Advanced Placement (AP) tests and statewide testing for CAASPP and CAST. This year's Scholar Quiz theme is PV Scholar Things and our teachers will be using this opportunity to talk with our students about the importance of our schoolwide standardized test scores and prioritizing academic achievement. A special thank you goes out to Tecia Barton and Michael Swatek, our teacher team for all things Scholar Quiz. This event is truly a community-wide effort and I so appreciate the support and participation from all of our faculty, staff, and parents.

Another amazing community-wide effort was last week's successful Catch the Wave event, supporting the PVHS Booster Club. Thank you so much to the many Sea King Supporters who joined us for this exciting event! Our student performances were incredible - the PVHS Jazz Band, our PVIT Robotics demo, the National Chinese Honor Society Drummers, and the cast of Something Rotten. We also featured student artwork from our visual arts classes throughout the venue. These displays and performances are a true representation of what our Booster Club supports - academics, arts, and athletics! If you weren't able to attend the event but would like to support this important fundraising opportunity, the Catch the Wave online auction is still open with some outstanding offerings including priceless PVHS opportunities.  Click here to take a look. The online auction will close on Tuesday, March 14^th at 8 pm.

As always, thank you for your ongoing support of our Sea King community. Have a wonderful Sunday and see you around campus!

Sincerely,

Dr. Trista Ramirez 

Principal

Upcoming Week Bell Schedule

Monday, March 13th - A Day

Tuesday, March 14th - B Day

Wednesday, March 15th - Late Start A Day

Thursday, March 16th - B Day



Friday, March 17th - A Day

Capitol Convoy has Successful trip to Sacramento

This past Tuesday and Wednesday, a convoy of PVPUSD students, teachers, principals, district personal, and two of our esteemed school board members attended a PTSA sponsored trip up to Sacramento to advocate for K-12 students on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The trip was an incredible opportunity for the students to gain a hands-on experience in civic engagement as students toured the capitol, spoke with legislators, and had conversations with policy-makers about ways the California legislature can support students in our district. The Convoy immensely benefitted from the presence of fifteen outstanding PVHS students who showed great preparation and leadership on this trip.

On Tuesday, the Convoy received a tour of the California Supreme Court building before question-and-answer sessions with some truly amazing guests from the California Department of Education and the California State Legislature. One of the speakers was California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond who really connected with our group of intelligent and well spoken students. Some of our other speakers were Jack O’Connell (26th State SPI), Senator John Laird (Chair, Senate Budget Subcommittee 1 on Education), Chris Ferguson, (Program Budget Manager, Department of Finance), Carol Green (President, California State PTA) and Iván Carrillo (Senior Director, State and Federal Governmental Relations, ACSA). 

On Wednesday the convoy broke into our fifteen groups of four and met with over 60 Legislators or their staff members. The teams were well prepared to speak on the three advocacy points and to articulate their views with lawmakers. The Legislative Appointments experience was life changing to the students since they were in the middle of the action. They experienced advocacy and learned about public policy in a truly unique and exciting way. Afterwards the students shared their many stories with one another as each appointment was unique. As the students had lunch in the capitol, Assembly Member Al Muratsuchi led a question-and-answer session with our students and Senator Ben Allen stopped by to have lunch and a chat with the convoy.

All in all, this Capitol Convoy trip was truly a wonderful experience for both students and adults who attended! We are excited to be able to offer this Capitol Convoy trip annually through the generous help of our outstanding PTSA. A very special thanks to our PVHS 7th VP, Mrs. Erin Mone, for her tireless work in organizing this trip for our PVHS students!

PVHS STEMand PVIT Update

Sea Kings have been busy, busy with many STEM activities and competitions this month. Clearly, if you are into math and sciences, PV High is the place to be!

Four teams of students competed in the TSA TEAMS competition, a nationally-defined event that started with an essay, followed by a multiple choice engineering exam, and a Design & Build challenge. The three-pronged competition was brought back to PV High after the pandemic by juniors Derek Su and David Su, under the guidance of Mrs. Maemoto. This year’s theme of “Engineering and Everyday Devices” challenged students to think outside the box to simplify complex mechanisms. The teams await their scores and rankings to see who will qualify for the national competition in June.

