Education

Duarte High School Gears Up for the San Gabriel Valley Special Olympics

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Image taken from the L.A. Times

Originally published on 12 May 2016 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, Monrovia Weekly and Sierra Madre Weekly

Some 300 special education students – from elementary,  middle and high school – will convene and race on Duarte High School’s new football field at this year’s 2016 San Gabriel Valley Duarte Spring Games (Special Olympics Southern California)  which starts at 10:00 on the morning of Friday, May 20. Greg Saris, Duarte Unified School District (DUSD) adapted Physical Education teacher, heads a group of volunteer students, faculty, and parents who will be on hand to assist as well as cheer them on.

“The School Games were established in the San Gabriel Valley region well over ten years ago and in that span we have hosted over 20 school districts in this area,” says Teresa Borunda, Senior Manager of Sports & Programs for Special Olympics Southern California-Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Regions. “However, this is the first year for the 2016 Spring School Games hosted by Duarte High School.”

Saris, who is responsible for coordinating this year’s event along with Tracy Hall, another DUSD special education teacher, explains the district’s involvement, “Duarte has been participating in Special Olympics’ School Games for about six or seven years. In the Fall we go to a soccer tournament in Walnut where we compete against several West San Gabriel Valley school districts for elementary, middle and high school levels. Then in the Spring we compete in track & field. Last year we got left out because there is a cap of 300 participants and by the time we registered for the event they had reached that limit. Tracy and I decided to organize our own event and invited other districts who, like us, were not able to get in.

We had to do everything – from creating Excel spreadsheets for all the races, to finding T-shirts. When it proved to be quite a success we applied to the Special Olympics to put on the event for them in the area. It turned out that they were also looking for another school to host the games, and so here we are,” Saris happily states.

Adds Borunda, “The games were added to our calendar this year because of the popularity of the previous School Games. DUSD will be hosting ten schools from other districts – Alhambra, El Monte, Montebello, Rowland Heights, and Westmoreland Academy (in Pasadena).”

“I think it’s going to be a really fun event,” says Saris. “Jersey Mike’s will cater the food for all the volunteers and student participants. Special Olympics will be providing T-shirts and all the equipment. Duarte special education students will participate in seven races and one relay, but there will be as many as 25 different variations to give them more opportunities to win awards. There will be one volunteer who will run with each participant from the starting point of the races until they get to the awards area.   

“Assistant Superintendent, Miriam Fox, will officially open the games; we’re hoping Superintendent Allan Mucerino will be in attendance as well. Christine Wheeler, a general education senior, will sing the National Anthem. One of our special education students – Eric Little – will lead the Pledge of Allegiance. We’ll have our photographers take pictures and our videographers will create a promo video to send to Special Olympics to show other districts. We’re very excited – we’ve been planning this since last November. And we will soon see the culmination of all our efforts and hard work,” Saris says with unrestrained enthusiasm.

The Special Olympics was created in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver to provide year-round sports training and athletic competitions in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.      

In 1969, Olympic decathlon gold medalist Rafer Johnson founded the Western/California Regional Chapter and the first annual Western Regional Olympics were held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Athletes from seven western states competed in track and field and swimming.

The International Special Olympics was held in 1972 for the first time in Southern California at UCLA and Santa Monica College, with more than 2,500 athletes from eight countries attending. Law enforcement officers from the LAPD joined with California Special Olympics in the first Law Enforcement Torch Run in 1986.

To expand its outreach efforts, the California Special Olympics branched out into two chapters – Northern and Southern California – in 1995. Today Special Olympics’ global extent counts 4.4 million athletes participating in over 8,000 events and competitions held annually. Southern California accounts for more than 24,000 athletes.

This Friday, 319 young students from the San Gabriel Valley will participate in a Special Olympics event. They will join an outstanding and remarkable band of athletes, who will discover abilities they didn’t know they possess, to inspire others to achieve greatness.

Seeing the unbridled joy on the faces of the students he has known and taught would be the most significant reward of all for Saris.  

Going to Out-of-State and International Universities

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 28 April 2016 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, Monrovia Weekly, and Sierra Madre Weekly

Any parent who has sent a child to university will tell you that college admissions is a mind-churning process, an out-of-body experience, but that which leaves you drained and numb. It isn’t surprising, therefore, that it spawned a billion-dollar industry which includes test prep companies, coaches, and independent counselors who help students get ready for and navigate this complicated maze.       

Bob Tyra and Becky Marchant are Southern California educators who, in 2012, co-founded a company that holds independent college fairs outside the high schools called California Out-of-State & International College Fairs (COOS&ICF). Tyra had an extensive professional  career in junior high and high school counseling programs as well as high school and adult school career counseling. Marchant works as lead counselor, ACT testing supervisor and intern coordinator at Brea Olinda High School. Together, they provide high school students access to information they need for college admissions. 

According to Marchant, the idea for this niche organization came to her as she attended events with her students. She relates, “Despite the array of colleges in attendance, students tended to gravitate to tables of institutions they were already aware of in the local area and walk by those that they were unfamiliar with.

“As educators, the challenge is to open students’ minds to all options and this is something we are very passionate about! By holding college fair events for only out-of-state, WUE (Western Undergraduate Exchange) and international colleges and universities, we found a solution to potentially self-limiting behavior by finding a way to expand their world,” continues Marchant.

COOS&ICF held its first fair in 2012 at the Pomona Unified School District Conference Center at Indian Hill. Close to 1,000 high school students and counselors from surrounding counties and over 50 educational institutions from 23 states, some from outside the United States, attended.

That impressive draw convinced Tyra and Marchant that they should hold more fairs of this kind in other Southern California areas. Now they offer eight such events – two in the spring and four in the fall. 

