The Keppel Insider

Dear Students, Parents, and Community Members,

Happy April! As the days grow longer and spring blossoms around us, I hope this message finds you well and energized for the remainder of the school year. April is a busy month as we start our State testing, AP Testing and prepare for the end of the year events such as graduation.

I want to remind everyone of the importance of finishing the year strong. Attendance is a priority and promoting academic integrity, kindness and respect will help us fulfill our commitment to creating a positive, inclusive and supportive learning environment for all students.

As we move into the final months of the school year, let's continue to work together to ensure a successful and enriching experience for everyone. Please feel free to reach out to the school office or your child's teachers with any questions or concerns.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support.

The theme of the 2025 MKHS Academic Decathlon team was "Comeback Strong'. After a disappointing 2024 season where they didn't have a complete team to compete, they vowed to come back strong and had three goals. The first goal was to retake the LACOE Championship. Although they did well, they came up short against the exceptional Alhambra team [coached by Mr. Jose Sanchez] and finished a close second in LA County.

With that in mind, our team vowed to charge ahead and see if they could crack the top 3 at the 2025 California Academic Decathlon [CAD]. Coming into the competition, they were ranked 4th behind Alhambra, based on their LACOE scores. They had the added goal that since they were from a "middle high" enrollment school, if they finished at least 4th, they would qualify for the USAD National Competition. As such, in the 6 weeks between the end of the LA County Competition and the beginning of CAD, they worked through lunch, stayed daily until 6 pm and met on Saturdays [in person & virtual]. All the hard work paid off as they barely edged Alhambra by 94 points and took 3rd overall and named the "At Large CAD Champions". This was their third time finishing 3rd at CAD. The other two times occurred during the Pandemic [2020 & 2021], so the students were not able to get on stage at CAD, receive their team medals, and be acknowledged in front of a live audience..

Placing 3rd at CAD was special, and it is not over yet. With USAD Nationals about 5 weeks away, the students and coach will take some time off, catch their breath and charge into another Academic Decathlon Competition! Naionals will take place in Des Moines, Iowa, May 1st - 3rd. GO AZTECS!!

3rd Place CAD Trophy. GO AZTECS !!!

From Left to Right: Mr. Tin Tran, Matthew Ma, Axel Raphael, Hunter Pham, Ivan Luu, Yuliao"Jerry" Fan, Allen Chao, Cooper Torres, Sandra Liang and Amber Kuo

HEADING TO NATIONALS!!!!!!!

As a Unified Sports and Dance school, our students have taken 3rd place in basketball and participated in a Unified Dance event.

CLICK ON THE LOGO ABOVE TO SEE OUR STUDENTS DANCE:)

• Provide support in college preparatory class (Honors, AP, dual enrollment)
• Develop strategies for success such as study habits, time management, organizational skills and higher level thinking
• Collaborate with parents in students’ academic progress
• Prepare students to be leaders on campus and participate in extracurricular clubs and activities
• Provide students with instruction and skills necessary for academic success
• Explore post-secondary options, visit college campuses,and apply for college and universities.

You should apply if you...

• Have the desire to work hard in challenging courses and explore post-secondary options.
• Will be the first in your family to attend college

What are the requirements and the selection process?

• Between a 2.0 and 3.0 GPA
• Complete the Google form application visa the QR code below.
• In the month of May- Notification of acceptance.

We are very grateful for the partnership we have had for years with our PTSA and Alliance groups. Both have been supportive of Mark Keppel High School. They work hard to fund raise for our Senior Grad NIte and are always willing to donate wherever they see a need. Last year's donations included more lunch tables and umbrella's, materials for the classroom at the request of teachers and a special visit from the Aquarium. Please support their fundraisers which in turn help make Mark Keppel a better place and expand the experiences our students have.

This year was huge for our chapter, with 186 members giving back through nearly 50 volunteer activities, 16 fundraisers, and several professional development opportunities. We collaborated with Keppel's College and Career Center to host resume workshops and campus clean-up events. Additionally, we've hosted five webinars featuring industry experts like Andrew Vizcaino, a registered nurse, Kristen Fernandez, an associate manager in streaming solutions advertising, EricThorpe, a graphic designer, and more. Their insights gave members real-world career guidance and networking opportunities.

Our, and California's, first-ever Skills USA Inter club Social event got members together with students from other schools to promote communication and cooperation. They also had a successful towel drive for donation to animal shelters in the area, building self-initiative and teamwork among our members. In our competitions, we had 59 regional and 29 state qualifiers, as well as a number of top awards in areas like Architectural Drafting, Medical Math, and Cabinetmaking. For our dedication to leadership, community service, and acquisition of skills, they also won the Chapter of Excellence Award!

Congratulations to Mr. Paul Lam for being named High School Teacher of the Year!! We also want to congratulate our very own Aiden Chan. He is one of 7 student scholarship recipients. He is being awarded under Woodtech.

Allie Phillips, a Mark Keppel High School graduate has qualified for
the 2025 NAIA National Women's Wrestling Championship this year.
She captured 8th place in the nation and is officially a NAIA 2025 All
American and is a scholar athlete.

Please click on the image above to access athletic information.