highlighting the partnership of san diego state … · carnival of games, crafts, and fun to...

HIGHLIGHTINGHIGHLIGHTING THETHE PARTNERSHIPPARTNERSHIP OFOF

SANSAN DIEGODIEGO STATESTATE UNIVERSITYUNIVERSITY, , HOOVERHOOVER HIGHHIGH, , MONROEMONROE CLARKCLARK MIDDLEMIDDLE, , ROSAROSA PARKSPARKS ELEMENTARYELEMENTARY,,PRICEPRICE CHARITIESCHARITIES, , ANDAND THETHE SANSAN DIEGODIEGO EDUCATIONEDUCATION ASSOCIATIONASSOCIATION

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March 2008

Hoover Wins CIF! - page 3 A Day in Pompeii - page 10 All-School Concert - page 14

Cover: Hoover High students perform a traditional Vietnamese dance during their New Year celebration at school

Celebrating DiversityCelebrating Diversity

One thing that Rosa Parks Elementary, Clark Middle School, Hoover High and SDSU One thing that Rosa Parks Elementary, Clark Middle School, Hoover High and SDSU all share is two kinds of diversity: Diverse People and Diverse Curriculum all share is two kinds of diversity: Diverse People and Diverse Curriculum

to meet their educational needs. to meet their educational needs.

c i t y h e i g h t s . s d s u . e d u220 3 . 1 2 . 0 8 22

In this issue of the Chronicle, it isobvious that schools in the City

Heights Educational Collaborative arecreating an environment where stu-dent interests can be matched to won-derful opportunities. These opportuni-ties are what the Collaborative shouldbe about. What we are able to do inour schools is support this specialenvironment and contribute what wecan to improve the educational attain-ment, the wellness, and the life suc-cess of our students.

While I would like to writeexclusively about how well thingsare going, I have to acknowledgethe budget crisis our educationalsystem is facing. The impendingcuts and layoffs affect everyone andchanges our perspective about whatis possible. I, as well as all the staff,students and parents, are beginningto feel a deep sense of anticipatedloss because we know that some ofour dedicated staff most likely willnot be able to continue with us aswe downsize out budgets. Theremay be some hope that things willchange as we get closer to a finalbudget during the summer, butbecause of legal requirements forschool districts, most changes occur-ring before June 30th are irre-versible. Midge Backensto and Ihave attended most SSC/Governance Team meetings andhave been working with the schoolprincipals to see how we can worktogether to preserve the best thingshappening at all sites.

Each week, I meet with represen-tatives from SDSU and Price

Charities along with the principals ofthe three schools to share informationand to discuss issues and initiatives.One area we have discussed as abeginning to a larger Collaborativediscussion relates to what we actuallywant for our students who are educat-ed in Collaborative schools. We allknow that we want much more thangood test scores. While student aca-demic achievement is fundamentaland important -- and we should havea sense of urgency in their improve-ment -- we also want our students tobe able to move on having had theopportunities students would receivein more affluent areas. Many of ussee student proficiency as more thanacademic achievement and that itincludes the arts, sports, etc. Ourteachers and other staff work hard toprovide and support other experiencesfor students and our community part-ners provide incredible resources.That is why we are proposing the fol-lowing expectations for students:

The mission of the City HeightsEducational Collaborative is to devel-op essential 21st Century life skills inall students.

This issue of the City HeightsCollaborative Chronicle

focuses on two types of diversi-ty that characterize our schools.

One is the amazing diversi-ty of our students, who tracetheir roots to dozens of differentcountries and cultures. Throughholidays and special eventsthroughout the year, andthrough interactions every day,we can learn about the worldwithout leaving our neighbor-hood. We are able to under-stand and value others -- aquality that is important for suc-cess in life.

The other type of diversitythat characterizes Rosa ParksElementary, Monroe ClarkMiddle School and Hoover Highis the diversity of the academiccurriculum, as well as the clubs,sports teams, student organiza-tions and after-school pro-grams. From athletics to art,and from calculus to cake deco-rating, there is something tospark every interest. ThroughParent Centers at each school,moms, dads and grandparentsalso have a wide variety of edu-cational opportunities.

If you are bored or unin-spired at school, them get moreinvolved in one of the dozens ofclasses or programs that areoffered. You have nothing tolose and everything to gain!

From the Director’s Desk In This Issue

Intellectually, students need developproficiency in:

t

Academic and career technicalcontentt

Oral and written communicationt

Critical thinking/problem solvingt

Creativity and innovationt

Information communication tech-nology

Personally, students need to developproficiency in:

t

Interpersonal skillst

Self-Management skills

Socially, students need to developproficiency in:

t

Understanding and valuing diversityt

Ethics and social responsibility

We think that this proposed mis-sion captures what we do and want todo for students in the City HeightsEducational Collaborative and welook forward to discussing itCollaborative-wide to complete it.

As we move beyond our currentcrisis, we, as a Collaborative, willcontinue to find ways to add value toexperiences of our staff and studentsand their families. There are newchallenges ahead that include selec-tion of the best possible principal forMonroe Clark and finding ways toreduce the impact of the budget crisis.Working together, we can ensure thatthe Collaborative creates even moreopportunities to work together so thatour students and their families receivethe best education possible.

By Tim Allen, Ph.D.Executive Director, SDSU City Heights Educational Collaborative

table of contentsProgram Profiles

Hoover Basketball page 3

Read Across America page 3

Hoover Eco Club page 4

Builder’s Club page 4

Tet Traditions page 5

Year of the Rat page 5

Lion Dance page 6

On Tet page 6

Black History page 7

Irish in America page 8

Cambodian New Year page 9

Mexican Easter page 9

School in the Park page 10

Curriculum Currents

Hoover Art page 11

Clark NJHS page 12

Buffalo Soldiers page 12

AVID page 13

AOIT page 13

All-Band Concert page 14

Parent Pages

New Grants page 16

Parent Award page 16

Dad’s Club page 16

Teacher Topics

Hoover’s New VP page 17

6th Grade Poetry page 17

FUN ZONE page 18

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program profilesPPRROOGGRRAAMM PPRROOFFIILLEESSRosa Parks Celebrates

Read AcrossAmerica

Photos

Above: Hoover’s Angelo Cholbattles for position in the paintin the CIF playoff game againstSteele CanyonFar Left: Idris ibn Idris using hisspeed on defense againstMission HillsLeft: Corey Trisby looks for aninside pass in the CIFChampionship

Hoover Basketball Wins Another TitleBoys' team captures second CIF Championship in 3 years

Hundreds of students turned outon March 5 for Rosa Parks

Elementary’s annual Read AcrossAmerica event. This year featured acarnival of games, crafts, and fun tocelebrate and encourage reading.The Rosa Parks library also gaveaway nearly 500 books.

Read Across America is spon-sored by the National EducationAssociation. More than 45 millionchildren and adults participate eachyear throughout the United States tostress the importance of reading."The pictures and sounds of readingbuild a foundation of achievement inboth school and life," said NEApresident Reg Weaver. "The firsttime a parent, grandparent, or siblingpicks up a book and opens it with achild, the future burns brighter."

Thanks to faculty, parents, andespecially library staff for helpingspread this important message.

Hoover High’s boy’s basketballteam added another CIF champi-

onship to their collection earlier thismonth with a victory over MissionHills at Cox Stadium. The win wasHoover’s third Central League cham-pionship in five years, leaving themwith an undefeated record of 10-0.Hoover also led San Diego in scoringwith an average of 73 points pergame.

The growing number of titlesdemonstrates the huge transformationthat has taken place over the last 8years -- a change that coincided withthe arrival of coach Ollie Goulston.Before he took over the position, theCardinals had gone 18-59 over the

previous three years. By comparison,this season Coach Goulston surpassed100 wins at Hoover.

Credit also goes to a young butdedicated team that never gave up.The CIF Championship game was noexception. Trailing 28-20 fifteen min-utes into the game, Hoover battledback to take a 37-33 into halftime.Using their tenacious defense andoffensive speed, the team nevertrailed again, winning 54-43.

In the state playoffs Hoover beatColony (Ontario)81-78 but lost toEdison (Fresno) in the state quarterfi-nals 58-68. The team finished its sea-son with a record of 27-7 and wereranked #2 overall in San Diego.

c i t y h e i g h t s . s d s u . e d u440 3 . 1 2 . 0 8

Green Advocacy at Hoover High

No, Builder’s Club is not a woodshop class or a team of construc-

tion workers. Builder’s Club is anorganized group of students at ClarkMiddle who like to better their com-munity and school. The Kiwanissponsor Builder’s Club so that we cando all kinds of service projects.During the holiday season we visit theelderly in retirement homes and some-times do campus clean up. But ourmost notable service project is Pastafor Pennies where we collect moneyto fight leukemia and lymphoma. Thisyear Pasta for Pennies took place from

The Eco-Club at Hoover HighSchool, which consists of over 30

members, has worked hard to improveconservation awareness within Hooverand the City Heights community. Eco,short for ecology, organizes clean upevents in school and in the communityin hopes of increasing environmentalaction. The Eco-Club aims to increaseon-campus recycling and to educate stu-dents and staff.

Recycling is one of the most impor-tant ways Hoover can help. The Eco-Club collects aluminum soda cans, plas-tic beverage containers, printer car-tridges and cell phones for recycling. Abattery collection program was also ini-tiated by distributing containers to class-rooms that use a lot of batteries and toteachers who requested them. The bat-teries are given to Hoover’sMaintenance Operations Supervisor forproper disposal at the Miramar Landfillso they will not contaminate our envi-ronment.

Promoting environmental aware-ness is an equally important goal of theEco-Club. They have collected shoe-boxes and decorated them with motivat-ing recycling quotes to help encourageteachers and students, and also create

educational posters and flyers to remindstudents to clean up after themselvesand to remember to recycle.