Marchant says, “To date we have held 29 fairs, served over 15,000 students and hosted almost 200 out-of-state universities, including 50 international institutions. Our fairs are always free to students and educators and local busing is reimbursed. We limit the size of the fair so students will be able to explore all participating institutions and we provide materials to prepare everyone who attends.”

Santa Anita Park, in Arcadia, was the venue for COOS&ICF’s spring college fair held on Tuesday, April 26. Representative from 38 out-of-state and 35 international colleges and universities were on hand to explain their curriculum or educational system, in the case of the international institutions, to a total of 314 high school juniors who milled around their tables.

An enthusiastic recruiter with the Swiss Education Group happily handed out brochures and earnestly explained how they can assist students in making internship arrangements as part of their study program. One helpful recruiter from an English university was making the case for an English versus a Scottish education (three years against four, thus saving a full year of tuition).

Tyra and Marchant, this year, organized for a student in a wheelchair to attend the college fair – 17-year-old Tito Morales, a junior at Downton Magnet High School in Los Angeles. Asked why he’s at the College Fair, Tito responds, “I’m at the point of deciding on majors and looking at all my options. While I want to stay in-state, I also want to see what’s available out-of-state. 

“My interests include writing in my journal – stories, anime fan fiction, whatever’s on my mind; I have no boundaries,” Tito continues. “But I’m mainly looking for a school that offers graphic design, animation, gaming. And, of course, one main concern is their accommodations for students like me since I’m in a wheel chair. I would like to see the college’s or university’s preparation for emergencies, should they arise.”

Tito spoke with several recruiters and found that universities in Canada and the United Kingdom offer courses he is particularly interested in, and even have accommodations for wheelchair-bound students. 

One important consideration is the cost of a college education. As Tito states, “I’m concerned about tuition too. Our school counselor, Lynda McGee is working with students right now on  scholarships. She’s also making sure we’re taking all the courses we need to be on track for college.”

“I really want to work on digital design and graphics. A job with DreamWorks is truly  something I would enjoy,” Tito wistfully says.  

An only child born to Guatemalan parents, Tito will be the first in his family to attend college.  His parents couldn’t afford higher education for themselves but they are determined for their son to live his dream of a college diploma, gainful employment in the future, and a better life. For Tito, finding a university during this College Fair is the first step in that direction. And for Tyra and Marchant, that would be such a rewarding outcome. 

Film-making Starts in Fourth Grade at Beardslee Elementary School

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Originally published on 24 March 2016 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, Monrovia Weekly, and Sierra Madre Weekly

It’s 2:45 on a Monday afternoon and students are getting picked up by their parents from Duarte Unified School District’s (DUSD) Beardslee Elementary School.  For a group of 4th graders, however, it isn’t the end of their school day; they have another 90 minutes of class time.  Yet these young kids don’t need any coaxing to get started all over again. That’s because they’re learning something different and exciting so they eagerly await the arrival of Polo and Jessica, Hollywood professionals, who will be teaching the lesson – film-making.

“We were told that cinematography isn’t a course that can be effectively taught beginning in high school,” begins Micah Green, 4th grade teacher at Beardslee and facilitator for the program. “It has to start in elementary grades, and build through the years. It was decided to add the course as an after-school program this year because we’re still trying it out. The idea is to have professionals teach the class while I watch. Next year it will be integrated into the curriculum as part of English class. I can work with students and give them story ideas.  I could be more involved in the scriptwriting process; Polo and Jessica can  just come in for the film-making portion.”

The cinematography class is the product of a partnership with the Latino Film Institute’s (LFI)Youth Cinema Project. LFI is the brainchild of actor Edward James Olmos who developed his commitment to education when he portrayed the role of Garfield High teacher Jaime Escalante. Through his foundation, he actively engages with a number of school districts in ensuring that Latino and African-American students are not forgotten in the schools.

Olmos began this program with two academicians who created the curriculum and planned a course of study for students. While new in DUSD, the film-making course has been in place in the elementary, middle and high schools in Santa Ana, Montebello, Bassett, Lynwood, and Pasadena districts.   

Green adds, “Mr. Olmos is the face of this film-making project.  I believe it was he who approached previous DUSD superintendent, Dr. Terry Nichols, about the cinematography class. Nichols liked the idea and okayed the project which was picked up by the current superintendent Dr. Allan Mucerino. To ensure that the program is continued, the district purchased a Canon handheld camera necessary for the course. While they’re not what would be used in a Hollywood movie, they’re more cost effective. Everyone is fully committed to go it all the way to high school.”

For right now, Green’s group of about 23 students from his 4th and 5th grade classes and from another teacher’s 4th graders at Beardslee, meet after school every Monday and Wednesday.

Even without the added benefit of learning film-making, the class itself is a boost for teaching in general. Explains Green, “Even struggling writers get motivated because they don’t think they have to write; they feel they’re telling their story, which is a different mindset – it’s purposeful writing.”

“It’s a messy process; these kids started out with no real skills – knowing nothing about writing scripts. We began with just basic writing about any topic they want to explore. They’re young kids so they write about things that are familiar to them – like a baseball game. They learn to write visually – what the camera will see – that’s what’s important. Then they learn that for every scene they need a description of the environment and positioning so they add the direction. Lastly, they put in the dialogue between their characters. That was a huge part of the class and took about five months – from October through February. They now have a script and they’re in the filming process. All the movies will be made on campus so the topic has to be limited to what’s available to them, although I think we have some green screen so maybe they can add CGI later,” Green elaborates.

The three-to-five-minute film Green’s students create will be shown in the spring at a presentation with their families and members of the community as audience. According to him even Creative Artists Agency (CAA), a major Hollywood talent agency, will have a representative watching the kids’ films.

