PUSD EDUCATION NEWS A Publication of the Paramount Unified School District
15110 California Ave., Paramount, CA 90723 • Tel: 562-602-6000 • Fax: 562-634-6029
May 2013
Life changing opportunity for FIVE PHS Students as they earn the Gates Millennium Scholarship for 2013!
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aramount High School is proud to announce five students have won the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship (GMS) this year. This is the first time Paramount High School has had five Gates Millennium winners in a single year. Seniors, Faviola Zuniga, Crystal Estrada, Thalia Hernandez, Xavier Aldana and Lucio Lopez bring the total number of Gates Millennium Scholarship winners to 17 coming from Paramount High School. Faviola is planning on attending Brown University, an Ivy League school. Xavier Aldana is planning on attending the University of Southern California (USC) in the fall. Thalia Hernandez is bound for the University of California in Irvine while Lucio Lopez and Crystal Estrada are both going to the University of California in Berkeley. Only five schools in the nation have had five or more scholarship winners for each of the last two years, according to Gates Millennium Scholars Program spokeswoman Mary Williams These five PHS seniors are part of 1,000 students selected nationally each year for this highly competitive scholarship that requires strong academics along with school and community in-
volvement. The student’s accomplishment is especially notable in context of the more than 54,000 students who applied in January making this year the largest and most competitive group of candidates in the program’s history. The application takes three people to complete; the student, a nominator (counselor), and a recommender (teacher). The Gates scholarship reduces financial barriers for African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American and Hispanic American students with high academic and leadership promise who have significant financial need. The Gates scholarship also helps increase the representation of these target groups in the disci-
plines of computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health and the sciences, where these groups are severely underrepresented. The Gates Millennium Scholarship renews each year as long as students maintain satisfactory academic progress. Graduate school funding continues for Gates Millennium Scholars in the areas of computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health or science. The GMS program is so much more than the scholarship funds students will receive. Many GMS programs and activities have been designed for the recipients as resources, to assist them with continued development as a leader
Making a Difference Throughout the month of March, it was common to see Paramount High School students walking around campus carrying toothbrushes and other hygiene related products. These students were participating in the personal hygiene drive that Paramount High School hosted to benefit the Love in the Mirror foundation. Love in the Mirror is a charitable organization that was created by Jonas Corona when he was only six years old. The idea for his own organization arose when Jonas was denied the opportunity to help his mom at homeless shelters because he was too young. While volunteering, he noticed that there were entire families that were homeless. Until that point he did not know that there were homeless children and this realization led him to found Love in the Mirror. The name Love in the Mirror was devised to fulfill Jonas’s desire that “every child should look in the mirror and
love what they see.” The Love in the Mirror organization has held numerous drives for food, clothes, and hygiene products in which they donate to disadvantaged families. In February my AP Chemistry teacher, Mr. John Teeples, told all of his AP and Honors Chemistry students about the Love in the Mirror organization and left it up to us to get our school involved. Four other students and myself
took leadership roles on the project and went to different teachers in order to spread the word and get more people involved. We also cooperated with our school’s Interact club so teachers had someone to contact when an item had been donated. We made announcements about Love in the Mirror almost daily and placed flyers up around the school, which led to the drive being successful. The fact that in a few short weeks, Paramount High School was able to raise hundreds of dollars worth of hygienic supplies for Love in the Mirror shows that anyone can get involved. Love in the Mirror is constantly holding drives and making sandwiches for disadvantaged families and anyone is welcome to participate. Jonas is truly an inspiration and has made us all realize that one person can make a difference. Kenneth Teeples, PHS Student
and to allow them to connect to the Gates Scholar community in a variety of ways. One example among the wide range of resources the Gates program provides is the GMS Freshmen Leadership Conference, specifically designed to orient and prepare students for a smooth transition to college and to help them maximize the GMS experience. Other GMS Leadership Development Programs include Academic Empowerment services (ACE) to support academic success, graduate school planning for continued education and a mentoring program. There is also an online resource center and a social networking website that gives students exclusive access to other Gates Scholars, tips on developing good study habits and time management, a calendar of GMS events and announcements of internships, fellowships and other scholarships, some unique to Gates Scholars. The Gates Millennium Schol-
ars Program was established in 1999 and was initially funded by a one billion dollar grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. To date, this program has funded more than 16,000 Gates Millennium Scholars since its inception. Gates Scholars have enrolled in more than 1,500 colleges and universities. The program has obtained a five year graduation rate of 79.9% and a 6 year graduation rate of over 90%. Since the programs inception, over 7,900 students have completed their degrees. Faviola, Xavier, Thalia, Crystal, and Lucio will join other Gates Scholars across America in developing a diversified education and join the future leaders of our country by successful completion of their bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees – all paid for through the Gates Millennium Scholarship. This scholarship opportunity is truly a life-changing event for these five Paramount High School students.
New Computer Lab at Paramount Park Middle School
Paramount Park Middle School is just days away from opening its updated, state-of-the-art computer lab. Now housed in the spacious area that was formerly the library, the lab has been outfitted with 37 brand-new computers and monitors, a teacher’s station, and an overhead projector for instruction and/ or presentations. Our precocious Panthers will be able to utilize this technology for research, word processing, class projects and individual assignments under the supervision of either their teachers or our Computer Lab curator, Edgar Diaz. These resources are essential in developing the technological savvy of our middle-school population, as the students can practice key skills that will eventually help them demonstrate their proficiency in California Common Core Standards. We all know that this significant paradigm shift is imminent, and the Paramount Park Computer Lab is yet another example of our district fulfilling its obligation to provide students with the tools necessary for the first-rate education that they all deserve.
SCHOOL BOARD MEETING DATES May 8, 2013 * May 22, 2013 Board of Education meetings are held at 6:00 p.m. in the Boardroom at the District Office, 15110 California Avenue, Paramount, and are open to the public