El Cajon Valley & El Capitan High Schools Named 2015 Golden Bell Award Winners
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| El Cajon Valley & El Capitan celebrate receiving Golden Bell Awards |
On Saturday, December 5, El Cajon Valley High School’s Newcomer Academy and El Capitan High School’s Excellence through Community programs received the prestigious honor of being named 2015 Golden Bell Award winners.
The CSBA Golden Bell Awards, now in its 36th year, recognizes outstanding programs and governance practices of school boards in school districts and county offices of education throughout California. The awards program highlights best practices in education in all areas of operations, instruction and support services.
The Golden Bell Awards program recognizes exemplary programs in 19 major categories, which are essential to support effective governance and teaching and learning.
El Cajon Valley’s Newcomer Academy was selected for the English Language Acquisition category. This interdisciplinary academy serves students who score low on tests and have been enrolled in U.S. schools for less than a year. Before the academy, students at this level did not receive access to core content classes. Because of this program, all students, regardless of their English proficiency, take classes in the core departments. The majority of the students come from Iraq, followed by Mexico, other Latin American countries and Afghanistan. Many of the students come with gaps in their education due to experiencing war, trauma, violence, poverty, and other unimaginable hardships. The goal is to accelerate the English language acquisition process and provide support for developing literacy, so students can catch up to their English-proficient peers and experience academic success.
El Capitan’s Excellence through Community program was selected for the School Climate Category. The Grossmont Union High School District, the Governing Board, students, families, and the entire staff at El Capitan High School, developed a positive school climate program that has truly made a difference for their school. The vision for the high school soon became, “Excellence through Community,” and four years later, the school is a completely different place. Students have been empowered and the school now has upperclassmen who have realized their undiscovered leadership potential to make positive change among their peers.
Congratulations to our 2015 Golden Bell Award winners!
GUHSD Students Tour Two Local Manufacturers
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| CTE students tour Computer Integrated Machining in Santee |
On Thursday, December 3, Career and Technical Education (CTE) students from Santana and El Cajon Valley High Schools received an insiders’ tour of two local manufacturing plants. The tour was offered by the East County Economic Development Council (ECEDC) and was open to the Advanced Manufacturing Pathway students.
The tour was a product of the ECEDC’s Manufacturing, Education, and Workforce Subcommittee and was spearheaded by Mike Brown of Computer Integrated Machining (CIM), which manufactures complex machined components and assemblies. The tour engaged our high school students in the manufacturing industry and helped them discover the many career opportunities in that field.
In addition to touring the facility at Computer Integrated Machining in Santee, students also visited the Deering Banjo factory in Spring Valley.
During the tours, students were guided through facilities and developed an understanding of what it takes to produce products that are made to exact tolerances for the aerospace, oil and gas, music and medical industries. The tours concluded with a luncheon panel discussion at Cuyamaca College.
We extend our deepest appreciation to the ECEDC and our many partners and industry leaders for making this successful event possible. Special thanks are also extended to GUHSD’s CTE Work-based Learning Specialist Jeff Wood and the event sponsors: Wells Fargo, SDG&E, Bank of America, US Bank, Comerica Bank and Cuyamaca College.
George Yousif Named Second Quarter Outstanding Classified Employee
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| Board recognition of George Yousif as Second Quarter Outstanding Classified Employee |
At the Governing Board meeting on Thursday, December 10, George Yousif was recognized as the Second Quarter Outstanding Classified Employee of 2015-2016. George serves the Grossmont District as a Community Liaison at El Cajon Valley High School. He is recognized for his outstanding contributions to his school and community in helping Arabic speaking students succeed in their education.
Classified employees provide critical support to our educational mission and programs. Congratulations, George Yousif, on being selected as the Second Quarter Outstanding Classified Employee of 2015-2016!
Superintendent Ralf Swenson