“It’s an opportunity to rise to the top; students can later find jobs in the movie industry. But even those who aren’t cut out for film-making will have an appreciation for story-telling,” Green concludes.   

Mucerino shares his thoughts, “I was struck recently by a CEO poll taken by IBM that identified creativity as the most important leadership quality. It made me think how lucky our children are here in Duarte because their ‘creativity quotient’ (CQ) will be higher than their peers as a result of our efforts to promote creativity in our schools. After all, if creativity disappears, our music, art, and literature – our culture, will disappear with it. Creative children are the next generation of innovators, authors, entrepreneurs, software developers, diplomats, and hopefully, superintendents.”

American Impressionism Exhibit Educates at The Huntington Gallery

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 17 March 2016 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, Monrovia Weekly, and Sierra Madre Weekly

“I feel, as a curator, I am more of an educator,” muses Dr. James Glisson, Assistant Curator of American Art (Bradford and Christine Mishler) at The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. And what a beautiful art education The Huntington visitors will be treated to!

Currently going on through the 9th of May at the MaryLou and George Boone Gallery, “The Artists Garden: American Impressionism and the Garden Movement, 1887-1902” features 17 paintings on loan from The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts’ (PAFA) permanent collection. The show gives visitors and scholars a glimpse of painting as it relates to garden design. Glisson, who organized the exhibition and contributed an essay to the catalog states, “This exhibition gets behind the undeniable beauty of impressionistic pictures of gardens and asks questions about the social activity of gardening, the scientific hybridization of plants, and even early environmental conservation.”

According to Glisson, the two paintings he selected to bookend the exhibition – The Crimson Rambler and The Hovel and the Skyscraper – sum up what the show is all about on a conceptual level. He explains, “Philip Leslie Hale’s painting shows a red rose bush, the Crimson Rambler, a common and hardy backyard plant paired with a woman wearing a wide-brimmed hat and dressed a la mode. I think Hale intends them to read as analogous to each other – she is on display like a beautiful flower; it may be a cliché metaphor but it’s still pretty effective. Both the woman and the newly hybridized rose are modern and contemporary for their time. Similarly, the painting technique used a modern application of colors.”

“When I talk to people about the exhibit I like to say that these are painters who are reflecting on modern American life in the late 19th and early 20th century, post industrialization and during urbanization. They painted landscapes that offer respite from the grunge of the city, an escape. The Crimson Rambler is a subtle rendering of this sentiment,” Glisson says further.   

Philip Leslie Hale’s ‘The Crimson Rambler | Photo courtesy of The Huntington

Glisson then points out, “Childe Hassam’s painting, on the other hand, is an explicit depiction of the time’s attitude. The Hovel and the Skyscraper looks out of the artist’s studio into Central Park. He delivers the message in his paint application – very precise with a lot of rectilinears; and the subject matter – a tall building. In 1904 New York’s skyscrapers were the epitome of an advanced, modern American city.  It resonated among its viewers in the same way we see the skyscrapers of Dubai or Shanghai. Yet, he painted the park as soft, gentle and beautiful, with no straight lines – a space of quiet, refuge and nature.”

“I see this painting as something that speaks to Angelenos and the real estate market; his views are about to be blocked by brand new buildings. It alludes to today’s teardown phenomenon where existing structures are being replaced by bigger, taller ones to  make a lot more money,” Glisson adds.

In the late 19th century, the railroad made it possible for Americans to conveniently travel from their suburban home into the city to work. In the same vein, painters commuted whenever they had to and their artwork reflected that lifestyle. Describes Glisson, “Painters at the time depicted what was near and familiar to them, which also happened to be really modern at the time.”

One piece of art in the show is by John Henry Twachtman, a member of the new suburban class who lived in southern Connecticut close to the railroad. His piece, called Snow, depicts his backyard covered in snow. Though not a farmer, he lavished great care on his yard.    

The exhibition also includes some of The Huntington’s collection of 150,000 chromo lithographs gifted by Jay T. Last. Chromolithography was a process used by artists of this period to produce illustrations for newspapers and magazines to make money. It was also widely used to advertise the new colors of hybridized roses, like the Crimson Rambler, and to create the seed packets for flowers being grown by Americans who have discovered backyard planting as a middle class leisure pursuit. 

The San Marino institution is the show’s only West Coast stop on a five-venue tour organized by Anna Marley, Curator of Historical Art at PAFA. She explains the rationale, “The Huntington, with its spectacular gardens and wonderful American art collection is the perfect venue for a show that traces the interconnections between the American garden movement and Impressionist painting. Also, the development of the Pasadena bungalow culture at the turn of the 20th century corresponds perfectly to the material in the exhibition, which was related to the broader national garden cities and British Arts and Crafts movement.”

“I hope visitors to The Huntington make the connections between their own homes and gardens and the lives of American artists living and working over 100 years ago. I hope they love the art but also take away a new-found knowledge of the history of the Progressive era in the United States, and particularly its relationship to the burgeoning movements of environmentalism and women’s suffrage, issues with great resonance today,” Marley concludes.

The historic gardens at The Huntington, an estate which once belonged to collectors and philanthropists Henry E. Huntington and his wife, Arabella, is planted with 1,400 varieties of roses artfully perched on arbors and trellises. It is easy to imagine how Arabella took delight in the magnificent blooms in her rose garden, and how 21st century women are experiencing the same to this day.        

Sequoyah School Welcomes its First Ninth Graders

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Originally published on 17 March 2016 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, Monrovia Weekly, and Sierra Madre Weekly

In January this year, the Harvard Graduate School of Education released a seminal document titled Turning the Tide: Inspiring Concern for Others and the Common Good through College Admissions,which has the potential to forever alter the college admissions landscape. 