In 2006, Hoover High’s Eco-Clubcreated a video about campus conserva-tion efforts and entered an anti-littervideo in MTV’s Break the Addictioncontest which challenges students toreduce energy consumption, recycle,and promote resource conservation andenvironmental awareness. Hoover wasthe San Diego region’s winner.

In addition to recycling and aware-ness efforts at school, Eco-Club stu-dents host local canyon hikes and clean-ups. Eco-Club and other communitymembers, along with Project Clean,held a clean-up at Manzanita Canyon.Seniors from the Eco-Club also didrecycling presentations at EscuelaLongfellow in Claremont, encouragingthe elementary kids to participate inrecycling programs.

Last month Eco-Club’s President,Rudy Vargas, was presented with theNext Generation Recycler’s Awardfrom the California Resource RecoveryAssociation. Upon receiving thestatewide honor at a staff meeting, Rudyshared the recognition with his fellowstudent environmentalists at Hoover. “I

By Alexiz MartinezFreelance Writer and Hoover High Student

couldn’t have done this without them,”he stated. “This is really our award.”

As a result of their efforts in envi-ronmental stewardship, the club hopesto promote a legacy of environmentalaction and to inspire their peers andcommunity to take action.

Scientists say that we only have tenyears to reduce greenhouse gases beforeglobal warming becomes irreversible.Eco-Club members meet weekly onWednesdays and all students are wel-come. If other obligations prevent youfrom joining Eco-Club, here are somethings everyone can do:

Use a reusable water bottle -- theannual amount of oil expended toproduce plastic bottles sold in the USis enough to fuel 1,000, 000 cars foran entire year.Unplug your chargers -- your cellphone, mp3 player or any electroniccharger still uses energy whenplugged in. You can also reducethousands of pounds of carbon diox-ide just by turning off electronicdevices when not in use. You are alsosaving on your electricity bill. Reduce your waste -- by reducingyou garbage by 25 percent; you canreduce carbon dioxide emissions by1,000 pounds per year.Bring your lunch in a reusable bag-- it takes the same amount of oil toproduce 14 plastic bags as it does todrive a car one mile, and takes evenmore energy to produce paper bags.Buy a canvas tote.

Encourage your family to recycle-- by recycling your aluminum cans,unbroken glass bottles, cardboard,plastic and newspapers you canreduce your home’s carbon dioxideemissions by 850 pounds per year. Get the word out -- educate yourfriends and family on the dangers ofglobal warming and what they cando to make a difference.

These are just some small thingsyou can do to help make a huge differ-ence. Go to think.mtv.com for otherearth-saving ideas.

March 3 through March 7. Studentsand teachers at Clark raised hundredsof dollars. As you can see, we reallycare about the community!

But Builder’s Club doesn’t onlyhave a positive effect on the commu-nity or school, but also on the mem-bers. These kids spend their own timeto help those who need to be helped.But they don’t do it for nothing. Theywant to help others because they’recaring and compassionate for othersand are committed to their duties.

“We help the community in differ-ent ways, including cafeteria clean up

– I like that, it’s fun,” said Lisa, amember of Builder’s Club. “I loveBuilder’s Club because it’s totallycoolness,” added Markie Wynn,another member.

Who are these wonderful peopleand how can you join? Builder’s Clubis made up of and only open to middleschoolers. Your local Builder’s Clubat Monroe Clark Middle School isadvised by Mr. Roundtree. Meetings

take place every Wednesday in Room170 from 12:15 to 1:00 PM unlessstated otherwise. If you’re a generous,caring and considerate person, don’thesitate to join! Just talk to Mr.Roundtree in Room 170. You’ll berewarded with the appreciation ofyour school and community, andsometimes we have a pizza party ortwo. It doesn’t look too shabby onyour resume, either!

Builder’s Club: BuildingUp Your Community

By Diem Tran, Lisa Tran, and Markie WynnBuilder’s Club Members, Monroe Clark Middle School

Eco-Club’s president, Rudy Vargas (right),and faculty advisor Ted Hernandez. Rudywas presented with the Next GenerationRecycler’s Award from the CaliforniaResource Recovery Association.


ple paying respect to their ancestors.Usually quiet and peaceful, templeson New Year are often really loudand smoky due to the large numberof people and amount of incense thatis burned.

Up to a week prior to the NewYear day, many families visit theirfriends to catch up and reminisce onthe past year. The children tend to gofor a different reason: money. It istradition for both Chinese andVietnamese parents to give the chil-dren of their friends money in redenvelopes (called lai shi inCantonese and li xi in Vietnamese)to wish them good luck for the yearand for good behavior. In addition,younger children tend to gatheraround the feet of the eldest personthey can find and listen to him or herretell legendary stories that havebeen passed down through oralretelling for generations.Maintaining traditions and spendingtime with family is the best part ofthe Lunar New Year.

As the day of New Year drawscloser, communities will often cele-brate together as one at festivals,fairs, and parades. At these commu-nity celebrations and welcoming forthe Lunar New Year, there are oftentraditional decorations that arebelieved to bring prosperity, goodspirits, and health into the lives ofthose who come. Some of the mostrecognizable decorations are the Koi

Smoke fills the air and childrencover their eyes as red firecrack-

ers go off quickly … in the middleof February. It sounds like a NewYear celebration and it is, just usinga different calendar. Though usuallyreferred to as Chinese New Year,several versions of the Lunar NewYear are celebrated in many Asiancountries, including Vietnam,Cambodia, Korea, and Mongolia. InVietnam the Lunar New Year iscalled Tet, and with its large popula-tion of Chinese descendants, it iscelebrated by almost everyone. It isone of the most important annualoccasions.

The day that the Lunar NewYear falls on is determined by look-ing at a lunisolar calendar, whosedate indicates the moon phase andtime of the solar year. In addition,the New Year brings a new animalof the Chinese zodiac. For 2008, itis the year of the rat and the LunarNew Year day falls on the seventhof February. However, the new yearis often celebrated up to a weekbefore and a week after.

Lunar New Year is the time ofyear that brings together familiesthrough long-held traditions. Thetemples are often packed on thedays before the New Year with peo-

The Traditions of Tet, theVietnamese/Chinese New Year

fish, which are often seen in paint-ings, and represent a surplus ofmoney to get through the rest of theyear. However, the most notable partof these celebrations is the presenceof lion dances and the beating oflarge drums and cymbals to accom-pany them. According to tradition,the loud drumming and the aggres-siveness of the lions will chase awaybad spirits from the new year.

The Vietnamese Tet festival heldby the Vietnamese American YouthAlliance (VAYA) was held this yearon February 8, 9, and 10 at BalboaPark. The San Diego Chinese NewYear Fair hosted by the San DiegoChinese Center (SDCC) was held onFebruary 16 and 17 in the AsianHistoric Thematic District. Inbetween were countless parties andfamily gatherings that brought peo-ple together to celebrate history, tra-ditions, and the New Year.

By Chau Lam, Guest Student Writer

According to tradition, the household godswho live in each home return to heaven onNew Year. They report all that has gone onin the family to their master, the JadeEmperor. Legend says that they make thisjourney riding on golden carp, so somepeople leave an offering of carp in a bowlfor them. The carp often then are releasedback into a pond or stream as a gesture ofgood will.

The Year of the Ratby Quyen Le

Senior, Hoover High School

In February of 2008, Vietnameseand Chinese families celebrated

the Chinese New Year. This year isthe Year of the Rat, the first of thecycle. The rat is the symbol of thebringer and protector of prosperity.In China, being born a Rat is not-ing to be ashamed of. The Rat ismuch respected and it is an honorto be born in the Year of the Rat.People born in the Year of the Ratare known for their charm, aggres-sion, wealth, and order. They workhard to achieve their goals, acquirepossessions, and are likely to beperfectionists. Rats are easilyangered and love to gossip. Theirambitions are big, and they areusually very successful.

The Chinese say that othersshould always listen to the advicethat the Rat gives, because of theirintellect and problem solvingskills. They can take on the issuesat hand, see the big picture athand, and make good judgments.Their wealth comes from theirknack of being great moneysavers. Few Rats suffer financial-ly because in tough times, theyknow how to make something outof nothing or make things turn outin their favor. They are most com-patible with people born in theyears of the Dragon, Monkey, andOx. Their mortal enemies areHorses.

Recent Rat years include1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960,1972, 1984, 1996, 2008

Enjoy the Year of the Rat!Happy New Year!Children receive money in red envelopes to

help start the new year with good luck

A woman prepares offerings to help assure good luck for the coming year. Sweet ricedishes, flowers, fruits and incense are traditions.


Most people in City Heights haveseen a Lion Dance thanks to the

large Asian community with whom weshare our schools and neighborhoods.Many people also know that the LionDance is performed to scare away evilspirits and bring good luck specialevents. But there is a lot more to theLion Dance. Chris Nguyen, a Hooverstudent and member of the Hung VuongLion Dance team, explains this traditionthat dates back over 2000 years:

The Lion Dance is based on KungFu and Chinese martial arts, and is forscaring away evil spirits and bringinggood fortune, and also carrying on ourtraditions and culture. It began in Chinaand today there are three main stylesbased on different regions. The Fut Sanstyle comes from southern China and ismore symbolic and ceremonial. There isalso the Northern Style called HungGar. The third is Hok San, a popularmodern style that involves daredevilstunts like climbing and jumpingbetween wooden poles. The moves of theLion Dance express different emotionsof the lion, and different colored lioncostumes also have different meanings,like wisdom, bravery, youth and ferocity.

