Principal's Update

Titans are self-reliant learners empowered to better themselves and their communities.

Good morning Titan Community,

As we begin the month of March, I want to take a moment to reflect on the importance of supporting each other and our school. This week, our Sophomores and Juniors will be taking state tests. While these assessments are low stakes, they provide a valuable opportunity for our students to give back to the school while also holding us accountable for continuous improvement.

Students will not have any tests or exams in other classes this week. Remember that any student who does not test will automatically earn the lowest possible score for themselves and for our school.

Your ongoing support of this assessment is crucial, and we truly appreciate the partnership of Gunn families in ensuring we reach the 95% participation mandate. We’ve seen your commitment year after year, and your support continues to make a difference.

Thank you for helping us make Gunn such a special place. Wishing everyone a fantastic month of March!

Warmly,
Dr. Stratton

• Proposition 28 Survey
• CAASPP/CAST Schedules
• YCS Service Day Volunteers Needed, 3/31
• Read Across America- Book Donations
• CPR Classes for students, from Stanford Health
• Cell Phone Ad Hoc Committee Update
• Career Month!
• Titan Tidbits

• Key Dates

In 2022, California voters approved Proposition 28, a measure that provides ongoing funding to expand arts and music education in public schools. This initiative underscores the vital role of visual and performing arts (VAPA) in fostering creativity, enriching education, and enhancing students' overall well-being.

As a result, California schools, including PAUSD, are receiving additional funds annually to continue to expand arts programming. These funds are intended to enhance—not replace or change—our existing arts, music, and theater programs, ensuring even more opportunities for our students to thrive creatively.

Attached, you’ll find a brochure with more details about Proposition 28 and its impact.

Please provide your input in the brief survey below. Your input will provide valuable input for site administrators on how these funds are used to enhance our robust K-12 PAUSD Visual and Performing Arts Programs.

Please click here for a brief survey about potential future arts programming. This survey will be open until February 28th.

Monday, March 3rd

Tuesday, March 4th

Wednesday, March 5th

Thursday, March 6th

In partnership with Youth Community Service (YCS) and the student-led Gunn YCS Club, Gunn High School provides transportation so that students can volunteer at partner sites across the area. Service sites include elementary schools, community gardens, food banks, and more. Service Day allows students and Gunn High School to give back, in line with Gunn's core commitment to community.

This year, Service Day is Monday, March 31, 2025. We anticipate that over 200 students will participate across 13+ service sites. Although each site will have a teacher chaperone, parent volunteers are essential to the day. If you are interested in volunteering, please reach out to aubrey@youthcommunityservice.org for more details.

Our annual celebration of Read Across America is coming soon. During this time, we offer free books to all of our students. If you have books to donate, please drop them off at the main office between now and February 28.

The cell phone ad hoc committee is comprised of 4 staff members, 5 parents and 12 students and has been meeting monthly since September. The charge of the committee is to have open discussions and conversations around cell phone and tech usage, as well as create a policy for Gunn High School.

A message from Stanford Health:

Stanford Health Care Center for Education and Professional Development is pleased to announce three additional dates for our free CPR certification class for high school students.

Our upcoming dates are:

• May 4, 2025
• August 10, 2025
• October 12, 2025

All courses will be held at the Center for Education and Professional Development at 1850 Embarcadero Road in Palo Alto, CA from 1-4pm. We will be certifying all participants, free of charge, thanks to generous support from Stanford Health Care Center for Education and Professional Development.

Due to increased interest in this course, we will be increasing our registration to 60 students per class. Attached is a flyer with QR code that students can scan and sign up to attend.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out. I look forward to seeing your students and helping to prepare the next generation of lifesavers for our community! Thank you in advance for your time and partnership!

A note from work experience teacher, Rachel Kaci.

March 2025 is Career Month! Students will have the opportunity to attend career speaker events, participate in workshops, and explore opportunities at the job fair. If you’re interested in volunteering during the event or want to share your career journey with students, please reach out to Rachael Kaci at rkaci@pausd.org

Thank you Gunn community for attending the Career Themed Pathways Showcase + job fair! We appreciate your support in exploring the exciting electives and career opportunities available to our students. For more information, please submit a Let’s Talk ticket or review the CTE section of the course catalog. Reminder: for ideas of where to gain work experience, students can explore the PAUSD Career Opportunities slidedeck that is updated regularly and includes volunteer options + career related events.

Work Permits: Follow this set of directions to learn more about the work permit process.

