San Diego High's Academy of Finance and Entrepreneurship Holds Team Building Event in Balboa Park

 

On Tuesday, September 28th, San Diego High’s Academy of Finance and Entrepreneurship held their first team building activity of the year at Balboa Park. The day’s events included an academy group photo at the Organ Pavilion for the yearbook followed by the annual Balboa Park scavenger hunt. The teams are purposely mixed with students from each grade level to promote cross grade unity. As the groups travel throughout the park to search and find their items on the scavenger list, the 11th and 12th grade academy members give the 10th graders advice and tips on how to have success throughout their academy courses. The Scavenger Hunt includes a prize for the first team to come in with a completed list of items found. A fun time was had by all academy staff and students.

Academy of Law at Crawford High receives State's Civic Learning Award

Crawford Law Academy coordinator and educator Ms. Candor has been outstanding at keeping the Crawford Academy of Justice programs going on zoom, Canvas and in the classroom during Covid with our community partners and students. Ms. Candor submitted the application related to the Academy of Law and Justice curriculum for the 2021 Civic Learning Award and was recognized, along with Crawford High School and the Academy of Law and Justice, in receiving the Merit Civic Learning Award. Ms. Candor, Crawford and the Academy of Law and Justice also received this award in 2019.

Thirty-two schools in the state were recognized for the Civic Learning Award. Three received the Excellence Award, and three schools received the Distinction Award. Twenty-six schools received the Merit Award. In San Diego County, the Merit Award recipients were Crawford, Hoover, Mira Mesa and Preuss. Thank you, Ms. Candor and Congratulations! Thank you for all you do for our students for the Crawford Academy of Law and Justice. Press Release: https://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/ne/yr21/yr21rel31.asp

La Jolla High's Biomedical Innovations students perform Microarray Lab at home

Seniors from La Jolla High’s Biomedical Pathway performed a simulated microarray lab which is a way to determine if genes are on or off when they shouldn't be. When the lab was completed they used a UV light to see the results. This type of test is used to detect the possibility and/or cause of certain types of cancer by measuring gene expression. Each student in the Biomedical Innovations class paired with one or two students at home so they could watch the procedure and see the results. Instructor Rachel Tenenbaum is enjoying the continued work in preparing her Seniors for success in Post-Secondary Education and beyond in their careers.

SCPA Dance Students Experience Diverse Masterclasses

 During the time of virtual learning, the dance faculty at SCPA have prioritized bringing in some amazing opportunities to take classes from top dancers, choreographers, and teachers from around the world. Thanks to digital technology, in the month of March alone SCPA dance students have studied with three world-renowned dancers in three very different, very diverse styles.

On Tuesday, March 9th, a Flamenco workshop was held for all period 3 dance classes, both middle and high school. The guest artist, Lakshmi Basile (pictured), is a dance alumna the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts. After performing as a flamenco dancer in California and studying classical dance at the University of California Santa Barbara, Lakshmi travelled to Spain at the age of 20 to complete her flamenco studies. Over fifteen years, Lakshmi consolidated her career in Seville as a soloist, collaborative artist, and teacher, and now has returned to San Diego to continue her career. The seniors in Dance Portfolio had a master class on March 18th on ‘90s Hip-Hop with Cheri Stokes, whose expertise spans the genres of West African, Afro-Contemporary, Contemporary and Hip Hop dance forms. Her choreographic research examines the ways in which facets of social vernacular dance forms, specifically Hip-Hop and Dancehall, have influenced her contemporary practice and art making. Additionally, Cheri’s expertise includes over ten years of dance education (as a credentialed educator). On Friday, March 19, all period 2 high school dance students were invited to a workshop on Men’s Ballet Technique (all genders welcome!) with Thom Dancy. Thom is the Managing Director for The Rosin Box Project, and has an extensive professional dance career with companies that include Milwaukee Ballet's Studio Company, the Grand Rapids Ballet, The Big Muddy Dance Company in St. Louis, MO, as well as Malashock Dance here in San Diego. Students have also been invited to take free masterclasses from Teatro San Diego and San Diego Dance Theatre. The SCPA dance faculty are grateful for the outpouring of generosity from the dance community during this unique time. https://sites.google.com/sandi.net/vapanews/42221

Mira Mesa Culinary Student Organization puts kits together to help the homeless

In collaboration with the school's Key Club, Mira Mesa High School's Food and Nutrition plus Service Club with its association with the Family Career and Community Leaders of America student organization (FAN+ Club) has led a drive for food and other necessities to create care kits for those in need. The club started this drive to create kits that could help them with a few things, especially with the pandemic still looming. With donations from club members, their town council, and local grocery stores, they were able to create 70 care kits, each with food items, sanitizers, masks, water, and necessities. FAN+ Club gathered on Monday, April 12 to put them together. The kits will be given to the Christ Community Church, who will then deliver them to Mira Mesa and Downtown SD homeless individuals.