PVIT took two of PV High’s three VEX Robotics teams to the VEX State Championships in La Verne, CA. After ten months of designing, building, testing, troubleshooting, and competing in qualifying events, the two teams competed against the best teams in the region in the most competitive state in the nation. While a World Championships spot was not in our future, the teams performed well after learning an incredible amount of extremely practical engineering skills and technical judgement over the last 10 months.

The PV High Science Olympiad team of 14 students competed at Rio Hondo College on Saturday, March 5th, where they spent the day among many So Cal high school students. After preparing for weeks, they competed in a total of 23 events. Science Olympiad is an amazing and unique opportunity for students interested in STEM to learn and think outside the box. There are a variety of events geared toward biology, chemistry, environmental science, and more; most notably, our PVIT students were able to put their skills to the test with Build events like Bridge and Trajectory. Jason Lee is shown here after successfully participating in the Egg Drop Contest, where his egg survived intact! 

Math Club competed in Math Day at the Beach at CSULB this weekend. The team of Eugene Lee, Anthony Yoon, Cynthia Ho, Vivian Chan, Allison Yu, and Mason Condello competed in an individual round and team round against 30+ other Southern California schools. PVHS has participated in this event for over a decade, giving students a chance to further develop their problem-solving and math skills. The team felt especially good about their team round where everyone collaborated and participated to solve very challenging problems.

The PVIT First Robotics team attended their first regional event of the season at the Ventura County Regional in Port Hueneme. As of this writing, the team was on their third day of competing. The team was randomly paired with two other teams in each of the nine qualifying matches to test their engineering design, teamwork, and game strategy. Of course, the robot was not without engineering challenges, but it is exactly through these challenges that the students learn the most. Their quick, creative, problem-solving skills were certainly put to the test. We are really proud of this team which is most comprehensive FRC team in the 12 years that PVIT has been participating in First Robotics. They travel in two weeks to San Diego for their next competition.

Congratulations Mia Dominguez!

She placed 4th in the nation, including all U.S. territories, in the Voice of Democracy spoken essay contact this past weekend in Washington D.C.

The Voice of Democracy has been the Veterans of Foreign Wars' (VFW's) premier scholarship program. Each year, nearly 57,000 high school students compete for more than $2 million in scholarships and incentives.

Way to go, Mia! We are so proud of you!

Congratulations to PVHS sophomore Anish Chowdhury!

Anish represented PVHS last weekend and got 3rd Place in the Los Angeles County NSDA Speech and Debate competition. Anish's outstanding performance in this competition has qualified him for the National tournament competition!

Remarkable job, Anish! 

Successful Evacuation Drill on Thursday

On Thursday, PVHS simulated an emergency like a major gas leak, flood, or fire that caused us to evacuate the campus completely. Students and staff followed the school plan of evacuation well and we successfully moved our entire school population up to the Lunada Bay Baseball field within 20 minutes.

In the event of an emergency like the examples above that causes students and staff to evacuate the school, PVHS would evacuate to the Lunada Bay Baseball field as practiced. Parents could then check out their students from this location.

The safety of your students as well as the safety of the school staff and support personnel is very important to us. In order to maintain a safe environment for our students to study and learn, it is necessary that we practice our emergency and crisis response plans by having drills designed to exercise our procedures.

Our school and district work hard to ensure that we have a safety plan in place, should it ever be needed.

You can always refer to the district website Safety Policies Tab for more information on District Safety Plans.

Boeing Summer Internship

Attention Current Juniors! You are invited to apply to the Boeing Summer Internship program for this upcoming summer. Please complete the Boeing Internship Application and submit to Mr. Ito in the Counseling Office by Friday, March 24th at 3:15pm. 

This is an unpaid, eight-week internship that offers 10 credits and a letter grade. Don't miss this opportunity. For questions regarding the program and informational meetings, please reach out to Mrs. Loh-Norris and see flyer below.

