Verdugo Hills High School Los Angeles Unified School District Verdugo Hills Update www.verdugohs.org (818) 951-5400 December 20, 2013 Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results. —Andrew Carnegie PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE As we move into a new year, we continue to enjoy success through a sea of change. We have completed our inaugural semester of the new visual and performing arts magnet and with the new program were able to add three new members to our staff and add a wealth of new arts courses and performing groups. What we have done well before, we have been able to continue and in some cases expand (such as the dance program), in what continues to be a challenging financial year for our school. This will be another newletter of good news. Good news in the success of our core goals supporting academic, athletic, and arts programs and good news in our continuing partnerships and relationships with our community. And there is more to come. The year is only half over! Don/Dona of the Month Program Grows Verdugo’s Student of the Month program (Don & Dona of the Month) got even better this Fall when honorees were awarded not only certificates but one-of-a-kind T-Shirts on November 13! Thank you to the administrator of the program, Kevin Frost, the Coordinator, Rae Wilson Brittain, and the T-Shirt designer, Don of the Month, Jojo Miranda. Students had their photo taken with the principal, were awarded a certificate and T-Shirt and names were posted on the electronic bulletin board (marquee) in front of the school. 1
Transcript
Verdugo Hills High School Los Angeles Unified School District
Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.
—Andrew Carnegie
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE As we move into a new year, we continue to enjoy success through a sea of change. We
have completed our inaugural semester of the new visual and performing arts magnet and with the new program were able to add three new members to our staff and add a wealth of new arts courses and performing groups. What we have done well before, we have been able to continue and in some cases expand (such as the dance program), in what continues to be a challenging financial year for our school. This will be another newletter of good news. Good news in the success of our core goals supporting academic, athletic, and arts programs and good news in our continuing partnerships and relationships with our community. And there is more to come. The year is only half over!
Don/Dona of the Month Program Grows Verdugo’s Student of the Month program (Don & Dona of the Month) got even better this Fall when honorees were awarded not only certificates but one-of-a-kind T-Shirts on November 13! Thank you to the administrator of the program, Kevin Frost, the Coordinator, Rae Wilson Brittain, and the T-Shirt designer, Don of the Month, Jojo Miranda. Students had their photo taken with the principal, were awarded a certificate and T-Shirt and names were posted on the electronic bulletin board (marquee) in front of the school.
Verdugo Hills High School Los Angeles Unified School District
2
New Choir Performs at Music Center For the first time ever, Verdugo Hills had students perform at the Very Special Arts
Festival at the Music Center (Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles). The group sang “Just the Way You Are” at the event on October 18 and were directed by Mr. Daniel Lopez. The VSAF is a collaborative effort between LAUSD Office of Special Education and the Los Angeles County Office of Education.
College Night Success On October 30, our College Center hosted a College
Night to support our students and families to close to the LAUSD October Focus on College. Thank you to College Counselor, Susan Turner, for organizing and leading the event which included a guest speaker and college parent panel. Pictured is senior Mark Powell helping with Ms. Turner’s demonstration of the different “tiers” of post-secondary
education from the first tier (community college) to the top tier (selective universities) using a multi-tiered cake.
Halloween 2013 One of the great Verdugo Hills traditions is the annual Halloween Costume Contest! Thank
you Dino Stirpe, Leadership Sponsor, and our Student Leadership class for organizing the event.
Dons Soccer Kicks Off, Water Polo Dive In, Basketball Tip-Off Soccer (B/G),
basketball (B/G), and girls water polo all started their seasons in December. We’re looking forward to a great winter sports season!
Verdugo Hills High School Los Angeles Unified School District
3
Art Show, Dons Style Congratulations to our wonderful Art Department who
presented an Art Showcase on December 12. The show featured students in the regular art program as well as both magnet art programs (Freshman Art Majors and Multimedia Arts program). All ninth graders in the VAPA Magnet selected a major focus this year, Music, Dance, Drama, Art, Musical Theatre (music/dance, drama), or General Arts. Thank you teachers Wes McBride, Kevin Yip, Jullianne Long, and Tina Staley.
