“Be the Change” Leadership Workshop
Recently, a group of our dedicated middle school students attended the 2nd annual “Be the Change” leadership workshop. Based on their leadership potential this select group of students was nominated by their teachers as leaders in their grade level. Inspired by a quote from Mahatma Gandhi, “We must be the change we wish to see in the world”, the goal of the leadership workshop was to empower a diverse group of students with the awareness, knowledge and skills they need to promote respect, improve human relations and create a safer school community. Students voluntarily spent part of their winter break engaging in teambuilding exercises and discussions in order to develop a greater understanding and respect for each other’s cultural, ethnic and racial identities. Our students did what most great leaders do and looked to past leaders for inspiration. They examined the ideas and contributions of people such as John F. Kennedy, Eli Wiesel, Nelson Mandela and Oprah Winfrey. As leaders students learned the various communication styles and the different types of bullies. Students also had time to self-reflect and had a discussion on how the choices they make today can determine their life. The basis of the leadership workshop is to help students recognize that they have the power to create positive change in their lives and in the school climate. As a result, our students were trained by the Campaign for College
Opportunity to become Youth Ambassadors. In order to create a college-going culture amongst their peers, our 26 students are now a part of the 40 Youth Ambassadors in Los Angeles County trained to provide their peers with information related to preparing for college. Students also listened to guest speaker Gabriel Guerrero, the CEO of a commercial real estate firm who highlighted the importance of math in daily life and provided them with a mini-lesson on commercial real estate. Mr. Guerrero also shared with students his experience as a first generation college graduate and reminded them that if he did it so can they. The highlight of the week for many students was a tour of UCLA followed by a speaker panel given by the Latino Greek Council and members of its sororities and fraternities.
On the last day, students engaged in self-reflection during the Footprints activity. Students were asked to write down on their footprint how they used to be and what kind of footprint they
have left behind. They were then given a blank piece of paper which represented a spot in the earth that will one day bear their footprint. They answered the question, “What do you want your footprint to say about you?”
Of the experience one 8th grader stated “I use to be mean and have an attitude problem but now I am going to leave that behind and be more nice to people and leave my aggressiveness behind. I feel like a leader and smart.” Another stated, “Comparing myself to [the first day] I feel more like a leader and more confident. I want my new footprint to be different from the last one...I thought college was just a building with teens that wanted extra school time, but now I know that its completely different and that NOW is the perfect time to start
getting prepared for that. I want to be more responsible when dealing with school. I want to be the type of person who other people can look to and trust.” All students agreed that they would want to participate in another leadership workshop. Our students developed an action plan for positive change on campus. They will be collaborating with administrators and teachers through the remainder of the school year to plan and implement these action plans. Oprah Winfrey once said “if you want your life to be more rewarding, you have to change the way you think.” It looks as though our leadership students have done just that.
Caroline Lopez Counselor Tanner School
Tori Harris Attends the 2007 Junior National Young Leaders Conference (JrNLC)
At the conference I learned a lot about leadership. I learned what a true leader is. Leaders are people who try to make a difference. They are productive people. Leaders are great followers.
The JrNLC is a nationally recognized organization for young people. The conference strives to recognize students of high intelligence with leadership potential. On December 1, 2001 Collins School’s own Tori Harris embarked on a lifelong leadership adventure in Washington D.C. Tori was nominated by her sixth grade math teacher as an excellent student full of leadership potential and talent. Tori spent five days in Washington D.C. exploring our nation’s capitol and developing her leadership skills. Character, goal setting, problem solving, respect and teamwork were the focus of the conference. She met with leaders from all over the Untied States who challenged and inspired her. She visited monuments of great historic leaders. She sat at the feet of current leaders. She befriended our future leaders. Tori was a part of a Leadership Focus Group. The group served a dual purpose as a discussion group and a catalyst for reflection and change.
