Friday, May 26, 2017

What's New in GUHSD

Last month I informed you that the Grossmont Union High School District had initiated drinking water testing for lead across the District. In February 2017, we formally requested testing from the four agencies that serve our school district: Helix Water District, Otay Water District, Lakeside Water District and Padre Dam Municipal Water District.

Following the strict sampling instructions set forth by the State Water Resources Control Board, testing has been completed, and I'm pleased to report that all of GUHSD’s high school campuses passed with flying colors! All campuses were below the minimum recordable levels. 

Click here to view the test results.

Joint Meeting of GUHSD & GCCCD Governing Boards

GUHSD Governing Board (front row) and GCCCD Governing Board (back row)
At our third annual joint meeting on May 16, the governing boards of the Grossmont Union High School District and Grossmont Cuyamaca Community College District reviewed the steps being taken to strengthen a partnership that is better preparing students for college and offering a way for them to pay for the first year of their higher education.

The meeting’s purpose was to discuss the work in the past year and make plans for the future of the East County Education Alliance, a 3½-year partnership between the two districts. The goals of the Alliance are to inspire students to focus on college and careers, develop a seamless pathway from high school to college, improve completion rates, and prepare students for the workforce.

Through the Alliance, the Higher Edge Promise Scholarship is offering a free year at Grossmont or Cuyamaca College to all Grossmont Union High School graduates who participate in college-preparation events. The scholarships will first be offered to graduating high school seniors in the class of 2019 who take the necessary steps to earn the Promise.

The Alliance efforts got a boost this year when the college district was awarded a $1.5 million two-year California College Promise Innovation Grant from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. The money will be used to fund the Alliance’s outreach and college preparation program, which includes college campus visits, mentoring programs, Parent Nights and career workshops to introduce high schoolers to the demands of college and a career.

The funds will also be used for an online student support and data system to improve student retention and completion rates. 

The Alliance is much broader than many other programs offering free college to high school students. In addition to the Higher Edge Promise Scholarship, participants in the Alliance are working to better align curriculum, developing programs to encourage high school students to attend college, and making efforts so that more students can take college classes while still in high school.

Students who are seeking a Higher Edge Promise Scholarship will be required to participate in engagement activities and college preparation events throughout their time in high school that will help ensure they are academically prepared for the rigors of a college education.

2016-17 Sportsmanship Awards Ceremony

2016-17 Sportsmanship Award Recipients. Photo: Boyd Anderson
The 2016-17 Sportsmanship Awards Ceremony was held on Tuesday, May 16, at the La Mesa Community Center. At the annual event, 22 GUHSD student athletes took to the stage to accept their awards in the presence of family members, coaches and school officials. Two students from each high school in the District were honored, not just for excellence in sports, but in recognition of their sportsmanship and character.

After accepting their awards, the students and their family members received complimentary photos courtesy of Boyd Anderson Photography. Parents, siblings and other family members stood with the students after pictures with coaches and administrators were taken.

The Grossmont Athletic Conference is the only one in San Diego County to present sportsmanship awards of this kind. I believe the event is an important extension of what we aim for as an educational institution and is consistent with upholding the CIF 16 Principles of Pursuing Victory with Honor.

Congratulations to the following 2016-17 Sportsmanship Award Recipients:
El Cajon Valley High School – Ana Garate, Balfred Carrillo
El Capitan High School – Savannah Minshew, Tanner Bingham
Granite Hills – Ally Fordham, Josh Verdon
Grossmont – Chloe Camarero, Franklin Jacob Golojuch
Helix Charter – Calleagh Turner, Jacob Hernandez
Monte Vista – Amy Smelko, Troy J. Gunter
Mount Miguel – Janiza Sanchez, Angel Vaca
Santana – Karen Cruz, Trent Forster
Steele Canyon – Kaitlyn Stathas, Yusuf Smith
Valhalla – Jennifer Fox, Gage Bulette
West Hills – Brooke Anderson, Zachary-Thomas Weaver

The event program is available here.