The result of a joint effort among the nation’s most respected colleges and universities, this two-year campaign hopes to promote ethical engagement among students, reduce excessive achievement pressure, and level the playing field for economically disadvantaged students. If its noble mission were to actually come to pass, Sequoyah School, which will be welcoming its first high schoolers this Fall, will be at the forefront of this sea change.

Established in Pasadena in 1958 by local college professors, ministers, scientists, teachers, doctors, and civil servants, Sequoyah School is a place where children can find joy in learning and make a difference in the world. Its founders’ mission is to provide education that challenges the mind, nurtures the heart and celebrates human dignity. The school values racial and socio-economic diversity in its enrollment, and 30 to 40 percent of its students pay below full tuition. Over half a century later, it hopes to extend this same ethic from the K-8 grades into high school. 

Josh Brady, Sequoyah’s School Director, welcomes the timely conversation sweeping the nation’s institutions of higher learning that emphasizes concern for others over building shiny resumes for students aspiring to gain admission to university. He says, “Colleges want to see students who have demonstrated work over time on a particular area that are of service to others. For a while, only the privileged few can afford to do novel things that look good on a transcript.”

“As a Progressive School, Sequoyah starts with the students’ experience and understanding how they are interacting with the curriculum, what’s motivating them, and what’s challenging them, but also making sure they’re thinking of their life outside school. It isn’t just school for school’s sake; it should be about preparing them to become responsible and caring citizens of the community,” Brody expounds.

“I feel, in a wonderful way, more schools are embracing progressive ideals which are being recognized as good pedagogy. Doing it in a very deep way is challenging for high schools where transcripts, GPAs, and standardized testing results have been used as assessment methods.  While these are measurements of learning, they are also imperfect measurements in the face of grade inflation and resume-padding,” he says further.   

Brody elaborates, “Our high school students will develop initiative and self-direction through college preparatory coursework and field studies emphasizing global perspectives and cultural competency. Independent study and collaborative effort will culminate in a junior-year social impact project and senior-year internship.”

Sequoyah’s first high school director, Marc Alongi, explains how their program lends itself to a progressive approach, “We use performance tasks as a way to assess student learning.  Each one has a project with a real purpose. If you’re in Conceptual Physics and you’re thinking about energy and mechanics, you’ll actually be building something that uses mathematics and all the equations that underlie whatever principle you used to come up with that object. It’s like what goes on in medical school where you demonstrate competency, not just taking an exam.”

“In K-8, students don’t get grades. In high school, we’ll have grades but we’ll continue to value goals that are process-oriented. We’ll include specific objectives relating to collaboration, or communication, or inquiry, as well as content standards. Students have seven modules per year that are five weeks long; they take three 85-minutes courses a day so they can be more focused, plus an elective and a social innovation program. At the end of each mod, they’ll get a report that scores their performance according to their mastery goals for each of the subject areas. What’s different also, is that we have interdisciplinary work within the curriculum. For example, students will be taking a Humanities course that integrates history and English, and some of the big themes and ideas could connect very nicely to the conceptual physics class or to the mathematics program,” Alongi explains. 

“We have adopted a framework for Great Challenges which is a set of goals for making the world a better place,” Alongi illustrates Sequoyah’s program. “Let’s look at energy – where we get it, and how we produce it. The implication is that it contributes to global warming. The challenge then is to change that and mitigate its effects on CO2 emissions. We can embed that in our physics curriculum. At the same time there might be a group in the social innovation program who are out in the community talking about how we use energy in L.A., what innovations are taking place to transform technology or consumer behavior, etc. So we have it from both angles: real world investigating on the community project perspective and studying the subject.”

With progressive education in core courses in English, math, history/social science, laboratory science, foreign language, visual and performing arts, and college-prep elective, Sequoyah will meet the A-G requirements of the University of California. It will also offer athletics and participate in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) as it fields teams in basketball, cross country, fencing, mountain biking, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, and volleyball.   

More importantly, though, its four-year Social Innovation Program (SIP) will develop students’ empathy and desire to be thoughtful, effective collaborators and changemakers.  

Sequoyah’s educational philosophy is attracting the attention of accomplished proponents as evidenced by the caliber of teachers who have applied, and agreed to come on board. They come from the best colleges and universities, including MIT and Caltech, Columbia and Stanford.  These educators have held jobs and been involved in careers that span the gamut – a journalist for a television network, counseling psychologist at a Quaker School or an artist in residence in New York, fair trade business entrepreneur, scientist and co-founder of a biotech company in Los Angeles. They have varied interests ranging from organic gardening and amateur beekeeping to cooking Greek food or at Lucques.           

Brody himself is an alumnus of Pasadena’s Polytechnic School. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Colorado and later received his Master’s in Education from Harvard.  He has been involved in education and human rights in the U.S. and internationally. As an Echoing Green Fellow from 1999 to 2002, he started a project for education reforms in very remote high mountain areas of Nepal. Its objective was to make education relevant to languages, livelihood, and culture of people living in these remote areas where the nearest road is an eight-day walk.

Alongi, a New Mexico native, completed his BA in religious studies and his MA in Teaching at Brown University, and holds a doctorate in Educational Psychology from USC. He is also co-founder and advisor to Ashram Paryavaran Vidyalaya (APV), a model school and teacher training center dedicated to project-based learning, mindfulness, and music, in Uttarakhand, India. 

This diverse group of civic-minded educators come together at Sequoyah School to use their experience and to impart their knowledge to the first class of high schoolers who share their passion for community service in scholarship. And if Brody is correct in saying this philosophy is being embraced by more schools, then through their combined work, future generations of Americans may yet get a chance at a better world.                          

