Monday, January 30, 2017

What's New in GUHSD

GUHSD Launches California Thursdays Fare 

School Board Trustee Dr. Gary Woods gets in on the taste-testing fun with students at Grossmont High
GUHSD has joined an expanding statewide network of 71 innovative public school districts committed to serving freshly prepared meals made with California grown food. As the California Thursdays® program continues to grow, these delicious meals will soon become a regular part of menus for GUHSD students at all of our high schools next month.

The kick-off event at Grossmont High School yesterday featured students taste-testing a veggie bagel sandwich menu item featuring a healthy, student-tested recipe made onsite from scratch with local ingredients by a talented team of food service cooks. The avocados, cheese, bread and vegetables all come from nearby farms and producers.

The program is based on the simple logic that California children will benefit from eating fresh locally grown food. In addition to improving student health and academic achievement, this seemingly small change provides major benefits for farmers, regional economies and the environment. Many food service staff report that they are eager to make fresh meals and delighted to see the students they serve enjoying them.

For more information about the California Thursdays program and to see the interactive map of the Network, click here

12th Annual East County Young Men’s Leadership Conference

Mount Miguel Teacher Mike Love with members of  SDSU's SAAB Program who participated in the Conference
Over 75 young men from throughout East County and Southern California attended the 12th Annual Young Men's Leadership Conference at Mount Miguel High School on January 21, 2017. 

The event theme was: Get RE-Sensitized: YOUR Life Matters! The motivational morning keynote was given by Agustin Peña, San Diego County Deputy District Attorney. Ten thoughtful, uplifting workshops were offered by educators, business people, members of law enforcement, college students and community activists.

The afternoon highlight was a surprise visit and welcome from Lemon Grove Mayor Racquel Vasquez. The closing activities included a tie drive wherein each young man in attendance received one or two ties and lessons on how to properly tie them. Everyone in attendance received a special limited edition conference t-shirt. Corporate support for this event was provided by The Men's Wearhouse and Instant Imprints. Community support was offered by the Student African-American Brotherhood (SAAB) chapter from San Diego State University. 

The conference was organized by the Brother 2 Brother Club of Mount Miguel High School, a group of young men who commit to the principles of accountability, pro-active leadership, self-discipline and intellectual development.

Supervisor Jacob Honors El Capitan Golf Phenom Breann Horn

Breann Horn with her Proclamation
County Supervisor Dianne Jacob issued a proclamation this week commending El Capitan junior Breann Horn for her success on the golf course and declared January 24, 2017, to be "Breann Horn Day" throughout San Diego County.

Supervisor Jacob spoke of how Miss Horn began golfing at the tender age of six and fell in love at the very first stroke. By age seven, she was competing in tournaments.

Among her many accomplishments as an athlete at El Capitan, Miss Horn has been honored as a Varsity MVP by the Grossmont Valley League for the past three years, and won first team in CIF this year.

Congratulations, Breann Horn, on receiving this honor!

Granite Hills’ International Baccalaureate (IB) Program Service Project

Granite Hills IB students with the ASB-provided recycling bins
Last spring, as part of an International Baccalaureate (IB) progam service project at Granite Hills, students reached out to UCSD to develop a partnership in order to recycle writing instruments through a company called TerraCycle. UCSD’s Anthony Singleton and LaWana Richmond came to Granite Hills to discuss a partnership and a “battalion” was formed. 
Recycling bins were donated by Waste Management and distributed to several classrooms on campus. Roughly 600 writing instruments were recycled.

This school year, several students formed a team to better implement the program on campus and work to expand its impact. Granite Hills’ ASB donated $1,000 to the cause this fall to purchase unique bins, which are now in all classrooms and offices on campus. Students also reached out to nearby Madison Elementary School and they are now a part of the effort to recycle writing instruments so that they do not end up in landfills.

The International Baccalaureate Program is an internationally recognized curriculum that offers 11th and 12th grade students an opportunity to earn the IB Diploma. To earn the IB Diploma, students complete and test in six IB subjects, write an extended essay of independent research guided by a faculty mentor, complete 150 hours of Creativity, Action, and Service activities, and participate in a critical thinking course called Theory of Knowledge.

Save the Date: GUHSD Honor Band and Orchestra to Perform on 2/4

The GUHSD Honor Band and Orchestra will perform on Saturday, February 4, at 7:00 p.m. in the Cuyamaca College Theater. The ticket booth opens at 6:15 p.m.; the admission charge for adults is $8. 

The Honor Band and Orchestra are comprised of talented high school musicians who have auditioned from throughout the District. We are fortunate to have guest conductors working with these students.

Dr. Giancarlo Aquilanti will conduct the Honor Band. He serves as the Professor of Music Theory, Compilation and Conducting at Stanford University. Mr. Gary Horimoto will conduct the Honor Orchestra. He is the retired Director of Band and Orchestras at Rancho Bernardo High School. Please join us for an evening of wonderful music. 

Dr. Tim Glover
Superintendent

Friday, January 20, 2017

What's New in GUHSD

Granite Hills CTE Culinary Students Pitch Industry Professionals

Granite Hills students with their mouthwatering calzones
Students in the CTE Culinary Linked Learning Pathway at Granite Hills High School recently presented a food/business project to a group of industry professionals. The students were tasked with creating a food item to sell at school as part of a school fundraiser for various clubs. 

Students created a survey to determine interest, developed their recipes, and then had to “pitch” their product to student leaders who then decided which food items to sell for their fundraiser. At the conclusion of the project, Culinary Linked Learning Pathway teachers Jill Enright, Thomas Clabeaux, and Maria Schembri had students present their project to industry professionals from Chef de Cuisine, Koa Restaurant Consulting, Silvergate Yacht Club, Feast on This catering company, and more. This project is a great example of the power of Project Based Learning.