Champion of Champions Event Celebrates CTE Pathway Students

Mount Miguel Marketing Pathway student Christian Del Villarreal was one of many CTE students honored. Pictured here with teacher James McFarland.
The 35th annual Career Technical Education Champion of Champions Event was held on Friday, May 19, 2017, at the Cuyamaca College Student Center. Everyone was welcomed to celebrate the CTE Champions with school site CTE pathway showcase tables. Flowers were furnished by the students from the Floral Design class at El Capitan under the expert guidance of Brenda Davis-Landini. Culinary delights were prepared by the Culinary Arts and CTE Restaurant Services classes at Granite Hills (Jill Enright, teacher), Valhalla High School (Missy Korn-Heller, teacher), Santana (Donna Small, teacher), and El Cajon Valley (Christine Baptista, teacher), and IDEA Center (Laureen Botticelli).

Click here to view the program.

The 42 CTE pathways offered on GUHSD campuses have been established based on the 15 different industry sectors recognized by the State as important to our economy and workforce. One student from each pathway at each school was honored as the Outstanding Pathway Student of the Year.

The 2017 celebration also recognized three students from the Education Pathway, Vallarie Basa, Granite Hills High School, and Cassidy Davila and Carissa Meeker from Grossmont High School, who are aspiring teachers, and were awarded the Terry K. Ryan Scholarship. The program concluded by recognizing CTE retiree Mrs. Donna Small.

Regional Collaboration Expands ‘One San Diego Skills for Success’ Program to Entire Region

Santana Student Shane Kirk Shares his CTE Pathway Success Story with Media
On Thursday May 18, the County of San Diego hosted an event that brought together civic leaders, including mayors, community college presidents, school district superintendents and local businesses to encourage the business community to open their doors to young people for work-based learning opportunities. This would include expanding opportunities for our students to participate in programs such as job shadowing and internships.

GUHSD was fortunate to have such great representation from the leaders of our cities in the East County. Santana High School student Shane Kirk was featured at the event and shared his CTE pathway experience, as well as the opportunities it has provided for him including an internship with SunPower.

Next Generation of Great Teachers in East County Competition Event

Judges Provide Feedback on Education Pathway STEM Presentations
On Wednesday May 17, Education Pathway students from Grossmont, Granite Hills, and Mount Miguel High Schools competed in the first ever Next Generation of Great Teachers in East County Competition Event at Grossmont College.

Ten teams of two students each presented a STEM lesson that they developed for elementary age students. The teams were judged by a panel, which included Superintendent Tim Glover. In the end, the team of Williams and Lewis from Mount Miguel High School took first place in the competition.

Congratulations to all who participated!

East Region Apprenticeship Fair

East Region Apprenticeship Fair at Grossmont College
On Friday May 12, The College & Career Readiness Department, in collaboration with Grossmont Adult Education and the Grossmont Cuyamaca Community College District, hosted an Apprenticeship Fair at Grossmont College.

Nearly 20 apprenticeship programs from San Diego and Imperial Counties were represented at the event, along with over 160 students from GUHSD. The students were given the opportunity to attend several workshops including: An Overview of the Trades, Females in Apprenticeships, and Professional Skills.

Grossmont Adult School Hosts OASIS Awards Ceremony

2016-17 Oasis Award Recipients
Grossmont Adult School held its seventh annual OASIS Awards ceremony on May 12 at Grossmont College. OASIS stands for Outstanding Adult Students, Instructors, and Staff.

Over 100 people celebrated this year’s honorees. The celebration included desserts, awards, and door prizes. The 2016-17 OASIS Award winners follow.