Clairbourn School’s Engineering Design Challenge

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 3 March 2016 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, Monrovia Weekly, and Sierra Madre Weekly

Dr. Fabien Nicaise, a member of the technical staff at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is talking to a captive, albeit animated, audience of Clairbourn School students who are gathered at the school’s multi-purpose building (MPB). It’s a Thursday evening and he has been invited as the guest speaker for the Finals of the Engineering Design Challenge, the capstone of Science Fair Week.  

Before finals get underway, Nicaise gives his inspirational talk. He begins thus, “I’ve had a chance to take a look at your projects and feel I know all of you at this time. From your displays, I can see all your personalities come out and it’s so fascinating. I’ve seen seemingly trivial projects – like how to drink two beverages at the same time; to making better chew bones for your dog; all the way to building rockets, which are definitely what I care about; to the cookie-making robot. If you ever make that thing working, I want to talk to you and convince you to work for JPL.”  That last sentence earns him a vigorous round of applause.

Nicaise has his audience’s rapt attention as he speaks about JPL’s many discoveries and vast range of activities. During the Question and Answer segment, one student asks Nicaise what he feels is the organization’s best discovery. To which he replies, “There have been so many amazing discoveries that it isn’t easy to choose just one. But I would have to say one of the most valuable is our ‘Finder’ technology. During the Nepal earthquake it was able to detect heartbeat in rubble. It is when we are able to come up with ways to save lives that make our work and organization relevant and worthwhile.” By this time his audience is fully convinced JPL is a godsend to humanity.         

Clairbourn School, a Nursery through 8th grade independent school in San Gabriel, holds its annual Science Fair during the last week of February. Students work on various classroom projects using everything they have learned in their science and math classes. Words of praise coming from a well-respected scientist are music to their ears. It is a validation of their hard work.

The high point of this event is designing an object, using an assortment of materials, that could pass the rigors of multiple testing. The STAR (Science, Technology, and Research) Engineering Design Challenge is a closely guarded secret – it’s kept under wraps for days and weeks until it’s finally revealed to the entire student body. 

There is a palpable sense of anticipation and excitement as middle school science teacher, Joanne Kibbe, announces at 8:30 in the morning on Tuesday, February 23, that their challenge is to build a Clairbourn Cruiser. One by one she takes out from a brown bag, the materials they are to use: one dowel, three Life Savers, two penne pasta, four pasta wheels, eight ditalini pasta, two plug protectors, 20 craft sticks, four rubber bands, four large straws, two skinny straws, two wooden wheels, one deck of cards, five glue sticks, one 10” string, two mini CDs, four skewers, two plastic cups, one 7’X5” piece of cardboard, one gummy bear, and the bag that holds all the objects.

The goal is to design and build the vehicle that will travel the longest distance while carrying an upright gummy bear when released from the top of a ramp. The top-scoring teams from each grade will be invited back for the Finals.    

A brainchild of teachers Mark Edwards and Jonathan Barner, Project STAR is a Science Fair activity that allows students to solve science problems in a hands-on, creative way. It began in 1991 and each year a changing committee, made up of administrators and teachers think up the design challenge which rotates every year to focus on either math, invention or experiments. 

Past winners include: Jeanilou Torrado, an 8th grader who in 1992 built a ping-pong ball launcher; in 1998 7th graders, Stephen Ullom and Alex Hardt, made a marble run, a track for a ball to fall into a cup; in 2001 5th graders, Albert Loong and Josh Elmore constructed a sail boat; in 2009 7th graders, Sarah Lundegard and Kendall Cory, designed a parachute that had the longest hang-time in the air; and in 2015 4th graders, Melissa Pittman and Emily Wen, won for their lunar lander (a capsule to parachute two marshmallows safely to the ground).

On Thursday night, the 25th of February, 7th graders, Lauren Whitaker and Bailey Garcia, joined an elite group of Engineering Design champions. Using an assortment of seeming disparate materials, and through sheer imagination, creativity and ingenuity, they built the best design that passed the most rigorous testing. Their cruiser, named Space Unicorn, traveled 886 cm down the ramp, outdistancing all others. 

Lauren and Bailey, exhausted but breathlessly happy, rejoice in their victory. “This was so much fun!,” they enthuse in unison. “It has been a taxing endeavor because we didn’t know ahead of time what the challenge was going to be and we only had three hours to do it. We had to go back to the drawing board a few times before we came up with the cruiser that worked.”

This is Lauren’s second year at Clairbourn, and Bailey’s third. While they enjoy the annual Science Fair and competition, both confess their favorite subject is History. Our teacher, Mrs. Corwin, makes history come alive and as exciting as if it were happening today,” they opine.         

During morning chapel, right before Kibbe announces this year’s design challenge, Dr. Robert Nafie, Clairbourn’s headmaster, exhorts students, “You will not be asked to simply repeat all the information given to you – this is when you employ your thinking skills. You will be using all your readings, knowledge and experience; this is what separates man from all other creatures on earth. Today you will work in teams; you’ll figure out how to agree on things, talk out different ideas, come up with a solution.  It’s what neighborhoods, nations and international communities try to do – come together to find the best outcome for the most common good.”

Lauren and Bailey prevailed in the Engineering Design Challenge by using scientific principles they acquired in the classroom, and along with their decision-making abilities, applied these to the task at hand. Following Nicaise’s talk that night and with Nafie’s encouragement still lingering in their subconscious, they are moved to say that they aspire to one day create something for the greater good. They will do Clairbourn proud.                       

