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PRINCIPAL'S UPDATE
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AP Exams
start Monday!
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April 30, 2017
 Follow The Latest Pen News on Twitter
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 HAVE A SAY IN THE FUTURE OF PENINSULA HIGH
The future of Peninsula High School's Facility Plan depends on your participation in the process and understanding of the results. Before we begin to develop the details of this Facility Plan, we need to understand what factors our instructors, staff, students, and community feel are important in sustaining the outstanding education offered at Peninsula High School. Do you feel there are facility issues at Peninsula High that should be addressed? Are there new programs that should be offered? Are there current programs that do not have appropriate space? Are you simply curious about the process and want to participate in improving our school facility? Please join us this Wednesday, May 3, at one of two meetings to discuss the vision and needs of Peninsula High School.
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 2017 US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT HIGH SCHOOL RANKINGS
U.S. News and World Report has recognized Peninsula High as #30 in California and #197 in the nation and #79 in the nation for STEM (Science, Math Engineering and Math) schools. US News and World Report uses information (including CAASPP TEST SCORES) from the 2016-2017 school-year found at the California Department of Education website to determine their rankings.
U.S. News and World Report worked with the Washington, D.C.-based American Institutes for Research to calculate its 2017 College Readiness Index. This index considers how well high schools educate all students, not only those who are college bound. In addition to student participation and performance on AP and IB exams, the index also evaluates the achievement of the schools' least advantaged student groups on state tests. For more information, go to the US News High School Rankings Website
RAAM AND JERRY #1 IN THE NATION
Peninsula seniors Raam Tambe and Jerry Wang have finished the season as they started--as number one in the national coaches poll of high school policy debate coaches. The two achieved the ranking after winning the UC Berkeley tournament, where they didn't lose a single round. It was the ninth tournament Jerry and Raam have won this year. The poll is conducted and compiled by coach Josh Clark and the University of Michigan.
BRIAN AND ATUL SELECTED FOR TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
Peninsula juniors Atul Jalan and Brian Kong have been selected to attend the Tournament of Champions (TOC) in policy debate by the TOC Advisory Committee. To qualify to the TOC, students must earn two "bids" during the year at pre-designated tournaments. Students with one bid may apply for an "at-large" qualification, and a handful are selected each year by the committee. Brian and Atul earned their bid at the UC Berkeley tournament in February, and their application was deemed strong enough for at-least admission by the advisory committee, which consists of twelve national coaches who are prominent in the community. "Peninsula JK"'s acceptance brings the number of TOC qualifications by Peninsula students in the past five years to twenty-five.
 RESULTS OF THE 2016 CAASPP TESTS EARN PENINSULA HIGH RECOGNITION
Peninsula High has been acknowledged by Educational Results Partnership (ERP) and the Campaign for Business and Education Excellence (CBEE) as a 2016 California Honor Roll recipient! The California Honor Roll is part of a national effort known for its extensive and rigorous analysis of student achievement in public schools. Our school stood above other schools in the State because of our success in getting students to higher levels of achievement and beyond.
The 2016 Honor Roll recognizes schools for demonstrating consistently high levels of student academic achievement, improvement in achievement over time, and reduction in achievement gaps. We did not apply for this award (they found us!) and it is a great honor to have been chosen. We will be featured on the Honor Roll website and a banner has been designed for us to hang proudly at our school.
Thanks to the hard work of the students and teachers here at Peninsula High, we are being recognized for our achievement. This is a testament to the relentless focus on results that our school has shown over the years and to the hard work of our entire school community.
will take you to the data analysis used for this honor. The top bar menu will allow you to review a variety of measurements and comparisons. The exceptional results from last year's CAASPP were used to measure our success that earned this recognition. Our current juniors will take the CAASPP beginning May 16. Peninsula High's national rankings, and qualification for awards and recognition are based on our CAASPP results and the number of students who take the test.
AP TESTING BEGINS TOMORROW
Between May 1 and May 12, 1144 Peninsula High students will take 2464 Advanced Placement Exams in 31 different subject areas. Testing will be conducted in the Kelly Johnson Field House. Students are reminded that they need to arrive 30 minutes before the start of their tests in order to have time to check in. They must bring their PVPHS ID, pens, and pencils. They should bring a snack in a clear plastic bag and water. All cell phones, backpacks, purses, wallets, sports equipment, etc. MUST be left in cars, lockers or at home! Good luck to everyone, and relax - our PVPHS teachers have prepared you well. The AP exam schedule is
here.
 SENIOR DITCH DAY
Senior Ditch Day is May 15th! Seniors are going to Disneyland and California Adventure on this fun day. The LAST DAY TO PURCHASE TICKETS ($130 w/ASB and $140 w/o ASB) IS THIS TUESDAY, MAY 2ND! Details regarding the day, including the Disneyland Permission Slip that must be turned in when your ticket is purchased can be found in the senior mailer that was mailed home over Spring Break, or may be downloaded here
. The details about the day can be found on page 3, and the permission slip is on pages 10-11
PROM TICKETS GO ON SALE TOMORROW
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 go on sale this Monday 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!
