Schools
El Camino High Students Presented With Scholarship Funds From Kiwanis
El Camino High Seniors Presented With Scholarship Checks From La Mirada Kiwanis
By Tony Aiello
La Mirada~ Two El Camino High School seniors recently were given scholarship awards from the Kiwanis Club of La Mirada.
The students were presented with their gifts at a ceremony on the school campus this past Thursday.
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| left to right, Valerie Mejia, counselor, Rich Trujjillo. Lou Piltz & Tom Thornton (LM Kiwanis Club), $1000 awardee Zayara Silva, Mr. Brown, El Camino High School Principal. photo Kiwanis Club |
La Mirada~La Mirada Kiwanis members Lou Piltz, Tom Thornton, and Rich Trujillo acknowledged the students, and they were joined by El Camino principal Darryl Brown and other local dignitaries including Norwalk-La Mirada School Board member, Darryl Adams.
Located in La Mirada, El Camino is a California State Model Continuation High School.
Students were judged on their merit, grades, school activity; along with their community involvement and accomplishments.
This year’s winners-which included La Mirada high students-received scholarship amounts totally $11,000, with 14 students overall, receiving gifts.
Annually, scholarship amounts are awarded in the amounts of $500 and $1000.
At El Camino, Courtney Morrison and Zaraya Silva each received $1000.
La Mirada High students received their prizes earlier in the week.
For over 30 years, the service club has offered the scholarships. To qualify, students must reside in La Mirada, but can be attending any high school.
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| Courtney Morrison also received $1000. photo Kiwanis Club |
Kiwanis Club of La Mirada Present Scholarships to La Mirada High Seniors
La Mirada~The Kiwanis Club of La Mirada presented their scholarship awards to nine La Mirada high school seniors who are interested in continuing their education.
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| Lou Piltz and Rich Trujillo from the Kiwanis of La Mirada are flanked by this year's LMHS scholarship recepients. photo Kiwanis Club |
The students were presented with their gifts at a ceremony this past Tuesday at the school.
Students were judged on their merit, grades, school activity; along with their community involvement and accomplishments.
This year’s winners received scholarship amounts totally $11,000, with 14 students overall, receiving gifts.
Scholarship amounts are awarded in the amounts of $500 and $1000.
La Mirada High School students who received $1000 were Teresa Co, Phyong-Lien Ngheim, Megan Hoyarek, Ramon Visaiz and Christy Pflanzer.
$500 recipients included Melissa Aceves, Eric Matheny, Nicholas Sanchez-McCormick and Nicholas Popoy.
For over 30 years, the service club has offered the scholarships. To qualify, students must reside in La Mirada, but can be attending any high school.
3rd Annual Visual and Performing Arts Show
Visual and Performing Arts Academy at LMHS Continues to Provide Students Opportunities; Event Moved to La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts This Year
La Mirada~While the arts continue to diminish in neighboring schools and districts, the visual and performing arts at La Mirada High School are achieving and growing at record levels.
In the Spring of 2009, La Mirada High School acquired a limited state grant to officially establish the Visual and Performing Arts Academy. The purpose of this academy is to preparestudents for a career pathway in the areas of art, dance, music, or theatre and to foster these talents to make a difference in the community and our world. In the first year of the program, a new dance studio and dance program was created with grant funds and funding from the Lucerne Art of Dairy Cow Contest.
A guitar program was started, and the first annual VAPA (Visual and Performing Arts) Extravaganza was held. This event was the first showcase of its kind to present the best of students' art, dance, music, and theatre combined in one fabulous evening. It was held in the gym, free of charge with an attendance of over 350 people. It was the highlight of the year for students in the Academy and the arts, as they performed and exhibited their talents and also shared in the achievements of their peers. Since one goal of the VAPA Academy is to prepare students to enter the fields of Media Arts and Entertainment as professionals, it seemed logical to move the VAPA Extravaganza from the gym to the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts the following year.
