Thursday, May 17, 2012
He's a high school sophomore by day and a rock singer and guitarist by night.
Whiz Kid: Daniel "D.J." De Neve School/Grade: Trabuco Hills High School/sophomore Residence: Rancho Santa Margarita Whiz Kid Achievement: D.J. is the lead singer and guitarist for the band Cities Around Us and recently performed at Chain Reaction in Anaheim. Key to Awesomeness: By day, he's a high school teen who enjoys math, but when the homework is done, D.J. heads to practice with Cities Around Us, a Christian rock band named after a verse in the Bible. D.J. says he never set out to be a musician, but always had an interest in singing. He took violin and saxophone lessons in school and, when he was 8, picked up guitar. He challenged himself with new techniques and eventually played on his church’s worship team and in the school band. …
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Before converting to Christianity, Waffen SS Lt. Werner Langer fought for the Germans in World War II and shook Hitler's hand. On Monday, he spoke with a Rancho Santa Margarita classroom.
He's 87 years old, one eye is mostly closed, and he's wearing an American flag lapel pin. His accent is strong, his humor self-deprecating and his message is clear. Lt. Werner Langer fought for the Germans in World War II. On Monday in a Santa Margarita Catholic history class, Langer fought the stereotype. He wasn't exactly what the kids expected from a former Hitler Youth and Nazi soldier, a caricature they had seen only in movies. Yet, for the better part of an hour, Langer regaled the mostly senior class—primarily boys, a handful of girls—in Scott McIntosh's class, which devotes one semester to the Civil War and another to WWII. As an officer in the Waffen Secret Service—which Langer likened to the Marines—he fought against the Russians…
Monday, May 14, 2012
If voters shoot down a November initiative to temporarily raise taxes, school districts statewide would face $5.5 billion in cuts, about $700 million worse than what the governor estimated in January.
Gov. Jerry Brown continues to lay his hopes for state fiscal soundness on a November tax initiative, but if it doesn’t pass, schools will face additional cuts that could chop three weeks off the next school year. On Monday, Brown revised the 2012-13 budget he first released in January. Called the May revise, his new figures reflect tax revenues that have fallen far short of earlier predictions. “It’s a difficult budget,” Brown acknowledged in a press conference. If voters approve his temporary tax hike measure, Brown’s revised budget would actually increase funding for schools by $15 billion in four years, or $2,500 per student. Brown called the tax initiative reasonable. “I think it’s fair, and I think it provides a reliable source of …
Friday, May 11, 2012
This Cielo Vista student stands out playing a unique instrument in the school band and with his local music studio.
Whiz Kid: Sydney Noble School/Grade: Cielo Vista, Sixth Grade City of Residence: Rancho Santa Margarita Whiz Kid Achievement: An honor roll student at school, Sydney is also an exceptional baritone player in the school band and a part of Tijeras Creek Little League. Key to Awesomeness: When it came time to choose an instrument in the school band last year, Sydney Noble chose a unique instrument: the baritone. He enjoyed being in band with his teacher Mike Mekata and wanted to expand his knowledge of the instrument outside school, too. He took up private lessons with Cheryl Suwardi and has since become an outstanding student and player. According to Suwardi, Sydney makes an excellent Whiz Kid because of his “dedication to music, strong work…
Thursday, May 10, 2012
The Annual ROP Distinguished Student Awards ceremony awards scholarships in five career majors as well as a select number of special scholarships funded by the ROP staff and community partners.
When students earn awards through the Capistrano-Laguna Regional Occupational Program, a whole audience gets to hear their praises from the teachers who shepherded them along. The nominating teachers used words like "passion," "vision," "intensity," "achievement," "outstanding," "driven," "talented," "remarkable" and "inspirational." The audience hearing these adjectives were with well-dressed students, supporting family members, sponsoring business partners and many representatives from the Capistrano Unified and Laguna Beach Unified school districts, who filled the theater at San Juan Hills High to the brim Wednesday. The ROP honored outstanding students who enrolled in specialty classes which focus on career-oriented instruction, …
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San Juan Hills High School
29211 Vista Montana, San Juan Capistrano, CA
/articles/rop-awards-ceremony-recognizes-outstanding-students-who-are-nominated-by-their-instructors
1755430
/locations/6993336
Monday, May 7, 2012
Under a proposal coming before the school board, some area high schools would introduce beginning Mandarin Chinese courses.