SENIOR ASSEMBLY ON APRIL 26
The message was, to be safe, use good judgment, finish strong, enjoy the next five weeks, and take care of one another!
ARTS WEEK
Last week was ARTS WEEK at Peninsula High School. The arts are a very important part of the Peninsula High experience. Thank you to our Art Department and ASB for all the wonderful activities. Friday's paint battle was my favorite.
 CALIFORNIA STATE SCIENCE FAIR RESULTS
Peninsula High School qualified 10 students to compete in the California State Science Fair. The students participating were Saehui Hwang, Sina Moshfeghi, Alisa Hathaway, Erika Hathaway, Ethan Uetrecht, Annie Benedict, Lori Won, Karina Bjazevic, Regina Lee, and Ishan Gaur.
Results:
Alisa Hathaway 1st place Electronics & Electromagnetics
Annie Benedict 4th place Environmental Engineering
Lori Won 4th place Zoology
Annie Benedict also was selected as one of 3 finalists for the STUDENT OF THE YEAR AWARD.
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| Congratulations to our Panther Researchers and Mr. Starodub |
UCSD TRITON XV MODEL UN CONFERENCE
Peninsula Model UN was a big winner this year at the UCSD Triton XV Invitational Model United Nations Conference, April 22-23. Our Model UN team was honored to participate in a highly competitive conference. Pen High MUN represented the delegations of France, Romania, Turkey, Switzerland, South Sudan and Ethiopia in UN General Assembly committees discussing a wide range of topics including, the use of chemical weapons in Syria; the crisis in Yemen; the Kurdish issue; Syrian refugees and the status of Kosovo. In our very competitive Crisis Committees, delegates participated in crisis historical situations such as both the US Cabinet and the Soviet Cabinet dealing with the Space Race and the launch of Sputnik; the Cabinet of Patrice Lumumba in the Congo Crisis of 1960; and a very far reaching Security Council of the Future dealing with possible contact with aliens!
Once again our Peninsula MUN Team performed well and won awards in every committee that we participated in! Peninsula came home with the "Best School Delegation Award" for overall performance! In addition, our students won individual awards in the following categories:
Outstanding Research Awards
Kelly Van Boxtel
Isabelle Lee
Ameen Shaheen
Accomodation Awards
Natalie Lim
Sana Chaudhury
Lenuka Seneratna
Bryan Hadley
Outstanding Delegate Awards
Grace Whitten
Raza Khan
Best Delegate/Gavel Winners
Ryan MacGowan
Kai Kato
 FRIDAY 4/28 - PEN MUN MEMBERS VIEW "THE PROMISE"
The Terraces Theatre in Rancho Palos Verdes provided 30 tickets to the new film, "The Promise" about the Armenian genocide. This was the perfect opportunity for MUN students who have demonstrated a passion for history, politics and policy to learn more about this devastating historical event.
STAFF MEETING FOCUSES ON MINDFULNESS
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| Thank you to Mr. Wheeler (PVPHS) and Mrs. Kraake (RIS) for their great presentation on Mindfulness in Education at our last Staff Meeting of the year! Their time and dedication is greatly appreciated. |
 BLOOD DRIVING COMING TO PENINSULA HIGH
Our Annual Blood Drive is coming soon! The event is in partnership with the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center and will be held on Friday, May 26th in our main gym. Sign up with a Service Learning member or email Ms. Myrick (myrickh@pvpusd.net) with questions. Donors must be at least 16 years old, and all donors receive a free movie ticket. Even more importantly, every donated pint saves up to three lives. Blood is a crucial life-saving substance, so we encourage you to be brave!
SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK RETURNS
Coming June 23-25, the Drama Department will be performing the Shakespeare classic: Julius Caesar in the PVPHS amphitheatre.
For more information, visit the Pen High Drama website.
PEN DRAMA COMES UP BIG AT SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL
On Saturday, April 22 our Drama I and Drama 3/4 Advanced classes competed in the Drama Teacher's Association of Southern California's (DTASC) 97th Spring Shakespeare Festival.