La Mirada High Parents Forming New Group to Focus on Academics
As Seen in the La Mirada Lamplighter; Concerned Parents Battle Convoluted Reputation of School
La Mirada~Hoping to provide fresh new ideas, and keep La Mirada school kids in La Mirada, about 30 parents conducted a meeting at La Mirada High School this past Thursday night, attempting to form a new club, focusing on academics.
"We have a booster club for all the sports and other groups on campus, but none for academics," said Edward Eng, who along with teacher David Drago is spearheading an effort with other members of the school's Shared Decision Making Committee (SDMC) to form the Academic Booster Club-a group made up of parents, teachers, and students who hope to fill the perceived gap between the high school and the community.
The meeting was also attended by Principal Bill Seals and Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District (NLMUSD) School Board member Chris Pflanzer.
Hoping to place more emphasis and focus on academics and achievement, the group wants to propose new initiatives, and concentrate on four areas: have La Mirada High become a California Distinguished School (there are only two in the district); look for grant opportunities; implement an Annual Career Day; and create a broader outreach program to middle schools in La Mirada-to retain students.
According to the Department of Education website, in order for a school to be eligible to apply to be a California Distinguished School , "schools must meet a variety of eligibility criteria including designated federal and state accountability measures based on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and the Academic Performance Index (API) requirements."
The unit also wants to form a committee to plan and execute student activities, to raise funds, inquire about donations/grants, and sponsor future school and community events.
"When my child was attending Los Coyotes (Middle School)," said Eng, "It was amazing to hear all the constant announcements about the success of the soccer team, or the track and field team, but nothing ever about the success we had there in academic competition."
The issue is, according to many who attended the meeting, is that La Mirada High School lacks the incentives and not sufficient enough to retain academically aggressive students, currently attending middle schools in La Mirada.
La Mirada Students Shine in the Municipal Spotlight
La Mirada~This year's version of the La Mirada Youth in Government again featured some of La Mirada High School's best and brightest students at the City Council Meeting this past Tuesday night.
Established in 1960, the city's Youth in Government program partners with the La Mirada Ebell Service Club and La Mirada High School to give students an opportunity to work with city officials and learn about municipal government. These students are given the assignment of reviewing community issues or existing programs and services, and then developing alternatives and providing recommendations for enhancing services and programs.
As part of the Youth in Government program, the Student City Council and staff are paired with their city counterparts at a special La Mirada City Council meeting where they conduct business just as a regular city council meeting would be conducted, serving as mock City Council members and staff, presenting their reports on local issues.
In the past, the Youth in Government program has actively contributed, and has seen recommended projects come to fruition, including the development of the La Mirada Community Gymnasium and the installation of left-turn signals at busy intersections.
Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Ruth Perez was on hand to watch the student give their presentations, along with School Board members Jesse Urquidi, Chris Pflanzer, Ed Hengler, and Daryl Adams.
This year's group of youngsters recommended two projects for review and discussion: utilizing social media by creating a mobile app for the city's website to better communicate and serve its residents and; upgrade La Mirada playgrounds to meet new ADA standards.
Each year, members of Congress and the State Assembly and Senate recognize the efforts of the Youth in Government students at the program's annual concluding ceremony.
This year's Youth in Government participants included Sunny Khokhor, Priscilla Lee, Sam Khattar, Jessica Duron, Matthew Alvarez, Brooklynn Ackerman, Olivia Tang, Janice Jang, Justin Rhee, Mark Sologuren, Breanne Flores, Christy Pflanzer , Eva Gaye, Mauricio Pavano, Mario Matal, Kevin Lim, Jorge Martinez, Nathan Decker, Marina Alvarez, Leticia Fonseca, Vanessa Ramirez, Uzair Mumtaz, and Brian Hanst.
Photos by City of La Mirada: above, 2012 Youth in Government Participants, right, Christy Pflanzer makes presentation with Marina Alvarez looking on.
Beatitudes to Host Annual Open House
La Mirada~Beatitudes of Our Lord School will hold its annual Open House on Sunday January 29th from 9:00am to 12:00pm. All are welcome to tour the school and learn about the outstanding education and extracurricular programs Beatitudes offers kindergarten through eighth grade students.
In addition, the Beatitudes School Choir will perform during the 10:00am mass and at the continental breakfast that will be served in Marron Hall following Mass.