• Mid-Year Transcripts: Also known as the 7th Semester Transcript - Be sure you are checking your email and/or application portals to see if the schools you have applied to have requested that your counselor send a Mid-Year Transcript. This transcript includes grades from the fall semester of senior year. To order your mid-year transcript, please click the link below and follow the same steps as you did for ordering your initial transcript in the fall. If you have any questions or need help with this, please see your counselor.

https://pvpusdca.scriborder.com/applicationCurrent

The new allcove Beach Cities mental health and wellness center is now open and welcomes everyone 12-25 years old in PVPUSD. The center is designed FOR and BY youth to reduce stigma, embrace mental wellness, and provide access to a variety of services.

Students can go check out allcove on the 4th floor at 514 N. Prospect Ave. in Redondo Beach. allcove is open Tues.-Fri. 1 - 7 pm and Sat. 10 am - 2 pm.

Check out allcove on Instagram @allcovebeachcities or the website for more info. on services offered. Also check out all the weekly events on this flyer or ask for a tour. 

allcove is now accepting applications for a Youth Advisory Group for the

'23-'24 school year. If you are 16 or older and want to get some leadership experience and join the youth movement for mental health access in your community, please apply ASAP. The allcove YAG Application is due April 2nd. We can't wait to see you!

PTSA News and Important Info

PTSA would like to extend a warm welcome to all Sea King families!

Click here to join!

Attend monthly meetings on the 4th Tuesday of each month at 9 am in the MPR. Each month you will hear from various speakers including our principal, Dr. Ramirez, PVPUSD Administration, PVPUSD School Board Members, and others on campus!

To provide feedback, please submit your questions/issues/suggestions here.

PTSA HSA Nomination Form

The Honorary Service Award Selection Committee requests that members of the Palos Verdes High School community assist in the selection of deserving recipients for recognition at the HSA Celebration on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. Any individual or organization that has made significant contributions to the well being of children, youth or families at PVHS and/or in our community may be considered for this award.

The Honorary Service Award Program includes the Honorary Service Award (HSA), Continuing Service Award (CSA), Golden Oak Service Award (California’s highest honor),  Very Special Person Award (VSP), Outstanding Teacher Award (OTA), and Outstanding Administrator Award (OAA). The program also honors those who go above and beyond for PVHS specifically, with the Sea King Award. Nominations are due by Friday, March 24! Please nominate a deserving person today! Click here for the nomination form.

PVPUSD Student Board Policy Handbook

Please see the link below to the PVPUSD Student Board Policy Handbook. It is also located on the main district website under the Parent & Students tab. The handbook was updated in June 2022 and includes the pertinent and updated board policies related to students. 

Student Board Policy Handbook

NEWS:

UNDERSTANDING YOUR FINANCIAL AID AWARD LETTER

Tuesday, March 14, at 6:30 pm - Virtual Presentation

Targeted for our seniors and their parents

Zoom Link:  https://marist-edu.zoom.us/j/2099168080                   

                      Meeting ID: 209 916 8080

Corinne Schell, Director of West Coast Admissions at Marist College, will discuss how to read your Financial Aid Award Letter and better understand your offer. She will talk about the various terminology used, how to compare awards between colleges, and how to appeal an award. It would be advantageous to have your Financial Aid Award letter with you during this session so all questions can be answered.

COLLEGE PLANNING GUIDANCE: THE COST OF COLLEGE

Thursday, April 27 at 6:30 pm in the MPR

SAVE THE DATE!

INTERNSHIP/OUTSIDE OPPORTUNITIES

The Lundquist Summer Fellows Program for High School Juniors and Seniors   

Spend the summer with Lundquist innovators and leading biomedical scientists. Established in 1978, The Lundquist Institute’s Summer Fellowship Program is designed to encourage graduating high school seniors and high school juniors to explore careers in the field of biomedical science. Students in the program will: 

·Spend eight weeks participating in a virtual curriculum, featuring lectures and presentations by our world-renowned faculty. 

·Participate in study groups in a mentored research project, culminating in the presentation at the end of the program to peers, family, and research community during the final week of the program, and receive Certificates of Achievement. 