Kids under 12 start out performingdressed as Chinese dogs and work theirway up to the Lion Dance. I startedabout five years ago in martial arts andbecame interested in the Lion Dancebecause I wanted to do more than just goto temple with my family on New Year.Being on the Lion Dance team hasmeant lots of conditioning, strengthtraining, and late nights of practice. Italso has erased my fears and taught meresponsibility because you have to workwith your partner and not get injured.Falling not only can mean getting hurt,but also bad luck for the club and theplace you are performing. We have per-formed all over San Diego – at specialevents, competitions, and people’shomes and businesses.

On February 7, the first day ofChinese/Vietnamese New Year, I

woke up to get ready for school andgot $5 in a red envelope from myparents. But first I had to wish themgood luck to get it. Later I went tomy friend’s house where I wished myfriend’s grandma good luck and tolive a hundred years. I got a red enve-lope with $2.

On the next day I got a basket ofcandy and stuff with $6.01 – it was sopretty. Later that day the Vietnamesefamilies made a special lunch for theteachers at Rosa Parks Elementary. Itwas awesome – the food tasted deli-cious. I also received money from myfriend Tony’s grandparents, and frommy aunt, and from my mom’s friend.

On the last day of New Year wewent to the Tet carnival in BalboaPark. It cost a lot to get in and for therides, so I gave some of the money tomy parents.

Gia Tran, 5th GradeRosa Parks Elementary

For New Year I got $399, ate lotsof food, and got to go to a hotel

called Barona. I went in the pool andit was very cold, but I stayed in for 3hours anyway. My nephew stayed infor 4 hours. He did not want to getout and said he wanted to stay in for10 hours, but his mom did not let himbecause it was time to go to the buf-fet. The next day we went to theVietnamese Tet celebration in BalboaPark. I had lots of fun and playedbumper cars two times. My nephewplayed on the slide 28 times!

Alana, 5th GradeRosa Parks Elementary

For New Year I didn’t really goanywhere. I just stayed home –

but I still got money. The only placesI visited were my grandpa’s houseand a buffet. This year I got $200 butStephanie said she got more than$400! Some people think New Year isall about money, but I think NewYear is about having fun and gettinggood luck. I wish all the adults goodluck and to live long and have aHappy New Year.

Anh-Thu, 5th GradeRosa Parks Elementary

On New Year I went to my uncle’shouse to say “Happy New Year”

to my family. I also got money! Weate, played games, but most impor-tantly, we are together as a family.The next night my dad took my mom,my brother and me to Barona. We ateso much my family and I werestuffed. On the last day of New Yearwe stayed home and had steak fordinner. I loved it so much because it

Members of the Hung Vuong Lion Danceteam give a martial arts exhibition at HooverHigh’s New Year celebration

The Lion Dance What do You do on Tet?

was cooked by my mom – I lovehome-cooked steak.

Stephanie Phung, 5th GradeRosa Parks Elementary

On New Year’s Day we had aparty at my uncle’s house. He

bought a whole pig at a farm and mythree uncles and my dad cooked it.All the people in my family and myfamily’s friends came to eat the bigpig. We gave what was left over toeach other. The next day we went tothe Vietnamese fair at Balboa Park. Isaw my uncles and my grandma andgrandpa at the fair. We took a pictureof the whole family and will evensend it to my family in Vietnam. Mysister and I played games and rodethe rides, and I even won a new tankfor my pet turtle. We also boughtthings and went to see the peoplesinging. My family was happy andenjoyed the happy New Year’s Day.

Tin Vuong, 3rd GradeRosa ParksElementary

Vietnameseparents hosta New Yearlunch forteachers andstaff everyyear at RosaParksElementary tosay thankyou for edu-cating theirchildren.

Students perform a traditional Vietnamese dance at Hoover High’s New Year celebration


To commemorate Black History Month, the parent centers at Rosa ParksElementary and Hoover High each organized Black History programs for

their schools. The celebrations were both entertaining and educational as pre-senters and performers highlighted key times in the history of AfricanAmericans. Thanks to all those who helped organize these valuable events!

Parent Centers Present BlackHistory Programs

Hoover High’s Black History event fea-tured a one-woman play called “Eye onthe Prize” which featured three first-per-son biographical accounts of the lives ofthree very different black women from dif-ferent periods of US history: Maria MillerStewart, who promoted rights for Blacksin the early 1800s with little success;Melba Beals, who was a member of theLittle Rock 9, the students who bravedschool integration at Central High in 1957;and Bertha Rockefeller, a contemporaryhomeless woman who lived through theCivil Rights movement and still continuesthe struggle with optimism.

Some ImportantEvents in Black

HistoryIn 1773 Phillis Wheatley, who is considered

the founder of African-American literature,

published her Poems on Various Subjects,

Religious and Moral.

In 1840 Benjamin Bradley developed the

steam engine for warships.

In 1846 Frederick Douglass, one of the fore-

most leaders in the movement to abolish

slavery, launches his abolitionist newspaper,

The North Star.

In 1849 Harriet Tubman escapes from slav-

ery and becomes one of the most celebrated

leaders of the Underground Railroad.

In 1861 the Civil War begins. The war ended

in 1965.

In 1881 Lewis Howard Latmer invented the

electrical lamp.

In 1881 Spelman College is founded as the

first college for black women in the U.S.

In 1881 Booker T. Washington founds the

Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute in

Alabama. The school becomes one of the

leading schools of higher learning for

African-Americans.

In 1893 Daniel Hale Williams pioneered the

first open heart surgery.

In 1896 George Washington Carver begins

teaching at the Tuskegee Institute as director

of the department of agricultural research,

where he taught former slaves farming tech-

niques for self sufficiency.

In 1900 Madame CJ Walker developed

beauty and hair care products for African-

American women, which made her the first

black woman to become a millionaire.

In 1909 the National Association for the

Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

is founded in New York. W.E.B. du Bois

was selected as its first director.

In 1914 Garrett Morgan invented the gas

mask and the automatic traffic signal.

During the 1920s and ‘30s The Harlem

Renaissance flourishes. This literary, artis-

tic, and intellectual movement fosters a new

black cultural identity.

In 1940 Hattie McDaniel became the first

Black woman to win an Academy Award for

her supporting actress role in Gone with the

Wind.

In 1943 the Tuskegee Airmen, an elite group

of pilots, was the first all-black fighter

squadron to take flight during WWII.

In 1947 Jackie Robinson breaks Major

League Baseball's color barrier when he is

signed to the Brooklyn Dodgers.

In 1954 the Supreme Court decision, Brown

v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas

overturns Jim Crow laws by declaring that

racial segregation in public schools is

unconstitutional.

In 1954 Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat

at the front of a bus to a white passenger.

In 1958 Count Basie and Ella Fitzgerald

were the first African-American male and

female to win Grammy Awards.

In 1963 Martin Luther King, Jr. led a march

on Washington for freedom and jobs for

ALL Americans. About 250,000 people

attended -- the biggest march ever seen in

Washington. During this march, King deliv-

ered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.

In 1963 Sidney Poitier was first Black man

to win the Best Actor award for his role in

Lilies of the Field.

On February 21, 1965 Malcolm X was

assassinated.

In 1967 President Johnson appoints

Thurgood Marshall to the Supreme Court.

Marshall becomes the first African-

American Supreme Court Justice.

In 1983 Guion Bluford became the first

black astronaut to travel in space. And, in

1992 Mae Jemison became the first black

female astronaut.

In 1993 Toni Morrison, a prolific and inspi-

rational author, wins the Nobel Prize for

Literature.

In 2004 Oprah Winfrey becomes the first

African-American female billionaire.

At the Black History celebration at Rosa Parks Elementary, the audience viewed anexcellent slide show by the Parent Center’s Laura Torres as students read factsabout famous figures in black history.


Bonnie Awes (formerly Mulrooney)Monroe Clark Middle SchoolAlthough I do have some Irish blood, I mostly know

about being Irish through my former husband whowas 100% Irish and very proud of it. Both his grand-parents and parents were Irish, and it was an impor-tant part of raising our two sons. They loved beingIrish as children and are still proud of it as adults. OnSt. Patrick’s Day they always took green treats toschool for the whole class, and of course wore

green outfits. At home we had a big party that we would start planning for inJanuary. The most number of guests was about 125! We had corned beef andcabbage, a bagpipe player, lots of Irish music, green beer and green lightsstrung on the house. One year my husband and both sons got shamrock tat-toos on their back sides, and when their uncle saw them, he and his sons gotthem too!

Why do we celebrate St.Patrick's Day? Because dur-

ing the period from 1820 to 1920,over 4,400,000 people emigratedfrom Ireland to the United States. Insome eastern cities like Boston, NewYork, Chicago and Philadelphia,they made up 25% of the population,and accounted for nearly 10% of thetotal US population.

A large majority of the Irish whocame to America did so because ofthe Irish potato famine that began in1845. In 1816 only about 6,000 Irishpeople sailed for America. Between1846 and 1850, the number comingto the US averaged over 200,000 ayear. Nearly a million people died offamine and disease in Ireland duringthis time, and over two millionsailed for the US. About one third of

Hank SullivanMonroe Clark Middle School

In my family, every St. Patrick’sDay was a big event when every-one would get together just like onThanksgiving. We would havecorned beef and cabbage and Irishsoda bread. I know a bit about myfamily history. My grandmothercame to New York on a shipthrough Ellis Island alone at theage of 18. Someone had a ticketthey couldn’t use, and on the spurof the moment she decided to go.She stayed in New York for a shorttime, and then moved toConnecticut where she worked asa housekeeper. I even found hersignature on the ship’s manifestthrough the Ellis Island website.On the other side of my family, mygreat grandfather came to the USfrom Ireland during the AmericanCivil War.

The Irish in America Chris Arreguin (McDermott)Hoover High School

Both my great grandpa and grandma on myfather’s side came from Ireland. My sister did someresearch on them and believes they first went fromIreland to Canada, and then moved to Minnesotawhere I’m from. A lot of Irish went to places likeMinnesota because they were farmers and the landwas familiar to them. On St. Patrick’s Day I wear

green and eat corned beef and cabbage. My sister has visited the ances-tral home of the McDermott clan in Ireland, and she also plays the harp andknows many traditional Irish songs. My husband is Mexican, and we enjoyteaching our daughter about both cultures.

