June 2005 News Archive
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
California State Science Fair Student of the Year
Students in the Santa Barbara High School District had a very strong showing at the 50th annual county Science Fair. Then, on May 23-24, 2005, the top winners at the county level went on to compete in the California State Science Fair. This year, 350 schools from throughout the state sent 955 participants to the state science fair. Four students in the district were honored at the event:
Student: Susan Pasternak, Grade 8, La Colina
Division: Junior
Category: Pharmacology – toxicology
Place: 1st
Project: “Nature vs. Nature: Eradicating Arundo donax with Allelopathic Leaf Extract Treatments”
Advisor: David Marchetti
Student: Wolf Thielmann, Grade 8, La Colina
Division: Junior
Category: Aerodynamics – hydrodynamics
Place: 3rd
Project: “Smoothing the Surface: The Coefficient of Lift and Drag as a Function of Texture”
Advisor: Brad Penkala
Student: Sarah-Marie Amiri, Grade 12, San Marcos
Division: Senior
Category: Microbiology
Place: 3rd
Project: “The Effects of Upwelling, Eutrophication, and Trace Metals on the Bloom Dynamics of Pseudo-nitzschia”
Advisor: Scott Simon
Student: Christina Boardman, Grade 11, San Marcos
Division: Senior
Category: Behavioral Sciences
Place: Honorable Mention
Project: “Lemon Aid: Can Lemon Scent Improve How Fast Your Brain Processes Information?”
Advisor: Olin Bausback
The competition yielded more than $50,000 in awards. Of that amount, San Marcos High School senior Sarah-Marie Amiri received the prestigious $12,000 John D. Isaacs Scholarship, the single largest award that was given. The scholarship recognizes excellence in marine research by high school juniors and seniors while encouraging students to continue their marine science education at California’s colleges and universities. She also received a $500 California Shore and Beach Preservation Association Award. The good news doesn’t end there. Sarah-Marie was identified as the 2005 California State Science Fair Student of the Year.
Sarah-Marie is also the recipient of the Cavaletto Charities Scholarship from the Santa Barbara Foundation and the Marion P. Alves Scholarship. She will be attending UC Santa Barbara.
Channel 18 Broadcast of June 7, 2005, Special Board Meeting
The June 7, 2005, special board meeting will be broadcast on Channel 18 on Tuesday, June 14, 2005, at 10:00 p.m.
Franklin Elementary School Classroom and Library-Media Center Groundbreaking
At 1:45 p.m. on Tuesday, June 14, 2005, spades will be turned at a groundbreaking to kickoff the construction of 12 new classrooms and one library-media center at Franklin Elementary School, 1111 E. Mason Street, Santa Barbara, CA. The $5,564,850 project is being funded with Measure I-98 general obligation funds ($3,831,683), state Proposition 47 funds ($1,483,167), and developer fees ($250,000).
“We are very excited to see this project begin,” said Carole Cowan, Franklin’s principal. “The three new single-story structures will centralize the campus and replace 30-year portables with permanent structures,” she continued.
“This will be a year-long project,” according to Dave Weniger, facilities project manager for the Santa Barbara Elementary School District. WLC Architects of Rancho Cucamonga, CA is the architect and Viola Construction is the contractor on this project. The subcontractors are:
- Benkat & Sons Steel Company, Ventura, CA
- California Floor Design, Canoga Park, CA
- Casework Installations, Inc., La Puente, CA
- Edrow Construction, Newbury Park, CA
- Lindero Masonry, Inc., Newbury Park, Ca
- G.T. Alderman, Inc., Ventura, CA
- Hollywood Tile, Inc., Santa Barbara, CA
- Inland Acoustics, San Bernardino, CA
- IPS Plumbing, Oxnard, CA
- Letner Roofing Company, Orange, CA
- Merit Metal Products, Oxnard, CA
- M & T Concrete, Oxnard, CA
- Pacific Interiors Enterprises, Ventura, CA
- Polyvision, Corona, CA
- Santa Barbara Glass Company, Santa Barbara,CA
- Santa Barbara Insulation, Santa Barbara, CA
- Schwan Brothers Excavating Contractors, Inc.,
- Santa Barbara, CA
- Scott & Sons Electric, Ventura, CA
- Vanguard Painting, Inc., Oxnard, CA
- West Coast Mechanical, Santa Barbara, CA
Karen Glenn and Jonathan Sorgman Identified as National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholars
Two district students were selected as Scholars in the 2004-05 National Hispanic Recognition Program. This year, the program recognized over 3,400 students from a pool of 140,000 students who took the 2003 PSAT/NMSQT. Students who are honored are at least one-quarter Hispanic. Scholars had a grade point average of 3.5 or higher.
