Mission Bay High
– IB visual artists will present their annual IB Art Exhibition and Internal Assessment 6 to 8 p.m. April 4 in the MBHS Dance Room. For more information, contact IB art teacher, Ms. Parrish, at [email protected]. 
– Congratulations to coach Greg Farrar and the MBHS Surf Team, as they won the Division IV championship by finishing 5-0.   Pacific Beach Middle – Congratulations to Courtnee Donohoe for receiving PBMS Teacher of the Year award. Teaching for 28 years total, Donohoe has been teaching history and art at PBMS for the last 10 years. “I am so fortunate to have wonderful children to teach that are motivated to learn. I love ancient history and enjoy sharing that passion with my students. I want students to appreciate history and understand why it is important to learn.”
– Congratulations to PBMS Mandarin students who competed in the Chinese Bridge Contest on March 6, at PBMS. Leah Markworth took first place and Christopher Santy placed second in Language, and the Cultural Talent award was earned by Liliana Capalbo. CPJMA – Crown Point Junior Music Academy violin students, under the direction of Stephen Luchs, performed with Classics 4 Kids for the sixth straight year at the Balboa Theatre in downtown San Diego on March 8 and 9. The theme for this production was “From Bach to Rock.” CPJMA students performed “Minuet No. 1” by Bach, and Mark O’Conner’s “Boogie Woogie” with the Classics Philharmonic Orchestra. SDUSD board member Dr. Mike McQuary, director of SDUSD Visual and Performing Arts Russ Sperling, and VAPA music specialist Mark Nicholson were all in attendance. Principal Armando Lopez said: “In all the years that I have been an educator, I have never seen or heard such high-quality performances by an elementary music group. Thanks to Mr. Luchs.” Kate Sessions – Thanks to parents/guardians and community sponsorships, Sessions reached its Jog-a-thon fundraising goal. This meant that Principal Carlin had to shave his head and PE teacher Mrs. Emerson’s hair became very colorful. PB Elementary – Pacific Beach Elementary thanks all the local businesses who donated items to its online auction. All proceeds benefit the neighborhood school, attended by 84 percent of school-age kids within PBE’s boundaries. 
– Fourth grader Tessa Burcham was awarded a Carson Scholarship, given to students who embrace high levels of academic excellence and community service. Barnard Elementary – Students from Barnard Mandarin Magnet Elementary School triumphed at the 2018 Chinese Bridge Language Proficiency Competition on March 6. The event, held at Pacific Beach Middle School, provided an opportunity for students to express their Chinese proficiency, knowledge, and talents while encouraging their pursuit of learning Chinese language and culture. In the second- to third-grade division, Barnard students won nine of 10 awards, including best speeches and best talents. In the fourth- through fifth-grade division, Barnard students won five of the top awards, including best speech. Third grade student Kayla W. won first place overall in her division. In her speech, she spoke about learning new things from play, like how her dad taught her soccer. “I practiced a lot!” said Kayla. “My friends and I would practice after school every day, and then I practiced at home before bed every night. It was a little scary on stage at first, but I told myself to smile and enjoy it because I would not be on stage again for another year. I am excited to compete next year!” Fifth grade student Asha F. won second place overall in her division. Her talent was Chinese tongue twisters, including one that was 44 characters long that used only Z-S-C sounds. She added an additional verse of 14 characters. “Tongue twisters take advantage of the fact that Chinese is a tonal language,” Asha said, “which makes it difficult.”
and more challenging to do correctly. The language is fun for me.” With the Mandarin immersion pathway extending through eighth grade at Pacific Beach Middle School and soon to be expanded through 12th grade within the World International Baccalaureate diploma program at Mission Bay High School, the outlook for these students is promising and the possibilities.