Shane McCoolRosa Parks Elementary

My grandfather, whose last namewas O’Connor, came to the USfrom Ireland in the early 1900s.When I was growing up, my fami-ly’s main tradition was celebratingSt. Patrick’s Day with my auntsand uncles who still all live inupstate New York. We would weargreen and my mom would cookcorned beef and cabbage eventhough she was Italian. I still weargreen to celebrate, and used togo out that night since I lived rightdowntown, but now that I have a7-month old, things are a little dif-ferent. I also used to go to a bak-ery in Pacific Beach where theymade Irish soda bread. Mynephew, who was born on St.Patrick’s Day, is named FinneganMcCool – you can’t get muchmore Irish than that!

Ireland's population died or emigrat-ed. Ireland, once among the mostdensely populated countries ofEurope, was decimated.

In the United States, thousands ofnew Irish immigrants helped buildthe railroads that opened up newparts of a growing nation. Some wereable to save enough money to buyland and become farmers along theroutes they had built. Others becamecoal miners and later factory workersin Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Not all were lucky enough toescape the overcrowded easterncities. Many stayed in the city oftheir arrival because they could notafford to go elsewhere, and toiled inwhatever menial jobs they couldfind. They also faced discriminationand many negative stereotypes. But

with time many settledthroughout the country,including California, andalso in Mexico andCanada. Quite a few livein San Diego, and youmay even see them everyday at school.

Here are a few of ourown Irish Americans andsome of the traditions thathave been passed downfrom the Emerald Isle.

The Cliffs of Moher on the coast of County Clare,Ireland, just south of Galway Bay.

Hey, did you know that inIreland they call clovers

“shamrocks”? The word shamrockmeans “little clover.” Do you knowwhy four-leaf clovers are so hard tofind? They are rare because it is agenetic mutation that creates fourleaves instead of three. This muta-tion only happens in one out ofevery ten thousand clovers. Haveyou ever found a four-leaf clover?If you have, boy are you lucky!Each leaf on a four-leaf clover hasa different meaning. The first leafstands for “faith,” the second for

“hope,” the third means “love” andthe fourth is for “luck.” So goodluck and have fun picking clovers!

By Cheyenne KellisRosa Parks Elementary School

I’m Looking Over a Four-Leaf Clover


While Chinese/Vietnamese NewYear has already passed, the

Khmer or Cambodian New Year isstill a month away. Like in China andother countries of Asia, in Cambodiathis is the year of the rat, but Khmerpeople celebrate in April instead.

The celebration of Khmer NewYear begins on April 13 or 14 and lasts3 days, although many centuries ago itbegan on the first day of the first monthon the lunar calendar, like Chinese andVietnamese New Year.

So what happened? In the 13thcentury during the Angkor Era aKhmer king changed New Year to the

fifth month of the lunar calendar, orApril by the solar calendar. The holi-day was changed because mostKhmer were farmers who were busyharvesting their rice betweenNovember and March. Khmer farmershad more free time in April and couldtake a little vacation to enjoy the NewYear festivities.

Usually, Khmer New Year is cele-brated for three days, but sometimes itcan last four days. On each day differ-ent traditions and rituals are observed.On the first day many people cleanand decorate their houses, preparefood to bring to the monks atBuddhist temples, and play traditionalgames. On the second day, peoplegive gifts to parents, grandparents andelders, and also make donations to thepoor. The third day is for ceremonialbaths, including the washing ofBuddha statues, a tradition that youngpeople use as an opportunity for hugewater fights.

In City Heights, manyCambodians go to a big celebrationat Colina Park where they watch tra-ditional dances like the CoconutDance, and enjoy traditional foodslike papaya salad, sticky rice andkabobs.

Cambodian dancers perform at AngkorWat, most famous of all Khmer temples.

New Year, Cambodian Style Easter in MexicoEaster is a religious holiday

observed by millions ofChristians around the world. InMexico, where a large majority ofpeople are Catholic, Easter is an espe-cially important time of year thatbegins with Lent and ends nearly twomonths later on Easter Sunday. At theheart of Easter celebrations in Mexicoare two weeks of events surroundingSemana Santa, a celebration of thelast days of the Christ's life, andPascua, the celebration of Christ'sResurrection.

In every town and village,Mexicans participate in processionsand ceremonies that mark differentevents in the life and death of Christ.Some communities present a full“Passion Play” in which residentsrecreate the last days of Jesus’ life infull costumes with the whole city ortown as their set. The enactments areoften wondrously staged, costumedand acted, with participants preparingfor their roles for nearly the full year.The reenactments in cities such asAjijic and San Miguel de Allendeattract visitors from around the world.

Other towns observe the holidaywith a procession of statues of Jesusand the saints from each church, aswell as parades, fireworks, piñatas,music and decorations. Each place hasits own unique celebration, and some-times they also coincide with othertraditional celebrations of spring.

Although Easter in Mexico is asolemn occasion rooted in religion,it is also one of the most populartimes for vacations. Families visitrelatives, head for the beach, drive tothe mountains to go camping, ortravel to other favorite places.

Here’s what some parentsremember about Easter when theywere younger:

Growing up in Guadalajara, I didn’tknow what American “Easter” was.We celebrated the religious holidays ofSemana Santa and Pascua – there wasno rabbit! We of course didn’t eat meaton Good Friday, and on Sunday myfamily would go to church to commem-orate the Resurrection. Afterward wehad a family dinner of posole, tostadas,and other things.

- Sandra Vazquez

When I lived with my family inChiapas we celebrated Semana Santaor Holy Week and everyone went tochurch. There were also family cele-brations since relatives would comefrom far away to be together. Therewas a parade of all the children, andwe would play games like lotteria. OnSunday we had a big dinner of Molecon Pollo or Mole Verde, tamalitos,atole, and other traditional foods.

- Patricia Leon

In the town where I grew up nearMichoacan the celebration of Easterbegan on Ash Wednesday and we wouldnot eat meat for 4 weeks of Lent.During Semana Santa, we would nottake a shower until the Saturday beforeEaster Sunday. We observed manyother rituals related to theResurrection, like the washing of feet,and a simulation of the Crucifixion.Every family in the town would cooksomething and we would all eat togeth-er on Friday. On Saturday we wouldmake a piñata and burn it as a symbolof Judas, and on Sunday everyonewent to the Church.

- Ester Pintor

MMaarrcchh iissSSDDSSUUMMoonntthh

CCeelleebbrraattiinngg mmiinnddsstthhaatt mmoovvee tthhee wwoorrlldd

Upcoming Events

Hamlet: Blood in the BrainMarch 12, 13, 14 and 15 at 8 p.m. March 9 and 16 at 2 p.m. Experimental TheaterThe Experimental Theatre presents Naomi Iizuka’s adaptation of “Hamlet.”Shakespeare’s kingdom of Elsinore is relocated to the drug-ravaged, world ofOakland, Calif. in the late 1980s.

Kyoto Laureate SymposiumMarch 13, 9:30 a.m. Montezuma HallCelebrate the lifetime contributions of the new Kyoto Prize Laureates, given tooutstanding scholars in the areas of advanced technology, basic sciences, andart and philosophy. SDSU will welcome the advanced technology winner, HirooInokuchi.

Explore SDSU: Open House 2008March 15, 10:00 a.m. SDSU campusSDSU welcomes future, current and past Aztecs to campus for an amazing dayof information and entertainment. An estimated 15,000 guests will roam the cam-pus touring high-tech labs, information booths, dancing to live entertainment ontwo stages or just walking the campus and participating in our information fairwith more than 150 interactive exhibits.


There’s always something new atSchool in the Park, an innovative

program at Rosa Parks Elementary andHamilton Elementary that makes learn-ing come alive for students in grade 3-5through a partnership with the museumsof Balboa Park. Each of the 10 partici-pating museums has its own classroomand educators for Parks and Hamiltonstudents. While many kids are happy totake a field trip to one of Balboa Park’smuseums, students from Parks andHamilton spend up to a total of nineweeks exploring a standards-based cur-riculum at three or more different muse-ums. That’s a lot of opportunities forstudents to see, do and learn thingsthey’ve never done before.

But now parents at Rosa ParksElementary also have an opportunity toshare in this unique educational experi-ence. Through the school’s ParentAcademic Liason (PAL), they can par-ticipate in the new Parents at the Parkprogram organized by coordinatorMarilin Levitan and assistant NataliaHernandez.

Once a month parents travel by vantogether from Rosa Parks to BalboaPark where they join School in the Parkdirector Susan Wachowiak for coffee,pastries, and an introduction to the pro-gram. They then visit different museumclassrooms and participate along withtheir children in that day’s lessons,activities and projects.

“Parents are very excited to see allthat goes on in School in the Park,”noted Ms. Levitan, who has coordinatedfour trips to the park so far this year. “Wedo have an orientation about the programat the beginning of the year, but this ismuch better because they can see the stu-dents in action. One parent thought that it

At School in the Park our class gotto go to an exhibit at the Natural

History Museum called “A Day inPompeii.” Pompeii was a city in Italywhere a volcano named MountVesuvius erupted in the year 79 AD.Ashes and poison gas exploded fromthe volcano and covered the town soquickly that the people were frozenlike statues. More than 20,000 werekilled as far away as 10 miles fromMount Vesuvius.

The town was buried for almost2,000 years until it was discovered byaccident. When they dug up the citythey found people, animals, buildings,paintings, coins, jewelry, dishes andother stuff. To preserve the peoplethey covered them in plaster so theywouldn’t fall apart. Dogs, pigs andother animals were also found. Thepeople were frozen doing differentthings like shopping, working, eatingor sitting at home. The heat of theashes locked them in place.