Students will participate in research areas such as Cancer, Regenerative Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Metabolic Disorders and more. Fellowship Period begins on Monday, June 12, 2023, and continues through Friday, August 4, 2023. This is a highly selective and very prestigious/intensive fellowship. For Eligibility and Application requirements, please see details HERE. The deadline to apply is April 1, 2023.  

Coro Southern California – Youth Fellows Program - (for current 10th - 12th grade students)  

For the past 60 years, Coro Southern California has played an integral role in identifying and developing leaders to tackle some of the most pressing issues of our time. Coro Southern California will be launching a Six-week full-time Youth Fellows program mid-June – July this summer. The Youth Fellows program is seeking highly qualified, enthusiastic applicants who are current 10th -12th grade students. Applicants must be ready to grow in their leadership skills and explore the Los Angeles area landscape. Information regarding the timeline, structure of the program, application and other logistics can be found on the website at: www.corola.org/youth.  

Summer Employment:

Southbay Workforce Investment Board 

This is a great job/internship search resource for young adults 14-24 years old. Summer opportunities are available. Contact Job Coordinator, Yesenia Tercero at (310)-680-3830 or by email at: ytercero@sbwib.org. Website with more info: www.southbayyouth.org 

Please be sure to check out our Summer Opportunities link on the PVHS website for weekly updates/additions.

SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES and DEADLINES:

SENIORS…we are at the height of scholarship season for our Local Community Scholarships. Take advantage of these scholarship because soon they will be gone! Please make note of the following DEADLINES through APRIL noted in RED. Click on the name of the scholarship for further information and to apply.

MARCH 15 – ELKS UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITES ($1,000 - $2,000) - to be eligible to apply, individuals must be a U.S. citizen; be a resident of CA or HI; have a physical impairment, neurological impairment, visual impairment, hearing impairment, and/or speech/language disorder; and be a senior in high school

MARCH 15 – HORATIO ALGER SCHOLARSHIP – JUNIORS ONLY who possess the character to succeed in life including integrity, determination and courage. Criteria include financial need, involvement in community service, GPA of 2.0 or above, be a US Citizen, and plan to attend a 2-year or 4-year college in the US.

MARCH 15 - CABRILLO CIVIC CLUBS OF CA ($500) - seniors only; must be of Portuguese descent; minimum weighted GPA of 3.5; participated in three extracurricular activities.

MARCH 16 – INTERNATIONAL LONGSHORE WARHEOUSE UNION SCHOLARSHIP ($500) - Three scholarships will be awarded to PVHS students; application includes an essay on labor leader Harry Bridges.

MARCH 16 – JACK & ELISA BAGDASAR MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP ($500) – awarded to a senior who demonstrates the ability and desire to be an elementary/middle/high school teacher.

MARCH 17 – CHUCK CHAMBERS & RUSS URBAN SCHOLARSHIP ($500) - seniors only; application and essay on service you have done in school or community. 

MARCH 17 – CORNERSTONE ALUMNAE SCHOLARSHIP ($1,000) - honors an outstanding high school senior who is also a Cornerstone graduate.

MARCH 19 – PVP COUNCIL FOR PTAs SCHOLARSHIP ($1,000) - seniors only; MUST be a PTSA member and complete the essay question: “Describe the role PTA has played in supporting and enriching you K-12 education.”

MARCH 23 – PV PENINSULA LIONS CLUB ($500 - $1,000) - seniors only; consideration will be given to academic achievement (min. GPA of 3.0), service to others, leadership, financial need and a strong desire/plan for further education/professional focus.

MARCH 23 – ANDREW SAKURA MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP ($1,000) - for male seniors only at PVHS; application includes an essay on one of three prompts relating to friendship.

MARCH 24 – PANHELLENIC ALUMNAE SOUTH BAY HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIP (varies) - awarded to female graduates of high schools in the South Bay who plan to attend a four-year institution where sororities are established; must have unweighted 3.5 GPA or higher. Will be judged on academic excellence, character, participation in school and community/cultural activities, and financial need. Once on their website, be sure to download the application for high school scholarship.

MARCH 24 - PV JUNIOR WOMEN’S CLUB ($5,000) - high school seniors only who reside in the 90274 or 90275 zip codes; financial need is a strong component of this scholarship along with academic achievement, community service and extracurricular activities.

