Dear Patrick Henry students, parents and community members,

Our goal is to continue to develop our students to be thoughtful, productive citizens with a sense of purpose, integrity and a curiosity about the world in which they live. At Henry, we challenge each of our students to reach their full potential with our quality instructional program. We are committed to providing opportunities for students to excel in their talents and learn new skills to support them as they journey through high school and beyond.

There are quite a few exciting updates here at Henry:

Articulation: Our counselors will be meeting with our students in the months of February and March to plan their course selection for next year. Visit our website for course descriptions and information. There will be a parent meeting for current parents on Thursday, Feb. 9 via Zoom. All parents are invited to attend to learn about graduation requirements and the course selection process for our Patriots. Join us on Zoom at: sandiegounified.zoom.us/s/87809785555 at 6 p.m. on Feb. 9. If you are unable to attend the presentation will be posted on our counseling website at: sites.google.com/sandi.net/phhs-counseling-department/home.

ASB Hosting Variety Show on March 1: Come see PHHS students show off their talents at our upcoming variety show on March 1 in our PHAME. Students will sing, dance, play instruments and share some jokes.

Spring Dance – Spring Fling will be held on Saturday, March 11 at 7 p.m. at the San Diego Port Pavilion at the Broadway Pier. The Dance theme is floral. Students will dance under the stars and enjoy a variety of games, food and other fun activities.

NJROTC Highlights: Our Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) Navy League Competitive Team traveled to Ramona High School on Saturday, Jan. 14 for the annual “Up The Hill” Field Meet. Competing in academics, personnel inspection, five drill events, and physical fitness, the patriot battalion finished first overall against 14 other teams from Southern California and Arizona. Standout performances included sophomore cadet Janet An placing first overall in both curl-ups with 340 and pushups with 69. Our drill team also finished first overall in both Armed Basic and Unarmed Exhibition. This was the first time our team has finished first at the Ramona Field Meet in memory. Next up, the Patriot Battalion will be traveling to Santa Ana High School on Saturday, Feb 11 to compete against the top 16 teams in our area with the top two finishers earning spots in the Navy’s National Championship Field Meet in Pensacola, Fla. in April.

Engineering at PHHS: Applications are open for our incoming ninth graders (class of 2028) to apply for Patrick Henry’s Engineering & Computer Science Academy. Our program is the largest in a public school in the region, featuring nine engineering classes in three pathways (Design, Architecture and Computer Science). Our classes are project-based, articulated for Honors credit, and feature guest speakers and field trips. We also have several student-run clubs, including the Society of Women Engineers, Architecture & Construction Mentor Program, and a FIRST Robotics team, which is currently building a new robot for competitions this spring. If your student likes solving problems, building things and is interested in a career in STEM, this is the program for them. For more information and to apply, visit us at patrickhenryeda.org.

Special congratulations to PHHS engineering student Keigo Morita, who with his brother Shingo Morita (PHHS Alum), recently won the U-22 Programming Contest held by the Japanese government’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry. The siblings won the “Building a Good Future Award ” from Diamond Sponsor, SMAREGI Inc. for their work on building an educational website aimed at helping students learn Japanese. You can check out Keigo and Shingo’s website at: skgojapanese.com/.

PHHS Robotics Team:

Patrick Henry High School’s FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition (FRC) team, received the Judges Award at Beach Blitz 2023 for their family-like bond and unmatched student leadership. It is no small secret that the spread of coronavirus had major repercussions for robotics teams all over the world, but even after struggling through the many obstacles that came with the inability to meet in-person and a completely new set of challenges, the Patribots powered through unfazed. A pillar of the Patribots is their student leadership. New members are mentored equally by senior students and adult mentors who provide the guidance and industry experience that is essential to the design process. The Patribots believe that this student-to-student interaction in addition to their excellent mentorship is a perfect recipe for success.

It was for this reason that the Patribots were awarded the Judges Award. This award is given to teams who have been recognized by judges and commended on the positive aspects of their team, and also have a unique feature that demonstrates the facets of FIRST. The Patribots are distinctive in their system of family participation. Families volunteer to provide meals, snacks, tools, materials and supervision, all of which enables the team to continue working throughout the season.

In addition, the Patribots make a conscious effort to treat each other like family by eating meals together and spending time with one another. The Patribots are now preparing for their 2023 season in the new FRC game, Charged Up. At the end of their build season, the Patribots will be attending two competitions: Central Valley Regional as well as San Diego Regional which will be held at The LionTree Arena at UCSD, March 25-26. Their hopes are high for both competitions and would love to see the community come out to support them at the local competition in March.

Patrick Henry Foundation

PHHS wants to thank our Patrick Henry Foundation for their continued support of all our programs. The PHHS Foundation is our own school’s non-profit support organization, like the PTA, PTO, or other school support organizations. The Foundation would like to thank those who have become members and have donated to our membership drive. Remember every dollar raised supports our faculty and student body. If you have any questions, e-mail [email protected] or go online at: patrickhenryhighfoundation.org. Hope to see you at our monthly 6:30 p.m. third Thursday meetings in the PHHS main office conference room.

Patrick Henry Alumni Association

Our Patrick Henry Alumni Association also supports PHHS in many ways. The major fundraiser event for the Alumni Association is the golf tournament that is held at the Admiral Baker Golf Course. This year’s event will be on Thursday, May 18 at noon. We hope all PHHS Alumni participate in the golf tournament or attend the dinner with silent auction. All funds raised will have a direct benefit to PHHS. Please visit the PHHS Alumni website at: patriotalumni.org/ for more information.

Thank you for being partners in education with us.

Michelle Irwin is principal at Patrick Henry High School.