Arcadia Unified School District Revives Middle School Athletics

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Originally published on 25 February 2016 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, Monrovia Weekly, and Sierra Madre Weekly

Students in the Arcadia Unified School District (AUSD) enjoy a certain cachet when conversations turn to school reputations and student performance. Few in the San Gabriel Valley wouldn’t have heard of the district’s prowess. Its high school is a renowned powerhouse –  in academics, music, and performing arts. The district’s sports teams, however, while competitive in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), haven’t won as many titles as its marching band. But that is about to change.

Jeffrey Wilson, Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services, declares “We are committed to having our athletic department mirror the success of our schools’ academics and performing arts. We are determined to develop the whole the child, and that includes strengthening our athletic program.”

AUSD’s middle school sports program was dismantled in1995 when the district transitioned  junior high to the middle school model, made up of 6th, 7th and 8th grades. When this happened, the focus veered heavily towards academics. What were formerly competitive teams effectively became more recreational squads that played in intramurals.

As Laurie McQuaid, Student Services Coordinator, puts it, “There was also a shift in education philosophy at the time that by reducing competition students would have an opportunity to grow in other ways. The belief was that it’s in middle school where kids could identify their passion. But when we did this we essentially disregarded students who had an enthusiasm for athletics and their chance to develop that. We encouraged our youth to excel in academics, performing arts and marching band and provided all the programs towards that pursuit. Why shouldn’t we do the same for sports-minded students?”      

According to Ryan Foran, AUSD Public Information Officer, two years ago the district formed a Sports Enhancement Committee made up of all three middle school principals (Dr. Daniel Hacking of Dana; Dr. Tom Bruce of First Avenue, and Benjamin Acker of Foothills), Scott Bramley, coach and Director of Technology and Information Services, Wilson, several high school coaches and Parent Boosters, and himself. They met regularly to discuss ways to make their athletics as excellent as their academics. And one of the results was the expansion of the middle school sports offerings.   

“Parents couldn’t be more thrilled,” Foran says. “As much as they love the district, they had to find other places for their kids to play basketball or football.  Now we’re offering competitive sports on campus and feedback has been 100 percent positive. We started with basketball because it was too late for football. We organized it in November 2015, and on the 3rd of  December, First Avenue faced off with Dana Middle School for the first time in two decades. The gym was packed; students were so excited to be playing their buddies three blocks away. Now they play each other and their parents get to hang out. It’s school spirit and it’s community spirit.”

McQuaid relates the excitement on that momentous occasion, “There was a traffic jam in the parking lot and on the street. Parents couldn’t get to the sidewalk to pick up their kids after the game. There was so much excitement.”  

This energy was apparent when all the middle school principals, coaches, and other school administrators sat down recently to describe how AUSD will roll out their athletic program. They are holding tryouts for boys’ and girls’ soccer, girls’ softball, and boys’ volleyball to compete this year. Next year, they will be fielding teams in football and girls’ volleyball. And they will be participating in the 210 League, made up of teams from Monrovia, Duarte, Temple City, South Pasadena, and La Canada.

Wilson sums up AUSD’s objective, “We have since discovered that some competition is  healthy and eliminating it didn’t serve our students well. The vision of the district is to address the developmental and cognitive needs of the whole child and athletics play a crucial role. We want to hone our students’ physical skills in middle school so they are prepared for high school competitive teams. A strong sports offering is the logical complement to our existing outstanding high school programs in academics, drama, music, and marching band. All these put together will help in the transition to high school which will prepare them for college and beyond.”

“We have a very active high school booster group that supports our athletics program. Now we are hoping to develop one in middle school to raise money and help with transportation. We have allocated a certain amount of money from our LCAP (Local Control Accountability Plan) to fund sports and we’re using some of that to pay for school or charter buses. A booster group can help in defraying the expense. And the more parents are involved, the better the programs are.  It’s parents who make our programs so excellent,” Wilson explains.

Bramley summarizes it succinctly, “We work and live in a community that supports and appreciates all our school accomplishments. And while we have a good high school athletic program, we want it to be excellent.” And who can argue with that?      

Azusa Science Educator Selected for New Teachers Academy

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 11 February 2016 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, Monrovia Weekly, and Sierra Madre Weekly

Young students are predictably impressionable creatures who emulate the teachers they admire.  And if that were true for middle schoolers at Slauson Middle School in Azusa, they would have the perfect teacher after whom to model themselves in Donna Hawkins.

Hawkins, who has been teaching science for 16 years, has recently been selected as one of 25 educators across the country to be the first participants in Northrop Grumman Foundation’s STEM Professional Development Program. This Teachers Academy is a joint collaboration between the National Science Teachers Association and Northrop Grumman Foundation which aims to elevate STEM education in middle schools in the districts located in Northrop Grumman communities.

This is Hawkins’ third year teaching STEM and has found the experience both stimulating and daunting. Project Lead the Way, an organization that offers training and collaboration for STEM teachers, has helped her immensely. Last summer, she took two classes at Cal Poly Pomona – Flight in Space and Designer Modelling.   

“Frankly, I’m slightly terrified. While this is an exciting opportunity, it also is a big commitment. But my children are grown so I have the time to dedicate to STEM training and teaching. STEM education is such an important part of students’ learning and future.”

The 25 science educators taking part in this Teacher Academy will be attending the 2016 National Conference on Science in Education in Tennessee. During the summer they will participate in a five-day workshop at a Northrop Grumman facility to discuss strategies on how to effectively integrate engineering design work in their classroom.  They will go through a two-week immersive externship at a Northrop Grumman facility where they will be partnered with an engineer or technologist to observe and experience STEM skills in action. What they take away from these activities will serve as their guide when they develop classroom projects with real-world applications.

Hawkins teaches Physical Science and STEM in 8th grade. This year she started a 6th grade STEM class where, she says, there are more girls than boys. She would like to see girls develop a passion for science.