Some were frozen while trying tocover their faces or protect their chil-dren. Others tried to climb a tower orhide in a cave to escape, but it didn’twork. Only people very far away sur-vived.

We learned a lot about volcanoesand Pompeii. “I never knew muchabout volcanoes before,” saidChristian Alvarado, “but now I knowmuch more about how dangerous theyare. I thought lava just flowed out thetop and people ran away from it.”

meant the kind of park with swings and aslide, and couldn’t imagine how wecould hold classes there.”

Another new project that PAL isworking on is a non-fiction library inRoom 304 at Rosa Parks where studentscan check out books on the subjects theystudy at School in the Park. Ms. Levitanand Ms. Hernandez also coordinate addi-tional parent-oriented programs includ-ing parent academic workshops, thekindergarten-based Success for Life pro-gram, a parent book club, and otherevents with the Rosa Parks Parent Centerthat help parents with academic subjectsand community issues.

Both students and parents will findanother new School in the Park itemuseful: its updated website. The newand improved site (www.schoolinthep-ark.net) has evolved from a small infor-mational site to an interactive tool forteachers, students, parents and others.Several of the new features includes:

* the curriculum from all the partici-pating museums.

* afternoon suggestions for activitiesthat focus on writing (Units ofInquiry) and math standards

* parent involvement highlightsthrough photos, comments, and anonline newsletter

* student pages that contain studentwork

* links to sites that continue thelearning at School in the Park

* English Language LearnerPodcasts

Finally, students also get to experi-ence the newest exhibition at BalboaPark, including the latest: A Day inPompeii. For those looking forward tovisiting it, students in Ms. Yehma’sclass have provided a preview.

What’s Newat School inthe Park?

The Last Day of PompeiiBy Christian Alvarado, Stacy Barrera, Cassandra Mendez

and Raymundo RuizMs. Yemha’s Class

Rosa Parks Elementary

Almost everything was preserved in Pompeii, like paintings, money and pets

Pompeii today after millions of toms of ash were removed

Thanks to the PALprogram, parentsget to experience allthe exciting learningopportunities of theSchool in the Parkprogram


gallery made them believers, and forme that’s what school really should beabout.”

But gallery shows isn’t the onlything art class is about. It also involveslearning and working together in dif-ferent ways.

“You don’t have to worry aboutexpressing yourself in this classbecause everyone does,” explainedBen McDonald. “That doesn’t happenin other classes that I have.”

Other students noted differencestoo.

“In other classes there is pressureto complete assignments and do thingsonly a certain way,” said AngelMarquez. “That’s part of the deal, butArt lets you relieve that pressure anddo things in a more creative way.”

Students soon will be using theircreative talents in a new way: helpingimprove the appearance of the school.With help from Lynn Susholtz, anartist and teacher who owns the ArtProduce gallery and made the student

“Without displaying my work atArt Produce, I wouldn’t have beenable to sell my paintings,” addedAngel Marquez. “I started thinkingabout that, and realized that I mademore money selling paintings over thepast two months than I got from myallowance from my parents in a year.”

Teacher Ron Moya was not onlyimpressed by the hard work studentsput into their pieces and the amount ofart that was sold, but also on what stu-dents decided to spend the money on.

“I thought they would have spentit on teen stuff like CDs and pizzas,”he remarked, “but each and every oneused at least some of it to buy more artsupplies. It shows me that their per-ception of art and the class haschanged, and how much they careabout art. This group eats, breathesand thinks art. One of the people whobought several pieces said that he did-n’t do it because he wanted to be niceand help some high school students,but because their work was good. The

Opening night for Hoover artists at the Art Produce gallery in North Park

Hoover Artists Break New Ground in Art Gallery Show

Students in Hoover High’sAdvanced Art class took a big step

on February 23 with their first exhibi-tion in a real art gallery. The week-long showing at Art Produce in NorthPark, which resulted in sales of stu-dent art totaling over $1000, was amomentous occasion and a highlightin the evolution of a class that is striv-ing not only to teach skills but alsoprofessionally exhibit them.

Facing the public was also a bitnerve-wracking for the student artistswhose work was on display.

“It was kind of scary,” admittedstudent Ben McDonald. “In classwe’re like a family, so we’re used tosharing our work with each other andgetting input or critiqued. But this wasa show for outsiders, and having themsee our art is like letting them lookthrough a window into our selves. Itwasn’t easy, but we need to do that asartists.”

Others felt the same way.“I was scared too,” Gabriela

Flores shared. “I had never shared mypaintings with people outside of class,not even my family. But it feels goodto know that others like your work,and it motivated me to keep going.”

After the initial anxiety was over,fellow student Griselda Ramirez alsofound that comments from strangersinspired renewed dedication.

“I haven’t been painting thatlong,” she acknowledged, “and thegallery show was a big deal for me.Now I see that being critiqued is animportant part of the process that helpsyou build skills and get better.”

Of course, selling artwork alsohelped ease the fear!

exhibition possible, they will be sur-veying teachers from each academicdiscipline to come up with proposalsfor campus beautification. Ms.Susholtz, who worked with studentsand faculty last year on an amazingmake-over of Clark Middle School’sadministration building as well as atother schools, plans to use their skillsto dramatically improve the counsel-ing and main office buildings, and alsodesign some artistic signage to helpstudents and visitors navigate the cam-pus.

No set plans have been deter-mined, but Ms. Susholtz has one ideain mind.

“When I first went into the frontoffices, I saw all those trophies in thedisplay cases,” she recalled. “Theysymbolize so many accomplishments,so much hard work, and such pride.Students at Hoover should be proud oftheir accomplishments and showcasethem every day.”


curriculum currentsCCUURRRRIICCUULLUUMM CCUURRRREENNTTSS

House E 7th gradeAguilera, JahazielAvila, AshleyBueno, MelissaCabrera, JesseniaCortes, EduardoDominguez,KimberlyFernandez, DeysiGomez, GloriaGuadalupe, CelinaHernandez, NallelyHo, BrianHuerta, VianeyJimenez, LizethLe, MaiLon, VivianLopez, AngelLuevano, JenniferMendoza, GerardoNgan, ChaniNgo, RichardOjeda, BrendaPartida, JonathanPhan, DeniseProm, ChristopherRamirez, AdrianaRodriguez, BiancaRosas, LauraTran, DiemTran, JimmyTran, LisaWilliams, JesseniaWynn, MarkieZuniga Mata,Catherine

House B 7th gradeDiaz, JoseGarcia, BlancaLe, Van

Mingsing, DaisyValerio, Verenice

House D 7th gradeAguirre, ManuelAlvarado, JazminCruz, JessicaDuran, AlmaGarcia, CandelariaLoek, ChanvibolNguyen, KimberlyRomero, HoracioTran, DungValdes. DanielaXu, Jian

House A 7th gradeBradley, JazmineCabrera, MisaelCano, EfrainCasas, JoeCozy, DianeFabros, AmberGarcia, GabrielaKhun, ChrisLemus, CindyRamirez, JesseThadsbaythong, JudyTran, Phu

House C 7th gradeCastanon, KimberlyCastillo, FelipeChandavong, VadthanaChavez, MartinCruz Aparicio Jr,JoaquinCruz, ChristinaEstrada, GuadalupeGarcia, JordanMendez, Mayra

Clark Inducts New NJHSMembers

Congratulation to the newest mem-bers of the Monroe National

Junior Honors Society. On October 26,thirty-three seventh graders and sixty-five eighth graders were inducted in anofficial ceremony recognizing theiroutstanding academic and citizenshipachievements.

The National Junior HonorSociety, or NJHS, is an internationalorganization that has been in existencefor over 75 years with more than14,000 chapters in 75 countries. It sup-ports the educational goals of memberschools, and provides opportunitiesfor students.

Students at Clark are nominatedby teachers and counselors based upontheir high grade point averages (3.5 orabove) and positive contributions atschool. Students select officers andparticipate in a wide variety of activi-ties that promote the NJHS standardsof scholarship, leadership, service, cit-izenship, and character.

Monroe Clark Middle School isproud to support academic excellencethrough a variety of after-school activ-ities and clubs. NJHS is one more wayto recognize and reward students fortheir dedication, high academic goals,and commitment to making school abetter place.

The newest inductees into theNational Junior Honor Society atMonroe Clark Middle School are:

Moreno, VannidaNguyen, DianePaez, DavidRevollar, MarthaReyes Ponce, LesleyRodriguez, OmarRuiz, OlgaSalgado, JocelyneSalmeron, MarielaThonglek, KaylaUrena, AdrianaVillanueva, Jessica

House A 8th gradeBanh, MaiBecerra, CynthiaCalvario, RosaCervantes, MarilynChang, JoseChau, EmilyCruz, KarlaDominguez, JorgeEspinal, PriscillaEstrada, JoseHaro-Vazquez,AngelaHernandez, SeanHo, SuongLedesma, DoniLopez, PaolaLua, OmarMaganda, GenesisMorales, ZacharyMorales-Flores,GustavoMoreno, OmarNguyen, AmyOcampo, GiovanniOrtiz, AngelPerez, JavierPina Sombrerero,FranciscoRamirez, JuanRivera, RicardoRodriguez, CeciliaSabory, JessicaSalgado, CarlosSorn, AndyVazquez, MarthaVelasquez, MercedesVilla, KarenVo, KerryVo, PhuocXayasomloth, DonnaZambrano, Irving

House D 8th gradeAlcazar, AndreaCarcamo, RobertoCarrillo, DilanCisneros, MonicaCorral, Ana

Moreno-Valenzuela,LilianOsuna Arias, NeftalyVargas, Edgar

House B 8th gradeChi,VaniaContreras, MelissaFlores, CarlaGonzalez-Patino,CarlosKam, SawaneeKhaleck, StevenPerez, BrianaRomero, JeffreySouriyamath, Nicky

House E 8th gradeBui, PhillipCastro, BlancaCorado, CieloFelix, WilliamFernandez, SalomonFilipovich, TiffanyFlores, AbigailGarcia, GladysHernandez, MiriamHuynh, ChristineLopez, JulianNgov, ChristopherPham, OliviaPhan, DiannSalto, ErikSolis, PorfirioTroung, PhuongWright, De’Leayah

House C 8th gradeCruz Vargas, ErnestoGonzalez, MarlinGuerrero, AlbertoPerez, JoannaRodriguez, AdrianaSompasong, StevenSouriyamath, NattyThorn, RannyZaragoza, Elida

House A 6th, 7th and8th grade Carroll, VictoriaDe Los Santos, RosaGodoy, GregoryHernandez, KevenJimenez, JoseOrtiz, MarcoRey, Marina

Students in Frank McBride’s artclass at Hoover High used BlackHistory Month as an opportunity tostudy Buffalo Soldiers, the formerslaves, freemen, and black Civil Warveterans who formed the first blackpeactime regiment in US history.

