GUHSD Hires Next Superintendent
 |
| Superintendent Swenson with incoming Superintendent Dr. Tim Glover |
I’m pleased to announce on behalf of the Governing Board, that Dr. Tim Glover has been hired as the next superintendent of the Grossmont Union High School District. Dr. Glover received a 4-year contract and will joining the District full time on July 1.
Dr. Glover is a 25-year resident of East County whose son is a recent graduate of West Hills High School. He has deep roots in our East County community, and is committed to building positive relationships with teacher leaders and staff across the District.
Dr. Glover has nearly 30 years of experience as an educational leader, currently serving as the Assistant Superintendent of the Student Services and Programs Division at the San Diego County Office of Education. A product of Castle Park High School, he returned to the Sweetwater District to serve as Interim Superintendent in July 2014.
Dr. Glover also served for three years as senior director of the East County SELPA, coordinating special education services for the 10 East County School Districts and the Barona Indian Charter School. He was honored by the San Diego Chapter of the Association of California School Administrators as the Special Education Administrator of the Year.
He has extensive experience in South County, having spent years in the classroom and working as an administrator in the Chula Vista Elementary School and Sweetwater Union High School districts. Dr. Glover was principal of Salt Creek, Greg Rogers and Olympic View elementary schools, and assistant principal of Hilltop Middle and High schools in the Sweetwater District.
At Sweetwater he also served as program manager (1998-2000), assistant director (2000-2002) and Director (2004-2006) of Special Support Services (2000-2002), as well as his time at Castle Park High School (1991-1993). His general education and special education teaching assignments included Southwest Junior High School, Mar Vista Middle School, Hilltop High School and Chula Vista High School.
Dr. Glover attended UCLA for his undergraduate studies, earned a MS in Educational Administration from National University and a doctorate of education in organizational management from the University of La Verne. He also holds several professional credentials (Professional Clear Administrative Services Credential, Specialist Credential – Special Education, and Single Subject Teaching Credential – Social Sciences).
State Board of Education Unanimously Approves Waiver of Election Requirement
 |
| Superintendent Swenson and Dr. Glover with the GUHSD contingent in Sacramento |
On Thursday, May 12, the California State Board of Education unanimously approved GUHSD’s Waiver of Election Requirement without any objections.
Legal Counsel Christopher Skinnell, incoming Superintendent Dr. Glover, Mount Miguel Principal Dr. Hedrick, Mount Miguel student Josephine Schneider, and incoming GEA President James Messina and Treasurer Jay Tweet joined me in Sacramento to speak on behalf of the GUHSD Waiver of Election requirement. The State Board of Education seemed very impressed with the support.
Effective November 2016 and beyond, members of the GUHSD Governing Board will now be elected in by-trustee area elections. More details will follow in the coming weeks.
Thank you for your support and encouragement throughout this process.
Grossmont's Mark Jackman Earns $500 Award for Ethics in Business Essay
 |
| Mark Jackman concluded reading his winning essay to applause as teachers Nicole Thren, Nicole Williams and Superintendent Swenson stood in support of him. |
GUHSD’s Career Technical Education program was front and center as GUHSD hosted the San Diego East County Chamber’s monthly breakfast meeting on Friday, May 6. In addition to highlighting the award-winning CTE programs in our schools, we also recognized the winners of the Chamber’s Ethics in Business Conference essay contest, which was open to all students who participated in the conference.
Thanks to the generosity of the San Diego East County Chamber membership, four East County students were selected, including the $500 first place recipient, Mark Jackman, from Grossmont High School. Mark also received a limousine ride to and from the event, where he read his essay aloud to nearly 300 members of the business community. Mark's class also received $500 for classroom needs. He was accompanied by Grossmont teachers Nicole Thren and Nicole Williams.
Second and third place honor went to students from Foothills Christian. Santana’s Alex Campbell received $100 for his fourth place finish.
Two El Cajon Valley Students Named Gates Millennium Scholars
 |
| Principal Kim Patterson, Gustavo de Santiago, Jeffrey Rodriguez, and teacher Sarah Michelson |
Gustavo de Santiago and Jeffrey Rodriguez, two students from El Cajon Valley High School, have been named in the final class of Gates Millennium Scholars. They were recommended for the scholarship by teacher Sarah Michelson.