Local high school students may get the chance to study Mandarin Chinese next year if a proposal to add beginning courses in the language is approved by the Saddleback Valley Unified School District board. The school board is scheduled to review the proposal Tuesday evening at its monthly meeting in Mission Viejo. If the board approves the new courses, "some high schools" in SVUSD could offer them for the 2012-2013 school year, according to the staff report. The report does not specific which schools are interested in adding Chinese classes to their course catalog and attempts to reach the district for more information were unsuccessful. According to the report, enrollment, site funds for textbooks and materials and the availability of …
One tip that isn't included: Tell Patch readers which teachers you think are making the grade in Rancho Santa Margarita.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson urged all Californians to find ways to appreciate teachers this week, designated as National Teacher Appreciation Week. “Teaching is the most important job there is,” Torlakson said. “Ask just about anyone about the person who made the biggest difference in their life, chances are that person is a teacher. Let’s all take a moment this week to say `thank you’ to California’s teachers.” Here’s Torlakson’s top 10 list. For students: For parents: May 8 is National Teacher Appreciation Day, an annual tradition continued by the National Teaches Association. May 9 is California Day of the Teacher, a day established under California Education Code Section 37222, to encourage schools to …
Capo Unified holds off on requesting a state waiver to allow more students per teacher this fall.
Two weeks after bungling a school board agenda item that could have paved the way for more students per classroom, the Capistrano Unified School District now plans to indefinitely postpone any public hearings on the idea. After learning that the state Board of Education won't consider requests to exceed maximum classroom sizes until September, CUSD announced on its website that the district would spend more time "to determine if there’s a need to increase class size and to explore ways to avoid such an increase." So, instead of discussing the idea at CUSD's upcoming Board of Trustee meeting, officials will wait. If the district later decides bigger class sizes are needed to cut spending, trustees will hold a public hearing. "The state …
Friday, May 4, 2012
Healthy crowds turn out for the musical. Watch performances here.
Last weekend's production of Les Misérables: School Edition by Santa Margarita Catholic' Talon Theater was a success as healthy crowds turned out for the moving performances. Impressive sets and resounding voices were the hallmark of the performance of Victor Hugo's story of transformation and redemption. The performance showcased the school's 30-piece orchestra playing the Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg score alongside professional musicians. The cast included more than 35 students. In the days before the performance they had an opportunity to meet Richard Kinsey, who was awarded Broadway Best Supporting Actor for his role as Javert in Les Misérables. The Les Misérables cast includes award-winning vocalist and senior Grant …
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
READER CONTRIBUTION: The Capistrano Unified School District held an informational meeting Tuesday for parents interested in the new K-8 Virtual School. Here's what you need to know.
EDITOR'S NOTE: San Juan Capistrano resident Susan Rea went to the parent information night about Capistrano Unified School District's new virtual K-8 school, which is set to launch in September. These are her notes. Because the mostly online school starts with kindergarteners, parents can't just seat their kids in front of a computer and expect them to learn. Administrator Meg Ervais described the K-2 program as requiring more parental involvement. While Students in K-2 will be guided by a program called "Little Lincoln" the students will use text books and workbooks that directly correlate to the online teachings. Grades 3-5 will use the "Lincoln" which is a bit more independent. They still use text and workbooks. While both …
Lawrence (Larry) McCook
10:41 pm on Thursday, May 17, 2012
There was a second presentation the following day in Mr,. McIntosh's WWII Class featuring returning WWII USN Seaman 1st Class Ernest Schimmer from last year and WWII P-38 Fighter Pilot 1st Lt. Joseph Onesty from three years ago. Mr. Schimmer was on a standby ship in The Pacific when the Japanese signed (on board ship) The Articles of Surrender. He related many humorous escapades that he was … more ›