MOPA Selects Mira Mesa High School CTE Photography Student's Work for 2021 Youth Exhibit

Maya Alfaro, a 12th grader in Justin Bartel's CTE Photography 1-2 class at Mira Mesa High School was selected for the MOPA (Museum of Photographic Arts) 2021 Youth Exhibit. This year's theme was interpreting the word “SPACE”. Maya has shown a great talent towards photography and was encouraged by Mr. Bartels to submit for this exhibition. She did a unique edit of one of her photos and it got selected for the exhibit. MOPA will be hosting an Opening Reception and will have it on display at the Museum located in Balboa Park later this spring/summer.

Winners Announced for the 2021 VAPA Spotlight Awards

The VAPA Spotlight Awards celebrate Transforming Lives Through the Arts across San Diego Unified School District. These awards highlight outcomes that are aligned with the goals of VAPA’s strategic plan, adopted by the Board of Education in 2016. Awardees are nominated through an open call by district VAPA stakeholders including teachers, parents, community arts partners, administrators, and students. Winners are selected by a committee that represents classroom teachers, VAPA leaders, the VAPA Advisory Council, and the VAPA Foundation. The VAPA Foundation is sponsoring $250 scholarships for the ten student award recipients. Awardees will be recognized at the 2021 VAPA Spotlight Awards Presentation on Thursday, April 15 from 6:30 – 7:30 pm during an online virtual event this year. This year’s VAPA Spotlight Award winners are: RISING STAR AWARD Jellaiysha Austin, Student, San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts Nicklas Caldwell, Student, San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts Hillari Hampton, Student, Point Loma High School Geneva McCoy, Teacher, Morse High School Erin Roberts, Teacher, Hancock Elementary and Golden Hill K-8 ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Maya Allum, Student, San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts Alexis Horne, Student, Green Elementary School ARTISTIC GROWTH AWARD Ally Doyle-Uebel, Student, Creative Performing Media Arts Middle School Gloria Park, Student, Serra High School ARTISTIC INNOVATION AWARD Patrick Garcia, Teacher, Scripps Ranch High School Matthew Mulvaney, Teacher, Mira Mesa High School Summer Williams, Teacher, Creative Performing Media Arts Middle School TranscenDANCE, Community Arts Organization CREATIVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AWARD Annette Barcelona, Teacher, San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts Joey Grzenia, Teacher, Sherman Elementary School Maki Hagan, Parent, Crown Point Junior Music Academy San Diego Symphony, Community Arts Organization CREATIVE LEADERSHIP AWARD Kate Chasin, Student, Serra High School Asa Horpayak, Student, Serra High School Stephanie Steiner, Teacher, San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts Cheyann Wright, Student, Mira Mesa High School

For the VAPA press release or to sign up to attend the awards event, visit https://sites.google.com/sandi.net/vapanews/4821

Spring & Summer Job Opportunities for High School Students

Did you know that all SDUSD students have access to our SDUSD Job Board? Many local businesses are hiring students ages 15 and up for spring and summer employment. On March 24, 2021, over 450 high school students grades 10 and 11 attended a CCTE hosted Zoom session. Students learned about job readiness skills, work permits, resumes & interviews. Guest speakers from the San Diego Zoo, Belmont Park, and The Balboa Park Carousel shared with students the current job opportunities that are available at their sites. Please visit our job board: https://sites.google.com/sandi.net/ccte/student-opportunities/job-and-internship-opportunities Students may also visit the following site for work permit information: https://sandiegounified.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=27732478&pageId=28007922 Due to the success of our virtual workshop on the 24th, the CCTE department will be hosting additional sessions for students in the upcoming weeks. Please check your email for upcoming opportunities in the weeks ahead.