In the Junior Varsity Division, PVPHS reached semifinals in Modern Adaptation (Aina Williams & Hasti Zahedian, directed by Ashley Zoeckler). Honorable Mention was earned by finalists in Audition Monologue (Atina Hamidi, directed by Lauryn Williams) Audition Monologue (Maddie Ness, directed by Lauryn Williams), Shakespeare Uncut (Blue Martinez, Arista Mozena, Kat Neumann, Bella Zuniga, Directed by Autumn Rinck) and Large Group Comedy - A Midsummer Night's Dream (Emma Cool, Anjali Gupta, Sarah Snow & Maili Tom, Directed by Julianna Yonis & Kara Zupanovich) 5th Place for Theme Collage (Sarah Adams, Amada Kalaydjian, Miles Muir & Kaito Suzuki, directed by Alyssa Condon and Trevor Rinzler). PVPHS earned first place in Large Group Drama - Richard III (Leila Bahraini, Elissa Luce, Ley'ah McClain & Angelica Moreno, directed by Courtlyn Foster & Alexa Jones)
At the Varsity Division, Audition Monologists Austin Kelly and Joshua Medina reached the Semifinals, as well as Large Group Comedy - A Midsummer Night's Dream (Gabriella Campbell, Naomi Drayton, Sophia Goodin, Samantha Herrmann, Trevor Rinzler & Ashley Zoeckler, directed by Lexie Jones). Pen earned Honorable Mention for Shakespeare Uncut (Madison Hermon & Lauryn Williams, Directed by Austin Kelly), 5th place in the Shakespeare's Contemporaries category (Natalia Achatz, Sophie Jacobs, Isabella Navarro & Kara Zupanovich) & 4th place for Large Group Drama - Richard III (Lucas Grenda, Erika Placer, Julianna Yonis & Elise Zimmerman, directed by Courtlyn Foster). Junior Alexa Jones earned first place for her Costume Design for Richard III in the Technical Theatre: Character Costume category.
PVPHS earned Honorable Mention in Sweepstakes for both Varsity and Junior Varsity divisions for finishing in the top 10 overall among all competing schools.
MUSIC UPDATE 
Saturday, May 13th
- Advanced Jazz Band and Varsity Voices will perform at the PEF Main Event.
Monday, May 15th
- 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 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.
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.
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PEN HIGH JAZZ BANDS AT THE RENO JAZZ FESTIVAL THIS WEEKEND MAKING BEAUTIFUL MUSIC
#PANTHERPRIDE |
FINAL LARGE PAC MEETING
On Tuesday, April 24, the last Principal's Advisory Committee meeting of the year was held in the College Career Center. It was a very productive meeting that addressed grade level experiences and an excellent list was created of what went well this year and what can be improved for next year. Students created the talking points for a meeting with Mr. Kuykendall and the PAC Board at the end of this month. A huge thank you from me to all the PAC members who have served over the last seven years.
Your suggestions, creativity and love of Peninsula High has made a difference that will im
PAC
t students for years to come.
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HOUSTON FIRST ROBOTICS CHAMPIONSHIP
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If you missed this week's Sports Update
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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 on May 16
James Wahlberg
will be joining this event to provide the introduction to the screening of "If Only" which will be followed by a panel discussion about loss, prevention, treatment, and recovery. The event will take place at Peninsula High School on May 16 at 7:00 p.m.
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.
RPV INVITES STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN "HEALTHY PEOPLE"
The City of RPV invites student athletes, student clubs and organizations to consider participating in the "Healthy People, Healthy Pets" expo on Saturday, May 6th from 10am-2pm. Student involvement could range from demonstrating athlete workouts, talking about balancing a busy schedule of school and practice, and in general sharing information about the benefits of staying active, involved and being healthy. Could you please point me in the direction of who could assist me with this request, if not you? Many thanks, Kelly Krusee Recreation & Parks Dept City of RPV 310.541.7073
 HEALTHY HEART SCREENING MESSAGE FROM SOUTH HIGH
On May 13th from 9:30 am to 3pm, South High School will be hosting a free heart screening in the Main Gymnasium to prevent Sudden Cardiac Arrest in the 12-25 year old demographic.
SCA occurs when there is abnormal electrical activity the heart, separate from a heart attack. The condition is asymptomatic, is not related to personal heart health (eating habits, exercise, etc.), and is the number one killer of student athletes and the number two killer of people under the age of 25. This screening is not limited to South High school, but is open to the entire surrounding community. Around 18 schools from the area have been notified and I want the parents of the many kids in the area to be as well.
I want to emphasize the fact that this procedure is not checked by doctors
and normally costs anywhere from $70-$169 without insurance, but is FREE on May 13th.
The screening consists of a checking of vitals (height, weight, blood pressure), an EKG, a CPR station, a doctor station with Cardiologists to interpret the EKG printout, and a echo technician station in case an abnormality is found. Everything is FREE!
The link to register for the screening is:
Registration is NOT required, however, it does make the process much smoother and less time consuming for the participant on the day of the screening.
If you have any questions, please call 3109442579.
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Junior Conferences are May 15th & 16th-
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-
Through English classes recent graduates will talk to the current seniors about their first year in college experience and what to expect.
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YOU'RE INVITED TO PEF's MAIN EVENT, MAY 13
At the Terranea Resort
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
Silent Auction
Dancing
Make your reservation today at
Ticket price increases after May 4
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WIN A 2017 LEXUS RX HYBRID
Raffle tickets are 1/$50 and 3/$125!
Winner drawn on May 13th at Main Event!
(Winner need not be present to win)
or call 310-378-2278
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WIN A YEAR OF DINING AT TERRANEA
Raffle tickets are $100 each!
Winner drawn on May 13th at Main Event!
(Winner need not be present to win)
or call 310-378-2278
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Follow Pen High on the following official sites
@CressPenhi
@pvphsasb
@pvphszoo
@pvphs_panthers
@pvphs_athletics
Have a great week and good luck on APs!
Mitzi Cress
Principal
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