PRINCIPAL'S UPDATE

                  May 7, 2017
     
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TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK   MAY 8-12
The results of a survey done by Staples Inc. and reported in Business Wire says that 87% of parents of teens say a teacher made a positive impact in their child's life, and 76% of parents say that a teacher had a positive influence on them.
 
Peninsula High is fortunate to have teachers that impact lives and care deeply about the subjects they teach.   Niche recently ranked schools in the Los Angeles area based on a number of factors, including parent and student comments about their teachers.  A high ranking indicates that teachers are intelligent and engaging, the school is invested in its teachers, and students and parents rate their teachers favorably. Pen teachers received an A+ ranking.
 
Take a moment to share your feelings about our teachers on  Niche  or send a personal note to the teacher that made a difference in your life.  My personal shout-out goes to Pen teacher Jim Maechling who made a difference in my life, way back in 1970 at Miraleste High School. 

NATIONAL SCHOOL NURSE'S DAY 
WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 2017
This Wednesday we celebrate our School Nurse, Wendy Keller on National School Nurse's Day.  The unofficial holiday was created in 1972 by the National Association of School Nurses, based in the  United States . The day aims to recognize school nurses and acknowledge their role in the educational setting. Take a moment to thank Wendy Keller for taking such good care of the Panther Community.

PEN SENIOR NAMED PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLAR SEMIFINALISTS
Caroline Kim has been selected as one of the 723 semifinalists to advance to the final round of the 2017 U.S. Presidential Scholars competition.  From nearly 3.5 million graduating high school seniors, over 5,100 students were identified as candidates in the program, and now, 723 semifinalist have been selected from across the country.  These semifinalist form the pool from which the 2017 U.S. Presidential Scholars will be chosen later this month. The full list of semifinalists can be found here: https://www2.ed.gov/programs/psp/2017/semifinalists.pdf 
 
The 161 Scholars who will be chosen as finalists are comprised of one young man and woman from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and from U.S. families living abroad, as well as 15 chosen at-large and 20 Presidential Scholars in the Arts, and 20 chosen from Career Technical Education.   Four out of the last six years, a Peninsula High senior has earned this honor.  In 2011, David Tang-Quan was named a US Presidential Scholar, followed by David Wang in 2012, Braeden Benedict in 2015, and Ruwanthi (Ru) Ekanayake in 2016.

Congratulations and good luck to Caroline!
 
FRIDAY IS KOREAN CULTURE NIGHT
안녕하세요 ?  (an nyeong ha se yo)   The PVPHS Korean Program proudly presents its first Korean Culture Night in the Amphitheater on Friday, May 12th from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm.  Students in the PVPHS Korean Program, established in 2015, has been dedicating their time, efforts, and talent preparing for the program.  The 2017 PVPHS Korean Culture Night will take you on a special journey to experience the vibrant culture of traditional and modern Korea through food, games, crafts and performances.   See you there for a great evening.


MATH TEAM CONCLUDES THE YEAR WITH GREAT RESULTS
2016-2017 was another exceptional year for Peninsula Math Team under the leadership of Presidents Eric Nguyen & Lauren Park and advisor Ms. Chaiyont. Math Team members not only improved their mathematical abilities but also learned to work hard as a team. They devoted a huge amount of time to challenge themselves on materials beyond regular classroom curriculum . Here are the results from various competitions throughout the year with final standings:
 
USA Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO)
Nathaniel Kim was among the top 0.1% of math students in the nation who took the nine-hour USA Mathematical Olympiad examination on April 19th and April 20th.  Approximately 300 students qualified to take this exam from a pool of more than 300,000 students who participated in February's American Mathematics Competitions (AMC).
 
BAY MATH LEAGUE - 2nd place overall
On Wednesday, April 19, 2017, forty-two Math Team members traveled to South Torrance High School to compete in the last meet of Bay Math League against twelve Los Angeles County high schools. Peninsula Math Team had an impressive performance and finished second place for the year.
Congratulations to the following students with top scores in their grade levels:
Twelfth Grade
Andrew Arrieta - 12th
Eugene Lin - 13th
Eleventh Grade:
Nathaniel Kim - 2nd
Insun (Lori) Won - 4th
Taurean Zhang - 11th
Siteng (Tim) Jiang - 14th
Saehui Hwang - 16th
Tenth Grade:
Albert Tan - 4th
James Ma - 16th
Ninth Grade:
Suraj Anand - 8th
Joshua Masuda - 11th
American Scholastic Mathematics Association - 1st place with Merit
California Math League - 1st in the region, 13th in California
Mu Alpha Theta Log1 Contest - 3rd in the region
Mu Division
Gene Whang - 12th
Nathan Kim - 16th
Alpha Division
James Ma - 7th
Allen Chun - 15th
Allyson Ee - 16th
Theta Division
Joshua Masuda - 12th
Suraj Anand - 15th
 
