Message from the Superintendent
Dear AUSD Community,
Happy summer! Even though the 2022-23 school year has ended, we are still busy at our sites and the district office. The learning continues for our students and staff members. Summer Adventures for grades TK-6 and AUSD high school summer school are in full swing, and AEF summer school started yesterday. Staff members are participating in summer workshops and committees, and are also gearing up for annual professional development sessions in August.
Although we continue to stay active, summer does allow us the flexibility to implement some things that are difficult to schedule during the school year. One of these is student workshops. Last week, we welcomed more than 30 high school students to a two-day leadership training.
I had the privilege of spending time with the elected members of our Student Advisory Council and selected student leaders from AHS, MKHS, and SGHS, as they gathered together for two full afternoons of developing leadership skills, building trust, improving communication, making new friends, and setting goals for applying what they learned to their roles at their respective schools. We are grateful to the City of Monterey Park for the use of their Service Club House, to board members and administrators who came to support the students, and to Mr. John Losey from Into Wisdom Group for being a fantastic guide and for making learning fun and valuable for the students.
Throughout the training, our high school student leaders demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities and we know they will make positive impacts on their individual high schools and on our community as a whole. They are quite an impressive group! Their dedication, hard work, and desire to serve their schools are truly commendable. They have certainly shown us that leadership is not limited by age. (Highlights from the Student Leadership Training can be found further down in this issue.)
By the next issue of our newsletter, we will have our Student Board Member and alternate in place, and they will officially begin serving in their new capacity in early August. I can't wait to see what these young leaders will accomplish next year and am looking forward to continuing to support and encourage them in their future endeavors!
In Partnership,
Denise R. Jaramillo, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Congratulations to the Alhambra Rotary Club 2023 Tim K. Siu Scholarship recipients: James Han (Alhambra High School), Reyna Lee Minch (Mark Keppel High School), Katherine Clemente Ramona Convent High School), and Justin Marin (San Gabriel High School). Each student was awarded $1,000 to assist them as the continue with their educational pursuits.
Northrup School’s TK, kindergartners, and 1st-grade students spent three weeks learning about animals and the behaviors they demonstrate to help their offspring survive. At the end of the unit, they had the pleasure of having hands-on experiences with live reptiles, bugs, and amphibians.
At Park School, as one of the last projects of the year for Mrs. Sara Kim’s 7th graders was a Haunted House STEAM activity. The students used the "Pepper’s Ghost" scientific illusion to make it appear as if a ghost was present in their house. The illusion is named after scientist John Henry Pepper who popularized the effect.
Congratulations to Dr. Monica Solorzano, assistant principal of Brightwood School, on her retirement after 28 years of service to Alhambra Unified School District. Dr. Solorzano announced her discussion after AUSD held its 2023 Retirement Reception but the Brightwood staff made sure to give her a special send-off.
Male team were also recognized at the June 6th AUSD Board of Education meeting for winning the California Association of Dance Team State Championship in Pom, Drill, Dance, and Varsity Small All Male teams. Also recognized was dance team director, Kevin Tong for being awarded the California Association of Dance Team Directors (CADTD) Director of the Year.
Led by advisor Paul Lam, the Mark Keppel High School
SkillsUSA team was recognized at the AUSD Board of Education meeting on June 6th for being awarded the state gold medal for Introductory Woodworking, the state gold
and silver medal for Introductory Drafting, and the
state silver and bronze medal for Advertising Design.
During the last week of school, Alhambra Mayor Adele Andrade-Stadler visited Independence High School. She gave an inspiring and encouraging speech to the students and then presented senior Isabella Hernandez with the Alhambra Latino Association Scholarship award. The students were honored to have the mayor come to their campus to speak with them.
Under the leadership of Mrs. Emily Ichise-Sizemore at Alhambra High School, the Japanese-language students participated in Global Classmates to partner with students at Tsunan High School in Niigata, Japan. Funded through a competitive grant, the students were able to experience a six-month virtual cultural and language exchange program that connected AHS students with their counterparts on the other side of the world.
At this week's City Council meeting, the City of San Gabriel recognized community members who went through intensive CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training, including the 23 San Gabriel High School seniors from their Medical Careers Academy (MCA). Seniors Michelle Chai and Victoria Gutierrez represented MCA at the City Council meeting and accepted the certificates on behalf of their peers.
Alhambra Educational Foundation
Alhambra Latino Association
Asian American Association
If you would like more information about the Asian American Association, please go to the AAA WEBSITE.
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