JROTC Cadets Return from Freedoms Foundation, Washington DC

JROTC cadets from throughout San Diego Unified joined cadets from across the country at the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge and Washington D.C. Leadership Conference, April 19-25. The Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, founded in 1949, celebrates the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights and their relevance to our daily lives.

This year's Freedom Foundation attendees were: Zabrina Reyes and Arnelle Sambile, Mira Mesa High; Jordan Robertson, Patrick Henry High; Michelle Mayo and Audrey Pelonia, Morse High;  Marielena Teng, Scripps Ranch High; and Stephen Fang, Kearny High.  The attendees returned with a greater sense of awareness and appreciation of the principles and responsibilities of a free and democratic society. The educational trip, sponsored and fully-funded by the Military Order of World Wars (MOWW), was held at the Freedoms Foundation's 85-acre campus in historic Valley Forge, PA, and culminated with a visit to Washington DC.

This year’s American Leaders Youth Summit conference focused on leadership, American Government and history. During the conference students were assessed and recognized for their leadership qualities, participation and subject knowledge. Congratulations to the San Diego cadets who were awarded the top two honors in the four Leadership Award categories.

Cadets completed their time in Pennsylvania with a trip to Philadelphia and visited Independence Hall where both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted. From Philadelphia, the cadets travelled to Washington D.C., where they toured Arlington National Cemetery, the American History Museum, the National Archives to view the Declaration of Independence and USConstitution, and a show at the historice Ford Theatre. The highlight was a tour of the Unitied States Capitol sponsored by San Diego Congresswoman, Susan Davis.

For more information about the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, go to www.freedomsfoundation.org.

Breakfast Key Ingredient in Academic Achievement

San Diego Unified offers multiple programs that provide students with breakfast to ensure they are fueled and ready to learn each day.

At 53 elementary schools, breakfast is served to almost 30,000 students a day through the district’s Breakfast in the Classroom program. In fact, elementary schools have increased breakfast participation by 188 percent. Eight secondary schools also have breakfast alternative programs, including Breakfast in the Classroom and Nutrition Break. All other schools continue to offer regular breakfast in their cafeterias.

State Superintendent for Public Instruction Tom Torlakson recently shared in a letter with district superintendents and school food service directors that research confirms the clear connection amongst health, learning, and attendance.

“Healthy children are more successful in school, miss fewer days of school, are more attentive and well behaved, and are more likely to graduate from high school and go to college,” the letter stated. Click here to read the letter.

For more information about SDUSD Breakfast Programs, contact Norma Johnson at njohnson4@sandi.net or 858-627-7308.

Clairemont High Students Win AP Biology Bowl

The team from Clairemont High narrowly edged out teams from La Jolla and Serra high schools to claim victory at the 3rd Annual Advanced Placement Biology Bowl held recently at Serra High.

The academic bowl competition prepares students for the Advanced Placement biology examination. Comprised of 12 total rounds of competition, each round tests students’ knowledge of the eight major themes to be tested on the AP exam, including biochemistry, cell biology, cell division, evolution, anatomy and physiology and genetics.

The final round of competition featured teams from Clairemont High, led by coach Jason Kammerer, and La Jolla High, coached by Rachel Tenenbaum.

More than 130 students, parents, and teachers attended the event. Superintendent Bill Kowba and Board Trustees Kevin Beiser and Richard Barrera participated in the welcoming ceremony. Superintendent Kowba encouraged all participants to do their very best in the competition and on the exam.

All participants gained a competitive edge that would favor them in the AP exam on May 14. Other schools in attendance included Mira Mesa High School (Coach Lisa Yoneda), Lincoln High School (Coach Jennifer Ogo), Patrick Henry High School (Coach Andy Mangahis) and host school, Serra High School (Coach Ericka Senegar-Mitchell).

The AP Biology Bowl was established in 2010 by Serra High’s Dr. Ericka Senegar-Mitchell, and coordinated each year with help from Tenenbaum and Ogo. More than 12 high schools have participated since the bowl began three years ago.

Serra High’s Foundation also supported the Bio Bowl by providing breakfast and lunch to all scholars, teachers and volunteers in attendance.

Jones Elementary Fifth-Graders Spend Day at USD

All fifth grade students at Jones Elementary School recently participated in the school’s first I’m Going to College Day, with an all-day visit to the University of San Diego (USD) campus. The visit provided the students with an up close and personal view of a real college campus.
 

As an AVID school, college readiness is one of the foundational components at Jones Elementary. To be successful in a global society, AVID’s mission is to close the achievement gap by preparing all students for college and career readiness.