If you cannot follow, you cannot lead. Leaders have great team building skills. Leaders are intelligent. Going into this conference I thought I was going to learn “the art of bossing others around”! Instead we learned how to work with other people. I flew to Washington with a limited frame of mind. I flew home with a new perspective. The conference helped me discover my hidden speaking capabilities. I had so much fun. We slept over at the science museum and ate at the Hard Rock Café. The most
SCHOOL
memorable part of the conference was going to West Virginia and learning about John Brown. He was a leader who fought to free slaves. He is deemed the reason for the civil war. His story impacted me. It made me want to make a difference. Tori
It is a great honor to be nominated as a young person who teachers and parents have great vision for. We, at Collins are so proud of Tori for all of her hard work and her example of leadership. The future is full of possibilities.
Lincoln School GATE Students Take Field Trip to Dana Point Ocean Institute
Lincoln School 4/5 grade GATE students were lucky to be chosen to go on a field trip to Dana Point and be part of the Ocean Institute. This all expenses paid adventure was sponsored by the company called McCarthy Construction. They have worked on many construction projects for Paramount Unified schools and are currently working on the new high school stadium. We, at Lincoln, are grateful of their generosity.
We started off in the morning in a great luxury coach. We drove past the San Juan Capistrano Mission on the way to Dana Point. When we arrived, we were able to walk along the rocks as the sea gulls tried to swoop down and steal our lunch. The waves were crashing against the rocky cliffs. We could see little crabs. We had our lunch and enjoyed the sunshine while we waited for our vessel to embark.
We were led onto a large white boat. There was a perimeter around it to walk and see the ocean sights. There was a media center on board as well. We watched an introduction to some of the sea life we would be seeing. We also had some terrific guides who gave us advice on what to do if we were to get seasick. Luckily, nobody got seasick!! Our trip launched out into the Pacific Ocean where we felt the ocean breeze and saw pelicans and sea gulls. We were told...if we watched closely...we might see some dolphins! The kids were so excited! Our cameras were ready.
As we were waiting to see all of the animal life, the guides were giving us information on the various sea creatures. We learned about mating, habitats, and feeding patterns. Then all of the sudden...we were surrounded
on all sides of the boat by dolphinshundreds of dolphins! It was sooo cool! The dolphins were swimming in pods and we could see them jumping out of the water. The guides explained to us that the dolphins would ride the waves that were made by the boat. On the way back we saw yet another animal. Sea lions were lying on top of each other on a buoy.
Another activity occurred when our guides took filters and dragged the bottom of the ocean and came up with microorganisms, crawfish, crabs, and other stuff found on the bottom of the sea floor. We got to examine the little creatures under a microscope. We got to feel the sea sludge. We got to learn about how they lived.
This trip made a powerful impact on the students that participated. Daniella Montes, a fifth grader, said, “I was apprehensive about getting on a boat because I have never been on a boat...but after awhile, it was fun to see all of the dolphins and sea lions.”
Another fifth grader, Jordan Van Buren, added, “My favorite part was seeing the sea lions lying on the buoy. I didn’t get sea sick. My favorite memory was the sea gulls trying to take our lunches!”
Fifth grader Bernice Granados concludes, “I took lots of pictures of the dolphins that were swimming along the boat. It was so amazing!” And to that, we can all agree!!
Mickie Hazlewood Open Court Coach
Maureen Melgaard Counselor
Collins School Spelling Bee Winner
On Thursday, January 31, Captain Raymond Collins hosted the 3rd annual site spelling bee for students in grades 4-6. Twenty students advanced to the school final after placing either first, second, or third in their own classroom spelling bee. Sixth grade student, Vincent John, correctly spelled the word zenith, putting himself in position to win the site championship with one more correctly spelled
word. After careful thought and consideration, he correctly spelled the next word which allowed him to advance to the District-wide Spelling Bee. Paramount Unified School District sponsored this competition on Wednesday, February 20, 2008, at Jefferson School. Way to go Vincent!
Jeff Gibson Teacher Collins School
Why Preschool?
shows that children who attend quality preschool programs are more likely to succeed, in school and beyond, than those who do not.