Faces of Black History


California Merced, and UCRiverside. They wait in anticipationfor news from other UC and privateschools in the next couple of weeks.The seniors recently visited UC SantaBarbara, ignoring the pouring rain totour the campus and dine with stu-dents in the university commons.

Juniors are headed to Cal StateSan Marcos this month to attend theFreshman for a Day program to get abetter understanding of college life.Later, they will visit UC Riversideand UC Irvine. Students are enrolledthe Step Up Program, taking anevening class at San Diego State,Intro to Social Work, and earning col-lege credits. Juniors are also partici-pating in the Junior Achievement pro-gram. All the while, they are writingpersonal statements and prepping forthe spring’s SAT and ACT collegeentrance exams, where they have100% registration.

Sophomores visited UCSD in thefall and plan to visit Pt. LomaNazarene University in spring. In theclassroom, they are completing anutrition unit. Students will write areport of information, design and pro-duce pamphlets, construct a powerpoint presentation, and present theirfindings to parents and the communi-ty. The freshmen class, part of theCompact for Success, are immersedin a social justice unit. They viewedMo’olelo’s “Permanent Collection,”are researching Civil Rights leaders,and writing “poetry of oppression.”They expect to visit San Diego Statethis spring.

AVID students are leaders bychoice. They choose to work hard inclass and out, preparing themselvesfor a successful life in college andbeyond.

AVID Students: Leaders by Choice

AVID. Advancement ViaIndividual Determination. The

AVID program at Hoover HighSchool is filled with students deter-mined to go to college, determined toimprove their academic standingthrough rigorous coursework, anddetermined to take risks and try newthings both in the classroom and out-side it. They are presidents of clubs,captains of sports teams, and organiz-ers of community projects.

AVID students organized theAVID Carnival at Hoover and canyoncleanups in City Heights, are part ofthe awesome BAHIA, CardinalsInteract, and Aaron Price programs,participated in the prestigiousWorldLink Town Hall Meeting at theUniversity of San Diego and the StepUp Program at San Diego StateUniversity, and have attended pro-ductions and workshops by theMo’olelo Performing Arts Company.AVID seniors also recently collabo-rated with Hoover’s Advanced Dramaclass, which includes many AVIDsophomores and juniors, to write,produce, and direct a play based ontheir experiences, “Crossing theLine.” Their story and performancesreceived rave reviews.

Hoover’s AVID program, withmuch work from students, staff, andadministration, has grown from 75students four years ago to 230 stu-dents today. It graduated its first sen-ior class last year, and all but one ofthose students is attending collegethis year.

Seniors in the program havealready received letters of acceptancefrom California State Universitiesacross the state, as well as from NewYork University, Northern ArizonaUniversity, the University of

By Ted Hernandez12th Grade AVID Teacher, Hoover High School

Border Angels was one of manyshort documentaries produced byteams of students in AOIT whoshowcased their creativity and aca-demic and technical skills at theAOIT Film Festival at Hoover onFebruary 8. Each film involved manyhours of work, including research,story boarding, script writing, inter-views, sets, locations, music sound-tracks, and the advanced computerskills needed to put them all totogether.

“Most people don’t understandhow much work it takes to put even afive minute film together,” notedAOIT director Ellen Towers, “buthaving a public exhibition of theirwork has really pushed students towork hard. Each grade has to do afilm, so the film festival also showsstudents what is expected and thegoals to shoot for as they move to thenext grade.”

This won’t be the only opportuni-ty for students to get their work onscreen, however. Ms. Towers alsohopes to put the skills of her studentproducers together with the actingexperience of Hoover’s AdvancedDrama students to develop 30 secondpublic service announcements. Sostay tuned!

Hoover High AOIT FilmsFeatured at Festival

Hoover High student film makersfrom the school’s Academy of

Information Technology made it tothe big screen on March 11th at theSan Diego Latino Film Festival. Thefilm, a short documentary on theBorder Angels organization by stu-dents Jose E. Flores, Jose Santos andRicardo DeHoyes, was presented bythe Media Arts Center San Diego aspart of their Youth Visions program.

Youth Visions present an eclecticarray of socially conscious documen-taries and experimental shorts frommedia centers and schools through-out the country. Youth filmmakersfrom New York, Colorado, LosAngeles and San Diego offered theirperspectives on important socialissues such as immigration, racismand community violence that directaffect their neighborhoods, homesand lives.

Border Angels is an organizationof volunteers who want to stop theunnecessary deaths of individualstraveling through the Imperial Valleydesert areas and the mountain areassurrounding San Diego County.Many of these deaths have been theresult of extreme heat and coldweather conditions, although racialdiscrimination has also beeninvolved.

hands on science

AVID seniors have quite a collection of college acceptance letters!

Wednesdays are science days in Mr. Greene’s class at Rosa ParksElementary. Students get to check out everything from cells under themicroscope to sea slugs. “Hands on is the only way to do science,” say Mr.Greene.


Beginning Band members Anthony Nuno, Hon Seng Tu and Javier Hernandez

Improved ability to think cre-atively, communicate effectivelyand work collaboratively, and todeal with ambiguity and com-plexity;

A broadening of students’ under-standing and appreciation of the

Here are just a few of the benefitsof education in the arts:

Increased self-esteem; the acqui-sition of job skills; and the devel-opment of much needed creativethinking, problem solving andcommunications skills;

Strings from Rosa Parks Elementary and Hoover High played together

Collaborative Concert Showcases Student Accomplishments

On March 5 music students fromRosa Parks Elementary, Monroe

Clark Middle School, and HooverHigh performed together for the firsttime in the Collaborative ClusterConcert. The program in Hoover’sgym featured not only choir, band andorchestra performances by each sepa-rate program, but also first-ever com-bined performances.

The evening of music was aunique opportunity for students to seewhat they can look forward to in thefuture, meet the teacher they will havein coming years, as well as recall ear-lier times when they were just startingout with their instrument or on a riserin choir. It also gave students a chanceto showcase their progress to parents,faculty and friends.

In addition, the concert highlight-ed the importance of arts at school.Few experts in education disagree, andthousands of books and studies havebeen written on how music and artimprove children’s chances of successin school, society and life.

world around them and increasedcultural literacy;

The skills learned through thearts transfer to study skills, com-munication skills, and cognitiveskills useful in every part of thecurriculum;

A 2004 Stanford Universitystudy showed that mastering amusical instrument improves theway the human brain processesparts of spoken language;

Students of the arts outperformtheir non-arts peers on the SAT,according to reports by the CollegeEntrance Examination Board.

Millions of pages of material havebeen written on these subjects. Manycontain detailed scientific research andthe results of countless interviews,surveys and tests. While these all areimportant, below are what a few stu-dents had to say about their participa-tion in instrumental music programs.

Anthony Nuno Instrument: drums Years playing: first

Band is the only class I really look forward to because it’s more than just learn-ing and playing music, its fun. It’s also a smaller class, so we get to know eachother better. All the people in it are great – they all add something to the class.No offense, but as a sophomore, I wouldn’t otherwise hang out with freshmen, butthrough Beginning Band I’ve gotten to know people like Javier and Hon Seng,and they’re my friends now. I’ve only been playing for 6 or 7 months, and I neverthought I’d learn this much is in so short a time – we all have – and we’re pret-ty darn good. Before this class I really never practiced or studied at home, butnow I’m learning discipline, following an instructor and working hard for thefirst time.

Hon Seng TuBeginning BandInstrument: baritone hornYears playing: first

I like Beginning Band because of thepeople I’ve met. Everyone I hang outwith at lunch are in band with me, andif it wasn’t for them, I’d probably beeating lunch alone somewhere in adark corner of the school. As a part ofmy education, the class has put me incloser contact with people and helpedme get to know a teacher better -- thatmakes for a better school life.

Javier HernandezBeginning BandInstrument: alto saxYears playing: first

Mr. Brown isn’t like a lot of otherteachers because he makes class inter-esting. But he takes it seriously – thisclass isn’t a joke. Beginning Band alsobrings a lot of different people togeth-er – from different grades, differentbackgrounds. You get to know every-body, not just certain people, andyou’re friends with all of them.

Beginning Band, Hoover High

Hoover’s Beginning Band performing at the Holiday Concert


Michael PelayoInstrument: violin (2 years)

The difference between Orchestra andother classes is that they are aboutindividual performance, but Orchestrais about working together to soundgood. No matter how good one indi-vidual is on their instrument, whatreally matters is how you performtogether. It’s always a challenge whenwe start a new piece and have to learnit together, but you can hear how weimprove, and get better and betterthrough the year. Since we are a smallgroup, you get to know students better,interact with them more, and since I’ma section leader, I also help other stu-dents in the class. But it’s more thanjust learning the notes to play – thisyear we’ve learned a lot about musictheory and different composers inaddition to performances. There arealso activities outside of class, likegoing to festivals, concerts, and per-formances at Clark and Wilson middleschools. It’s a fun experience. You

have to bededicated andstrive toimprove, andthis gives youa better atti-tude in otherclasses.