Dons Battalion Rocks Competition The annual LAUSD Drill Team competition, part of the year-long LAUSD Army JROTC
competition, was at Monroe High School on December 14. Congratulations to all of the groups from Verdugo for doing a fantastic job as well as thanks to their instructors, First Sgt. Murray and Mr. Scott.
Concerts in the Glen Rock On The Friday afternoon concert series continued into the Fall with several shows including this guest band, 1000 Onces, on November 20, closing with an encore performance by Alan’s Breakfast featuring Ethan Norvell on December 20. Mr. Finch and Mr. Lopez coordinate the program and are always looking for new groups to perform.
JV Girls Basketball vs. Faculty To help kick off their season and build esprit de corps, the JV Girls Basketball team challenged the faculty to play on November 19. It was close, but in the end, the faculty triumphed. Could be the girls were giving them a break?
Verdugo Hills High School Los Angeles Unified School District
4
Shakespeare in the House: A Midsummer Night’s Dream on Stage On December 6-14, A Midsummer Night’s Dream was produced at Verdugo by the Drama Department. The exciting performance featured many outstanding actors from Grades 9-12 including students from all programs at Verdugo. A Midsummer Night's Dream is a comedy
play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and Hippolyta. These include the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of six amateur actors, who are controlled and manipulated by the fairies who inhabit the forest in which most of the play is set. The play is one of Shakespeare's most popular works for the stage and is widely performed across the world.The play was set in 1960s era San Franciso, complete with costumes and period music to match and was directed by Deidra Fitzpatrick.
Verdugo Hills High School Los Angeles Unified School District
Girls Water Polo Going Strong Congrats to Girls Water Polo, already having a strong season. This is
from the West Adams HS game on November 22, when Verdugo won, 15-2. Head Coach Olivia Trimis is talking to her team while assistant to the head coach, Jojo Miranda, looks on.
Trashion Show Returns They did it again. The super talented Art Department, led
by Chair Tina Staley, presented the Fall 2013 Trashion Show on October 25! With a Halloween theme this year, participants designed clothing and sets/props made entirely of natural and recycled materials. Special performances included the VAPA Dance Majors directed by Nancy Meraz performing Thriller and Glee Club performing Dumb Ways to Die.
VAPA Academy Magnet Success This has been a
whirlwind of a semester for our new VAPA magnet, comprised of 9th graders this year and expanding to 400 9th-12th grade students in four years. The young Verdugo artists have been featured in multiple VAPA showcases, have performed with the school-wide drama program, and have performed in additional groups such as band and color guard, glee club, and more. Some have also been involved in sports at Verdugo this semester all on top of their regular studies. On October 31, Drama Academy students presented a drama recital and all of the students were featured in the final VAPA Showcase on Dec. 18. We are extremely proud of our newest Verdugo artists!
5
Verdugo Hills High School Los Angeles Unified School District
6
Fall Sports Round-Up It was a stellar year for Fall Sports. Many teams went into post- season, CIF play, and in some cases, individuals or the entire team
had the opportunity to represent Verdugo in City Championships. We are so proud of our athletes who not only exemplify the very best in the skills they demonstrate each week on the field or on the court, but who also exemplify what “Victory With Honor” means at every game and throughout the season
Football: After a tough pre-season, Dons Football ended up doing so well, they secured a slot against the powerful San Fernando team in the first round of City Section play-offs. They also proved to be more than SF bargained for, nearly shutting them down for a good part of the game! Congratulations to new head coach this year, Chad Runnells, and his staff and team.
Boys Water Polo: In the second season of separate boys and girls teams, the Dons once again showed they have what it takes and can stand up to any opponent in the district. The powerhouse teams they played included Birmingham, Granada Hills, and Cleveland High Schools. Congratulations to new head coach this year, Michelle Roth-Daniels.
Girls Tennis: With a new coach and a winning attitude, Coach Young took her team through a fantastic season including Co-Captain Madison Varias playing in the singles competition at City Finals!