Linda Garcia, Member
Tony Peña, Member
Paramount Unified School District is committed to the early education of young children. The preschool programs are offered through the Early Childhood Education Department throughout the District. The young students are taught pre-kindergarten readiness skills which are aligned with the kindergarten curriculum. There are now, 19 preschool classes on eleven different school campuses throughout the District. The preschools are located at Gaines, Mokler, Collins, Wirtz, Keppel, Los Cerritos, Alondra, Hollydale and Zamboni.
Parents in the classroom are active partners in their child’s preschool experience. Guided by the teacher, parents work with
their children in the areas of literacy, math, science, art and social skills. Parents are provided with helpful ideas to enhance their child’s learning at home and in the classroom, making them become effective learners. Parents have a great time learning and working together working with their young students and assisting the classroom teacher. All programs are still enrolling for the 2007-2008 school year. Registration for the 20082009 school year will begin in March.
For more information, please contact the Early Childhood Education Office at (562) 6026900 or visit the office at 7340 E. Jackson Street.
Nancy Kelley-Kuhn Program Director Early Childhood Education
Research
Mrs. Hoffmann’s Class Celebrates
This week Mokler Pilots in Mrs. Hoffmann’s fourth grade class celebrated receiving benchmark scores in Language Arts or Math, in the first or second quarter testing, by enjoying frothy root beer floats in the room at lunchtime. While they were celebrating, Theresa Diaz, Mokler’s Math Coach, came by to congratulate the students by passing out “I made benchmark” pins. Jeyleen Meza, who made benchmark scores in math this quarter said, “I tried really hard to read all the questions carefully before I chose the answer”. Lizette Nunez especially
liked the second helping of root bear and said, “I finally got a benchmark score in math because I did my homework every night!”
Mrs. Hoffmann would like to acknowledge one student, Adrianna Arredondo, who has received benchmark scores in both Language Arts and Math in both quarters. She is proud of all the students in her class who continually work for success and looks forward to more celebrating in the future.
Jackie Wayman Teacher on Special Assignment
Pirate Freshmen
Soar Thanks to the Buena Vista Eagles
In the spirit of collaboration and intra-campus communication, a small cohort of Buena Vista High School juniors and seniors served as guest speakers for 9th grade students at Paramount High School West Campus. The visit took place at the end of the first quarter, when students who were not working to their full potential were selected to participate in the panel discussion. All of the Buena Vista upperclassmen were credit deficient, causing them to be referred by Paramount High School to the Buena Vista program. Along the way, many of them made life-changing decisions that greatly altered their perspective on academics as well as life, in general.
One Buena Vista student shared his experiences of not focusing on school while a student at West Campus, causing him to be a year behind in credits by his sophomore year. Other Buena Vista students’ lives were marked with tragedies involving gang violence and the spiraling effects of drugs. All of the Buena Vista students are now on-track to graduate and were willing to share their personal stories with 9th graders who needed the perspective of their peers in order to guide their decision-making.
Superintendent’s Message:
I wanted to take this opportunity on behalf of our Board of Education and our K-8 schools to extend our appreciation to the Paramount Elks Lodge. Recently our local Elks Lodge coordinated a very special campaign along with the help of the Paramount Woman’s Club and Paramount Petroleum to provide each 3rd grader in the Paramount Unified School District with their very own personal dictionary. The dictionaries will benefit our students with their literacy skills and will add to the focus on academic achievement that continues to be a priority.
Said one freshman student, “It [the presentation] was really good because it made me think how if I kept doing what I was doing, I would end up in the same place as they were in.” This particular freshman was failing all but one of his classes at the time of the presentation, but at the end of the semester this January, he is passing all of his courses.
Another 9th grade student commented, “They were speaking real stuff; it’s going to come back to affect you later on. Made me think about how I’m going to look back at this year later on in life.” This particular freshman student is now on a sports team and is taking his academics seriously.
The power of peer-to-peer mentorship is clearly illustrated by the positive changes that the Pirate freshmen enacted after hearing the Buena Vista Eagles speak. Future presentations are already being planned.