Music Programs Growing at Rosa Parks Elementary

Hoover High OrchestraKathy MadrigaInstrument: viola (3 years)

I like Orchestra because there are peo-ple who have the same passion for musicand dedication. You get to know otherpeople’s strengths and weaknesses, howto help each other and learn from eachother so that you can be successful as agroup. I practice a lot at home because Iwant to get better, and I’m a sectionleader, so I have to be dedicated and seta good example. There’s also a competi-tive side to Orchestra because I have tokeep up with the other first chairs in vio-lin and cello. We all have to keep up ourskills, be on the same level, and holdtogether our sections so that we becomelike pieces of a puzzle that fit together.Studies have shown that learning musicimproves your intelligence and helpsyou think differently. In Orchestra thingsare flying at you and you have to be ableto adjust and figure things out quickly. Ialso think it helps with getting into col-lege and getting scholarships. I want tobe a music major, and playing viola willhelp becauseit’s a difficultinstrument andnot that manypeople play it.

Clark Middle Band and Orchestra

Jonathan PartidaInstrument: violin and guitarOrchestra isn’t like other classes.Because I love music, it’s always funand interesting for me. Sometimes I’llplay guitar for two or three hoursstraight and the time just flies by. Ipush myself to learn more and get bet-ter, but it doesn’t feel like work at all.

Richard WalkerInstrument: violin

I like Orchestra now but I didn’tlike the violin in the beginning andwanted to switch, but now that I’velearned songs and gotten better, I likeit more. Today we are going to PointLoma Nararene College to play at amusic festival.

Genesis MagandaInstrument: percussion

When I’m in a bad mood I play thepiano or listen to music and it takesmy stress away. I also like playing the

snare drum and learned a lot aboutkeeping tempo – if I rush, the rest ofthe band will rush too. Band alsoinvolves math and fractions, and alsothe history of when and why a compos-er wrote something, and what sort offeeling he put into the music. Anotherthing about band is facing your fearwhen you have to perform on stage infront of a lot of people. I think thathelps with confidence, public speak-ing, or even job interviews.

Rosa CalvarioInstrument: French horn

Band involves many school subjectslike math, foreign languages, historyand the cultural background of wherethe music comes from. It’s also veryinteresting because we go on to musicevents and the Forum Festival in LAwhere we are judged along with otherschool bands. Last year we also got tomeet a famous pianist.

As the audience saw at the recentCollaborative Concert, choir andinstrumental music programs at RosaParks Elementary are growing! Theband and strings classes taught byChris Lea have increased by 100%over last year and now have twentystudents in fourth and fifth grade ineach group. The choir, also for fourthand fifth grade, has more than seven-ty-five.

Both programs are benefittingfrom the this year’s expansion ofmusic class to Kinder, first and sec-ond grade. These young musiciansare taught by Annette Kover, whoprovides students with a basic knowl-edge of music, reading notes, andgeneral principles that they can applyto the fourth grade recorder class andfifth grade band and strings classtaught by Mr. Lea, as well as her ownchoir class.

Both Mr. Lea’s and Ms. Kover’sprograms are aimed at developing theskills that students need to successfullypursue in music in middle and highschool.

“Choir is a real class where my stu-dents have to practice and be prepared,”explained Ms. Kover. “It’s not as easyas singing along with the radio in the caror your bedroom. I teach proper postureand breathing techniques, pitch control,warming up, and being ready to per-form as responsible musicians on state.”

Mr. Lea, who has played flute sincehe was 8 and saxophone since middleschool, similarly works on getting stu-dents ready for middle school band ororchestra. This can be a challenge sincemost students have never played amusical instrument before, and Mr. Leamust teach each of the six band instru-ments at the same time!

“At a minimum by the end of the

year,” he said, “I hope to have the stu-dents reading music on a basic level,knowing several notes on their instru-ment, carrying a simple tune on theirown and successfully being part of theensemble. Once the body of studentshave gotten a hold of the basics, a deep-er understanding of music can occurand they can start expressing them-selves.”

Although progress can sometimesseem slow for new band members, atthe Collaborative concert theirprogress since their first performancein December was impressive.

“I am always very proud of theefforts these students make,” Mr. Leastated. “The best part of my job iswatching them discover for them-selves the joy of playing music.”

Annette Kover conducts the combined Rosa Parks-Hoover choir


parent pagesPPAARREENNTT PPAAGGEESSNew Grants Support

Parent ProgramsParent Receives Recognition

Dads Club: The Word is Out

The Parent Patrol of Clark Middle School

Congratulations to Monroe ClarkMiddle School parent Sara

Barazza who received statewide recog-nition on March 8 at the CaliforniaAssociation for Bilingual Education(CABE) conference in San Jose. Mrs.Barazza was presented the HonorableMention award as runner-up in theParent of the Year program.

The award was based on her manycontributions to the school and theleadership she provided to ELAC, theEnglish Learners Advisory Committee,a parent organization that serves as theadvisory body to the school on keyissues including the school plan forEnglish learners, needs assessments,and efforts to make parents aware ofthe importance of attendance.

In addition to her duties as ELACpresident, Mrs. Barazza started theschool’s Mexican Independence fiestato celebrate both old and new contribu-

tions of the Mexican culture and itspeople. Through selling food and otheritems at the event, she raised moneythat was used to start an ELAC schol-arship for Hoover High students.

The CABE conference was attend-ed by parents, teachers, professors andeducators from throughout California,including a group from Clark Middle.Mrs. Barazza was also on hand to per-sonally accept her award.

Parents at Monroe Clark MiddleSchool have new opportunities to

learn thanks to two grants awarded tothe school this year. One is “PlazaProgreso A-Z,” a program made possi-ble by a $14,000 grant from theInstitute of Mexicans AbroadBinational Educational Initiative andsupported from the Mexican Consulatein San Diego. Parents and other adultsfrom the community attend classes inliteracy, elementary and secondaryeducation, GED preparation, and com-puter skills.

There are about 20 to 25 parentsenrolled in different levels of classesthrough the Plaza project at MonroeClark, including a GED program.

“One of the goals of the program isfor each parent to advance to the nextlevel,” explained Laura Angel-Zavala,director of Clark’s parent center. “If

they don’t know how to read, theywould learn. Then they would continuewith their elementary education, and soon. The idea is for them to continuelearning more.”

Most of the participating parentsare not only learning new things, butalso feel better about themselves andcan share in education achievementalong with their children.

The second grant from the State ofCalifornia is to support anti-violenceactivities at Clark such as the school’ssuccessful Parent Patrol and ParentingWisely workshops for parents whowant to learn how to work though awide variety of issues and concernswith their children. For more informa-tion on wither program, contact theMonroe Clark Middle School parentcenter at (619) 563-6801, xt. 2315.

The news of Dads’ Clubs at RosaParks Elementary, Monroe Clark

Middle School, Florence JoynerElementary, and Hamilton Elementaryis spreading. The attendance at all fourDads’ Clubs is slowly increasing large-ly due to dads telling other dads, andmoms supporting their efforts. As aDads’ Club member, it is each mem-ber’s duty to spread the news about theclub and the meetings. Continualefforts are made to capture the supportof the moms.

The Dads’ Club is actively seekingpartners to join them in building aDads’ Club that is matched by noother. Already on board is Dovetail

Marketing in Encinitas, SubwaySandwiches in City Heights, owned byMarc Gates, and Jamba Juice, whereBasil Muhammad is the GeneralManager. Jamba Juice and Subwaycontinue to support the Dads’ Club ineach of the four schools with gift cer-tificates and coupons for free productsfrom their stores. Dovetail marketingrecently donated over $3,000 worth ofproducts to be raffled off to the partici-pants of the Dads’ Club meetings.

Recently the Dads’ Club conducteda logo contest open to everyone at eachschool, including teachers. Below arethe logos that placed 1st at eachschool:

Hamilton

Florence Griffith Joyner

Rosa Parks

Next Dads Clubs: Monroe Clark- 3/11/08 & 4/15/08,

Florence Joyner- 3/13/08 & 4/17/08, Rosa Parks- 4/24/08,

Hamilton- 4/29/08Clsrk


Vice Principal Elba Vera is new toHoover High School, but she cer-

tainly isn’t new to education. Ms. Verahas spent over 12 years as a teacher andadministrator in San Diego schools,and holds a Bachelor’s degree in eco-nomics with minors in French andPortuguese, a secondary teaching cre-dential, and a Master’s degree inEducational Leadership. Along the wayshe has been a teacher and VP in mid-dle and high schools from Chula Vistato Scripps Ranch, a migrant educationteacher, student teacher supervisor, par-ent translator, and dozens of otherduties.

How did Ms. Vera achieve somuch? By setting goals and reachingfor her dreams.

“I had a goal in high school,” sheexplained, “to go to college, to bettermyself, to make myself and family andfriends proud. What helped me was thatmy parents did everything they could toget a good education for me, eventhough they didn’t go to college them-selves. I saw them reading every night,learning new things and always tryingto improve themselves. They motivatedme to do the same. They always toldme, ‘We can’t give you lots of moneybecause we don’t have that, but we cangive you education – that is the mostimportant treasure we can give.’”

But support from her parents didn’tmean life was easy. Ms. Vera’s familymoved from Mexico to Chula Vistawhen she was in junior high, and shehad to learn English in school. Becauseboth her parents worked, she also hadto come home and cook for a family ofseven – her parents, three brothers andsister. She was shy but excelled in aca-demics, especially math and French,

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teacher topicsTTEEAACCHHEERR TTOOPPIICCSSand she dreamed of going to Franceone day to experience first-hand all thethings she learned in class.