Rocket City Math League - 5th for Discovery and 8th for Apollo Divisions Internationally  
  Discovery Division
Insun (Lori) Won - 12th
Nathan Kim - 15th
Apollo Division
Joshua Masuda - 13th
Suraj Anand - 15th

Congratulations to all Math Team members!
 
PEN DEBATE OUTREACH TO MONTEMALAGA
The Elementary School Debate Club (ESDC) at Montemalaga recently had its last meeting. They ended their last session with practice debates on topics of the students' choice and culminated the program with giving awards out to the kids. Ishan Gaur founded the group to teach debate to 4th and 5th graders, working with other debaters from the Pen Debate Team, such as Cathy Kim, Kaila Kim, Daniel Tseng, and Moon Sung Gwak. They teach the classes every other week (they started in November) and took the students from learning the basics of argumentation to full on debates.   
SPEECH AND DEBATE OUTREACH

SPEECH AND DEBATE - TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
Last weekend the University of Kentucky hosted the 46th annual Tournament of Champions--the national championship for circuit high school debate. In policy debate, the Peninsula team of seniors Raam Tambe and Jerry Wang finished second. The team was the top seed after prelims and Raam was the tournament's top speaker. Jerry was third speaker. Peninsula juniors Atul Jalan and Brian Kong reached the runoff round (top 17). Peninsula was one of only two schools to clear multiple teams. In Lincoln-Douglas, senior Jonas Le Barillec reached the double-octafinal round (top 32). Jonas was the tournament's fifth speaker, and was the fourth overall seed. Jerry and Raam have one final tournament before graduating--the 2017 NSDA National Tournament, where they will try to beat out 200+ teams and become the first intact team to repeat as national champions in debate's eighty-six year history. This was the final tournament of Jonas's high school career--one that saw him win two major national tournaments, reach the finals of four others, and qualify for the TOC three times, earning twenty-one bids in the process. 
 
Jerry, Raam and Jonas
PEN SPEECH STATE CHAMPIONS
Peninsula junior Moon Sung Gwak and sophomore Natasha Tieu are State Champions in policy debate. The two earned the honor at the California High School Speech Association State Championships this past weekend. This is the second year in a row that Peninsula won the State Championship. This feat is even more impressive given the fact that the school's two most senior teams and coach were in Kentucky for the TOC (the result of the two tournaments being scheduled the same weekend). Peninsula was even two ballots short of having three State Champions in two years. The sophomore team of Julian Anderson and Kevin Sun reached the semifinal round. Had they won, Peninsula would have "closed out" and the two teams would have been co-champions. As it was, Julian and Kevin's top four finish was extremely impressive. The future (and present) is bright for Peninsula policy debate.
STATE CHAMPIONS

Please support the PEF! 

Make your plans today to come to the Main Event!
SATURDAY, MAY 13
At the Terranea Resort

PEF donations help support Peninsula High's CCC, SMERT Program, Counselors, and so much more

Escape to the vibrant island off of Spain for 
a whimsical evening that will ignite your senses

Guests will enjoy:

Cocktails
Spanish cuisine
Live music
Stunning student performances
Live Auction: preview at www.maineventauction.com
Silent Auction
Dancing

Make your reservation today at
2017 WASHINGTON POST RANKINGS ARE RELEASED
In the recently released Washington Post Ranking, Peninsula High is #39 in California and #361 in the nation.  The Washington Post list includes selective magnet, charter, and private schools.
 
The index score is the number of college-level tests given at a school in 2016 divided by the number of graduates that year. The Peninsula High index of 4.080 is an increase from last year.  Also noted are the percentage of students who come from families that qualify for lunch subsidies and the percentage of graduates who passed at least one college-level test during their high school career, which the College Board calls "Equity and Excellence"
 
These rankings are based on our numbers.  I wish there was a way that they could measure the remarkable accomplishments of our students, the dedication of our teachers, and the support of our parents.  We are so much more than our numbers.
 