“That’s what I like about teaching – being able to encourage students to take a real interest in science, technology, engineering and math. I try to make the subject as engaging and real-world as possible. I’ve recently started teaching knitting to make them work with their hands.  And there’s some physics involved in that activity even if they’re not thinking it,” Mrs. Hawkins relates.

Throughout her years teaching science, Hawkins has observed, “They either love it or they hate it. STEM is not a required subject and I make them apply for a place in my class. I want to see the students, who really love it, attend my class. With the Common Core in place, I no longer teach to the test. I can slow down a little bit to show my students how science applies to everyday things. We recently learned about mixtures and we broke them down to their basic components. It is such a joy when students’ eyes light up as they absorb what I’m telling them.”

Hawkins has always been interested in science. She relates the winded path that led her to  where she is. “I started out at Cal Poly as a pre-med student and took Biology and Chemistry  but I switched to Food Science and Nutrition. I thought of becoming a dietitian but it required more schooling, which I really didn’t want to do.

“After graduation, I took a job in quality control at a soup manufacturing firm. Then I worked for ten years at Miller Brewing Company. I loved working there but I didn’t want to do it my entire life – I just couldn’t see myself doing that forever.

“So I quit; my kids were small and I decided to spend some time as a stay-at-home mom. One day I was volunteering in my daughter’s kindergarten class and I helped a little boy write a story.  That was my Aha! moment – I want to do this; I want to be a teacher,” Mrs. Hawkins concludes.

Hawkins says she didn’t intend to teach science at first. She went back to school to earn a multi-subject credential and taught 2nd grade. After a year she found she didn’t like it and struggled with the realization that teaching may not be right for her. Nevertheless, she took some science supplemental classes at Mt. San Antonio College at night and then started subbing at Azusa Unified School District. She taught 8th grade science and enjoyed it.

Watching Hawkins today, one would be left with absolutely no doubt that she loves what she does. Recently, she taught her students how to use computer-aided design (CAD) using Autodesk Inventor, a program used by drafters, engineers and architects. By the end of the course, her students will know how to digitally create their own playground equipment.

If science could be this much fun, Azusa students will be breaking the door down to get into  Hawkins’ class!    

Arcadia High School Senior Makes Intel Science Talent Search Finals

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 28 January 2016 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, Monrovia Weekly, and Sierra Madre Weekly

Seventeen-year old Arcadia High School senior, George Hou, has a lot of things on his mind right now. This is the time when 12th graders are waiting to hear back from the schools to which they applied. But college decisions aren’t what he’s currently preoccupied with – he’s busy continuing the research project that earned him a spot in the 75th Annual Intel Science Talent Search.

George’s research titled Separating Mixed Signals in Noise-Polluted Environments Using Global Optimization was prompted by his desire to find a better hearing aid for his grandfather. He says “I was very close to my grandpa growing up and enjoyed talking to him. He’s in his 80s and has always been hard of hearing so we had to raise our voices. But in December 2013 he completely lost his hearing and started to wear a hearing aid. Then he stopped using it because it only amplified the background noise.  All of a sudden we couldn’t talk to him and that came as a shock to me.” 

To help his grandpa, George investigated various hearing aids on the market to see if more expensive brands were better at filtering out background noise. But none of them could. Through his Internet search, he came across a book called The Mathematical Modelling and Signal Processing in Speech and Hearing Sciences by a UC Irvine professor, Dr. Jack Xin. He found it very interesting but realized his 10th grade math wasn’t enough to make him understand much of it. 

“I took a leap of faith and emailed the author and, to my surprise, he responded after a few weeks and even offered to mentor me,” George relates. “We developed a good relationship and he sent me various materials to read. That led us to pursue this further – using applied math we were able to use mathematical theory and analysis to develop an algorithm than can successfully separate sounds. We were able to prove that this can be done under specific circumstances. So all background noise can be separated individually – like birds chirping or people talking.”

For the next one and a half years, George worked on his research with Xin’s guidance. During the school year, he spent anywhere from seven to ten hours per week on it. In the summer months, he devoted nine hours a day and twice a week drove to UC Irvine, to confer and to show his progress to Xin. 

While George worked on this project on his own, outside of school, his teachers encouraged him to enter the Intel Science competition. He confesses that the application process for the competition was … “insanely long – like working on five college applications. I almost didn’t want to do it but my teachers spurred me on – they really were the driving force behind me. They all said I had nothing to lose.”

And that prognostication proved omniscient. On January 6, Arcadia High School’s principal received a letter from Intel Science Talent Search informing him that George has been selected one of 300 semifinalists. Arcadia High is one of 191 schools  across the country from which one or more Intel STS semifinalists were named this year.

Arcadia High School

On January 20, George was named one of 40 students to make it to the final round who will attend the Intel Science Talent Institute in Washington, D.C. from March 10 – 16 to compete for top awards. Three $150,000 awards will be handed out; each Intel STS semifinalist and the school he or she attends will receive $1,000.

George is monumentally thrilled to be coming face-to-face with the judges. “I am mentally preparing myself to stay composed when I meet all these Nobel Laureates. I don’t want to embarrass myself by totally geeking out on them when they ask me about my work,” he confides.

I am also very eager to use this as a platform to share my research with other people and spread awareness. There are 360 million people worldwide with disabling hearing problems; maybe my idea will allow other researchers, inventors, and scientists to build off it. With our combined effort we could tackle the problem and create something to help older people hear better,” George concludes.     

Shortly after George returns from Washington, D.C. he will find out if he has been accepted to the schools he applied to. He wants to attend a large research university to pursue Applied Math and Signal Processing, and where he can continue to work on his project. He would like to come up with a robust algorithm and method to implement with current hearing aids.  In the future he would like to be able to design a new generation of hearing aids.   