West Hills Health Pathway Students Visit UC Irvine Medical Center

West Hills students observing the da Vinci surgery robot
Students from the West Hills High School Health Pathway received an incredible opportunity to visit the UC Irvine Medical Center Urology Department and participated in several hands-on activities. 

Our students were provided with the opportunity to practice suturing, interacted with a da Vinci surgery robot, and performed an endoscopic seed removal surgery from a red pepper. 

Thank you, UC Irvine Medical Center, for this fantastic opportunity for our students.

Generous Laptop Donation for Students in Need

Monte Vista students with their donated laptop computers
Last month, Swashray Foundation representative Vibhaa Kalathia presented 36 laptops to students in need throughout the Grossmont Union High School District. This spirit of giving to students in GUHSD began in 2010 and is expected to continue.

Schools receiving eight laptops each include Steele Canyon, Grossmont, Monte Vista, and Mount Miguel. The Swashray Foundation made these contributions in an effort to help students who do not have access to a computer at home to assist them with their studies. We thank Steele Canyon PTO President Mark Wightman for connecting the Foundation to our schools.

2017 Cox Scholars Program

Cox Communications has officially launched its 2017 Cox Scholars program. Each year, The Cox Cares Foundation awards college scholarships to graduating high school seniors looking to pursue their dreams of a college education. This year, Cox will award up to $100,000 in scholarships to students across their Southern California service area.

Eligibility requirements and application details can be found here. The deadline to submit an application is February 1, 2017. 

Upcoming Events . . .

District Cheer Showcase on Saturday

The GUHSD District Cheer Showcase will be held on Saturday, January 21, at 7:00 p.m. at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in the Wyland Center. The event will include exhibitions by seven of our school's cheer squads (JV and Varsity) and a dance exhibition from Mount Miguel High School. Admission is $10, and parking is $13 per vehicle.

Save the Date: GUHSD Honor Band and Orchestra to Perform on 2/4

The GUHSD Honor Band and Orchestra will perform on Saturday, February 4, at 7:00 p.m. in the Cuyamaca College Theater. The ticket booth opens at 6:15 p.m.; the admission charge for adults is $8.

The Honor Band and Orchestra are comprised of talented high school musicians who have auditioned from throughout the District. We are fortunate to have guest conductors working with these students.

Dr. Giancarlo Aquilanti will conduct the Honor Band. He serves as the Professor of Music Theory, Compilation and Conducting at Stanford University. Mr. Gary Horimoto will conduct the Honor Orchestra. He is the retired Director of Band and Orchestras at Rancho Bernardo High School. Please join us for an evening of wonderful music.

Dr. Tim Glover
Superintendent

Friday, January 13, 2017

What's New in GUHSD

Welcome Back!

Welcome to 2017 in GUHSD! We’re looking forward to another great year of academic achievement as we work to deliver a high quality education with superior opportunities for all our students.

As you begin making plans for the year ahead, I have included links to the adopted calendars for the 2017-2018 and 2018-19 school years. You may click here to view them.

GUHSD Students Tour Two Local Manufacturers

Winners of the Design Challenge
In December, students from Santana (Advanced Manufacturing, Product Innovation & Design) and Monte Vista High (Advanced Manufacturing, Machining & Forming Technologies) participated in a tour of two of East County’s finest manufacturing facilities, Deering Banjo in Spring Valley and Computer Integrated Machining, Inc., in Santee. During the tours, students observed firsthand the process of developing a product, from manufacturing to shipping. They learned about attention to detail and producing a quality product.
 
The tour was followed by a luncheon, design challenge, industry panel and tour of Cuyamaca College, who hosted the afternoon activities. The design challenge task was to build the tallest freestanding structure out of pipe cleaners. During the challenge, students were given obstacles such as not being able to use their hands, and not being able to talk with their team. These obstacles simulated real world obstacles that manufacturers deal with when machines go down, or they are working overseas.

The industry panel reinforced the ability of students to find their passion and pave their own way through hard work and dedication. The entire day was organized by the San Diego East County Economic Development Council in conjunction with GUHSD’s College and Career Readiness Department.

Santana’s Annual Roller Coaster Challenge

A student-designed roller coaster
AP Physics students in teacher Stephanie Palechek’s class at Santana High School showcased student work product and presented their individual results of the roller coaster challenge on Tuesday, December 20.

The popular roller coaster project had students working in teams to design and analyze the roller coaster of the future. Students were given two months to incorporate everything they had learned throughout the semester in this final project.

Team proposals were presented using Google Slides and rated on how realistic the coaster was designed. Using energy transformation concepts and numerous equations, the teams were able to determine if their roller coaster could actually be built.

Upcoming Event: 12th Annual East County Young Men’s Leadership Conference on 1/21

In a little over a week, Mount Miguel High School will host its 12th Annual East County Young Men’s Leadership Conference on Saturday, January 21, 2017, from 8:15 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Presenters will include esteemed educators, professionals, and college students as well as community activists, who spend the day sharing their expertise. Workshops and breakout sessions by prominent educators and professionals will provide an innovative and engaging atmosphere for those in attendance.

The conference is open to all young men in grades 6 – 12 throughout San Diego County. The goal is to motivate, support and encourage them to effect positive change in their lives through self-empowerment and wise decision-making. More information is available here

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I hope you all enjoy the three-day weekend and take some time to participate in the many Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., commemorations occurring throughout the County.

Dr. Tim Glover
Superintendent