Student Award Recipients:
Diah Asker (Adult Basic Education)
Philip Bol (Pre-Literacy)
Aleah Dixon (Vocational Nursing)
Sara Ferrer (High School Diploma)
Naomi Foster (Lifelong Education)
Raymond Massey (High School Equivalency)
Ana Veltmeyer (English as a Second Language)
Natalia Willis (Dental Assistant)

Instructor Award Recipients:
Maria Chavez (Medical Assistant)
Gary Clarke (Correctional Education)
Tracee Leebolt (Veterinary Assistant)
Amy Mann (Lifelong Education)
Angelica Olivares (English as a Second Language)
Diane Rojas (Lifelong Education)

Staff Award Recipient:
Barbara Mistak (Account Technician)

Community Partner Award Recipients:
Mohammed Alyaqoobi (Volunteer for ESL Program)
Myrtle Niesley (Business Partner)
Danielle Sanderson (Medical Program Partner)

Congratulations to all!

In closing, I wish you all a safe, happy and meaningful Memorial Day.

Dr. Tim Glover
Superintendent

Friday, May 19, 2017

2017 GRADUATION INFORMATION

GROSSMONT UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT

Throughout the month of June, approximately 4,797 students will earn a high school diploma from GUHSD's nine comprehensive high schools, two charter high schools and three alternative high schools. This breakdown includes:


School
2017 Graduates
El Cajon Valley
306
El Capitan
309
Granite Hills
597
Grossmont
459
Helix Charter
556
Monte Vista
382
Mount Miguel
260
Santana
347
Steele Canyon
500
Valhalla
465
West Hills
478
Grossmont Middle College High
37
IDEA Center High School
50
 Alternative & Special Education
28
Adult School
23

Following is a schedule of graduation dates, times, listing of valedictorians and salutatorians by school, and a list of the valedictorians including parent names and communities.

GRADUATION SCHEDULE 

School                                                        Date                                         Time          

El Cajon Valley High School                       Wednesday, June 7                  6:00 p.m. 

El Capitan High School                               Wednesday, June 7                  6:00 p.m.

Granite Hills High School                            Thursday, June 8                      8:00 a.m. 

Grossmont High School                              Thursday, June 8                     10:00 a.m. 

Helix Charter High School                          Thursday, June 1                      6:00 p.m.   

Monte Vista High School                             Thursday, June 8                      6:00 p.m.   

Mount Miguel High School                          Thursday, June 8                       6:00 p.m.    

Santana High School                                   Wednesday, June 7                  6:00 p.m.   

Steele Canyon High School                        Thursday, June 8                       6:00 p.m.    

Valhalla High School                                    Thursday, June 8                      9:30 a.m. 

West Hills High School                                Thursday, June 8                      8:30 a.m.   

IDEA Center High School                           Thursday, June 8                       9:00 a.m.   

Grossmont Middle College                           Monday, June 5                        5:30 p.m.   

Adult Education                                            Wednesday, May 31                 6:00 p.m.    

REACH                                                        Wednesday, June 7                10:00 a.m.   

ELITE Academy                                           Wednesday, June 7                  1:00 p.m.    

MERIT Academy                                          Tuesday, June 6                      11:00 a.m.   


2017 VALEDICTORIANS

The Grossmont Union High School District announces the names for the 21 valedictorians for the senior class of 2017. Student names, parent names, communities and schools are as follows:

Valedictorians
Parents
Community

El Cajon Valley High School

Omar A. Garcia



Omar Garcia & Alejandra Lozano



El Cajon 

El Capitan High School

Haley Gritz



Mr. & Mrs. Eric Gritz



Lakeside


Granite Hills High School

Roman Fedoriouk



Mr. & Mrs. Victor Fedoriouk



El Cajon


Grossmont High School

Jillian Dawson
Megan Williams




Mr. & Mrs. William Dawson
Mr. & Mrs. Gregory Williams



El Cajon
La Mesa

Helix Charter High School

Emily Lam
Jorge Kcomt Del Rio
Michelle Fong
Hina Popal
Jeremy Phan Nguyen
Winston Lau



Mr. & Mrs. Henry Lam
Mr. & Mrs. Santiago Kcomt  
Hong Fong & Nguyet Chau
Rahila Salehi
Binh Phan & Mai Nguyen
Mr.& Mrs. Mark Lau                                                



