25,320 Acts of Kindness Quest

PHHS is driven on character education, which can extend into avenues all across out campus. The goal of the Acts of Kindness Quest was to have every student on campus, in six minutes, send out at least 10 messages of kindness out to the universe — 25,320 acts of kindness.

This project is the culmination of other activities that include making an all-school art piece out of strips of paper where students publicly thanked someone (2,532 strips making a giant peace sign) to be displayed. If you’ve seen the giant starry night mural on campus, the idea is similar.

Students also wrote one thoughtful thank you card and read an excerpt from the handout “Congratulations, By the Way” by George Saunders.

Henry dancers get the Dinsney experience

On Dec. 6, PHHS junior varsity and varsity dance teams embarked on a Disney Adventure. After raising funds and getting administrative approval, the PHHS dance teams headed off to California Adventure Park to have a behind-the-scenes Disney experience.

The dancers entered the park in the morning where they were free to enjoy California Adventure theme park and all it had to offer. Later that day, each team participated in a Disney Performing Arts Workshop. The purpose of this trip was to give our dance team exposure to dance opportunities outside the world of high school dance teams.

Each of the teams had the opportunity to go behind the scenes at Disney’s California Adventure Park and participate in a hip-hop dance workshop taught by a Disney professional. The dancers had the opportunity to learn from a Disney professional who works on the Disney TV side of the Disney entertainment world. During the workshop, dancers gleaned tips, techniques and insight as to how to navigate auditions in the professional world of dance. Dancers were taught a routine, asked to perform and then received feedback about their performance that would help them improve as a dancer.

Many of the dance team members expressed gratitude for the opportunity to learn from a professional in the field of dance, as well as an opportunity to spend a day with their team enjoying the magical world of Disney.

If you have attended a dance team performance at PHHS, you have contributed to this learning experience for our dance team members, and we thank you for your support!

Community members supporting Avid classes

Allison Younghans and Marissa Lue from Illumina, a biotech company in La Jolla, graciously came to present to our AVID students on Jan. 9. They spoke to four AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) classes, ninth through 12th grades. Both presenters spoke about their college path, how they chose their college, some obstacles in their journey and how they overcame them, as well as their career paths.

Students in the AVID program were able to broaden their perspective about possible career paths and major courses of study they might not have considered. AVID is an elective class that focuses on getting underrepresented students into college. AVID instructors focus on developing communication skills, tutoring to support an advanced level course load for the students, and creating a college-going culture both in the classroom and around the school.

For more information, contact Patrick Schoettler at [email protected].

Henry partners with I Love a Clean San Diego

Last November, I Love a Clean San Diego (ILACSD) celebrated its 65th anniversary of being an environmental nonprofit.

Being the longest-running environmental organization in San Diego is something to celebrate but for everyone living around Patrick Henry High School, there is a lot more to recognize. Henry is one of three very lucky high schools in their Think Blue Brigade (TBB) program. As their website states, “ILACSD and City of San Diego’s Think Blue Brigade is a an environmental awareness program that partners with existing environmental clubs on high school campuses within the City of San Diego. Think Blue Brigade members receive visits from specialists about environmental topics, as well as participate in regional off-site events, including cleanups, field trips, tours, and more!”

Henry’s TBB students have toured Scripps Pier and research facility, dissected albatross boluses, observed living plankton under a microscope, toured the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant and had opportunities to network with professionals in environmental fields. In May, ILACSD is hosting a tour of the Miramar Landfill for 50 Henry students.

Henry also has three students involved in their Student Impact Committee (SIC). These students work with other motivated students from all over San Diego to organize events that address waste management issues in their communities.

Hopefully you have noticed the “I Live Down Stream” stencils over storm drains in the area. Through ILACSD’s volunteer program, students have checked out paint and stencils to label storm drains to make sure it is understood that whatever goes down the storm drain will end up in the ocean. Litter, yard trimmings, and motor oil are not welcome.

ILACSD still supports cleanup events but they are proactively working to prevent litter by inspiring students to research environmental careers or, at the least, help communities do better at minimizing their impact on the environment. Patrick Henry loves I Love a Clean San Diego. Supporting ILACSD supports student service-learning in our community. Check out their website at ilacsd.org and see how you can be a part of the movement.

Henry Engineering Team wants incoming freshmen

Patrick Henry’s Engineering Academy is accepting applications. Are you interested in a fun project-based elective course series that will teach you skills used by real engineers?

