Kudos ESACADEMIC, PERSONAL AND SOCIAL SUCCESS FOR EACH AND EVERY STUDENT. East Side Union High School District

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1 East Side Union High School District Kudos events.esuhsd.org 830 North Capitol Avenue, San Jose, CA ESACADEMIC, PERSONAL AND SOCIAL SUCCESS FOR EACH AND EVERY STUDENT A Publication of the Office of Public Information September 2002 Issue 30 Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. makes a Difference for Piedmont Hills Students The name, Omega Psi Phi, was derived from the initials of the Greek phrase meaning, friendship is essential to the soul. Their cardinal principles are manhood, scholarship, perseverance and uplift. The Santa Clara County Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Board of Trustees Recognizes District Police Coordinator stands true to the vision by mentoring and tutoring students at Piedmont Hills. Over 30 members of this African-American fraternity are providing support to African- American males at Piedmont Hills. Many of the fraternity members work or have worked in the aerospace industry and have exceptional math and science skills. They are excellent role models for our students. The students are excited about the new partnership and look forward to their meetings with the fraternity members. Kudos to Bev Green (AP) and Sharon DeShazier (Parent Advocate) for developing this partnership and thanks to the lead fraternity members for their efforts to get this project moving: Noah Holt, Jr., Phil Brooks, Clifford Davis, Reggie Braddock, Robert Woodson, Dennis Bailey, Damon Brooks, Dr. Steven Millner, Sylvester Mack and James Hill. Curt Reeves, the District s Police School Coordinator, was honored at the September board meeting for serving the district for the past eight years. Curt worked in the Office of Safety and helped create a model in Santa Clara County for police and school collaboration. He has played a critical role in helping our district develop emergency response protocols that are being used throughout the county. Curt also coordinated the police on our campuses and worked to bring more resources to our schools to keep our staff and students safe. Curt is returning to the Police Department to assume another position. East Side extends our gratitude to Curt for the contributions he made to our district and we wish him well on his new assignment.

2 Yerba Buena JROTC to the Rescue The Aviation Academy is beginning its third successful year of operation. This year s seniors will be the first to graduate from this California Partnership Academy program. This past summer, five seniors, WCO s Aviation Academy Soars Yerba Buena High JROTC cadets will always remember the 2002 summer camp at Vandenberg Air Force Base. Cadets from Elsie Allen, South, and Yerba Buena High Schools had an important role in the maximum effort to fight a major fire on the base. The fire, which destroyed over 180,000 acres of wildlife lands, started on a Sunday and was finally put out on the following Wednesday. Thousands of firefighters from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection were involved in the endeavor. Cadets supported the firefighters by making over 2000 box meals a day during the 4- day period. Fire chiefs from all of the departments visited the cadets and thanked them for their outstanding efforts. Yerba Buena s chaperone, Officer Mariah Carrasco, a Saratoga police officer and YB JROTC graduate, was in charge of the cadet volunteers. Sergeant Major Richard Montalvo, Yerba Buena s JROTC instructor, coordinated the operation with the base commanding officer and with the personnel of the Air Force base dining facility. Kudos to Sergeant Major Richard Montalvo, Officer Mariah Carrasco, and the Yerba Buena JROTC cadets for stepping in and making a major contribution during this crisis. Athena Sulse, Cristina Rivera, Claudia Martinez, Mike Tran, and Ruth Curiel, worked as interns at Reid Hillview Airport. They were employed by Tradewinds Aviation, Amelia Reid Aviation, Magnum Aviation, Vern Miller Aviation, and Reid Hillview Terminal Operations. Two of the students are continuing their employment at the airport. In addition to having a great and memorable experience, the students earned 5 10 elective credits. Rumar Arzadon also spent much of the summer at the airport because he s learning to fly. Thanks to the Blue Yonder Scholarship that he won last spring, all of Rumar s basic pilot certification classes are fully paid. He is very close to soloing (flying without an instructor on-board). He wants to become a commercial airline pilot and with the help of our wonderful aviation community partners, he s well on his way. Joining the Academy this year are Bruni Martinez, counselor; Susan Ellis, social science teacher; and Matt D Ortenzio, aerospace teacher. Mr. D Ortenzio is also an aeronautical engineer. Rounding out the staff are verteran teachers Martha Truax in mathematics and Claudia Taylor in English. Mrs. Taylor also coordinates this special program. Last year all juniors worked with an adult mentor from the aviation community. It was a great experience for the students, the academy and the mentors. This year s juniors will be matched with their mentor in late October. This year the 10 th grade level of Aerospace has been designated as the MESA class. Because of this, WCO students will work with San Jose State University students in learning a variety of scientific concepts. With the extra assistance in the classroom, students will be able to engage in more in-depth and hands-on activities. Kudos to the Aviation Academy staff for providing our students with great career opportunities. East Side gives special thanks to Reid Hillview for partnering with the program and offering the Aviation students incredible internships.

