Plaques Mark Mira Mesa High Achievements

Board Member John Lee Evans and Supt. Kowba with JROTC at Mira Mesa High. More photos on Mira Mesa High website»

Mira Mesa High was honored last spring to be only one of five schools in the state that was a California Distinguished School and California Exemplary Career Technical Education Program. The honors mean the Marauders, according to the State of California, excel in both academics and career preparation.

The school marked the rare combination recently, installing plaques on the wall of the school's administration building. On hand for the ceremony were Board President John LeeEvans, Superintendent Bill Kowba and San Diego City Council Member Carl De Maio. Officiating were Mira Mesa High Principal, Scott Giusti.

Schools selected for the Distinguished School Award demonstrate significant gains in narrowing the achievement gap. The Exemplary Career Technical Education Program award salutes the school's classes that include broadcast journalism, culinary arts and nutrition, JROTC.

The event featured the school's Air Force JROTC Saber team cadets and color guard, with more than 100 cadets greeted our many distinguished guests and community supporters. The celebration included entertainment by the Madrigal choir and a saxophone quartet.

The plaques were unveiled with a drum roll and then there was a reception with donations from major school supporter, Chick-Fil-A.

For more information on programs at Mira Mesa High, contact Principal Giusti at (858) 566-2262.

Kumeyaay Students Keap Streak Bearly Alive

Kumeyaay Elementary students in Mrs. Bernstein's class recently collected 398 stuffed bears to benefit Rady Children's Hospital.

Kumeyaay students in Mrs. Bernstein's room collected 398 stuffed toys to Benefit Rady Children's Hospital.

This is the 12th year that Mrs. B and her class has collected bears and delivered them to the San Diego Police Department for a special ride to the hospital.

The new stuffed toys help children find comfort while at the hospital.

District Speech Pathologists Present to Conference

Speech pathologists from San Diego Unified recently present papers at the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association conference in San Diego.

Anne Callies, Assistive Technology Speech-Language Pathologist, co-presented “Effective Use of Visual Supports in the 21st Century Classroom.” Tim Tipton, Senior Speech-Language Pathologist, and Angela Gaviria, Resource Teacher, collaborated to present “English Learner Representation in Special Education: A Comprehensive Evaluation Process.” Sharlee Mosburg-Michael, Senior Speech-Language Pathologist, shared “Supporting Vocabulary and Language Development Through Collaboration With Classroom Teachers.”

Also, Jennifer Taps Richard, Senior Speech-Language Pathologist, co-presented “Powerful Assessment and Analysis for Children With Phonological Disorders.” Cheryl Stromberg, Speech-Language Pathologist, discussed “Childhood Apraxia of Speech Resource Center: An Innovative Support in the Schools.” All sessions were well attended and the content praised by both academic and clinical practitioners from across the country.

More than 10,000 speech-language pathologists (Speech-Language Pathologists) and audiologists attended this national event Nov. 17-19. These professionals shared cutting edge practices and further enhanced the district’s reputation as a leader in speech-language pathology.

For more information on the program, contact Jennifer Taps at jtaps@sandi.net.

Freese Elementary Opens New Parent Room

Volunteers celebrate the new Parent Room at Freese.

Freese Elementary Arts and Culture School recently celebrated the grand opening of its new Parent Room, created to strengthen the home/school connection for students by providing parents a place to volunteer, hold workshops and conduct other activities.

The Parent Room offers space and materials for volunteers to complete projects, as well as access to computers and information relevant to parents. Maria Nixon serves as volunteer coordinator, matching teachers’ needs with parent volunteers.

With the support of Freese’s School Site Council, parent volunteers started the project in September and culminated with the grand opening celebration December 16.

For more information, contact Alma Hills, Freese Elementary School Principal, at (619) 479-2727.

Hoover High Students Tour Qualcomm, Shadow Executives

Students Lesly Amparo and Miguel Bacilio ask "what if?" at the new Qualcomm Museum.

Hoover High School Academy of Information Technology students recently spent the day at Qualcomm Inc. shadowing executives and touring the new Qualcomm Museum.

Employees led student tours through various parts of their facilities, from the data storage room and IT Communication/Customer Service Center, to its new museum that showcases Qualcomm's rich history of innovation.

Guides provided insight into Qualcomm's history and talked about their employees’ daily work and responsibilities. During lunch, presenters informed students about the various careers in computer technology and shared their own career path stories, in addition to offering students an opportunity to network and talk with mentors in small groups.

For more information, contact Chuck Podhorsky, Hoover High School Principal, at (619) 283-6281.

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