The Gates Millennium Scholars Program is administered by the United Negro College Fund. The partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation established the program in 1999 as a $1.6 billion-funded grant to encourage minority scholars.
The 1,000 chosen students, will be awarded a scholarship that can be used to pursue a degree in any undergraduate major and selected graduate programs at accredited colleges or universities. The amounts vary according to need.
The class of 2016, from a pool of 53,000 applicants, will be the final group of Gates Millennium Scholars, as the program meets its goal of selecting 20,000 students from low-income backgrounds.
Congratulations to Gustavo de Santiago and Jeffrey Rodriguez!
GUHSD Students Attend Flying Samaritans High School Conference at UCSD
GUHSD students from West Hills, El Cajon Valley, Santana and Mount Miguel High Schools attended the first annual Built to Achieve More High School Student Conference at UCSD’s School of Medicine on Saturday, April 9. The event was hosted by UCSD's chapter of Flying Samaritans, a student run organization that volunteers to provide health services to those in need. The event was spearheaded by UCSD senior and Public Health major, Melissa Meneses, who is a Health Pathway Alumni from Mount Miguel's Academy of Medical & Health Sciences.
The high school students were treated to a lecture about public health and health equity by UCSD Professor, Dr. Leslie Lewis, followed by a series of intense break-out sessions. During these break-out sessions, where students were teamed with college mentors, students learned about cardiovascular health from nursing students and were able to apply their knowledge to both cow and chicken hearts, practiced taking vital signs and patient care in a simulated health clinic, and learned what it takes to succeed as a pre-med or pre-health student at the university level. Themes about the value of compassion and communication in healthcare ran through all the presentations. The day wrapped up with a tour of UCSD's beautiful campus.
GUHSD Students Attend Health & Biotech Career Expo at Grossmont College
GUHSD students from Santana and Mount Miguel’s Health Career Pathways took part in the first annual Health and Biotech Career Expo at Grossmont College on Friday, April 22. The event provided a unique opportunity for students to learn more about medical and biotechnology topics through interactive workshops, meet and connect with pathway students from different schools, and learn about university career pathway programs in San Diego County.
In addition to massive career and college exposure, students left with marketable skills such as micro-pipetting, loading and running a gel electrophoresis, soft skills and bystander CPR. Many partners from education and industry came together to make this event a reality including Grossmont College, Health Workforce Initiative, Southern California Biotechnology Center, GUHSD Health Career Pathways, Grossmont's Health Occupations Center, UCSD's Flying Samaritans, San Diego State University's Nursing Program, San Diego Project Heart Beat, San Diego City Fire, Southwestern College and many more.
Get a Jumpstart on College this Summer at Grossmont & Cuyamaca Colleges
Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges are offering more than 400 classes this summer, the biggest summer ever at the two East County colleges. If you’re graduating from high school this spring, taking a class at Grossmont or Cuyamaca College is a great way to get a taste of college and earn some extra credits.
Classes begin June 13, and four-, six- and eight-week classes are available, in addition to online courses. For students wanting to learn how to be successful in college, both campuses are offering College and Career Success (COUN-120) in class and online, teaching study skills such as note-taking, listening to lectures, managing time, studying for tests and improving memory. Also covered are topics such as stress management and discovering motivations and personal strengths.
Go to www.gcccd.edu/now for links to summer class schedules for both colleges and how to apply and register.
If you want to get a head start on college, Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges are here for you!
Upcoming Events …
IDEA Center High School Open House on May 18
On Wednesday, May 18, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., IDEA Center High School is holding an open house to showcase pathway classes and provide campus tours. Click here for details. IDEA Center High School is located at 1600 North Cuyamaca Street in El Cajon.
District Art Show Opens May 20
Please plan to join us for the opening reception of the 30th Annual GUHSD Student Art Show at Westfield Shopping Center-Parkway Plaza. The opening reception will be held on Friday, May 20, at 5:30 p.m. with an awards ceremony. Student artwork will be on exhibit through Sunday afternoon.
Superintendent Ralf Swenson