Kelly Gray Counselor
PHS-West
Durrell Jackson Intervention Teacher PHS-West
We truly value this outstanding partnership and excellent outreach by the Paramount Elks Lodge.
Each 3rd grader says “Thank you”.
Pirate Winter Sports Wind Down As We Gear Up For Spring
The end of the Paramount High Winter sports schedule arrived in early February with boys’ soccer, girls’ soccer, boys’ basketball, and wrestling all qualifying for CIF playoff competition. The Pirate boys’ soccer team won its fourth league title in the last five years while our girls had their highest finish ever in league play - second place. Boys’ basketball and wrestling were At-Large entries in their respective sports; for the Wrestling team, it was the first team playoff competition in a decade. Our Pirate girls’ basketball team, with only two seniors, barely missed the playoffs and will come back strong next season.
Spring sports practice began February 11 in baseball, boys’ volleyball, boys’ tennis, boys’ golf, track and field, swimming, and softball. Pirate baseball and boys’ track and field are looking to repeat as league champions, while
boys’ swimming barely missed a league title in 2007 and boys’ tennis was a playoff team. Softball looks to bounce back into the playoff picture after missing the postseason for the first time in eight years. Boys’ volleyball has a lot of kids out for the team and wants to get into the playoffs in 2008.
PHS grad (class of ‘96) Antonio Pierce, an All-CIF football player here his senior year, won a Super Bowl ring on February 3 as his New York Giants stunned the New England Patriots. Antonio is the starting middle linebacker for the Giants and has been in the NFL for seven seasons, first with the Washington Redskins before joining the Giants. Paramount High congratulates one of its own in winning the pinnacle championship in his sport.
Mark Kemp Athletic Director PHS
David J. Verdugo, Ed.D. Superintendent
Students in alphabetical order- Adrianna Arredondo, Estephanie Avalos, Maria Elena Conde, Emmie Delgado, Crystal Guardian, Sei-J Lauago, Jeyleen Meza, Elizabeth Ochoa, Genediette Silverio, Theresa Diaz - Math Coach, Elaine Hof fmann - Teacher.
During a recent Board meeting, the Board of Education recognized the Paramount Elks, Paramount Woman’s Club and Paramount Petroleum for their generous contribution to 3rd grade District students.
PHS Winter Formal 2008
“A Night of Jazz” was a memorable night for students attending the 2008 Winter Formal at Knott’s Berry Farm.
Students had the option of dancing inside of the Boardwalk Ballroom or enjoying the rides. From 7 PM to 10 PM, the entire park was available for students to roam; but after 10 PM, the theme park was open only to Paramount High School students. A limited number of rides were open including Boomerang, Supreme Scream, Wipeout, Xcelerator, Log Ride, Dragon Swing, and Revolution.
Inside of the hall, students enjoyed dancing the night away and munching on the appetizers which included taquitos with guacamole, nachos, ice cream and pink coconut cake.
The highlight of the evening was the crowning of the Winter Formal king and queen. Senior Noel Sanchez was crowned king and senior Melanie Mora was crowned queen. It was a memorable night not only for the king and queen but for everyone who attended.
12th Grade Student - PHS
WALKING SAFELY
These student safety guidelines were developed early last year by Paramount Unified School District. Please review the following safety precautions with your children as soon as practically possible:
• Do not speak to strangers.
• Do not walk alone, particularly in isolated areas not intended for walking, especially along the railroad tracks.
• Use the appropriate dismissal gates, ones where there is supervision.
• Walk in areas where you can be seen by others.
• Travel in groups whenever possible.
• Report any suspicious behavior to school authorities and the Paramount Sheriff Station at (562) 220-2002, Lakewood Sheriff Station at (562) 866-9061, Long Beach Police at (562) 570-7260 (Collins and Lakewood Schools) or South Gate Police at (323) 563-5400 (Hollydale School).
Please remind your children to be careful and constantly aware of their surroundings.
