What s News in Alvord? A Newsletter for the parents and employees of the Alvord Unified School District

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1 What s News in Alvord? A Newsletter for the parents and employees of the Alvord Unified School District Ma y Volume 5, Iss ue 11 Prepar ed by the Superintenden t s Of fice La Sierra Students Win in 50 th Annual Riverside County High School Art Show Eight talented La Sierra High School Visual Arts students won titles in their individual categories in this year's 50th Annual Riverside County High School Art Show (sponsored by the Press Enterprise and the Riverside Art Museum). Board of Education: José Luis Pérez President Art Kaspereen, Jr. Vice President Greg Kraft Clerk Ben Johnson II Member Carolyn Wilson Member Superintendent of Schools: Nicolas D. Ferguson Ed.D. In this Issue: Hoan Pham (10th Grade) 1st Place in Watercolor Category Ana Garcia (12th Grade) 1st Place in Acrylic Category Yesenia Hernandez (12th Grade) Honorable Mention in Drawing in Color Category Freddy Figueroa (12th Grade) 2nd Place in Mixed Media Category Rhianna Alvarado (12th Grade) Honorable Mention in Mixed Media Category Brandon Waldo (12th Grade) 2nd Place in Sculpture Category Bianca Lara (12th Grade) Honorable Mention in Sculpture Category 1 st Place, Watercolor/Tempra Society s Sabotaging Oppression Hoan Pham La Sierra Students County Art Show Alvord Graduates demands 2012 Clean Campus Competition Winners California Business for Education Excellence Honor Roll La Sierra HS Honorees Juan Rodrigues Sara Hughes Penny Clark Teresa McGinnis McAuliffe, a Distinguished School 2012 Models of Excellence Teachers of the Year Eliza Amador (12th Grade) Honorable Mention in Sculpture Category 1 st Place, Acrylic/Oil Clash Ana Garcia This is a highly competitive local art show that La Sierra High School students Norte La Sierra Vista High School Drama Presentation look forward to every year, as they go up against competitors from nearly 40 other high schools within Riverside County. As a result, there is typically a showing of approximately 300+ pieces of art (2D and 3D), with financial prizes awarded to the highest-placing students in various categories (i.e. Watercolor, Drawing, Ceramics, etc.). At this year s Student Awards Ceremony, LSHS Ceramic teacher, Mike Sheline, was specially asked by the Press Enterprise to address the crowd at the podium and say a few words about the value of Fine Arts education in students' lives. In addition to the formal display of student artwork at the Riverside Art Museum, the Press Enterprise designed a corresponding "virtual art show" website for the public to enjoy. Please go to to enjoy the incredible talents of the La Sierra students, as well as students from throughout Riverside County.