Patrick Henry has the largest engineering program in a public high school in the state of California. With four dedicated teachers, we offer nine total courses in three pathways — Engineering Design, Engineering & Architecture and Computer Science. Most of our courses are articulated for honors credit and our students have the opportunity to participate in field trips, clubs (including Society of Women Engineers and FIRST Robotics), community college credit for select classes, special internship and scholarship opportunities, and networking with industry professionals.

We accept all applicants on a first-come, first-served basis until classes are full. No prior experience in engineering is needed. For more information or to apply, please visit patrickhenryeda.org or contact Mrs. Moy at [email protected].

PHHS Student of the Month

We are proud to have David Harimana named as Patrick Henry High School’s Student of the Month for January’s Kiwanis meeting held last month. Principal Listy Gillingham attended the meeting with David and said a hard work ethic, dedication to education, and overall solid character is what set him apart from other seniors at Henry.

Harimana has run for the Patrick Henry cross-country and track teams since his freshman year. Coach Myette has worked with him in a variety of capacities and shared this account about him when recommending him for the student of the month: “David’s impact on the team was immediate. Along with a great work ethic, David’s passion, commitment, and sacrifice makes him a great teammate and leader. In addition to success on the track and in cross-country, David knows six languages, taught himself how to program in Java by watching YouTube videos, and built his own drone. If that were not enough, you can listen to his alter ego, DJ ProUp, who has created his own music videos much to the delight of his teammates, peers, and coaches (check out his YouTube channel). Immigrating to the United States from the Democratic Republic of the Congo via Uganda, David’s remarkable life experience carries over into everything he does. He embraces every opportunity with joy, laughter, and gratitude. It is therefore fitting that he be selected as the Student of the Month.”

David’s math teacher from his junior year also was taken by David’s focus, hard work ethic, and positive nature. “David spreads positivity and has an impeccable work ethic,” she reported. “He embraces the academic challenge, and the harder a problem or assignment seems, the more enthusiastic he was about tackling it. He actually let out an audible ‘yes!’ in math last year in his Advanced Integrated Math 3 class when they were doing something that appeared kind of ugly at first glance.”

Another teacher reported that “David is the kind of student you think about when planning a lesson — the kind who gives it his absolute all and who you don’t want to let down by delivering anything but the best you can on any particular day, the kind who makes you feel like they deserve nothing than the best that you can offer. His presence makes Henry a better place and I can’t wait to see where his hard work and good attitude will take him.”

Knowing that he immigrated to the U.S. in middle school and has recently become an American citizen through his journey from Mann Middle School to Henry High School, makes us all proud to know him and honor him as one of Henry’s best.

Service-learning opportunity

Henry seniors Valerie Crisologo and Emily Donahue traveled to Bayahibe, Dominican Republic for a service-learning tour with their marine science teacher Ann Wegmann as part of a study abroad program/internship.

The girls partnered with students from Minnesota and FUNDEMAR, a local marine conservation group, to work on coral reef restoration and marine life monitoring. During their weeklong stay, Valerie and Emily conducted animal surveys in the seagrass beds off the coast of Saona Island, learned about the impact invasive lionfish have had on the local ecosystem, recorded the health of the coral reef through transect surveys, conducted a plastic pollution audit, and constructed materials needed to create a coral nursery.

During their free time, they learned how to cook traditional Dominican meals, played beach games with local children, made jewelry out of seeds and shells, and brushed up on their Spanish speaking skills.

Educational, service, and leadership trips are available to area students that will be in the ninth grade through 20 years of age. Interested parties can contact Mrs. Wegmann for more details at [email protected]

Baseball players with college commitments lead team

Patrick Henry Baseball is tied for third in the county with three players that already have college commitments to play baseball at four-year schools.

Coming off a season in which they won their league with a 23-8-1 overall record and an 11-1 record in league schools, people are starting to take notice. With a new facility and a lot of young talent in the program, the future is very bright:

Max Jones: City League Pitcher of the year has committed to the University of San Francisco, which competes in the WCC with USD.

Mateo Medina: First-team, all-league selection has committed to D2 San Francisco State. SFSU competes in one of the toughest D2 conferences with UCSD.

Ryan Ellis: A 6-foot, 5-inch sophomore, Ellis will not graduate until 2022 but has shown enough for the University of New Mexico to offer him a scholarship. UNM competes in the Mountain West with SDSU.

— Elizabeth Gillingham is principal of Patrick Henry High School.