Sophomore Accepted into Summer Scholars Program
Saugus High School sophomore Michael Howard has been accepted into the prestigious Summer Scholars program at the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana. Summer Scholars students will spend their time on Notre Dame’s campus participating in an intensive two-week course of study. This summer, 14 academic tracks are being offered with approximately 20 students admitted to each of the tracks. Howard plans on becoming an engineer.
Golden Valley Welcomes New Business Partner
Wells Fargo has formed a community partnership with Golden Valley High School, offering both financial support and mentors for the school’s educational program. The new Wells Fargo branch located in Golden Valley Plaza presented the school with a donation of $1,000 and also is providing hands-on training for Golden Valley seniors during Economics and Government classes this upcoming school year. The program offers money skills that the students will need for life.
Players Earn Baseball Scholarships
Ten students who graduated from Hart District schools this June are on their way to college in the fall with baseball scholarships from the Wm. S. Hart Pony Baseball and Softball Scholarship Program. Recipients include Andrew LaVoise, Adam Gutierrez and Lindsay Clark, Valencia High School; Lauren Fletcher, Academy of the Canyons; Bobby Lindsay, Bowman High School; Parker Keller and Max Blaha, West Ranch High School; Kyle Henningfield and Tanner Sanchez, Hart High School; and Mitchell Lewis, Saugus High School.
Web Site Features Works of Art
Many Hart District teachers are recognized professionals in their own fields as well as teachers. Teri Garcia, Art Department chair at Saugus High School, is a good example. Her Web site at http://www.terigarciafineart.com features her own published works of art and encourages her students to continue their own art education. The Web site is a sample of the varied teaching strategies that teachers utilize to appeal to the individual learning styles of the students, while holding each student to high standards. The Web site also demonstrates how teachers continually update their skills so they can help students be successful beyond high school.
Career Expo Receives $10,000 Support
The SCV School & Business Alliance has received a check for $10,000 from Boston Scientific, representing the company’s position as Corporate Title Sponsor for the recent Discovering Careers Expo. The annual career program connected more than 2500 Santa Clarita Valley students and their parents with more than 50 city employers, representing all 15 targeted industry sectors. This year’s expo was the second year that Boston Scientific has partnered with the alliance to produce this community program, along with College of the Canyons and the Hart School District.
What’s In a Phone Call?
At least one local high school teacher found the answer to that question when he decided to make personal phone calls home to the parents of his students who were in danger of failing. After making the phone calls, which took only a little over an hour to complete, he reports that the list of failing students went down dramatically. “I believe the phone calls really made a difference,” he reported. He made the extra effort to help students, make parents aware, and make it very clear that students are supported and expectations remain high.
Hart Mentors Future Show Choir Members
Every summer, student choreographers from the Hart High School show choirs provide a summer camp opportunity for up-and-coming show choir members in the sixth through tenth grades. The camp meets every afternoon for two weeks and concludes with a camp showcase where the young participants can perform group show choir numbers, present solo acts, or participate in dance ensembles. Students from Hart’s award-winning Sound Vibrations teach singing, dancing and performing before a live audience—skills the younger students will need to try out for show choir in high school. The program is also a fund-raiser to help Hart’s show choirs raise money to support their program.
Adults Classes Meet Community Needs
For more than 50 years, the Hart District’s Golden Oak Adult School has been a solid resource for the adult community of Santa Clarita, providing such offerings as Diploma and GED, English as a Second Language, Life Skills for Adults with Disabilities and Parenting Education. The school also offers Community Education Classes for a nominal fee, geared to allow adults to grow personally and/or professionally. Some of the most popular community classes available this fall include Computer Skills, Stained Glass and Woodworking. Information on current classes, including times, locations and fees (where applicable), is available by calling (661) 253-0583 after Aug. 3 or by checking on the Web at www.goldenoakadultschool.com .
Plants Spread Cheer – Twice!
When Sequoia Charter School students adopted their Planting Samurai program earlier this year, the idea was to provide some greenery for the school’s own administrators and the nearby Administrative Center, and earn some funds at the same time. Customers rented the live plants for $1 a week and the students dutifully watered and cared for the greenery over a 15-week period. At the end of the program, students collected the thriving plants and donated them to the Santa Clarita Senior Center, where they could be enjoyed a second time.
ROP Student on Way to Chef Career
Louis Eguaras, who teachers the culinary arts classes in the Hart District’s Regional Occupational Program, was walking in Le Cordon Bleu recently when he heard his name called. Former ROP student Shannon Kane is now enrolled at the famed culinary arts school, after forming her career goal to become a chef while attending the local ROP program. Graduates of Le Cordon Bleu find places working as chefs all over the world in prominent hotels, restaurants and fine dining establishments. Former ROP student Ava Bardsley will be starting at the famed culinary arts school in August.
Grant Supports Literacy Program
Arroyo Seco Junior High School has received word that a private grant will allow the school to continue its cooperative efforts with the Community Arts Partnership group from California Institute of the Arts. The program brings masters degree candidates into Arroyo Seco classrooms on a regular basis to promote literacy for Arroyo’s English language learners through improvisation and theater games. The upcoming program will start in October, with a culminating student production planned for December. The generous grant will allow the two schools to offer a spring program as well, running from January through April, and may even allow the program to add a field trip to an actual theater production.