3 Andrew Hill Establishes Nursing Academy Thanks to Johnson & Johnson s support, Andrew Hill will receive a $90,000 grant to encourage high school students to pursue challenging careers in health care. The grant is a part of the corporation s Bridge to Employment program, which is administered by the National Alliance of Business. Andrew Hill will use the grant to establish a Nursing Academy as part of the Health Professions magnet program. In addition to the six existing pathways direct patient care, sports medicine and rehabilitation, hospital administration, medical research, biotechnology, and veterinary medicine nursing will now be available to the 700 program students and any other students interested in a career in the health care field. The Nursing Academy will prepare 25 to 30 students for entry into a postsecondary institution or the health care workforce. Students enrolled in the program will be provided peer models and mentors and will be able to job shadow and gain work experience through partnerships with local hospitals. The school s partners in the Nursing Academy are the Regional Health Occupations Resource Center at Mission College, San Jose State University, Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, Mission College/Evergreen College Economic Development Boards, Hospital Council, and ALZA Corporation, a Johnson & Johnson company. Apollo High School Celebrates Apollo High School recently celebrated its seventh anniversary. The school opened in September 1995 with Mr. Dennis Richardson at the helm. Since that time the staff has worked to create a viable alternative education program designed to serve students who encountered difficulties in the comprehensive high schools. Approximately 300 students have graduated from Apollo. Last June, Apollo had its first reunion/retirement party. Over one hundred students and their families were in attendance to bid Mr. Richardson, beloved leader and friend, a fulfilling and adventurous retirement. Also given a reluctant send off, was Mr. David Reid, a hard-working and humorous Algebra/Geometry teacher who retired to live in Grass Valley. Staff members were delighted to see so many students return. Even more exciting were the many reports of college attendance and happy lives. Many heartfelt thanks go to Kathy Pacheco who coordinated this momentous occasion. Kudos to the Apollo staff and to its many successful graduates. Intel Corporation Funds Science Fair Grant Thanks to the efforts of Heidi Strahm Black, District Science Fair Coordinator, Intel Corporation approved a $55,000 grant to support science fair participation. The grant targets three high schools, James Lick, Mt. Pleasant and Yerba Buena and their feeder schools. It will provide training and equipment to encourage students and teachers to participate in the district Sciencepalooza!, Scienceo-rama (middle school sitesponsored fairs) and the Synopsys Championships. Congratulations to Heidi for her work on this grant and her efforts to promote student participation in science fairs. East Side has jumped from 55 to 1400 participating students in the last four years! Mt. Pleasant Principal Selected as Outstanding Principal of the Year Art Darin, Mt. Pleasant Principal, was selected by the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce as the Outstanding Principal of the Year. This prestigious award is given to a principal in the county that has demonstrated leadership and results. The Education committee of the Chamber goes through an intensive selection process to determine the award winner. They consider the following criteria: student success, parent engagement, leadership, banners/ resource leveraging and development and mentoring of staff. Art will receive his award at the Chamber s Legends and Leaders dinner on Wednesday, November 20, Congratulations to Art Darin on this outstanding recognition.