Karen Glenn, a student at San Marcos High School, has been in journalism for three years and editor of the King’s Page for two years. She’s been a member of Leo’s Club for four years and served as president for one of those years. She has been a three-year member of Mock Trial; a four-year member of Key Club; member of the Travel Club; member of the National Honor Society and a lifetime member of the California Scholarship Federation. She plays volleyball, basketball, and she is also a diver. Karen was recognized by the Lion’s Club for excellence in community service.
Identified as a National Venture Scholar, Karen also received the Governor’s Scholarship for high scores on exams.
Karen will be attending New York University on a full scholarship. She plans to study international business.
Jonathan Sorgman, a student at Santa Barbara High School, is a founder and member of Santa Barbara High’s Jew Crew Club and a member of Students Organized Against Prejudice. He accumulated 630 hours of community service by co-coaching a youth soccer team during his sophomore, junior, and senior years; working as a city of Santa Barbara Nature Camp junior counselor; and volunteering with the Young Actors Workshop. A talented musician, he plays piano, guitar, sax, and drums.
Jonathan plans to attend the University of Southern California and major in communications.
Roosevelt Principal Goes Ape Over Jogathon Results
Donna Ronzone, Roosevelt Elementary School principal, promised her 523 students that she would do something wacky if they did well at their May jogathon. True to her word, at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 8, 2005, Principal Ronzone will don a gorilla suit to hand out jogathon awards in the school’s auditorium.
In addition to supporting physical fitness, it was hoped that the May 25th jogathon would raise $60,000 for arts programs and field trips. The jogathon’s fundraising results will be announced at the awards assembly.
Santa Barbara High School District
National Merit Scholarship Program Finalists
Last year, from a pool of 1.3 million high school juniors who took the National Merit Program’s Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, 16,000 students were selected as semifinalists. Nine of the semifinalists, who all went on to become finalists, are seniors in the Santa Barbara High School District.
Dos Pueblos High School
David Levi has been involved with the Excel tutoring program at Dos Pueblos for the past two years, where he tutors in all subjects. David will be attending UC Santa Barbara, majoring in chemical engineering. He is considering minoring or even doing a double major, perhaps in history.
Caitlin Maxwell has been active in Junior State of America, where she is on state cabinet. She has also been active with the National Charity League and served as a co-chair for a Congressional Youth Advisory Board for Lois Capps. Caitlin will be attending Middlebury College in Vermont. She expects to major in international politics and economics.
Amy Seale received a $1,000 New York University Merit Scholarship. She did community service with the Santa Barbara Festival Ballet, Santa Barbara Ballet Center, and Gustafson Dance. She plans to minor in dance and major in a still-to-be-identified area of the humanities or business at NYU.
Leah Silverstein plays the piano, is on the varsity tennis team, and was involved in Academic Decathlon during her sophomore and junior years. She volunteers at Hearts Adaptive Riding Program, a riding stable for disabled children. Leah will attend Princeton next year and though she has not yet decided on a major, it will likely be in the sciences, perhaps biology.
Diane Zaida received a $2,500 General Dynamics Merit Scholarship. Diana has been involved in soccer throughout her four years in high school and she ran cross country in her senior year. Almost every Sunday, she volunteers at the animal shelter, caring for the rabbits. Diane will be going to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where she will major in economics.