2 District Newsletter Congratulations Alvord Graduates! Page 2of 7 La Sierra High School: Graduating seniors from La Sierra High School earned almost $3,000,000 in scholarships! At the time of printing, they earned a total of 101 local scholarships, 4 national scholarships, 9 military scholarships, 11 athletic scholarships and 41 academic/university/college scholarships. Following is a brief highlight of a few of the outstanding scholarships La Sierra s Class of 2012 received: The largest scholarships were from the U.S. Marines in the amount of $125,000 and U.S. Army in the amount of $120,000 and went to: Nathaniel Hurtarte (Marines), Brian Bos (Marines), Michael Reece (Marines), Sabrina Stout (Marines), David Ramirez (Army), Faye Tuufuli (Army), Cody Forsythe (Army), Alejandro Silva (Army), and Cassandre Callenta (Army). Top athletic scholarships went to Edgar Cobian for track in the amount of $96,000 from UC Riverside, Jose Gamez for baseball in the amount of $88,000 from California Baptist University, Matt Ellis for baseball in the amount of $54,092 from UC Riverside, Alyssa Islas for wrestling in the amount of $48,000 from Missouri Baptist University, Dominic Escalera for soccer in the amount of $48,000 from California Baptist University, Marina Sanchez for wrestling in the amount of $40,000 from King College, and Taylor McCormick for wrestling in the amount of $38,400 from Simpson University. In addition, Kelsey Smith received the Cal State Fullerton Presidential Scholarship in the amount of $90,640, Romeo Thang received the Cal State Fullerton Guardian Scholars Program Scholarship in the amount of $60,000, Maddison Hammond received the UCLA Scholarship Recognition Award in the amount of $56,332, Sammy Jamal received the UCLA Scholarship Recognition Award in the amount of $43,516 and Celina Diaz received the Hope International University Christian Leadership Scholarship in the amount of $40,000. Norte Vista High School: Graduating seniors from Norte Vista High School earned almost $2,000,000 in scholarships! Following is a brief highlight of a few of the outstanding scholarships Norte Vista s Class of 2012 received: Isaac Morales earned a $1,000,000 Gates Millennium Scholarship to attend New York University. The Gates Millennium Scholarship pays for tuition, housing, technology and provides a monthly stipend. Miguel De La Torre earned a University of Pennsylvania Scholarship in the amount of $204,000, with additional scholarships totaling another $4,000. David Garcia earned a $150,000 POSSE Scholarship to attend Syracuse University. The POSSE Foundation identifies, recruits and trains high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential. David will receive a four-year, full-tuition leadership scholarship. Ignacio Montor received a UC San Diego Scholarship in the amount of $84,000 for four years; Saul Viagra received a UC Riverside Scholarship in the amount of $84,000 for four years, and an additional scholarship for $250; Nick Lorenz received a UC Riverside Scholarship in the amount of $58,800 for four years; Nicholas Carrillo will be attending Cornell University and received scholarships from Cornell University in the amount of $43,000, the Elks in the amount of $1,000, Completion Counts in the amount of $1,000 and the Alvord Educational Foundation in the amount of $1,000; Michael Patini received a University of Pennsylvania Scholarship in the amount of $42,000; Angelica Gonzalez will be attending the University of Redlands with $38,088 in University Grants and Scholarships; Erica Alvarez received a USC Scholarship in the amount of $35,000; Kamille Shields received a Syracuse University Scholarship in the amount of $28,000; Landy Muniz received a University of New Haven Scholarship in the amount of $26,000, with additional scholarships totaling $1,500 from the Youth Advisory Council; Adilene Martinez received a UC Riverside Scholarship in the amount of $24,300, with an additional $300 Scholarship from Padres Unidos; Eric Estrada received a UC Riverside Chancellor s Scholarship in the amount of $21,500; Luis Mejia received a UC Irvine Scholarship in the amount of $21,000; Armanie Miranda received a Corban University Scholarship in the amount of $20,000, with an additional $500 Scholarship from Mainstreet Band; and Sandra Sanchez will be attending Stanford University with various scholarships totaling $20,500.

3 District Newsletter Page 3 of 7 Alvord Schools Big Winners! Alvord schools were among the top winners in the recent 2012 Clean Campus Competition, sponsored by the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce. Mayor Ron Loveridge presents Alvord High School with the Champion Trophy at the May 12 th 2012 Clean Campus Competition Celebration. La Sierra High School took 1 st Place in the High School Category. Norte Vista High School took 2 nd place in the High School Category. Arizona Middle School took 1 st place in the Middle School Category In addition, the following schools received participation certificates: Myra Linn Elementary School took 1 st place in the Elementary School Category Collett Elementary School McAuliffe Elementary School Orrenmaa Elementary School Stokoe Elementary School Wells Middle School Villegas Middle School California Business for Education Excellence Honor Roll for 2011 Alvord Unified School District is proud to announce that Lake Hills and Myra Linn Elementary Schools were recognized by the California business community for demonstrating consistent high levels of student academic achievement, improvement in achievement levels over time and reduction in achievement gaps among student populations. These schools are the bright spots of excellence in efforts to raise student academic achievement and close persistent achievement gaps, said Jim Lanich, president of California Business for Education Excellence. The CBEE Honor Roll is the premier school recognition program that uses only academic achievement data showing improved academic growth over time and a closing of the achievement gap.