After high school she went toSDSU where she took business classesthat continued her love of math, andalso kept studying French. Graduationfrom college was a proud moment –she had reached her goal. But the reali-ty of the job market for new collegegraduates was more disappointing.There were few jobs available whereshe could really apply all that she hadworked so hard to learn.

There was a demand for mathteachers, however, so Ms. Vera took ona new challenge: getting her teachingcredential. After student teaching atChula Vista Junior High andSweetwater High, she was ready tostart a new career with credentials inSpanish and Math. But first it was timeto fulfill another dream – going toFrance. After a month visiting France,Monaco and other places in Europewith a friend, she returned to find a jobopening at Memorial Junior High.While teaching Algebra and Geometryat Memorial she earned a Master’sdegree in education from SDSU, and

soon moved up to vice principal atRoosevelt Middle School, followed bya teaching position at Scripps RanchHigh, and VP at Oak Valley Middle inPoway.

Now that she is at Hoover, Ms.Vera has new goals.

“I’d like to have contact with asmany parents as I can,” she stated. “Iwant to get to know them, tell them thatHoover is here to help, but also toencourage them to be partners with us.A big part of why students succeed, andwhy I succeeded, is through supportfrom parents. If we can help them dothat, and sometimes it means helpingthem provide more structure and moti-vation at home, then our students canreach all their own goals and dreams.”

Ms. Vera in Monaco

Hoover High Welcomes New Vice Principal

Ms. Vera at SDSU graduation with her mom

What’s Mine Nereyda Dela Cruz Guzman

6th Grade – Clark Middle School

This is my poem,This is my life,

This is my heart.It’s what I feel,It’s the world where I live.Or in my house safe,Seeing from my window.Then the blue sky,Also the bright yellow sun.The world will have rocks in the way,But I will jump over them,

Seeing what I never had before.Following my path.Fighting for my future,Being a daughter of God.Being a princess I never saw in me,Being afraid of awful things,Confused in my very mysteriousdreams.Living my life,Having my imagination,Trying to complete goals.This is my poem,

This is my life,This is my heart.

My Favorite PlaceGloria Ford Neely

6th Grade, Clark Middle School

When I dream I have many favorite places that surround me. One of my favorite places is in a land all by myself with people who care about me and themselves. If I am alone that means I am in my favorite place. My dreams. When I am dreaming nobody can bother me or tell me what to do. My favorite place is when I am sleeping and in my mind I am far away from trouble and pain and no moreworries. No other place can take away my dreams from being my favorite place.

Dreaming of YouEstefania Arias

6th grade, Clark Middle School

When I am laying on my bedI think of youWhen I am sleepingI dream of youAfter you left me and I couldn’tsleepThen I called youYou didn’t answer meSomeone told me you were kissingSomeone else but I didn’t believethemWhen I was walkingThinking about what that person toldmeI saw you with another girlI hate youEven though I told you I hate youI still dream of youAnd I still love you

Sixth Grade Poetry CornerMiddle school is a time of emotional change for young people as they begin tofeel more complex emotions and also feel them more intensely. If you’re not amiddle school student, teacher, counselor, or parent, you may not rememberexactly what it’s like to feel all these new sorts of emotions -- sometimes withinthe same day, or the same hour! But it helps to express how you feel, what youare thinking about, and how you perceive the world around you. Poetry is agreat way to do this or to experiment with different emotions. Some studentfrom Monroe Clark Middle School bravely share their poems.


F U N Z O N E

Bear Hunt: how many bears can you find in this picture? There are at least eight!

Chilly ChucklesQ: What's the difference between an iceberg and a

clothes brush?A: One crushes boats and the other brushes coats!

Q: Why is the slippery ice like music?A: If you don't C sharp - you'll B flat!

Q: What kind of math do Snowy Owls like?A: Owlgebra.

Q: How do you tell the difference between a walrusand an orange?

A: Put your arms around it and squeeze it. If youdon't get orange juice, it's a walrus.

Q: What eight letters can you find in water fromthe Arctic Ocean?

A: H to O! (H20)

Q: What do you call a polar bear wearing earmuffs?A: Call it anything you want - it can't hear you.

J u s t f o r L a u g h sWhat happened to the frog’s car?

It got toad away!Why did the dinosaur cross the road?

Because chickens weren't invented yet.What do you call a fish with no eyes?

fsh!What's the worst animal to play cards with?

A cheetah! What do you call a fake noodle?

An impasta! What did the fish say when it ran into a wall?

Dam!How much does it cost for a pirate to get earings?

A buccaneer.Where do you find a tortoise with no legs?

Where you left it.Why wasn't Cinderella very good at soccer?

Because she kept running away from the ball!!What do you call a dog with no legs?

Doesn't matter - he's not coming anyway!One man said to the other, "My dog's got no nose." The

other man said, "How does he smell?" And the first man said, "Terrible."The creator of this illusion called it “Sea-Sick” -- it’s easy to see why!


Help the dragon get to the temple for New Years

Why the Groundhog Has its Own Holiday

Many of the first European settlers to arrive in Pennsylvaniawere from Germany. They brought with them a centuries-

old tradition known as Candlemas Day, which originated inEngland or Scotland. On Candlemas Day, clergy would bless can-dles and distribute them to the people, maybe to give them a lightof hope that winter now was half over. The weather onCandlemas Day was considered an important indicator of theweather to come. According to an old English song:

If Candlemas be fair and bright,Come, winter, have another flight.If Candlemas brings cold and rain,Go, winter, and come not again.

So if it’s sunny on Candlemas, more winter, and if it’s cloudy,spring is coming early. Then where does the groundhog comefrom? Groundhogs hibernate during the winter, and hibernatinganimals were often used in folklore to predict the coming ofspring since they were thought to have superior instincts aboutchanges in seasons. If you see a hibernating animal come out ofits burrow, spring must be just around the corner!

Germans traditionally looked for hedgehogs, badgers or evenbears coming out of their winter burrows, but there weren’t manyto be found where they settled in Pennsylvania. But there wereplenty of groundhogs. The indians believed the groundhog, orwoodchuck, was a wise and sensible animal, so it was substitutedfor the hedgehog or badger.

Somewhere along the way,the traditions or superstitionsof Candlemas and keeping aneye out for hibernating ani-mals got mixed together. Ifthe sun was shining, thegroundhog would see itsshadow, and that meant sixmore weeks of winter. If itwas cloudy, then there wouldbe no shadow, and winterwould end early.

In the U.S., the "official"groundhog is kept inPunxsutawney, Pennsylvania.

Every February 2, amid a raucous celebration early in the morn-ing, "Punxsutawney Phil" as the groundhog is called, is pulledfrom his den by his keepers, who are dressed in tuxedos. Phil thenwhispers his weather prediction into the ear of his keeper, whothen announces it to the anx-iously-awaiting crowd.

Of course, this is for show.It’s a fun celebration and agreat tradition. But Phil's keep-ers secretly decide upon the"forecast" before they dragPhil out of his burrow!

Did You Know?

The funny little groundhog

Digs a home in the fall,

And hides there all winter

Rolled up in a ball.

On February 2nd

He comes out of there

To look at the sky

And to sniff the air.

Mountain Mystery?

Notice anything unusual about the mountain behind the famous SouthAmerican ruins of Machu Picchu? If not, turn the picture counter-clockwise90 degrees. Is what you see a trick of shadows, or is there more to thismagic mountain? Built by the Incas of Peru in the early 15th century, MachuPicchu is beleived to have been used for religious ceremonies and astro-nomical observation, and also may have been a sanctuary for Inca emper-ors. Some of the blocks of stone used to build the city weigh as much as50 tons. But the Incas did not use wheels for transportation. So how didthey move those huge blocks?


City Heights Collaborative Chronicle

The City Heights Collaborative Chronicle is a publication of the City Heights K-16Educational Collaborative, a groundbreaking partnership of San Diego State University,San Diego Education Association, San Diego Unified School District, Price Charities,and three City Heights schools—Rosa Parks Elementary, Monroe Clark Middle andHoover High.

The goals of the Collaborative are:��

Improve literacy and increase student achievement.��

Identify and address barriers to academic success��

Enhance the quality of teachers and educational personnel��

Demonstrate leadership in the management and administration of schools.The content of the Collaborative Chronicle reflects the numerous innovative

strategies of the City Heights Educational Collaborative, as well as the many otherpositive attributes of these schools and their students, staff and teachers.

City Heights Educational CollaborativeSan Diego State University

4283 El Cajon Blvd., Suite 100San Diego, CA 92105

phone: (619) 594-7179 fax: (619) 594-8810

??

What’s YOUR

Story?

Newspaper articlesfrom students,

teachers and staff are

welcome!

Stories should be school or education-related.

Questions? Contact Bruce Edwards(619) 594-0880 email: [email protected]

SSTTUUDDEENNTT AARRTT SSHHOOWWCCAASSEE

Mayra Montero, a 6th grader at Clark Middle School, has been interested inart since she was at least six years old. With encouragement from her

father and sister, who are both good artists, she has pushed herself to improveand take on increasingly difficult subjects.

“I remember that I liked drawing horses when I was little,” she recalled,“and then moved on to things like stars and moons. Later I began to draw peo-ple’s faces, and was helped by my dad, who does portraits of our family. With

practice and guidance from my dad I learned how to draw the rest of the body,and about shadows and shading.”

Like other young artists, Mayra is now interested in anime and fantasy sub-jects, sometimes taking a month to complete a single work. Although sheenjoys drawing and would like to learn more about photography, she sees art asmore of a hobby than a career. But when she sells her first drawing, she maychange her mind...

highlighting the partnership of san diego state … · carnival of games, crafts, and fun to...

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