Rio Norte Grandma Named Volunteer of the Year
Cheryl Pangburn, known as “Grandma” to students in the special education classes at Rio Norte Junior High School where she volunteers regularly, has been named Volunteer of the Year for the Hart District. The award was presented at the annual Parent/Community Volunteer Recognition reception, where 125 nominees were honored and 11 volunteers received special awards. Ami Gonzalez from Golden Valley High School and Deanna Hanashiro from Hart High received Outstanding Parent Volunteer awards. The annual program is sponsored by the District Advisory Committee and funded by sponsorship donations.
Golden Valley Students Win National PSA Contest
Andy Ryan and Rob Rye, two students in Golden Valley High School’s TV Production program, recently won first place in the Create Real Impact national public service announcement (PSA) competition. Students had to create an original PSA on the dangers of distracted driving and the necessity to pay attention to the road. The students had a choice of $1500 or a new Apple laptop as a prize, and they chose the cash award to buy more equipment for their video production company. The honor also carries a $1,000 award for the GVTV program. The winning video can be viewed at the GVTV Web site (www.gvtv.biz).
Hart Junior Wins New Nissan
Amber Bock, a junior at Hart High School, is the winner of a new Nissan Versa, donated by Valencia Nissan as an incentive to Hart District students to maintain good grades, attendance and discipline records. Nearly 5000 district students qualified for the drawing, and students and their parents filled the College of the Canyons stadium for the random drawing. Dozens of smaller prizes also were awarded in drawings leading up to the grand prize. This is the second time that Valencia Nissan has hosted the new car giveaway in conjunction with the Hart District. Amber is a member of the varsity tennis team at Hart and an Advanced Placement Physics student. Hart High is a family tradition for Amber; her mother graduated from the school as well!
Rancho Pico Enjoys Blast of the Past
Art students at Rancho Pico Junior High School applied what they have learned about color theory to fabric when they enjoyed an art form more likely familiar to their parents. Students enjoyed tie dying T-shirts and socks, being careful to apply dye of analogous colors to different folded designs. It was very messy and fun, and the students enjoyed the psychedelic patterns they created.
Drum Line Wins First Place
The drum line at Rio Norte Junior High School, the only junior high drum line in the Hart District, returned from an American Drum Line Association of America competition in Oxnard with a first place award. The group earned a score of 79.65, its highest score to date. The first place win and score placed Rio Norte in third place out of 11 lines going into state championships in San Marcos, where they placed ninth. However, they were able to hold onto their position of fifth place overall for the entire division for junior high drum lines in California. Their show, “Who Stole My Space Shuttle?” was written by Troy King, Rio Norte’s drum line coach under the direction of music teacher Jeff Gilbert.
Author Visits Arroyo Seco Library
Kevin Gerard, author of the action-adventure fantasy series “Conor and the Crossworlds,” was featured in a lunchtime presentation hosted by the Arroyo Seco Junior High School library. Gerard has four books already published in the series and a fifth installment due in October. The author offered students insight into the process he uses to create an alternate universe, create and name his characters and generate ideas for the adventures of Conor. He had good advice for aspiring authors who attended, and students enjoyed meeting him, talking about writing, and getting a sneak peek at his newest book.
TLC to Host Spring Boutique
The Hart District’s Transitional Learning Charter School will host a spring boutique 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, May 6, on the patio at the Hart District office, 21515 Centre Pointe Parkway, Santa Clarita. The crafts, created by students, include such gift items as lavender scented rice bags, beaded bookmarks, decorative flower pots filled with goodies, pet rocks, custom stationery, children’s fleece pillows and more. Proceeds will be used to support the school’s newly formed ASB student government.
Teacher Shares Talents with the ‘Older Kids’
Steve Jacobson, a long time instructor at Arroyo Seco Junior High, has a lesser known but extremely enthusiastic student following through Golden Oak Adult School. Taught one night a week, his stained glass class draws many adults of all ages. The class is totally “hands-on,” with an excited and focused group of students learning the basic techniques by creating their own stained glass masterpieces. The class is aimed at stimulating the creativity of its students while teaching an art form that could be a hobby or even a creative vocation.
Viking Honor Society Collects Food for Needy
The National Honor Society chapter at Valencia High School collected more than 5,000 canned food and other items from the local community for the Domestic Violence Center of SCV and the Feed the Children organizations. The donations came through a “Love Your Neighbor” project conducted by the students earlier this year. The donations were a welcome relief for the local charities, which see stocks dwindle following the heavy holiday giving season.
West Ranch Students Applauded at Stock Seminar
A delegation of students and staff from West Ranch High School was greeted with a standing ovation at the eTrade Seminar at the Renaissance Hotel in Hollywood. Students Connnor McClafferty, Shaan Saroa, Nedal Zayyad and David Lim were praised for starting their financial education so young. eTrade marketers Rick Swope and AJ Monte are the spokespersons for eTrade and travel internationally to conduct seminars and Webinars on financial education and investment strategy. They have promised to hold a free Webinar class on investing at West Ranch in the near future. Business teacher Linda Cox arranged for her students to attend the session with her.
Culinary Arts Teacher Publishes New Book
Chef instructor Louis Eguaras, who teaches culinary arts classes for the Hart District’s Regional Occupational Program, has a new book out. “101 Things I Learned in Culinary School” is now available for pre-order from Amazon, Barnes & Nobles and Borders. Chef Louis will also be doing book signings in local book stores in the near future. He teaches both beginning and advanced culinary arts classes in the district’s Regional Occupational Program.
Rio Norte ASB Students Attend Leadership Camp
Student government leaders from Rio Norte Junior High School, under the direction of adviser Chad Powell, attended leadership camp to prepare them for their roles as ASB leaders for the coming year. The camp stressed the three Cs of Communication, Caring and Compassion. Students worked together to achieve a variety of goals while playing games and conquering a high ropes course. The teens were encouraged to help one another in constructive ways.
World-Renowned Calligrapher Visits Saugus High
Saugus High School students were able to experience a taste of Chinese culture when world-renowned calligrapher Dong-Li Yan visited Ying Fisher’s Chinese language classroom. Yan first presented a brief lesson on the ancient art form, instructing students on the proper technique for holding the brush, forming strokes, etc. Students were then able to create their own masterpieces using a special ink. Yan’s work has been displayed throughout the world as well as a showing at Valencia Library two years ago, where his work was exhibited for the first time in America.
Bowman Students Honored at Awards Assembly
More than 110 Bowman High School students received well-deserved recognition during the recent Spring Awards Assembly. Academic awards included Top Credit Earners, Outstanding Essays, Math Madness, Art and Music awards. Attendance awards and Improved Citizenship awards marked student progress toward achievement. The Unity Award for bringing students together to solve problems and promote school unity was awarded to a record-breaking eight students this year. A special award for Roadtrip Nation Warriors recognized 11 students who are leading the way to promote this interactive curriculum at Bowman. Parents were honored for their collaborative efforts in the Action Team Partnership and English Learner Advisory Council. Finally, Community Partnership Awards were presented to Jon Amador, Nancy Duffy and Audrey Green from College of the Canyons; to Adriana Estrada from the SCV School & Business Alliance; and to Keyes Toyota.