4 District Newsletter Board Recognitions Page 4 of 7 Student of the Month La Sierra High School is proud to recognize Juan Rodriguez as the Alvord Unified School District Student of the Month for May Juan is a tenth grade student who came to La Sierra High School in September of this school year. Prior to attending La Sierra, Juan experienced many academic and social problems and was eventually expelled; however, Juan then entered the Mutivation Youth Services (MYS s) Teen Behavior Modification Program and learned various behavior modification solutions to his problems. He was so successful in learning and using what he was taught that he was asked to join MYS s community outreach program, From Pistols 2 Pencils. He entered this program in January 2011, and so far has completed over 100 hours of community service speaking to students at various schools in the area. La Sierra has benefited by using Juan s skills to assist the freshman class. He has taught all freshmen students Defense Mechanism skills through the WhyTry program. These skills help students manage their feelings and responses to threatening situations. Juan teaches that the road to finding a positive solution is to not allow the situation to control you by you striking back, but rather you controlling the situation by either finding a positive solution that hurts no one or walking away if necessary. It is a great pleasure to honor Juan Rodriguez as the Alvord Unified School District Student of the Month for May Certificated Employee of the Month La Sierra High School is proud to recognize Sara Hughes as the Alvord Unified School District Certificated Employee of the Month for May Sara is an outstanding educator both in the classroom and out. She is energetic, patient, and has a plethora of ideas which she implements in her classroom. Sara is willing and able to meet the demands of the diverse student needs that encompass the educational environment today. She is a leader on campus and serves as Department Chair of the Performing Arts Department. As a leader, she is focused, informative, and always willing to do more than her fair share. As a colleague, she inspires others with her never give up attitude. She works through problems in a thoughtful way and then approaches the solution with humor and insight. It is a great pleasure to honor Sara Hughes as the Alvord Unified School District Certificated Employee of the Month for May 2012.

5 District Newsletter Classified Employee of the Month Board Recognitions Page 5 of 7 La Sierra High School is proud to recognize Penny Clark as the Alvord Unified School District Classified Employee of the Month for May School Board Honorees (cont d) Penny Clark is La Sierra s library assistant and an integral part of the educational team at La Sierra. Penny goes above and beyond her job duties. Penny will take on a task and not only complete it on time, but give input or even make suggestions on how to improve the ideas. Penny has the experience and knowledge to answer any question one might have. That is well known in the District, which is evident by the number of phone calls she receives from other schools. She is always willing to help any who ask for her assistance and she does it with a smile on her face. With just these brief highlights, it is easy to see why Penny was chosen by her peers for this recognition. It is a great pleasure to honor Penny Clark as the Alvord Unified School District Classified Employee of the Month for May Volunteer of the Month La Sierra High School is proud to recognize Teresa McGinnis as the Alvord Unified School District Volunteer of the Month for May Teresa McGinnis serves as the Fundraising Chairperson for La Sierra Drama Booster Club and a member of the PTO. She organized Drama Booster Club members in the huge Goodwill Collection Event, which raised approximately $7,000 for students. Without this type of financial support La Sierra Drama would not have been able to produce large shows like Anne Frank and Disney's Beauty & the Beast, along with help for study trips, scholarships and more. She has an amazingly positive, "get-it-done-now" attitude and reaches out to local businesses for donations of food and other materials for students during performances and rehearsals. Her focus is always on students and what will help them. School Board Honorees It is a great pleasure to honor Teresa McGinnis as the Alvord Unified School District Volunteer of the Month for May 2012.

6 District Newsletter Board Recognitions Page 6 of California Distinguished School Recognition The Alvord Unified School District is proud to announce that McAuliffe Elementary School was named a 2012 California Distinguished School Models of Academic Excellence The Alvord Unified School District is proud to announce that the following school sites were selected as winners of the 2012 Models of Academic Excellence: Rosemary Kennedy Elementary School: Changing the Culture of Teaching and Learning Norte Vista High School s International Baccalaureate Program: Promoting Access to Advanced Academics Rosemary Kennedy Elementary School Norte Vista High School

7 District Newsletter Board Recognitions Page 7 of 7 Site Teachers of the Year and Alvord Unified School District Teachers of the Year for 2013 At the May 17 Board Meeting, the District honored and presented certificates to the twenty-one teachers selected as Teacher of the Year by their sites: Michelle Milano Emily Harrison Berta Henry Gina Majaraj Shawn O Rafferty Carmen Aparicio Orquidea Wilcox Dana Auger Danielle Romain Mary Salas Stacey Steel Arsho Gharibian Colleen Herring Rolando Gadiano Renee Rexroat Bethany McPherson Soravin Chan Geoff Tucker Warren Bradley Sara Hughes Jack Lee Arlanza Elementary Collett Elementary Foothill Elementary La Granada Elementary Lake Hills Elementary McAuliffe Elementary Myra Linn Elementary Orrenmaa Elementary Promenade Elementary Rosemary Kennedy Elementary Stokoe Elementary Terrace Elementary Twinhill Elementary Valley View Elementary Arizona Middle Loma Vista Middle Villegas Middle Wells Middle Alvord High La Sierra High Norte Vista High Congratulations to Danielle Romain from Promenade and Mary Salas from Rosemary Kennedy elementary schools who were selected to represent Alvord Unified School District as the District Teachers of the Year for 2013!