October 15, 2021
There was no shortage of activities with girls’ tennis, girls’ volleyball, boy’s water polo, football, cheer, band and the dance team. Additionally, we had our School Site Council and PTO meetings. However the highlight of the week for me was Tuesday night that started with our latest iteration of Report Card Night and culminated with our Hispanic Heritage Celebration.
The plaza was decorated and lit in a festive manner that helped to create an electric atmosphere. The other critical component of the tone was the variety of representatives we had on display from community colleges to our very own Physics students with their impressive displays of recent learning. A nice touch to the cultural richness was the El Gordito Mexican Food vendor set up on one end of the plaza.
On the other end was where most of the magic happened, starting out with a trio who played traditional cultural music with both strings and vocals ringing throughout the setting. People clapped, sang and even danced in a spontaneous expression. Another freshman student stood on stage and sang beautifully with a voice so rich in both culture and confidence. The whole evening was hosted by our very own ASB president, Cristopher Espino, who conducted the evening with warmth and professionalism.
However, the most impactful moment for me was our student speakers, especially those students at the end who introduced themselves with 6 or 7 simple descriptive sentences. The boldness and encouragement it took for them to walk up on stage and present their lines in front of over 100 people in a brand new language was impressive. Following the ceremony, they stood on stage one by one taking a picture with the bouquet their teacher, Genesis Hernandez, brought and their glowing smiles. While seemingly a small feat to some, these short presentations represented so much to these students and our school. Each student represented a story of prevailing over incredible obstacles. Our focus this year is to discover ways to support, encourage and grow our EL learners, and the student presentations were inspiring as to what can happen when we provide tools, venues and encouragement for students to share their hearts.
It was a great night to be a Tiller for sure!
Go Tillers!
Dr. Jon Tuin
Tustin High School Principal
Contact us!
Email: THSInfo@tustin.k12.ca.us
Website: https://www.tustin.k12.ca.us/tustin-high
Location: 1171 El Camino Real, Tustin, CA 92780, USA
Phone: 714-730-7414
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TustinHighSchool/
Twitter: @TustinHS