4 East Side Remembers 9/11 Throughout the District on September 11th activities were held to commemorate the victims of 9/11. Schools held special flag ceremonies and moments of silence. They recognized local fire and police officers and they honored some of the victims. They also engaged in reflective activities that focused on learning from the tragedy and on taking steps to make this world a better place. Many made personal commitments to make a difference in themselves and in their communities. They made us proud! Kudos to all the students and staff of the East Side on their efforts to honor the victims and take steps to make this world a better place. The pictures below highlight some of the events that took place. More pictures can be found on

5 9/11 Student Commitments to Keep Our Country Free I will: Vote with care and knowledge Set positive examples Encourage my peers to achieve Graduate from high school and college Rid our country of tobacco and drugs Understand and accept others Live a good life Be open-minded Save lives by becoming a nurse or doctor Use my power to choose what is right Treat others the way I want to be treated Volunteer at a nursing home or mentor a child Write a person in the military and say Thank You Treat each and every student with respect Commitments were from Ms. Ludwig s U.S. History class Foothill High School

6 WCO Recognizes Success! Overfelt High School is proud of the dedication and successes of their Advanced Placement students and teachers. As a recipient of a California AP Challenge Grant, the Big O was able to add three AP courses to its class schedule. In addition to the already existing AP Calculus A/B, AP Spanish Language, and AP Spanish Literature courses, WCO students are now offered AP Physics, AP English Language, and AP Biology. Last May, 129 WCO students took AP exams. Of those students, 74 received scores of three or higher, earning credit at the college/university level. Special congratulations go to Ms. Irene Silvas and Ms. Virginia Monge and their Spanish Language students. All of their 56 students received a three or higher on the test. Twenty students earned a 5 the highest score. Special congratulations also go to senior Uy Tran, currently ranked #1 in the WCO Class of 2003 with a 4.0+ GPA. Uy, who earned a 5 on the English Language/Composition AP exam, has been notified of his status as National Merit Scholar Semi-Finalist. Those who know him best, describe Uy as single minded in his pursuit of academic excellence. Besides taking on a challenging schedule that includes Physics, English 4 Honors, AP Calculus, and Government/Economics, Uy participates in the Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) program. He is also a member of both the Journalism and Yearbook staffs and a secondyear varsity badminton athlete. When asked what drives him to excel, Uy replied, I know that working hard now means I will not have to work as hard later in life. When I was younger my parents didn t know what to expect from me academically, but once they saw how well I could do, they expected me to do well. Once I earned all A s, I knew I could do it. Knowing that I could, I asked myself why not do my very best? Kudos to W.C. Overfelt staff and students. Mt. Pleasant Cardinal Quill Receives All American Rating Joe Lovato, teacher and advisor to the Cardinal Quill staff, proudly picked up the National Scholastic Press Association All American Award for the Cardinal Quill, The publication received five Marks of Distinction. Judges comments included: Just keep doing what you are doing, congratulations to the artists! So often in literary magazines the art takes second place to literature, sometimes it s commissioned quickly and executed poorly. Not here! Good luck this year. I loved the time I spent reading the Cardinal Quill. Thank you and keep up the good work! I tried to be helpful but you are doing fine with your staff, advisors, etc. Thank them, they should feel appreciated. Kudos to Joe Lovato and the students who worked on the Cardinal Quill! Courageous Act by Yerba Buena Student Earlier this month, Amanda Brown, a senior at Yerba Buena, was driving on Sierra Road with her friend when they saw an overturned car. Amanda urged her friend to stop so they could see if there was anyone in the vehicle and if they needed assistance. They found three people and Amanda immediately called 911. One of the passengers was injured and Amanda stayed with him and tried to comfort him until help arrived. Unfortunately, the man didn t survive, but he passed away knowing someone cared. Kudos to Amanda for her courageous and kind actions. East Side Programs and Staff Featured in Other Publications Often East Side programs and staff are highlighted in national, state and local publications. Because they have been previously highlighted in Kudos we don t want to reprint the story, but it s important to note that these stories are also being shared across the county, state or nation. The Andrew Hill Biotechnology Academy was acknowledged for their National Award in the North Santa Clara County Consortium Tech Prep Trends Update Fall Andrew Hill students participating in the Summer Intern Scholar Program at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center were highlighted in Connections Santa Clara Valley Health and Hospital Systems September Mt. Pleasant graduate Randal Yanez who is attending Harvard, Mt. Pleasant Puente instructor Bettina Lopez, a SJSU Dorothy Wright Award winner, and Andrew Hill principal Bruce Shimizu were featured in the Puente Bulletin Fall 2002.

