Empowering students to think critically and creatively since 1913
VOLUME 109 ISSUE 6 MARCH 16, 2023
IN THE NEWS
SOUTH PASADENA HIGH SCHOOL 1401 FREMONT AVE, SOUTH PASADENA, CA 91030
COMMISSIONER ELECTIONS
MARCH WELLNESS ACTIVITY
CAASP TESTING
ASB Commissioner candidates will be elected by South Pasadena High School students on Friday, Mar. 17.
The Wellness Center will be hosting a wellness activity during lunch on Friday, Mar. 17.
SPHS students will began administering CAASP standardize tests on Monday, Mar. 20.
WASC VISITS SPHS STORY ROSE VANDEVELDE PHOTOS SAMANTHA SHIROISHI
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rom Sunday, Mar. 11, through Wednesday, Mar. 14, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) made their periodic accreditation visit to SPHS. To contribute to their all-encompassing evaluation of the school, WASC toured campus, and talked to students and staff. The scores in categories that WASC assessed were released Wednesday, Mar. 14, and their official designation will be released around July. Accreditation is a way for the state government to hold schools accountable for providing certain standards of education that adhere to federal and state guidelines. The highest ranking possible is a renewal of a six year accreditation visit with a mid-way progress report, which SPHS has not received less than in over 30 years. If the WASC Committee identifies significant issues, they may enact probationary accreditation and return within one, two or three years to ensure corrective actions have been enacted. The preparation for this evaluation began over year ago when SPHS teachers Rama Kadri and Oliver Valcorza began to collect information for their comprehensive analysis of the school. As a part of this process, Kadri additionally hoped to use this report to discuss and have meaningful conversations about student socio-emotional health on campus. “I think socio-emotional health is so important, and it’s such a big conversation in education right now… [being involved] was a way to have meaningful conversations about this; [about] what we could do to improve as a school,” Kadri said.
The analysis includes the formation of a student committee with student representatives to weigh in with their experiences at SPHS. After talking to stalkeholders, conducting surveys, and researching information about the school, Kadri and Valcorza drafted a report detailing over one hundred pages of information about the school. “This just stands for a way for people to basically hold us accountable for the type of instruction we’re doing…it’s [also] kind of a way to celebrate the strengths that we have as a school, and the strengths that we have as a community,” Kadri said. Throughout the days they are visiting, WASC will also pull students aside during classes to talk to them about their experiences at SPHS. WASC also will also take into account standardizing testing scores as part of their evaluation. Valcorza and Kadri both viewed the WASC as a way of celebrating teacher and student accomplishment in addition to helping the school direct their attention to areas for improvement. The committee will validate or redirect the plans of action that Valcorza and Kadri have drafted, including proposals for a female security guard on campus and a short advisory period for students. “[We] don’t pretend to be a school that is perfect, we know that there are things that we need to improve upon,” Valcorza said. “I do hope they get to see everything, because through that they will really see the amount of work, the dedication, the commitment, the hard work of all of our staff members as well as the great and outstanding work done by our students and [all] stakeholders in the community.”
ELECTORAL COLLEGE
PSYCHICS
AVA HARTSTEIN
Tiger analyzes the historical system of the Electoral College in America and how the convolution of past and present political values fails to promote democracy and voting equality.
Tiger explores the intersections of film and television in conjunction with mediums, psychics, and the supernatural as the industry preys on emotionally vulnerable clients.
Tiger looks into the soccer career and opportunity to participate in the Talent Identification Center SoCal of sophomore Ava Hartstein, goalkeeper for the SPHS and ECNL teams in the Los Angeles area.
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