“Extreme” Assemblies at Mark Keppel School
All of our students have had the opportunity to attend a wide variety of assemblies here at Mark Keppel School this year. The assemblies have reflected different academic areas including, Science, Language Arts and Life Skills/ Health. Some of the assemblies have included:
“We Tell Stories”. This assembly was a great tie-in to our Language Arts units. This assembly brought to life classic stories and poems by the likes of Sandburg, Carroll and Twain through talented actors and audience participation.
“John Abrams: Animal Magic”. This assembly was a nonstop, action packed, high energy magic show with live exotic pets ranging from Chinchillas to Hedgehogs, Doves to Tarantulas, Tortoises to Bunnies, Parrots, Snakes, Silkie Chickens and many more. It was
Jefferson Jaguars Say “Cheesecake”
Jefferson School’s PTSA continues their diligent fundraising efforts to support school wide programs and activities to motivate all our students. This year’s fundraisers include selling cheesecakes through Fortune Fundraising. Our efforts brought in a total profit of over $5,700! Students were especially motivated to sell cheesecakes for the opportunity to ride in a Super Stretch Hummer limousine! A total of
15 students shared this opportunity to ride in the limo and enjoy a luncheon at Hometown Buffet. The three top sellers earned tickets to Knott’s Berry farm as well! Jefferson School definitely looks forward to the next fundraiser supporting our school!
Dolores Barrios Counselor Jefferson School
Kindergarten and New Student Enrollment
Kindergarten and new student enrollment for the 2008-2009 school year will begin on April 21st. All incoming Kindergarteners must be five years old on or before December 2nd, 2008. All enrollments take place at the school your child will be attending. Incoming kindergarteners as well as students new to Paramount schools will need their original birth certificate, and immunization records showing that all immunizations are current. In addition, Kindergarteners will need a TB test administered within one year of the
first day of school. An oral health exam is needed by the end of Kindergarten and is recommended prior to the beginning of the school year. A complete physical, while not mandatory until first grade, is also recommended so that any health issues that may impair learning can be diagnosed. For further information, please call your home school or Student Services at 602-6035. Paramount Unified School District welcomes you!
Hollydale Students Stitch From the Heart
a great tie-in to our Wildlife Unit.
Our most recent assembly has proven to be the most “Extreme” of all –“Extreme Action Sports”. The assembly treated students to incredible bike stunts, comedy and choreographed routines set to high-energy music. They then listened to powerful life-changing motivational words by two extreme sports stars. The assembly was designed to inspire students to chase their dreams and “Go for the Gold!” as opposed to making deadly choices like drugs and violence.
All of the assemblies have proven to be not only exciting for our students, but educational as well. We look forward to all of the exciting assemblies yet to come.
Connie Toscano Principal Keppel School
If you were to visit Hollydale School on a Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon, you might encounter a group of students in stitches, literally. Under the guidance of retired teacher Mary Recinos and “Stitches From the Heart” volunteer Peggy Baxter, students at Hollydale have the opportunity to participate in an after school knitting club. The club, which started in September of the 2007-2008 school year, is open to all students who are interested in learning how to knit. Students are provided with yarn and knitting needles, which many take home to demonstrate their skills to family members. The knitting club has grown steadily in membership since its inception; it meets two afternoons a week for an hour each day. Current membership is 15 students from fourth through eighth grades. The club also includes several parent and school staff
volunteers.
In addition to learning knitting techniques, students have the opportunity to knit items in support of the “Stitches From the Heart” organization. “Stitches From the Heart” is a non-profit charity dedicated to providing knitted and crocheted items such as blankets, hats, and sweaters to newborn and premature babies in need.
“I really like coming to the knitting club,” states fourth grader Damian. “I like it that I am able to do something to help others, especially babies.”
Providing students with the opportunity to learn a skill as well as give back to the community is yet another example of the ongoing civic commitment we are building at Hollydale School.
Susan Marilley - Principal Hollydale School
Jaqueline Medina
Senior Noel Sanchez Winter Formal King
Senior Melanie Mora Winter Formal Queen