AP EXAMS CONTINUE
We have successfully completed the first week of AP exams, and will finish up the regularly scheduled exams this wee with makeup exams the following week. The students have been excellent so far by reporting 30 minutes before the start of their exams and bringing their Pen High ID cards for check-in - thank you! If you have any AP exam questions please contact Mrs. Fournier, our AP Coordinator, at  fournier@pvpusd.net


MUN VIEWS THE PROMISE
Special thank you to owner Daniel Akarakian of the Starlight Terrace Cinemas for providing the tickets for the MUN to attend "The Promise."
MUN at THE PROMISE

PROM TICKETS ARE ON SALE 
The Junior and Senior Prom is May 20th from 7 pm until 11 pm at Henson Studios. This year's theme is 'A Night at Gatsby's'.  If Sophomores or Freshmen would like to attend, they may do so if their date is a PVPHS Junior or Senior. Tickets are on sale in the Student Store for $115 w/ASB and $125 w/o ASB. Ticket price includes dinner, dessert, a dj, a live band, and many Gatsby-themed surprises.
When purchasing a ticket, students also need to turn in this  PROM PERMISSION SLIP.  If bringing a guest who attends a school outside of PVPUSD, this  PROM GUEST PASS needs to be turned in (The guest also needs the  PROM PERMISSION SLIP).  Ticket prices go up on May 15, so don't wait to purchase your tickets!  

MEMORY LANE FOR OUR GRADUATING SENIORS
Memory Lane is an exhibition of posters that each senior or parent will put together .  This poster will represent the graduate's life in pictures from childhood through senior year and will be displayed at the Baccalaureate Ceremony on June 4 and throughout the students' final week of school.
Start Collecting Your Photos Now!
Here is what you need to do:
1.  Use one 22"x 28" poster board (standard thickness - NO foam boards).
2.  Collect a variety of photos (from baby to senior year) and make color copies of each photo.
3.  Glue color copies onto the poster board (DO NOT glue original photos on the board).
4.  Another way to make a poster is to go to one of several on-line photo centers.   Shutterfly, Costco, Rite-Aid, and CVS are just a few of the on-line photo centers that generate posters.  Upload your photos to their website and let the photo center do the work for you.  Their posters may be a slightly different size, but that's OK.
5.  Make sure your Senior's Name is on the front (identifying who it is).  Also, write your Senior's Name, Phone number and Parent's Email Address on the back of the poster.
6.  Laminate the finished poster.  Office Max, Costco, and FedEx Office are a few of the suggested places that will laminate your poster.
7.  Please deliver your finished, laminated poster to the Student Store on campus no later than Tuesday, May 30, 2017.
8.   Your poster may be picked up after Graduation rehearsal on June 7 or at the PVPHS Student Store weekdays during the week of June 12 (10am-3pm).  Any unclaimed posters will be discarded after June 30.
For any questions regarding Memory Lane, please contact Season Pollock at pollocks@pvpusd.net.

PEN SLL SPONSORS BLOOD DRIVE
Did you know? One pint of blood has the potential to save up to three lives! Please sign up for the UCLA Blood Drive hosted by Service Learning Leadership on Friday, May 26th. Students, parents, staff and community members are encouraged to sign up. Parental consent is required for all students! Questions? Please contact Mrs. Myrick at myrickh@pvpusd.net. Each donor will also receive a free movie ticket!

MUSIC DEPARTMENT UPDATE
Saturday, May 13th - Symphonic Orchestra, Advance Jazz Band and Varsity Voices will perform at the PEF Main Event.
  • Monday, May 15th - The Music Booster Board will meet at 7:00 PM, in the Band Room.
  • Tuesday, May 16th - Music Booster Banquet, Palos Verdes Golf Club, at 6PM Seniors arrive at 5:30PM, Tickets - $40 each, purchase tickets by May 6th at PenHighMusicBoosters.Yapsody.com
  • Thursday, May 18th - Spring Concert - Concert Band and Color Guard will perform at 7:00 PM in the Kelly Johnson Fieldhouse, the concert is free!
  • Friday, May 19th -  Spring Orchestra Concert, Rolling Hills United Methodist Church, 7:00 PM,  ticket prices will be $5 advance ticket purchase, May 1st - May 18th, $10 at the door.
  • May 23rd, 24th and 25th, 2017-2018 Color Guard Audition Workshops will be held in the Kelly Johnson Fieldhouse from 3:15 - 5:15 PM.
  • Thursday, May 25th - Spring Jazz Concert, Kelly Johnson Fieldhouse, 7:00 PM, ticket prices will be $7 for non-booster members.  Booster members attend for free!
  • Friday and Saturday, June 2nd and 3rd - PVPHS Choir Spring Pops Concert, Rolling Hills United Methodist Church, 7:30 PM.
CINCO DE MAYO STAFF CELEBRATION
The Peninsula High Administrative Team provided lunch for the entire staff on Friday,  Thank you to ASB for helping with decorations, Marco Merola for his thank you to the staff, and the Jazz Band for beautiful music.


