SDHS-SciTech students win $10,000 for their MedTech Pathway

SDHS-SciTech students in the MedTech Pathway Program (#ccte) have been selected by the Danaher Co as an exemplary Biomedical Science Program and awarded $10,000 towards their program! Hats of to the students & their teachers!

Bell Middle School & Perkins K-8 Students Attend TECHNOLOchias event at Qualcomm

Students from Bell Middle School & Perkins K-8 had a fun filled day at the Qualcomm headquarters on Friday, January 31, 2020. Students were inspired to hear the stories of amazing Latina’s who share a passion for technology. Students learned about the journeys the TECHNOLOchicas pursued toward a career in technology-related fields. Students had the opportunity to speak with the TECHNOLOchicas & work on hands-on activities such as coding.

https://technolochicas.org/camp

High Tech events at the Balboa Park Activity Center

The Fleet Science Center among other partners sponsored High Tech Family Night and the High Tech Fair at the Balboa Park Activity Center in February.

Lincoln High School Students and their families were invited to attend Family Night and were generously provided with transportation and dinner during the event. Families toured the booths and learned about various STEM careers available in San Diego. The students were able to build their own rockets and blast them into the air, build structures, and see demos of ROV’s. San Diego Unified partners such as SDCCU, Northrop Grumman, SDGE, LEAGUE of Amazing Programmers, Qualcomm, UCSD CREATE and Porpoise Robotics provided activities for our students.

Madison High School was one of many San Diego Unified Schools who participated in the High Tech Fair which exposed students in grades 7th-12th to the world of science and the possibilities of a scientific career. Local participating companies provided interactive experiences for the students. The students enjoyed seeing real life applications of what they are learning in their College, Career and Technical Education classrooms and learned about potential internship opportunities.

The students in the Environmental Engineering pathway at Madison were also able to visit the Fleet Science Center to explore many hands on activities. The High Tech Fair was a cooperative effort between business and education and we are very thankful for the support from our partners!

First Grade STEAM Shines a Light on Traffic Safety

We returned to the new year with renewed purpose as we trained our STEAM Grade 1 teachers to launch their upcoming project “Shine a Light” with their students.

In the Shine a Light project, first grade students discover how light helps us see, communicate and keep us safe. Through hands-on investigations exploring the amazing ways that light affects us, students gain an understanding that we interact with and depend on light. Students explore light through shadow play and puppetry, materials investigations, and with Sphero robotics. Students learn the importance of a traffic light system and how it communicates through light and sound to keep our streets safe.

Students take part in a nation-wide initiative, Vision Zero, to reduce the traffic fatalities to zero by 2025. SDUSD Police will visit classrooms and support students’ learning as they explore safety data in their own communities to learn how to make their commute to school safely. Students share their learning in a culminating shadow puppet performance that shines a light on pedestrian safety issues and helps others be safe in their communities. How will you shine a light to help others?

Come find out how to shine a light at a STEAM school near you!

Curie Elementary Looks to the Stars

Families from Marie Curie Elementary School were treated to clear skies and a night of stargazing on Tuesday, January 28th for their annual Astronomy Night. The San Diego Astronomy Association collaborated to educate participants and provide a variety of large telescopes outside for viewing Venus, the Moon, and various constellations. In the auditorium, students experienced a number of space-related science activities run by parent volunteers. 

The San Diego Astronomy Association is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to promoting astronomy and space-related science, and provides a variety of outreach events (sdaa.org).

Family Workshops Linda Vista

On February 1st, the community and Kearny Cluster Schools hosted the second annual Bridges Conference for Kearny Cluster families at Montgomery Middle STEAM Magnet. The conference offered workshops on Advocacy and Budget, Special Education, STEAM, Wellness, Dealing with Stress, plus a Community Input Session and a Sports Clinic. The goal of the conference is to empower families with information so that they may advocate for their child as well as showcase the amazing community supports and opportunities that are available to students and families both in the Kearny Cluster schools and the community. 

At the event, Kearny Educational Complex, Montgomery Middle STEAM Magnet, Carson Elementary STEAM Magnet, Linda Vista STEAM Magnet School, as well as seven additional community partners tabled with information and community resources for families.We are looking forward to next year’s event!

Kearny High School Partners with Miramar College for Certificate Program

This spring, Kearny enrolled 28 seniors in the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) program at Miramar College. This semester, students who completed their high school graduation requirements in January, will be attending class three times a week at Miramar, and once a week work study course at Kearny. The work study course will support students as they process the information and content they learned in their Miramar courses. Students will also reflect on the overall experience, create personal and professional goals, write resumes, and practice essential skills related to successful employment. In order to complete the certificate students will take the San Diego County EMT skills certification exam in June. Upon earning a passing score students will be ready for gainful employment; truly graduating high school as college and career ready students.