La Mesa
La Mesa
La Mesa
Lemon Grove
Lemon Grove
San Diego


Monte Vista High School

Brad Iglesia



Mr. & Mrs. Igmedio Iglesia




Spring Valley


Mount Miguel High School

Onrei Josh Ladao



Mr. & Mrs. Ronnie Ladao




San Diego

Santana High School

Sydney Benjamin
Nathan Garrett




Greg Benjamin & Debra Simpson
Mr. & Mrs. Jim Garrett




Santee
Lakeside


Steele Canyon High School

Angel Mora



Mr. & Mrs. Ivan Nevarez



Jamul


Valhalla High School

Marioes Matthe



Mr. & Mrs. Ghassam Matthe




El Cajon


West Hills High School

Amanda Hinh
Jacobo Fuentes
Tatiana Garcia




Mr. & Mrs. Thuan Hinh
Noe Fuentes & Maria Vega
Mr. & Mrs. Cesar Garcia



Santee
El Cajon
Santee


Grossmont Middle College


Leilani Trautman



Mr. & Mrs. Craig Trautman



    El Cajon


  
 2017 COMPOSITE DATA BY SCHOOL



El Cajon Valley High School
306 Graduates (including 12 December grads)

Valedictorian:  Omar A. Garcia – 4.581

Salutatorian:  Balfred Carrillo – 4.565

El Capitan High School
309 Graduates
                                                                   
Valedictorian:  Haley Gritz – 4.87

Salutatorians:  Shane Cole – 4.825
                          Nicole Williams – 4.761
                          Kevin Nguyen – 4.75
                          Marie Cook – 4.738


Granite Hills High School
597 Graduates (including 1 December grad)

Valedictorian:  Roman Fedoriouk – 4.833

Salutatorian:  Nicole Miller – 4.813


Grossmont High School
459 Graduates

Valedictorian:  Jillian Dawson – 4.791
                         Megan Williams – 4.786

Salutatorians:  Caleb Cheek – 4.767
                          Pamela Torresdey – 4.698


Helix Charter High School
556 Graduates (including 1 December grad)

Valedictorians:  Emily Lam – 4.82
                           Jorge Kcomt Del Rio – 4.82
                           Michelle Fong – 4.77
                           Hina Popal – 4.76
                          Jeremy Phan Nguyen – 4.73
                          Winston Lau – 4.72
                                   
Salutatorian:  none


Monte Vista High School
382 Graduates

Valedictorian:  Brad Iglesia – 4.854

Salutatorians:  Danielle Kelsey – 4.707
                          Katherine Clark – 4.643
                          Jamie Boyd – 4.605

Mount Miguel High School
260 Graduates

Valedictorian:  Onrei Josh Ladao – 4.689

Salutatorian:  Ellen T. Thompson – 4.574


Santana High School
347 Graduates

Valedictorians:  Sydney Benjamin – 4.773
                           Nathan Garrett – 4.773
                                               
Salutatorian:  Bryce Chung – 4.714


Steele Canyon High School
500 Graduates (including 23 early grads)

Valedictorian:  Angel Mora – 4.776
                          
Salutatorians:  Jack Schaefer – 4.739
                         Jason Chapman – 4.733
                         Dominic Garza – 4.729
                         Ami Patel – 4.720


Valhalla High School
465 Graduates (including 2 December grads)

Valedictorian:  Marioes Matthe – 4.75
                                
Salutatorians:  Faisal Al Shamaa – 4.696
                         Annie Lieu – 4.659
                         Kara Whitaker – 4.646
                         Jennifer Fox – 4.636


West Hills High School
478 Graduates

Valedictorians:  Amanda Hinh – 4.833
                          Jacobo Fuentes – 4.82
                    Tatiana Garcia – 4.804                                                        
Salutatorians:   Garret Moore – 4.75
Miranda Summers – 4.708


Grossmont Middle College High School
37 Graduates

Valedictorian:  Leilani Trautman – 4.688
                                   
Salutatorian:  Camille Eaton – 4.612
                       

Alternative Education & Special Education
28 Graduates


Grossmont Foothills Adult School
23 Graduates


IDEA Center High School
50 Graduates