The Acorn

Greetings AOC Families,

I hope that you had a restful weekend! Here is the student bulletin for next week. Parents we have an extended lunch next Tuesday, 5/16 for our senior's graduation rehearsals. Lunch will be held from 10:55am-12:10pm. The other class periods will be shortened and we will still end the school day at 2:55pm. Here is the schedule.

Congratulations to our Seniors for making it to graduation! We are so excited to celebrate you this week! Every year, many of our students are accepted to the top UC schools, several accepted USC (Fight On!). We have full ride scholarships to Rice and other top universities. Teddy Yang, our ASB President has a full ride scholarship (over $300,000 of tuition) for USC and will fulfill his military service after he receives his university degree. Our students have worked hard and earned their accolades and acceptances. Many of our students will proudly go onto College of the Canyons as well. Some of our students are financially and fiscally minded and plan to save money while attending school at COC. They hope to graduate with no debt. Proud of all of you!

The last day that the student store will be open during the 2022-2023 academic year is this Friday, May 19th, although you will still be able to get lunch by signing up in the front office.

Upcoming Events

May 15- Senior celebration on campus.

May 16th-Graduation Rehearsals at 11am, Seniors receive graduation tickets and cap and gown and Extended lunch for grades 9, 10, and 11.

May 17th- Graduation for Seniors at 6pm

May 22nd-May 25th -AOC Final Exams

May 29th-Memorial Day, No School

May 26th-June 2nd-COC Final Exams

June 1st-Last day of school

June 2nd- Teacher work day

Have a wonderful week!

Sincerely,

Dr. Juliet Fine

Principal of AOC

(661) 362-3056

jfine@hartdistrict.org

661-362-3056

Carla Tuttle, Office Manager/ Registrar- ctuttle@hartdistrict.org

Hello Senior Families!

Academy of the Canyons Class of 2023 graduation will be held on Wednesday, May 17th at 6 pm

in the Performing Arts Center located on the College of the Canyons Campus.

Graduation rehearsal will be held on Tuesday, May 16th at 11:00 am and attendance is

mandatory. Caps, gowns, cords and graduation tickets will ONLY be given out at

the graduation rehearsal.

If you require handicap seating please email Ms. Tuttle at ctuttle@hartdistrict.org.

Doors open at 5:00 pm. Ushers will be on-site to take tickets. A ticket will be required to enter

the venue. Please do not line up early. There is plenty of seating and visitors will be asked to

wait in their car until the doors open.

Balloons, horns, confetti or any other items that might cause visual or audio disruption are not

allowed.

Lots 2, 4, and 5 are closest to the Performing Arts Center. You are not required to pay for

parking and parking permits are not needed.

Students can pick up their diploma at AOC the following day, May 18th starting at 8 a.m.

Our graduation ceremony will also be livestreamed for those that are unable to attend the

event in person.

Thank you, and we look forward to celebrating the Class of 2023 with you!

Dr. Juliet Fine

https://bit.ly/academyofthecanyonshs2023

Special thank you to the Kayne family, Mr. Kayne, coach of the Mock Trial team and Mrs. Kayne, # one supporter and Ben Kayne for starting the team.

Congratulations to the 2023 Academy of the Canyons Mock Trial Team for winning 1st place in the 30th Annual Antelope Valley High School Mock Trial Competition. Competitors were recently recognized at an awards ceremony at Highland High School where each participant received a medal and Certificates of Recognition from representatives of Senator Scott Wilk, Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, Supervisor Kathryn Barger and Mayor R. Rex Parris. Students Ben Kayne and Ryan Thompson received special recognition and were presented Honor Court awards during the ceremony. A special thank you for the time, effort and contributions of faculty advisors Dr. Wayne Shapiro and Mr. Mackenzie Frame who were critical to the success of the team, but were unable to attend the ceremony. This was the first year AOC has had a mock trial team, and we are proud of their accomplishments.

Pictured on stage: Back row - Kris McFarren (Attorney Coach), Kristian Mengistu, Nia Konstantinova, Audrey Berentsen, Tristan Simoncioni, Ben Kayne (holding trophy), Saanvi Vaitla, Kavinn Logesh, Holden Meier, Rob Kayne (Attorney Coach). Front row - Emma Buliga, Paneel Samal, Ryan Thompson, Shriya Hariharan, Sophia Najera.