A note from Gunn VAPA IL, Todd Summers:

"The Gunn Percussion Ensembles with special Guest Gunn Aspen Saxophone Quartet presented a lively concert in the band room on Saturday, January 25th. The concert was a blast, filled with high-energy rhythms, unique sounds, and a whole lot of talent. Huge thanks to everyone who came out to support us – you made it an unforgettable experience!"

Well done, Gunn musicians! 🎼🎷🎶

On Wednesday January 29 Gunn hosted the annual CTE showcase and electives fair. Teachers and students from all 6 secondary sites were on campus to talk about their CTE programs, do demonstrations and engage with students and the community. Gunn students were also able to spend time on the senior quad interacting with electives teachers and learning more about the many electives classes we offer.

CMEA is proud to recognize Angelina Fitzhugh as the Outstanding Music Educator for Section 7 of the NFHS. A total of 59 individuals have been selected to receive Outstanding Performing Arts Educator Awards from the NFHS, including 25 with Outstanding Music Educator Awards, 23 with Outstanding Speech and Debate Educator Awards and 11 with Outstanding Theatre Awards. The 25 music honorees include eight section recipients and 17 state recipients. The Outstanding Music Educator Awards began in 1989, and 221 individuals have received section awards and another 411 have been honored with state awards. Angelina Fitzhugh, choral director at Henry M. Gunn High School in Palo Alto, California, brings more than 25 years of teaching experience and a steadfast commitment to musical excellence. A leader in the California Music Educators Association, Fitzhugh has guided her ensembles to top-tier performances, including an invitation to the California All-State Music Educators Conference. In addition to her teaching, Fitzhugh is a dedicated mentor and leader in the choral community, serving as co-chair for All-State Choir events and holding leadership positions within CMEA’s Bay Section. Her passion for music education and her ability to inspire students and colleagues alike are hallmarks of her distinguished career. Congratulations Angelina!

Congratulations to Mr. Liberatore, Ms. Fitzhugh, the Gunn Choir students and all the staff who participated in the amazing Choir Musical last week. We recognize the time and effort it takes from everyone involved to put on a production of this magnitude! Bravo to all! 🎶🎼🎵

A huge congratulations to our exceptional Gunn Band students who represented our program at the Santa Clara County Honor Band this past weekend!

Under the expert guidance of Guest Conductor Dr. Vu Nguyen from the University of the Pacific Conservatory, they dedicated their time and talent to prepare for this special event.

Their hard work culminated in a memorable concert on Sunday afternoon, showcasing their dedication and passion for music.

Pictured left to right:

Todd Summers, Gunn Band Director

Jaeyoon Kim, Freshman Percussion

Margaret Beery, Junior Tenor Saxophone

Manvik Nelacanti, Freshman Tenor Saxophone

Huxley Hernandez, Freshman Tuba

Not pictured: Ben Abada Band Director

On Saturday February 22 the Gunn baseball team, as well as parents, coach McDonald and Coach Max Zipperstein spent the morning cleaning up the field and storage sheds. They filled an entire pick up truck with old and broke equipment, sprayed the bleachers down and organized and sorted uniforms. Play ball! ⚾⚾⚾

Congratulations to the following girls Titan wrestlers for qualifying for the CIF State Wrestling tournament in Bakersfield , CA. on Thursday 2/27.

Mei Elgierari at 135lbs finished 4th at the CCS Masters Tournament.

Angelina Jiang at 155lbs finished 1st at the CCS Masters Tournament.

Good luck to both wresters at the CIF State Tournament in Bakersfield.

On Thursday February 27 when a swarm of bees took up residence near one of the Gunn bike racks,

we put up the Bat (Bee) Signal and two unlikely (or maybe- LIKELY!) heroes appeared! Heather Mellows and Sofia Raptis, who are both members of the BEEkeepers guild- showed up in their gear and safely removed the swarm of bees.The bees will go to live happily under the care of Heather .

Real life science at work- teachers going above and BEEyond! 🐝🐝🐝

FEBRUARY:

Mon, March 3

• CAASPP/CAST Testing, Alternate Schedule

Tues, March 4

• CAASPP/CAST Testing, Alternate Schedule

Wed, March 5

• Make up CAASPP/CAST testing, Friday Schedule
• Junior Family Night: College Application Process, 6:30pm, Online

Thurs, March 6

• Make up CAASPP/CAST testing, Regular Thursday Schedule

Fri, March 7

• No School, Staff Development Day

Mon, March 19

• No School, Local Holiday

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