Writing with Others to Tell Better Stories From the Heart

First grade writing teachers at Carson Elementary STEAM Magnet are using writing partnerships to support the development of each writers’ ideas and craft. Every first grader has a writing partner who is the “holder of their story.” Writing partners meet daily to tell their partner their story, to read their draft to their partner, to talk through their story thoughts with their partner, and to hear ideas and feedback from their partner. The first grade teaching team recognizes the impact that students have when they engage and connect with an audience through their writing. As these first graders inquire into and experience their world through STEAM units of study, they are also developing skills to collaborate and write powerfully about what matters to them.

Teen Iron Chef at Mesa at Mesa Community College

College, Career and Technical Education Culinary Arts students from Hoover, Garfield, Madison, Mira Mesa, San Diego and Morse high schools prepared tasty plates for San Diego’s top chefs in the 15th Annual Teen Iron Chef Competition held at Mesa College on January 16, 2020.

The kitchen was buzzing as each student team worked together to include the secret ingredient into their main dishes and prepare and appetizer and dessert. Students demonstrated the skills they've been sharpening before presenting their finished plates to the VIP judging panel. After weighing the flavor and presentation, one school was declared the winner for 2020, San Diego High School. Congratulations to the students and instructors!

Click here to view a video of the event.

National School Counseling Week 2020 Take a moment to thank your local school counselor(s).

National School Counseling Week 2020 is Feb. 3–7. The week, sponsored by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), highlights the unique contribution of school counselors within U.S. school systems and the tremendous impact they can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career.

Many school counselors spend endless hours planning & hosting career fairs & guest speakers at their school sites. College & Career Technical Education (#CCTE) is a key component in a school comprehensive counseling program.

Take a moment to thank your local school counselor(s).

#NSCW2020 www.schoolcounselor.org/NSCW

Twitter: @ASCAtweets

Instagram: @WeAreASCA

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AmericanSchoolCounselorAssociation

Advocators for a Pollutions Free Industrialization

How do we maintain the benefits of an industrialized society while mitigating the negative impacts on the environment? Marston Middle School 8th graders are focusing on this essential question this year in their U.S. History and Science classes. Through the “Advocators for a Pollution Free Industrialization” interdisciplinary project, students will study the positive and negative impacts of industrialization in the past and present with the goal of changing behaviors that contribute to pollution. To achieve this goal, students are researching water pollution, air pollution, energy inefficiency, and waste, and collecting data to analyze in preparation for developing action plans they will present to adults currently working in industries trying to limit pollution. 

Since returning from Winter Break, students have had many opportunities for active exploration through trips to Otay Valley Regional Park and the SDG&E Energy Innovation Center. 

Scientists from the City of San Diego’s Storm Water Division joined students at Otay Valley Regional Park to share the importance of clean water and the risks associated with pollutants that can end up in our urban streams and eventually flow to the bay and ocean. The scientists taught students how to check for quality and safety. They also shared behaviors students can incorporate into their daily lives to keep waterways clean. 

Students then spent a morning at the SDG&E Energy Innovation Center where they built solar circuits, explored the energy use of common appliances, learned the relationship between energy use as it relates to transportation and production of goods, and calculated their water and energy footprint by dissecting energy and water use of a product. 

The community is looking forward to learning from these Marston 8th graders when they present their pollution action plans to industry experts at their exhibition in April. 

Credit to City of San Diego for social media post on the event and for photographs taken by Ombretta DiDio at Otay Valley Regional Park.

Seventh Grade Showcase at MMSM

Seventh grade students at Montgomery Middle STEAM Magnet showcased their learning for an audience made up of their families, fellow students, and the community during the Exhibition of Student Learning. Throughout the semester, students have been engaged in an inquiry around the question: “How can responsible choices inspire our community to create a healthy and sustainable environment?” On the evening of January 21st, students exhibited their writing, prototypes and thinking around child labor, waste, repurposing recycled materials, and mental health. We are always excited to see our students engage in reaching a broader audience to create awareness around these current global issues!

Three Win Regional Music Education Awards

The Southern Border Section of the California Music Educators Association (CMEA) recently recognized its 2019 Fortissimo awards winners. These awards honor Imperial Valley and San Diego County music educators, industry leaders, and school administrators for exceptional work in music education. Among the recipients were three San Diego Unified current or former employees. John Aguilar, principal at Normal Heights Elementary, was selected for an Outstanding Administrator Award. This award honors a non-music educator who, as a school administrator, has contributed powerfully to the support of music education. Stephen Luchs, VAPA Department instrumental music teacher, was selected for a Hall of Fame award, honoring lifetime achievement in music education. Mr. Luchs currently teaches Suzuki violin at Crown Point Junior Music Academy and Sequoia Elementary School. Harvey Tellinghuisen, now retired from San Diego Unified, taught elementary instrumental music for many years, and continues to work with music credential students at San Diego State University. For his continued influence in developing teachers, Mr. Tellinghuisen was selected for the Aubrey Penman Retired Music Educator Award. Fortissimo was celebrated this year on January 25, 2020 at Stone Brewery in Point Loma at Liberty Station. The event included a luncheon, dessert, and awards​. The Fortissimo Awards are selected through an open nomination process, followed by a selection process from the CMEA-SBS Executive Board.  A complete list of award winners for 2019 can be found at https://www.cmeasbs.com/fortissimo.html https://www.sandiegounified.org/vapanews/three-win-regional-music-education-awards

