 

It was a rewarding experience for all involved. Several attendees remarked on what an extraordinary welding facility El Cajon Valley High School has as well as the beauty of the campus. 

Hearings on Establishment of Trustee Areas Continue

The Governing Board of the Grossmont Union High School District is taking steps toward changing the trustee election process from an at large system to the establishment of trustee areas. This responds to the changing demographics of East County and reduces our legal exposure. 

The San Diego County Committee on School District Organization continues to hold Public Hearings on this topic throughout our District. The next hearing will be held at 6:00 p.m. on April 11 (Lakeside Union School District - Administration Center). 

Workshop & Scholarship Opportunity for High School Students:

Apply for Summer Journalism Workshop

The San Diego Union-Tribune Community Journalism Scholars Program is accepting applications for its summer program for high school students interested in learning about journalism and media careers. During the five-week program, up to ten high school students will receive instruction and work in the Union-Tribune’s new downtown offices as paid community journalists. The program is underwritten by San Diego Gas & Electric. The application deadline is April 15. Applications and more information are available here. 

Cal Coast Cares Foundation Offers Scholarships

California Coast Credit Union will award $15,000 in scholarships to college-bound high school seniors in 2016. The James L. McPheters California Coast Credit Union High School Scholarship Program will provide two scholarships for $2,500 each and 10 scholarships for $1,000 each to 12 college-bound high school seniors in San Diego County and/or Riverside County. Scholarship applications must be received or postmarked by April 11. Applications are available here. To be eligible, a graduating high school senior must be a member of California Coast Credit Union, or have a parent, grandparent, or guardian of a member; have a minimum 3.0 grade point average; and have been accepted by or plan to attend an accredited college or university full-time. Click here for more information or call (858) 636-4233 or (858) 636-4229.

El Cajon Valley Hosts Faculty Follies this Friday/Saturday

El Cajon Valley is hosting its 34th annual show to raise money for scholarships. Tickets are $5.00 at the door, and showtime is at 7:00 p.m. tonight and tomorrow.

SAVE THE DATE: Girls Empowerment Conference on 4/16 

On Saturday, April 16, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Mount Miguel High School will host its 10th Annual Girl’s Empowerment Conference in the gymnasium. The theme for this historic event is, "Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny," a topic that will be addressed by many of our speakers. The keynote speaker will be Geena the Latina from Channel 93.3. The conference is free to all in attendance. 

For reservations or questions, please contact Sylvia Sposato at (619) 667-6451.

Superintendent Ralf Swenson