Cross County: Our cross country team fielded the largest team ever this year and had a fantastic season. Congratulations to Couch Beto and his team! Girls Golf: Another excellent season for our girls golf team featuring some old pros and some new talent at Verdugo. One of our golfers continued in CIF post-season play!
Girls Volleyball: After an undefeated season, and an undefeated post-season, once again, our girls team traveled to Roybal HS to take on a powerful Eagle Rock team in the City Championships. In the end, Eagle Rock was on top winning 3 very close fought games to Verdugo’s 2 game win in the set. But it was absolutely one of the closest all season and we were so proud of our girls who
demonstrated sportsmanship beyond their years throughout the entire season and until the final whistle. This year was their third season of being the league champs, per Max Preps. Captain Jadi Espindola also broke the VHHS career assist record with 931 assists. Congratulations to Coach Reinhart, Assistant Coach Lamano, and their team.
Verdugo Hills High School Los Angeles Unified School District
Verdugo Hills Marching Dons are Number 1, Again Congratulations to the Dons Marching Band and Color Guard who had another fantastic marching season concluding in winning the LAUSD Band and Drill Team championships for the third consecutive time on December 7. Their show based on music from the James Bond films was spectacular and even featured a vocal solo on Skyfall (featuring
Luz Rodriguez). The band is directed by Victoria Lopez and the drum major is Sean Mclelland.
Verdugo Musicians Shine in Fall Semester Concerts Congratulations to the many students and their directors for wonderful work this semester as demonstrated by the many concerts and shows they produced including the Vocal Showcase featuring Spotlight Soloists on November 1, Beginning Band and Choir Recital on December 13, and the Winter Concert on December 19.
Spotlight Soloists Congratulations to students who auditioned for the Music Center Spotlight Awards this Fall.
The contest represents one of the highest achievements students can strive for. Auditioners are generally the best student performers in LA. Wayne Remington, Beth Blackwell, Amanda Brooks, Narbeh Zakani, Luz Rodriguez, Kasidee Reconsal, Lily Guillen, and Alyssa Panganiban auditioned.
7
Verdugo Hills High School Los Angeles Unified School District
8
Happy Holidays, 2013 The Fall semester is marked by Glee Club’s caroling and community performances including the Holiday Luncheon for the Music Center (12/10 &11), the Annual Door Decorating Contest (12/13), and the
Staff Breakfast (12/20). Happy Holidays from Verdugo Hills High School!
Happy Holidays!
Arturo, Christina, Kevin, and Ed
Partial Calendar-January and Spring, 2014 Dec. 21-Jan. 12 Winter Recess Feb. 17 No School May 5-16 AP Tests Jan. 13 Classes resume March 18-19 High School Exit Exam May 26 No School Jan. 14 Governance Council March 27 Open House May 31 Grad Night Jan. 20 No School April 14-18 Spring Break June 5 Last Day School Jan. 27 Coffee with the Principal April 26 Prom June 5 Graduation
Thank You to All of our Sponsors We appreciate what you do with us and for us!
LAUSD Central Leadership Team Verdugo Hills Leadership Team Dr. John Deasy, Superintendent Dr. Edward Trimis, Principal
Michelle King, Deputy Superintendent Arturo Barcenas, Kevin Marie Frost, Christina Trevino-Swanson Assistant Principals Dr. Jaime Aquino, Deputy Superintendent
Dr. Earl Perkins, Assistant Superintendent Debbie Trojhan, SPED Coordinator Byron Maltez, Superintendent ESC-N Paul Mc Glothlin, Magnet Coordinator
Juan Flecha, Operations Administrator Susan Turner, Testing Coordinator Dr. Marcel Van Baal, Tech Coordinator Dr. Margaret Kim, Instructional Director Lisette Duran, Title One/EL Coordinator Tami Revel, Athletic Director
Please send any questions or comments about the Verdugo
Hills Update to Edward Trimis, Principal at [email protected] You can find more photos on our website and Facebook Page.
Verdugo Hills High School 10625 Plainview Ave. Tujunga, CA 91042