Morse Students Host Technology Panel

Students in Morse High School’s Morse Codes Club hosted their first panel of CS+X professionals on March 24, 2021. The Morse Codes Club promotes the success of their community through computer science opportunities and reveals the world of technology to their peers.. Students learned how computer science is used in different industries (CS+X) such as biology, chemistry, aerospace engineering and telephone communications. They gained insight to the different ways the panelists arrived to their careers. Morse Codes Club student leaders moderated the event. The panelists were comprised of a Justin G. (software engineer), Robert S. (computational scientist at the UC San Diego’s San Diego Supercomputer Center), Diana S. (AT&T software engineer) and Caeley L. (rocket scientist for L3 Harris Technologies and Founder/President/Editor-in-chief of Reinvented magazine). Diana and Caeley are spokespeople for TECHNOLOchicas who also addressed questions about diversity in the workplace. TECHNOLOchicas (https://technolochicas.org/) is a national initiative of the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) and Televisa Foundation designed to raise awareness among young Latinas and their families about opportunities and careers in technology. TECHNOLOchicas uses the powerful stories of Latinas from diverse backgrounds, who are in technology fields, and recognize the power of innovation to change the world. These stories allow girls to see and relate to real-life role models. The Morse Codes Club plan to host another panel soon where students can continue to ask their questions to technology professionals.

New State of the Art CTE Advanced Transportation facility opens April 12th at Crawford High School

For the last 2 years, the Crawford High Schools Automotive Technology program has been undergoing a major facility renovation. The original automotive program was built back in the 1957’s and has served thousands of students over the last 64 years. The recent renovation includes a new service and repair facility adding 4 large service bays including state of the art vehicle alignment instrumentation, service lifts, tire and wheel balancing machines and custom toolboxes for each service bay. In addition, the new facility houses a large 1000 Sqft classroom, a clean lab for electrical vehicle service and repair, electric vehicle charging station and NC3 industry certification modules allowing student to gain industry recognized certification preparing them for college, technical schooling, and career. Students returning on April 12, 2021, will get a huge surprise walking into their new training facility as they begin learning automotive service and repair and using the latest automotive tools and equipment.

Photos of the new facility are showing CTE Automotive Instructor, Carl Kingsbury, teaching his student via zoom and demonstrating the new vehicle alignment equipment by performing an alignment on a new 2020 Corvette. Mr. Kingsbury has conducted live Zoom classes in the new facility over the last few months teaching students the in-and-outs of the new facility demonstrating the use of tools, equipment and vehicle service and repair.

Being a social media influencer as homework? It is at Point Loma High

 Read more: San Diego Community News Group - Being a social media influencer as homework It is at Point Loma High

http://www.sdnews.com/view/full_story/27796291/article-Being-a-social-media-influencer-as-homework--It-is-at-Point-Loma-High?instance=pb

Northrop Grumman E - Week

One of San Diego Unified School District's valued partners, Northrop Grumman hosted a series of events during National Engineering Week for our middle school students in February! E-Week promotes the importance of career and technical education as well as encouraging students to pursue higher levels of math and science.

Sixty female students from Marston Middle School and Wilson Middle School participated in a virtual field trip with Northrop Grumman. The girls were introduced to the world of Engineering through first-hand accounts of educational backgrounds & interests/hobbies from many female Northrop Grumman Engineers. The attendees participated in breakout rooms where they were introduced to an important STEM female that had made a historical impact on the world of Engineering. The field trip ended with each group doing a hands-on Engineering project such as coding with cups and hoop gliders. The girls attending the field trip enjoyed the personal connection that each of the Northrop Grumman mentors made with them. Our students are grateful for the time these women spent with our girls encouraging them to pursue careers in STEM! Mann Middle School was invited to participate in a virtual field trip highlighting STEM and Black History Month with Northrop Grumman’s African American Task Group. 35 students were introduced to STEM while celebrating the achievements and impacts of black engineers and scientists. The students enjoyed the breakout sessions with the professionals from Northrop Grumman and even the teachers in attendance learned from the experience! Experiences like E - Week allow our students to interact directly with professionals and inspire our students to pursue their passions! We are very thankful for our partners at Northrop Grumman for providing engaging experiences for our middle school students.

Clairemont's Academy of Business Students earn 1st and 2nd Place at Junior Achievement's Stock Market Challenge

Junior Achievement held their Stock Market Challenge on Tuesday, March 9th. This year over 150 student teams from all over the County participated in this simulated game. Students had to make trade decisions every 45 seconds for one hour based on current market values. These are the same true skills that stock brokers have to use every day in their professions. Clairemont’s Academy of Business students who are in the Business and Financial Markets class attended the challenge and had great success. The Academy teams finished first, second and fourth respectively. Clairemont’s business educator, Paul Barwill was extremely proud of his students and what they have accomplished despite the challenges that COVID and online learning has presented this year. Congratulations to the Academy of Business!