The day's activities included a tour of the USD campus by college freshmen and attending a standard- based English and math class taught by two different USD professors. Students participated by explaining their thinking in the math class, and after learning about “free verse” poetry, students wrote and shared their individual poems.

At the end of the day, a mock graduation was held for the fifth-graders. The students received a certificate of completion and a commemorative hand shake by the Assistant Dean of Students, their teacher and the principal. It was inspirational to see the Jones students glow with a sense of pride and purpose as they succeeded in their first college campus experience.    

Jones principal Rita Powell and fifth-grade teachers would like to thank USD Assistant Dean Pauline Berryman Powell from the College of Arts and Sciences, Vice President of Public Affairs Pamela Gray Payton, and Admissions Counselor Lisa Saldias for transforming the vision of post-secondary education into a reality and inspiring the students to think beyond high school.

For additional information contact Rita Powell at rpowell@sandi.net or 858-496-8140.

Music Educators Saluted by State Music Association

Board Member Kevin Beiser, left, Area
Superintendent Marian Phelps, M. Nicholson.

Educators from throughout the district were honored during the annual Fortissimo Awards of Excellence, which salutes music educators and their site administrators for exceptional work in music education.

Honorees from the San Diego Unified School District were: Laura Smith, Outstanding Elementary Music Specialist, Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) Department; Brad Sullivan, Outstanding General Music Educator, Dailard Elementary; Katherine Girvin, Outstanding Choral Educator , Marshall Middle School; Russell Shedd, Outstanding Orchestra Educator, Scripps Ranch High School; Marc Dwyer, Outstanding Jazz Educator, Correia Middle School; Carmi Strom, Outstanding Vice Principal, Wangenheim Middle School; Michelle Irwin, Outstanding Principal, Marshall Middle School; Marian Kim-Phelps, Outstanding District Administrator, Area Superintendent; Cameron Brown, Fortissimo Choice Award , University City High School.

The awards are given annually by the California Association for Music Education and the San Diego County Office of Education. The April 12 ceremony was hosted by Kevin Beiser, District B Board of Education Member, San Diego Unified School District.

Board Member Kevin Beiser, left, Wangeheim
Vice Principal Carmi Strom, M. Nicholson.

"Congratulations to these outstanding educators who understand and support the importance of a quality music education for every student," said VAPA Director Karen Childress-Evans.

For more information on the program, contact Childress-Evans at (858) 539-5349 or kchildressevans@sandi.net. For more information on the awards, go to the California Association for Music Education website.

Bayview Terrace Elementary Promotes Diversity Through Wearing Orange

In an effort to promote diversity and working together, Bayview Terrace Elementary School recently had a day where all students and staff members were encouraged to wear orange to show their solidarity against bullying and stereotypes, especially stereotypes against those with disabilities.

The day's "Spread the Word to End the Word" assembly combined both themes and hear guest speaker Krstina Alicia, a district resource teacher, talk about the positive effects of inclusion.

"Working together, staff, parents and students gain a greater understanding of people with disabilities," said Principal Magalena Tavasci. "The symbolic gesture of everyone wearing the same color showed unity in fighting bullying and helped our school come together."

For more information on Bayview Terrace Elementary School, contact Tavasci at (858) 273-5244.

Roosevelt Middle School Joint-Use Field Under Construction

Roosevelt Middle School Vice Principal Karina Reyes joined School Board Member Richard Barrera, Area 6 Superintendent Gilbert Gutierrez and City Councilmember Todd Gloria to break ground on the new joint-use field at Roosevelt Middle School on April 26.

Neighbors and several other city and district leaders also participated in the event that marked the beginning of construction on the new natural turf field. The City of San Diego recently awarded a construction contract to Palm Engineering Construction Company, Inc. to develop approximately two acres of the eastern portion of the school campus into a multi-purpose field that will include a walking track and three new backstops. The school district contributed $600,000 in Proposition S funds toward construction of the $995,000 project.

Prop. S funds can only be used for capital improvement projects.

Following the completion of construction in late summer, an additional 120 days will be needed to establish the turf before the field will be open to students and community members in Spring 2013.

For more details on this project, contact Randy White, school district real estate specialist, at rwhite1@sandi.net or 619-725-7281; or Barry Kelleher, city park designer/project manager, at 619-533-5219 or bkelleher@sandiego.gov. Media inquiries should be directed to Cynthia Reed-Porter, communications supervisor, at creed-porter@sandi.net or 619-725-5579