7 East Side Recognizes Baldrige Trainees Over 200 employees were recognized for their participation in Baldrige in Education training seminars. The Baldrige model addresses seven key elements leadership, strategic planning, student focus, information and analysis, human resources, process management and performance results. The Baldrige in Education criteria provide the basis for assessment and feedback to districts and create the foundation for a district s continuous improvement journey. The criteria have three important purposes: to help improve performance practices, capabilities, and results; to facilitate communication and sharing of best practices; and to serve as a working tool for understanding and improving performance and for guiding planning and opportunities for learning. At the ceremony, teachers, administrators and a student presented how they are using the techniques they learned in their ES Board of Trustees J. Manuel Herrera, President Jeff Ota, Vice President Juanita Ramirez, Clerk Craig Mann, Member Patricia Martinez-Roach, Member Superintendent Joe Coto particular area. The following staff presented: Barbara Taylor (EC) (ABACUS development); Ashley Galvan (Mt. Pleasant student); Mike Herring (James Lick teacher); Art Darin (Mt. Pleasant principal); Alicia Myers and Helen Aguilar-Williams (Evergreen Valley teachers); Rafael Renteria (Ed Center administrator); Alan Garofalo, (Ed Center);Jim DeDiego (District Baldrige trainer); and Bill Jakel (Ed Center administrator). Lisa Fraser, Director of the California Center for Baldrige in Education, participated in the session and commended the attendees for their commitment to excellence. Lisa had provided training to most of the attendees. Superintendent Joe Coto presented the certificates to the staff present at the celebration. Kudos to Mt. Pleasant, James Lick, Evergreen Valley, and Ed Center staff for making the Baldrige in Education initiative a priority for the district. Parent Empowerment Conference Draws a Large Crowd Approximately 600 parents attended the District s 2nd Annual Parent Empowerment Conference on Saturday, September 28th at Silver Creek High School. This conference is organized primarily by parent volunteers with support from Assistant Superintendent Dan Ordaz, Parent Coordinator Ray Valverde, Grants Coordinator Ramon Martinez, and the Administrator for Language Minority Programs, Nguyet Dinh. This year Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren served as the keynote speaker for the general session. She provided a brief update on changes at the federal level impacting education. Superintendent Joe Coto helped to open the session and set the tone for the day. After the general session, parents had a wide variety of workshops to choose from, such as: Understanding Graduation Requirements, Overview of the California High School Exit Exam, The Way to a University, Conflict Resolution, Academic Supplemental Support and Tutoring, Understanding Discipline Procedures and Student Support Services. Many East Side staff members presented at the workshops. Community partners also played a major role by setting up and staffing a resource fair to inform parents of services available in the community. The comments from many of the parents at the end of the day were very positive. They found the sessions informative and helpful. Kudos to our key parent and community organizers: Ruben and Velia Dominquez, Maria Trejo, Elizabeth Ortiz, Margarita Flores, Zenaida & James Avecilla, Charlotte Newman, Rose Whitcomb, Vanessa Flores, Candelario Franco, Margarita West and Bob Gill Kudos was initiated to promote the many achievements of East Side family members, schools, staff, students, parents and alumni. If you are aware of special recognitions given to members of our family, please send the information to: Lorraine Guerin Public Information Office Education Center 830 North Capitol Avenue San Jose, CA guerinl@esuhsd.org