C4Me – College Tour Program
Helix’s College 4 Me Tour Program was established in 2006 as a way of giving ALL students an opportunity to visit California’s best colleges and universities in person. Every spring break, upwards of one hundred juniors pile into a tour bus and drive up and down the state of California, visiting a variety of schools. Many of our students may be the first in their family to go to college, so this gives them an opportunity to get a taste of college campus life. The program has been extremely successful and Helix is proud to offer it to any student that is interested, regardless of financial ability.
This year’s C4Me trip went off without a hitch! Ninety-eight juniors participated in a three part college exploration series prior to the trip, where they learned invaluable lessons such as college basics, transcript reviews, beyond the grades, majors, etc. In spite of the unpredictable weather we encountered, students took it in stride and enjoyed their time at the nine colleges in Northern California visited over a four-day span. Students returned with a wealth of knowledge from admission workshops and the amazing opportunity to meet up with former Helix students to discuss their path and insight on the college process from an alumni perspective. In addition to visiting college campuses they had the amazing opportunity to enjoy some free time at the Santa Cruz pier where they created lifetime memories with their classmates.
Freshmen College Field Trip
Our Helix First class, a required class that all freshmen take to get familiarized with Helix, took a day long field trip to tour the SDSU & UCSD campuses. This trip helps introduce what the college experience is like in a way that only being on a college campus can! We coordinate Helix alums currently attending those schools to lead the tours so they can talk about their experience and answer questions.
Trades Day
Helix hosted our first annual Trades Day event and it was a success! We had representatives from construction trades (Electrical Union, Sheet Metal Union, ABC Trade School, Assoc. of General Contractors), law enforcement and city jobs (LMPD and La Mesa Public Works), the military (Air Force, National Guard), realtors (SD Association of Realtors), cosmetology (Color Collective Salon, Artisan Kings – owned by Helix alum Homer Mauga), youth job training (SD Workforce Partnership) and Grossmont & Cuyamaca colleges. Helix is excited to make this event an annual tradition.
In addition to Trades Day, we also have regular Career Presentations in our Academic Support classes. The schedule can be found in the monthly school newsletters.
Psychology Fair
Julie Damschen’s Psychology fair lives on after taking a break through COVID. She has been organizing this event for over 20 years now! 10th – 12th grade College Prep Psychology students created interactive activities based on psychological principles, like love languages, gambler’s fallacy, reconsolidating, selective attention theory and much more! They made hypotheses, collected data and then shared the results. Ninth graders and staff members rotated through stations as the audience and learned about the theories they presented on.
LMPD & Student Forum
We hosted an incredibly powerful forum with the LMPD, representatives from the La Mesa Police Oversight Board and our Executive Director Kevin Osborn about the school to prison pipeline and what we can do in education and law enforcement to help mitigate it. Thank you to Ms. Jendian and students from English 120, a dual enrollment course, for organizing and asking important questions. Students did this as part of a unit on criminal justice where they research and propose a school discipline policy based on the school-to-prison pipeline, the Helix school discipline policy, and punishment versus rehabilitation policies.
Business Pathway Event: Kill The Stigma Community Forum
Helix’s Business Pathway students collaborated with Dreams+Ducats, a nonprofit education consultancy that designs programs and solutions to evolve learning alongside community and culture. Their community forum was held last week at Quartyard, a venue in downtown San Diego. Our students participated on a discussion panel and explored mental health and how schools and institutions can adapt curriculum to better meet their needs and learn how to collectively support the healing of young people everywhere.
Biology Class Research Field Trip
Our biology classes went to the Safari Park to participate in lab work in the Beckman Research Facility. The Beckman Center for Conservation Science is headquarters for the largest zoo-based multidisciplinary research team in the world. The Beckman Center is dedicated to connecting students with the science of saving plants and animals worldwide, in the hopes of fostering a conservation literate and active public.
Helix Choir National Anthem 
The Helix Choir performed at the La Mesa National Opening Day Ceremony for over 500 community members! Check out the video here. Show Choir Auditions for the 2023-2024 school year are on May 13. Application is posted here with times and details. Among the students in the choir are HLX members and seniors Arabelle Quiggle and Julissa Sierra-Reyes, pictured holding awards for the group’s second place finish at the recent John Burroughs High School Show Choir competition in Burbank. (Courtesy photo)
Athletics
Water Polo:
Congratulations to girls’ water polo & Coach Wylie for making history in being ranked 2nd in the county and competing for the first time at the California Regional Tournament.
Player highlight from Coach Darren Emery: Angel Riggens is the ultimate competitor. Her strength in the outfield and arm strength make her a shutdown center fielder. She shows patience and bat control at the plate which is something you cannot teach. Her softball IQ is very high and she motivates those around her to do better. Angel has been a huge part of the Helix softball program for the past four years and will be greatly missed when she moves on next year to Howard University.
Boys Lacrosse:
Boys lacrosse is off to its best start since 2019. Currently the 2nd seed in D3 with a 9-3 record. We have won more games this season now than the last three years combined. Coach Whittles would like to highlight some of his strongest players: Morgan Lennon – Defense, Ryan Appenzeller – Midfield and Gio Cisneros – Midfield.
Track & Field:
Senior track athlete, Adren Parker set the Mt. SAC Invitational record in the 400 m on Saturday. His time is the second fastest in the State this year.
Upcoming Events:
Family First Info Nights
Our Family First Info Nights is a Helix tradition of keeping parents informed and connected. In this series, we offer presentations about a variety of topics. Most are held on Thursdays at 6pm for constancy, also some virtual events may vary. See our upcoming schedule on helixcharter.net/FamilyFirst for more information and for links to previous recordings. Coming up next month is a Community Roundtable about Mental Health, an introduction to our English Learner Program and Reclassification Ceremony and info sessions on Athletics, C4Me & English 120.
Spring Fling Welcome BBQ – Wednesday, May 3 from 5-7p.m.
Our Spring Fling Freshmen Showcase will be held on Wednesday, May 3 from 5 p.m.- 7 p.m. Helix academics, arts, athletics and activities will be showcased throughout campus allowing families to get acquainted with the many curricular and extracurricular programs offered. Students will be able to sign-up for sports teams, clubs and service organizations. Teachers will be available to provide information and answer questions regarding Helix academics. Incoming 9th graders will receive a complimentary meal ($5 ea. for additional family members) and there will be performances from our performing arts groups. We are excited to offer Breakout Info Sessions this year. The schedule and descriptions can be found on our website.
ACE Club Scholarship Event – May 6
ACE Club will be participating in the Student Showcase at SDSU on May 6. Last year, our students were awarded $12, 500 in college scholarships. We hope to get more than that this year! It’s the day that ACE clubs from about the county showcase the projects they have been working on all year with industry mentors.
Senior Prom – Saturday May 6
Prom will be held at the Birch Aquarium. The theme is masquerade.
Helix Choir’s Spring Cabaret – May 11 & 12 at 7 p.m. in the PAC
Chess Tournament – May 13
The chess club is one of our most popular clubs on campus and a place where English learners can meet people over the international language of chess. Helix is organizing and hosting a Chess Tournament Invitational on Saturday, May 13th at 12:00 PM in the school library. Helix student Ralph Valdez (11th grade) is the person to beat. He has won every tournament since last year and also other chess tournaments in SD County.
Helix’s 70th Graduating Class! – Thursday, June 1
More details will be announced shortly.
– Lauren Knuth is the community relations & engagement coordinator at Helix Charter High School.