Correia and Mission Bay Musicians Perform with Marsalis

Jazz trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis will offer master-classes at Correia Middle School and Mission Bay High School, followed by a joint concert on Thursday, January 30. During his time at the schools, Marsalis will work on the concept of Jazz improvisation, feel, history, and advanced Jazz articulations. The concert will feature the students as well as Delfeayo Marsalis performing with professional internationally acclaimed musicians, featuring Mark Massey on keyboard, Glen Fisher on bass, and Marvin ‘Smitty’ Smith on drums. This opportunity is the result of a collaboration between Correia Middle School band director Marc Dwyer and professional bass player Glen Fisher, founder and president of the First Friday Music Club. The two have partnered for many years to bring local and internationally renowned musicians and educators to work with music students. Glen Fisher believes that the exposure to accomplished Jazz musicians and educators like Delfeayo Marsalis can change a young musician’s life. The annual Jazz residency is supported by the First Friday Music Club, Inc. 501c3, through a major donation from the Ryan Family Charitable Foundation. Delfeayo Marsalis is one of the top trombonists, composers and producers in jazz today. Known for his “technical excellence, inventive mind and frequent touches of humor...” (Leonard Feather, Los Angeles Times), he is “...one of the best, most imaginative and musical of the trombonists of his generation.” (Philip Elwood, San Francisco Examiner.) In January 2011, Delfeayo and the Marsalis family (father Ellis and brothers Branford, Wynton, and Jason) earned the nation’s highest jazz honor – a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award. 

Marsalis has long been involved as an educator. In 2004, he earned an MA in jazz performance at the University of Louisville and was conferred a doctorate by New England College in 2009. He lectured in schools in 1995 on behalf of the Dallas Opera and the Bravo cable network. Marsalis served as director of the Foundation for Artistic and Musical Excellence summer program in Lawrenceville, New Jersey (1998-2002), founded the Uptown Music Theatre in 2000, and implemented its Kidstown After School in three New Orleans grammar schools in 2009. He has composed over 80 songs that help introduce kids to jazz. 

Originally published at https://www.sandiegounified.org/vapanews/correia-and-mission-bay-musicians-perform-marsalis

Morse and Hoover Students Lead Action Research with UCSD

Students from Morse and Hoover High Schools are taking part in an NSF (National Science Foundation) funded grant to find out how to encourage more underrepresented students (such as African-American, Latinx, low-income, young women and other historically marginalized groups) to participate in computer science. Entitled CS-LISTEN (Computer Science – Learning and Inquiring with Students Through Equity Networks), the teams from Morse and Hoover are among 24 teams across four districts who met on January 16 at UC San Diego to kicked off their youth-led action research experience. They heard from the chair of the UCSD’s Computer Science and Engineering department, learned about the power of student voice and equity in research and began to explore the question they want their research to address. Each team will receive support and mentor from UC San Diego’s CREATE and Education Studies department and will present their projects in April to the Computer Science Teachers Association (San Diego Chapter) and district leadership.

Bioethics Committee Panel

Scientific discoveries and technological advances have great potential to promote human well-being, but what are the potential costs? In allowing us to transcend our natural limits, do they threaten human dignity and promote social hierarchy? Hoover High School Academy for Health and Healthier Communities students in Mr. Fite’s U.S. History class grapple with these questions and many others as they participate in the Bioethics Committee/Panel Project. 

The Bioethics Committee is a student simulation of the decision-making process made by the President’s Council of Bioethics. The student committee is charged with making recommendations to the President of the United States based on its own research and the advice solicited by outside experts. The bioethical issues are current and relevant, such as designer babies, genetic enhancements, mandatory vaccines, organ selling, and more. 

During the culminating event, the presentation of their findings, teams present to expert consultants (fellow students, staff, industry experts, and community members). The presentations consist of introducing the issue, explaining the science involved, examples from case studies, debate of ethical issues, and deliberation with the experts to allow for questions and opposing views to be shared. With input from the experts, the teams then create their final recommendation for either the President or an organization that has the power to directly influence the policies concerning the issue. 

The deep dive into one bioethical issue through provides students the opportunity to thoroughly research an issue, think critically about multiple perspectives, and make a recommendation supported by evidence. For students in a health focused academy these are bioethical issues they may be confronted with if they pursue a career in that industry. Another example of excellent real-world learning!