San Marcos High School
Eli Kupperman has been a member of the National Honor Society every semester; recipient of a Governor’s Scholar Award; member of California Scholarship Federation; on the Honor Roll every semester; 2001 student of the month; member of the track and cross country team and captain of the cross country team. Eli has served as the Math Club president; participated in student government throughout his four years (he’s the current ASB vice president); Scholar Athlete of the Year during his senior year; and, as a sophomore and junior, was an Academic Decathlon California State Champion. For community service, Eli coached the Vieja Valley Elementary School Math Superbowl Team during his sophomore and junior years. He has served as a math and science tutor for high school students and he volunteers in various other local events. Eli plans to attend Harvard College and major in math or economics.
Sarah Ollikkala-Jones has been active in track and field, Mock Trial, and tutoring San Marcos students in chemistry and math. Sarah plans to attend UC Berkeley. She has not yet decided on a major, but she thinks it will be in science.
Santa Barbara High School
Danny Silverman has been awarded a $2,500 National Merit Scholarship. Danny has been a four-year member of the school’s soccer program; he was selected for the First Team All-Channel League Team this year. Danny was the captain of the prosecution of the Mock Trial team. He is the senior class vice-president. He took first place in the Chalk Talk at the 2005 Westmont Mathematics Contest. Danny is the recipient of the Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award. He is a member of the National Honor Society and the California Scholarship Federation. He received the Santa Barbara High School Community Service Star with 160 hours of community service, performing most of his service at the Montecito Union School Homework Club, where he helped elementary students with their reading, writing, math, and science homework. He also volunteered at the Montecito Public Library and helped out with the Summer Reading Program. Danny will be attending Yale University where he hopes to study chemistry and eventually become a teacher.
Zev Weiss plays bass in the jazz programs at both Santa Barbara High School and Santa Barbara City College. He plays flute in the Santa Barbara Youth Symphony. He also plays bass in the Latin band Wayeri, which performs at Cafe Buenos Aires and Palapa on Friday and Saturday evenings, respectively. Next year, Zev will attend the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. He plans on majoring in electrical engineering.
Open Alternative School’s 23rd Annual Iron Kid Triathlon
On June 3, 2005, from 8:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m., Open Alternative students will participate in the 23rd annual Open Alternative Iron Kid Triathlon at Ledbetter Beach. In addition to promoting fitness, the triathlon is a fundraiser where the students secure sponsors. Students ride their bikes from Ledbetter to East Beach and back; swim at Los Baños pool; run from Ledbetter to Shoreline Park and back. Every child participates, including kindergartners who have their own trike/bike rodeo. A barbeque lunch follows the event.
Junior High Chess Tourney at Goleta Valley Junior High School
Goleta Valley Junior High will host the annual Santa Barbara Area Junior High Chess Tournament on June 8, 2005, from 12:30 to 4:00 p.m. in the Goleta Valley Junior High library. Public schools from Carpinteria to Goleta have been invited. Individual and team awards will be given.
For more information, contact Kim Miller, Goleta Valley Junior High School, (805) 967-3486, ext. 314.
Dr. Robertson to Serve as Districts’ Director of Personnel
Dr. Kristine Robertson, Santa Barbara High School’s principal, has been selected to serve as the Santa Barbara Elementary and High School Districts’ director of personnel. She will continue to oversee the operations of Santa Barbara High School while she begins to assume the responsibilities of her new job. The district will open the position of principal at Santa Barbara High School immediately and initiate a search for top-level candidates. Once a candidate has been selected, Dr. Robertson will assist that person to ensure a smooth transition in leadership.