 If you missed this week's Sports Update 
you can read it here



THREE PEN HIGH SPORTS TEAMS EARN CIF RECOGNITION
The below teams were selected as the 2017 CIF Southern Section Team Academic Champions.  Our team's grade point averages were the highest in the enrollment category of 1500 or more. 
Peninsula
Soccer, Girls
3.81
Peninsula
Softball
3.79
Peninsula
Wrestling, Boys
3.47
Girls' Soccer, Softball and Wrestling were honored at the Academic Awards ceremony on Tuesday, April 25, 2017, at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.   




WAHLBERG MOVIE "IF ONLY" COMING TO PEN HIGH - DO NOT MISS
The South Bay Opioid Awareness Week project, in partnership with the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation, is designed to educate South Bay teens, parents, teachers, and administrators about the dangers of prescription drug misuse and abuse, and to start a conversation that encourages safe use, storage, and disposal of prescription drugs to keep them out of the hands of kids.  

To achieve that goal, Peninsula High will share the short film, "If Only", with our students in a double assembly on Friday, May 12. A parent event will then take place on Tuesday, May 16 at 7pm in the Peninsula High gym to foster further awareness and discussion within the community around this critical issue. All area schools, educators, and parents are invited to be a part of this important effort. Our hope? That our families never experience the regrets of "If only I knew."
At the Parent Screening and Discussion Event in the Peninsula High gym on May 16 at 7pm, James Wahlberg will be joining us to provide the introduction to the screening of "If Only". The screening will be followed by a panel discussion about loss, prevention, treatment, and recovery. 
 
Created by the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation and Millennium Health, with help from Recovery Centers of America, the 38-minute movie is a Wahlberg family affair. It was co-written and produced by James Wahlberg who has been working in and around the field of addiction recovery for more than 25 years, and is a person in long-term recovery himself.  James' son, Jeffrey, plays the main role in the film about drug use at a high school, his brother, Robert, portrays the drug counselor, and his mother Alma makes an appearance as well. The story behind the filming of this movie, which includes real families who have suffered loss due to opioid abuse, is powerful.

Contact Associate Principal Farrell  farrellm@pvpusd.net

Junior Conferences-May 15th-17th
Counselors will met with junior students in their English classes to go over the college application process, develop a list of colleges, requesting Recommendation letters, deadlines and much more.

May 19th
The deadline to withdraw from a course with a "W" on the transcript.

May 23rd
Non-PVPUSD course forms are due.
If you plan on taking a non-PVPUSD course this summer you must have your counselor's approval prior to signing up for the course.

May 25th- Alumni Day
English classes will host recent graduates will talk to the current seniors about their first year in college experience and what to expect.

 
2017-2018 Final Course Request Letter!

A letter informing all incoming 8th graders coming to PVPHS and current freshmen, sophomores and juniors of their course requests for the 2017-2018 school year will be mailed during the week of May 8.  The letter should be reviewed carefully to make sure that it's accurate.  If there are any errors noted in the course requests, please return the letter to the PVPHS Counseling Office with corrections clearly listed, including a parent/guardian signature no later than May 19, 2017.  No change can be made without a parent/guardian signature.

Any course request for which the student was not recommended and does not meet the course prerequisites must be accompanied by a "Request for Placement" form.   These forms may be found on the pvphs.com website under  COUNSELING  and are also due in the Counseling Office by May 19, 2017 .
Contact Mrs. Lewallen  lewallent@pvpusd.net
Visit the CCC Website
Senior Surveys 
Thank you  to all the  senior s who have completed the  Senior   Survey  and  thank you  to all the  senior s who will do so this week! 
Details are on the homepage of Naviance. Be sure to enjoy your Snack Shack Chocolate Chip Cookie!


Click HERE for more information
 





 Follow Pen High on the following official sites

                 @CressPenhi

                 @pvphsasb

                 @pvphszoo

                 @pvphs_panthers

                 @pvphs_athletics

           
Have a great week!tracks 
 
 
Mitzi Cress
Principal