At the very least, hearing problems could be a source of much annoyance for millions of senior citizens. If George is successful in his endeavor, there could one day be a hearing aid that older people would actually want to wear. And that would significantly improve the lives of seniors during their waning years.   

Dual Immersion Program at Alhambra Unified Schools

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 21 January 2016 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, Monrovia Weekly, and Sierra Madre Weekly

There has been a sea change in the employment landscape in the past decade as evidenced by shifts in what’s available to people looking for work. Some positions that today’s youth would one day fill may not even exist yet, or may be located in foreign countries.

The Alhambra Unified School District has been actively finding opportunities for its student population to be ready for 21st century job requirements. This Fall, AUSD is rolling out its Dual Immersion Program to add to its slate of initiatives to make their students competitive in the global community.  

Leading this charge is Jim Schofield, Program Director. He says, “Dual immersion is critical because future jobs could be in other parts of the globe. More and more, we do business with other countries, and knowledge of the local language is essential. An employee who can speak, read, and write in the dialect is much more valuable to the company.” 

Schofield cites research to advance the case for dual immersion, “Although the majority of the world is bilingual, statistics show that only 17 percent of Americans speak another language; 56 percent of Europeans and 36 percent of Brits do. Being bilingual puts one on a higher tier in the American  job market.

“Health-wise,” continues Schofield, “it protects one against diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s. A 2012 study conducted by the University of California, San Diego, revealed that of the 44 elderly participants who could speak both Spanish and English, those with higher proficiency in both languages were less likely to have early onset of either disease. While it doesn’t necessarily mean that being bilingual is the magic cure-for-all, it may help keep diseases at bay longer. Besides, it makes for a more enriching cultural experience; and being able to communicate is the best feeling in the world.”  

According to Dr. Gary Gonzales, Assistant superintendent for AUSD, the Dual Immersion plan started two and a half years ago as a collective effort by his division. He postulates, “We felt the AUSD is perfect for this initiative because of the diversity of our enrollment. Additionally, if we are to prepare students for participation in a global economy, bi- or tri-literacy is essential.”  

Based on AUSD’s research, students who are bi- and tri-lingual develop a high level of thinking, listening, speaking, reading, and writing proficiency in the targeted language and English beginning in transitional kindergarten through high school.

Dual immersion also inspires students to strive for academic excellence in all subject areas and meet or exceed California State Standards District assessment results. They also develop positive attitudes and appreciation for world languages and cultures, which promote their involvement in world issues.

And so, in March of last year, Schofield, who at the time was the principal at San Gabriel High School, was tapped to head the initiative. He went through a transition period and in July was fully on board. He and other AUSD administrators, instructional specialists, and teachers visited several schools with dual immersion programs to get ideas and to see for themselves how it’s working. 

Schofield remembers one particular school they went to in Venice and relates what they encountered. “We went there three months into the school year and the students were responding to their teacher in Mandarin. It was amazing how quickly they absorbed a new language! This is why we decided to start Dual Immersion in transitional kindergarten, when it is developmentally best to start introducing a different language.”    

AUSD chose Spanish and Mandarin because their research showed that 26 percent of California’s population speak Spanish, with two percent speaking Mandarin. Says Schofield, “While two percent doesn’t sound like a huge number, it is the second most-spoken language after Spanish. And the reality of the state of the economy is that so much business goes to China.  It’s safe to say that the U.S and China have a codependent relationship.”

The teaching method AUSD is adopting is a 90:10 and 50:50 model. The first number refers to the amount of instruction time initially spent for teaching in a partner language. The second number is the percentage of time for instruction in English. In a 90:10 model, the amount of time in the partner language decreases annually by ten percent until a 50:50 balance is achieved in the duration of the program.    

Schofield, describes AUSD’s model, “Each class will ideally comprise one-third English-speaking only students, one-third partner language learners, and one-third native speakers. The Spanish classes will be based on a 90:10 model – in kindergarten all the subjects will be taught in Spanish except for English Development, which is ten percent of the students’ day. As students move on to 1st grade, 80 percent of their subjects will be in Spanish with 20 percent of reading and writing development, and so on as they progress each year until they reach 50:50 in 5th grade.” 

Adds Schofield, “We are comfortable with having students learn using the 90:10 model because Spanish and English are both rooted in Latin and use Roman alphabet; there’s more transference with Spanish.”

The first Alhambra elementary school | Image taken from AUSD website

The Mandarin model, will be 50:50 at the outset. Schofield explains the rationale for this,  “Mandarin is made up of characters which students have never seen or encountered. Students will have Chinese language development, math, science and culture taught in Mandarin; English language, math and social science instruction in English.

“We have also determined to start educating in traditional Mandarin then switch to the simplified version.  I presented our plan to district constituents, parents, and students who wholeheartedly embraced our thinking,” Schofield continues.

AUSD administrators are currently on the curriculum-building stage on their Dual Immersion initiative, deciding on instructional materials. Schofield says they will be holding site meetings with the initial group of parents who have shown interest in the program. “They will have a lot of knowledge and input. In March, we will have the first official parents meeting with those whose children have been accepted into the program.”

To ensure students receive a high-quality education, educators in the dual language program will receive the same training in state standards and strategies all AUSD teachers get. The district will also hire only teachers who are authorized to educate on the specific language.   

They are hoping there would be enough community demand for the program as the district is committed to see it go all the way through 12th grade.  

“It will take 14 years to get there and by then I might be retired. But it would have been a great honor to be asked to lay the foundation for this program. If successful, AUSD students who have participated in it would be better equipped to enter in the competitive global community. And that would be a very satisfactory and gratifying outcome indeed,” Schofield concludes.