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
October 2013
PHS Students Travel the World through the Earthwatch Program Nine Paramount High students had the opportunity to travel to various states and countries by participating in the Earthwatch Program. This is the second year in a row PHS students have attended exciting scientific research expeditions through this program. All of our students were provided scholarships by Earthwatch to cover travel costs, meals, and lodging. Interested students attended a meeting with an Earthwatch representative arranged by Mr. John Teeples, AP Chemistry and Honors teacher at PHS, and Mr. Eric Lindshield, counselor at PHS. Students then had to complete a lengthy application, provide two letters of recommendation from teachers, and write two essays which focused on their specific interests in science and the environmental, as well as their leadership qualities. Deserving PHS students included Dhamar Lopez, who spent eleven days in Arizona studying the effects of climate change on caterpillars and various plants in the Riparian Forest. Judith Santano and Patricia Ortiz stayed 12 days at the Teton Science School near Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Patricia shared that it was an awesome experience to do field work with students from different high schools as well as undergraduates from various universities. Patricia and Judith explored the effects of rural and populated surrounding on local bird life. Ian Leon, Daisy Macias, and
Jennifer diving and recording reef information. Oliver Mendez headed north to the California Delta near Davis, California in order to explore the area’s fruit and vegetation, as well as various species of animals and insects living along the Sacramento River. Oliver added that after doing research most of the day, students also had some free time, which included kayaking, swimming, and exploring the rivers with guides on rafts. Gisel Lopez, a junior at PHS, flew to Belize in Central America for twelve days. Gisel was a part of an expedition that focused on isotope studies and shark conservation. Gisel explained that from a research boat, she helped put out lines with as many as 25 hooks on which they mainly caught grunts, reef sharks, and nurse sharks. The research team would then measure various parts of each fish and tag them if
Readers are Rewarded at Wirtz Elementary School
Mrs. Garcia’s fourth grade class eager waits to turn in their completed reading logs for a book of their choosing. Wirtz Elementary School is rewarding student readers every month. It’s one of the many ways in which we promote student literacy at our school. Students are asked to read at home on a daily basis and then complete a monthly reading log. All students with completed reading logs at the end of the month are invited to visit the Principal’s office to select a book of their choosing from the numerous titles offered. Our first students,
fourth graders from Mrs. Garcia’s class were excited to come in and select their books. They had a difficult time deciding which books to select as their reward. Among the titles selected were Harry Potter, A to Z Mysteries, Magic Tree House, Junie B. Jones and Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. We look forward to rewarding our Wirtz Wizard Readers every month with new and exciting books!
they weren’t already tagged. Gisel also shared that in their free time, students went snorkeling, kayaking, and paddle boarding. Dante Valenzuela headed north to Halifax, in Nova Scotia, Canada. Dante’s research trip looked at ways global climate changes are impacting different species near Halifax. According to Dante, this included being trained in actually trapping animals and weighing them in a safe and humane way. Dante shared that this trip “increased his appreciation of the outdoors as well as spiking his interest in majoring in Environmental Science.” After graduating from PHS, Dante would like to attend UC Berkeley or Stanford University. Jennifer Garcia, a junior at PHS, traveled to the Bahamas for two weeks. Jennifer’s research included
Jennifer pictured with Dr. Alistair. a lot o time snorkeling and diving near reefs. One day, Jennifer said that “we saw thousands of grunt fish swimming along one patch reef.” Besides recording fish population and finding the rugosity of coral reefs, Jennifer also was responsible for recording the day’s data on the lab’s computer. Jennifer shared that one of the most enjoyable aspects of her trip was “meeting new people who were incredibly nice and being out in the field every day.” Free time included exploring nearby
caves and going to Governor’s Harbor. After graduation, Jennifer is interested in attending UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Irvine, USC, or Stanford; and majoring in biology or the medical field. Thanks to Mr. Teeples and Mr. Lindshield, these outstanding students were introduced to the Earthwatch program. And due to their outstanding applications, these deserving students were awarded with research expeditions that included life long memories.
PHS Sports The 2013-2014 schoolyear has begun at Paramount High School. The Athletic Department is excited about the upcoming seasons of football, boys water polo, girls tennis, boys and girls crosscountry, and girls volleyball. All these teams look to have fun and successful seasons. As our current PHS athletes have begun the fall season, some of our former athletes have begun new seasons at the college level. Three of our former boys’ soccer players have moved on and are playing on college soccer teams. Frank Perez is a member of the Cal State Dominguez Hills team. Tyrone Pitter and Frankie Ortega are playing at Mount San Antonio College. It is our goal in the athletic department to try and place as many athletes in college programs once their prep careers have ended. This year’s football team looks to repeat as San Gabriel
Valley League champs for the third consecutive year. The team is loaded with speed and excellent skill position players. If the offensive and defensive lines can remain consistent and play well, the Pirates could be playing deep into the playoffs. Girls’ volleyball is young and rebuilding. After a successful 2012 season which saw the Lady Pirates make the playoffs this year’s team looks to accomplish similar goals. Girls’ tennis is coming off a 2012 San Gabriel Valley League championship. With a number of girls returning, the Pirates look to repeat as champs. Boys and girls cross country have been training all summer and expect
to have great seasons. They began league meets on Sept. 26. Boys’ water polo enters this season with new coaches, A.J. Cunningham and Rachel Dominguez, and with the new coaches, a new attitude. The team looks to improve on last season and be competitive in all games. The Paramount faculty, staff, student body, and administration would like to invite the entire Paramount community to all athletic events. We feel that our teams are competitive and fun to watch. On behalf of all Pirate fans we look forward to an even more successful 20132014. Go Pirates!
SCHOOL BOARD MEETING DATE October 9 • October 23, 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