AOC Junior Junhyeok Han won the Rachmaninoff International Competition 1st Place in April 2023. Last year, he won a gold medal performing at Carnegie Hall’s Golden Key Music Festival. He also won a 1st place at the International Music Competition London "Grand Prize Virtuoso," and played at the Royal Albert Hall in, London as well. Junhyeok is not only passionate about his interest in STEM, he is also committed to his musical activities. He started playing the piano when he was seven and has been continuously performing and volunteering to make an impact his community. As a leader of a piano club and non-profit organization called Music for Sharing, he dedicates his time performing at local hospitals, offering free piano lesson for low-income students, and participating in annual fundraisers to support hospitals. Junhyeok feels fulfilled and happy when he is able to give back to his community and make a difference in the lives of people by sharing the joys of music.

Paru was recognized and selected to participate in the Youth in Government program that City of Santa Clarita conducted this year. They learned how different departments in the city worked by visiting them and interacting with the officials. The commencement ceremony was held this last week and the Mayor awarded recognition to the participants. Way to go, Paru!!! AOC is so proud of you!

Thank you to all of our parents who generously donated to our Staff & Teacher Appreciation Week! Teachers felt very loved! Thank you ROOTS and AOC parents for setting up and breaking down the beautiful displays. Thank you to the Williams family for the Chick-Fil-A lunch and the Jawich family for the beautiful chocolate fondue and treats. AOC ROOTS generously gave their time and energy to making AOC staff feel appreciated! A special thank you to Mrs. Zhang, Mrs. Finch, and Fatin Sako and the Kabir family as well. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! We greatly appreciate you and feel grateful for all of your generosity. Everyday, there was something special in store for staff. Desserts galore! The vegan carrot cake and toffee were delicious!

Hello AOC Families,

Regarding the Red Cross READYteens program, applications will be open until mid June. The previous email sent out had an application link for our Volunteer Connection Services, but the link provided here will give you direct access to applying for the program.

Application Link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1FWL__ZYaE96LccN6NIYyaoVBUP6fQxLoXkyt2neLBcU/edit

Apologies for the miscommunication! If the link doesn't work, or if you have any questions to clarify details about the program, please contact Paru Nair at 99049437@my.hartdistrict.org.

Thank you so much!

Paru Nair

• Monday, May 15th: Senior Day-Special Activity for Seniors
• Tuesday, May 16th: Graduation Rehearsal 11:00 a.m-12:00pm, extended lunch for all grades
• Tuesday, May 16th: Senior Sunset: 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. in the plaza
• Wednesday, May 17th: Graduation: 6:00 p.m. in the PAC and Panoramic Photo at 4:30pm
• Friday, May 26th: Celebration Time, Come On! 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. (all grades)

Dear AOC Families,

We have some incredible news to share! The classroom furniture can be purchased and replaced. ROOTS has fundraised $24,000 due to the generosity of our families and private donors. We will be purchasing the furniture this school year!

Thank you!
ROOTS

For the rest of the school year, students and parents are invited to share any good news that they are proud of with the rest of the AOC community. Please share the good news with me, jfine@hartdistrict.org and I will share it with the entire community. Let's celebrate our students' accomplishments together.

Located on the campus of College of the Canyons, AOC is proud to be the middle college high school in the William S. Hart Union High School District serving students 9th-12th grades in the Santa Clarita Valley. Students have the opportunity to earn between 24 and 44 transferable college units, prior to receiving their high school diplomas. Upon graduation, the majority of Academy students pursue their post high school education by continuing at COC and completing their college transfer requirements in only one year after high school. Other AOC students go directly into a four-year university, bringing their community college units with them and placing themselves well into their freshman and sophomore years at the college level. While attending AOC as a high school student, community college tuition is waived for established California residents.

Email: jfine@hartdistrict.org
Website: https://www.academyofthecanyons.com/
Location: Academy of the Canyons, Rockwell Canyon Road, Santa Clarita, CA, USA
Phone: 661-362-3056
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Academy-of-the-Canyons-Middle-College-High-School-330158873741614
Twitter: @Academy_Canyons