“Kris Robertson brings tremendous strengths to this position. We are very fortunate to have her expertise benefit all employees in our districts. One of her strengths is her leadership in effective employee observation and evaluation. Kris successfully completed a year-long rigorous personnel training program.” stated Superintendent Brian Sarvis, “Honesty, fairness, integrity, organizational skills, and commitment to staff and students are among the qualities she brings to the job. Dr. Robertson is well suited to oversee all operations related to the districts’ 1800-plus employees,” he continued. “Kris strengthened her skills when she participated in the rigorous Personnel Academy program.” According to the Santa Barbara Region Economic Community Project’s list of the county’s top 35 employers, in 1994 the Santa Barbara Elementary and High School Districts were the seventh largest employer in the county. Dr. Robertson will oversee a $67.8 million personnel budget (88% of the high school district’s unrestricted general funds and 79% of the elementary district’s unrestricted general funds). Her major duties and responsibilities include (but are not limited to):
- serve as the districts’ chief negotiator for classified and certificated collective bargaining agreements;
- oversee transfers, reassignments, dismissals, resignations, retirements, layoffs, reemployment, vacations, leaves of absence, and administrative leaves in accordance with negotiated bargaining unit agreements, district policies and regulations, and other applicable laws;
- work with principals and other administrators at their school sites or in their departments for appropriate supervision, evaluation, and discipline of classified and certificated personnel; assist in developing strategies for assistance; oversee release and termination;
- conduct fair, thorough, and legally sound investigations; assure compliance with bargaining unit agreements, state, and federal laws, board and other district policies and regulations, and other applicable laws;
- mediate disputes, conduct pre-disciplinary procedural due process conferences.
“I have been a school administrator for 18 years and I am looking forward to viewing education from a different perspective and broadening my skills,” said Dr. Robertson. “In this stage of my career, the challenge of a new learning curve and the opportunity to move in a different direction with my professional growth is very exciting. It will be a pleasure to continue making a positive difference for the staff and students in this district from my new position.”
Dr. Robertson has long been interested in the personnel side of administration. In 1997, she completed all coursework in the Association of California School Administrators’s Personnel Academy, a comprehensive year-long training program. Her administrative experience is extensive. On July 15, 2003, Dr. Robertson was appointed principal of Santa Barbara High School. Dr. Robertson is the first female principal of the 130-year-old high school, 80 of those years at the 700 East Anapamu Street site. Prior to her work at Santa Barbara High, she was the principal at Goleta Valley Junior High School (2001-03) and La Cuesta Continuation High School (1999-01). Other administrative experience includes: principal, Juvenile Court Schools, Ventura County Superintendent of School’s Office; principal, Perris High School, Perris Union High School District; assistant principal, San Marcos High School, San Marcos Unified School District; assistant principal, Paso Robles High School, Paso Robles Public Schools. She also served as a counselor at the following California schools: Cuesta Community College, San Luis Obispo; Grossmont Community College, La Mesa; Mt. Carmel High School, Poway; Palomar Community College, San Marcos; and Meadowbrook Middle School, Poway.
Dr. Robertson completed her doctorate in educational administration at United States International University in San Diego. She received a master’s degree in counseling from San Diego State University.
GVJH Educator Dan Green to Participate in Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program
Goleta Valley Junior High teacher Dan Green will depart for Tokyo in June. He will be a participant in the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program. He was selected from a national pool of more than 2,500 applicants by a panel of educators. The purpose of the program is to have primary and secondary school educators in the U.S. travel to Japan for three weeks in order to promote greater intercultural understanding between the two nations.
Anti-Defamation League Poster Contest Winners
Six schools participated in the Anti-Defamation League’s elementary school poster contest, five from the Santa Barbara School Districts. Winners from the district are:
- 1st Grade: Thomas Floeter, Harding School
- 3rd Grade: Shayana Shrestha, Cleveland School
- 4th Grade: Itzel Jimenez, Harding School
- 5th Grade: Olivia Glover, Adams School
- 6th Grade: Kevin Griffith, Adams School
Grand Prize Winner Aiyana Cazabat, 1st grade, Santa Barbara Charter School
VITA Update from Santa Barbara High School
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance students at Santa Barbara High School prepared 684 returns for low income, seniors, and others. Their work resulted in $650,789 in refunds in the 2005 tax filing season. The program, established 8 years ago and taught by Lee Ann Ben-Kinney, is part of the Santa Barbara County Education Office’s Regional Occupational Program.
Open Alternative Students Explore the Owens Valley
Open Alternative Middle School students went on an environmental camp/study trip last week to the Eastern Sierra. As a part of their study of the Owens Valley, geology was emphasized as well as the history of the city of Los Angeles and the Owens River water. Students also visited Manzanar to cement their study of the World War II Japanese internment. Other classes spent their environmental camp study time last week either studying the local back country at Sage Hill or Nira campgrounds or studying the coastal environment at El Capitan or at Montaño del Oro.