Local Restaurant to Host Fundraiser for Elementary School
Whittier~A fundraiser will be held Tuesday, January 24th between 4-9 p.m. for Scott Ave Elementary School in Whittier.
The host site will be the KFC in Whittier at 16161 Leffingwell Rd (Leffingwell Rd & First Ave).
The school will receive 20% of all pre-tax sales when presented with a flyer to a store salesperson. Grab some dinner and help Scott Ave Elementary raise money to assist kids in their education.
The flyer can be downloaded online at http://ewcsd.org/schools/scottave/ or at www.facebook.com/kfcwhittier. For additional information contact KFC Whittier’s Richard Hopkins at rhopkins03@verizon.net or (562) 943-1818.
Beatitudes Golf Has Good Showing at Tournament
La Mirada~The Beatitudes of Our Lord School Golf Team participated in the 2011 CYO Fall Golf Tournament at Rancho Duarte Golf Course on Sunday October 9th, taking 3rd place in the team competition while winning four top awards in individual competitions.
Matthew Carungay (Seventh Grade) placed 2nd in the Boys A Division, Miguel Vergel De Dios (Fourth Grade) placed 1st in the Boys C Division and Camille Dimayuga (Fourth Grade) placed 1st in the Girls C Division.
Additionally, Austin Alba-Brooks (Seventh Grade) placed 1st and birdied in the Closest to the Pin Contest. With nearly 100 students from 18 schools in Los Angeles County participating, the Bobcats took home the most awards of all the schools in the tournament.
"This is only the second year for the Beatitudes Golf Team" said Mary Forrest, Beatitudes Athletic Director. "Our coaches Percy Carungay, Bill Brooks and Dennis Mendoza have done an incredible job preparing our talented golf team for success."
The Beatitudes of Our Lord School sports program is part of the CYO Big Ten conference.
Beatitudes Athletics Off to a Great Start
La Mirada~The Beatitudes of Our Lord School varsity football team kicked off the season with a 40-0 win over St. Pius X on Saturday, September 24 at St. Paul High School.
This victory comes off the heels of the Bobcat's championship success at two pre-season tournaments; the 1st Annual St. John Bosco Flag Football Tournament and the 7th Annual St. Paul Swordsmen Elite Boys "A" Football Tournament. Coach Bernie Edwards states, "The kids worked hard this summer and have shown great team work so far. We still have a long way to go this season, but if the team continues to stay focused we should continue to win games."
Students Get Exposure to Real Life Consequences
La Mirada~Fifth grade students at Foster Road Elementary recently conducted a "mock" trial at Norwalk Superior Court as part of the Project L.E.A.D. program (Legal Enrichment And Decision-making).
The program is offered by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office and teaches students at different schools to recognize the legal and social consequences of gangs, drugs, truancy and other crimes.
Deputy district attorneys, investigators, field deputies, hearing officers, paralegals and law clerks all over LA County devote one hour a week to serve as role models and teach students about the criminal justice system.
For the last five years in n La Mirada, the program has been headed by County Deputy District Attorney Cristine Albanese and Deputy Probation Officer Darryl Harris, both of whom are contracted out by the city as employees, and are based at the La Mirada Sheriff's Station.
They each volunteer one hour a week to the fifth graders and teach a 20-week curriculum covering issues such as school bullying, truancy, shoplifting, decision-making and culminating with the trial at the end of the school year. The "trial" was held in Judge Margaret Bernal's courtroom, with the students filling all the roles in a courtroom, including a jury, with a verdict.
The students also learn about all the different people that work in a courthouse.
During this past school year, the students also went on a behind-the-scenes field trip to Juvenile Hall.
Albanese says that the program teaches the kids,"practical life skills and to make good decisions". She noted that the program is so successful at Foster Road because of the support of the principal, Dr. Jean Maddux, and the City of La Mirada.
Photos: Above, "Judge" Raewyn Groak, student at Foster Road Elementary School, makes a ruling. Left, Prosecutors and Defenders mull over their notes, while the jury and Teacher Kim Clarkson look on.
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