MARCH 24 – PVP ROTARY SCHOLARSHIP ($3,000; $5,000) - seniors only; scholarship, leadership, service, and financial aid are deciding factors; will award multiple scholarships.

MARCH 24 – SUSAN PAVELKA SCHOLARSHIP FOR JOURNALISTIC EXECELLENCE ($500) - for a college-bound senior who has participated and excelled in PVHS journalism. Candidates are eligible to apply after fulfilling a minimum of two consecutive years as a leader/writer in one or more of these journalism programs: yearbook, literary magazine, newspaper, podcast or broadcast news.

MARCH 26 – PEF SENIOR SCHOLARSHIP ($1.500) - for high school seniors who are continuing their education at the post-secondary level. Applicants must be enrolled in the PVPUSD and maintained enrollment for two years prior to graduation. An essay on "How has PEF funding enhanced your personal educational experience?" (500 word maximum) must be submitted with your application.

MARCH 30 – CAL WATER SCHOLARSHIP ($2,500-$10,000) - California Water Service (Cal Water) has established a scholarship program to assist students residing within its service areas who plan to continue their education in college or vocational school programs. Applicants must be a senior and plan to enroll in a full-time undergraduate study at an accredited two- or four-year college, university, or vocational-technical school for the entire upcoming academic year. Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of academic record, honors, work experience, statement of educational/career goals, unusual personal/family circumstances, participation and leadership in school and community.

MARCH 31 – KIWANIS CLUB SCHOLARSHIP ($500-$2,000) – awards seniors who are planning to attend a four-year or two-year college or vocational school who have shown special "heart" and performed to the best of their ability in high school. The Scholarship Committee will consider academic merit, service, and financial need (income less than $150,000).

MARCH 31 – PV CHAPTER OF THE LINKS SCHOLARSHIP (Varies) - students must be graduating seniors of African American or of African descent and be accepted into an accredited community college, 4-year college or university. These competitive scholarships are based on the students’ academic achievement, community service, extra-curricular activities, recommendations and financial need.

MARCH 31 – RH/PV ALUMNAE CHAPTER OF DELTA SIGMA THETA SORORITY SCHOLARSHIP - for seniors who are of African-American ancestry and made a positive contribution to school/community. 

APRIL 1 – ITALIAN CATHOLIC FEDERATION FIRST YEAR SCHOLARSHIP ($400 - $2,500) – seniors only; must be of Italian ancestry and Roman Catholic; minimum unweighted GPA of 3.2; participation in extracurricular activities; financial need.

APRIL 1 – SOUTH BAY JAPANESE AMERICAN CITIZEN LEAGUE (Varies) – Scholarships are open to all students of Japanese American ancestry residing in the South Bay JACL Chapter area and a member of the JACL. Students are required to fill out only one application for the scholarships listed below. The committee will select the recipients for each of the scholarships based upon the requirements:

Kiichi Egashira Memorial Scholarship - for students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in physical and biological sciences, engineering/mathematics.

Janice Kobata Zoeger Memorial Scholarship - for students in pursuit of a bachelor’s in any field of study relating to biological sciences, foreign and/or ancient language or business.

Ernest K. Tsujimoto Memorial Scholarship - for students in pursuit of an undergraduate degree majoring in the STEM fields

Gardena Valley Japanese American Citizens League Scholarship - for students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in any field of study.

APRIL 4 – PVP REPUBLICAN WOMEN, FEDERATED SCHOLARSHIP ($1500) - must be a graduating high school senior; subscribe to a Conservative/Republican philosophy; be U.S. citizen; prepare a typewritten essay of 500 - 1000 words entitled “What is the Meaning of the U.S. Constitution in the Era of Covid-19.”

APRIL 6 - SEAN HEFFERNAN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP ($1,000) – graduating senior who shows academic achievement, community service; must include original artwork (includes photography, poem, writing, sculpture, etc.) and an essay on caring.

APRIL 7 – PVHS ALUMNI SCHOLARSHIP ($500) - PVHS seniors only; short application and an essay not to exceed two pages about contributions you have made to the Sea King Community and your plans to support involvement of PVHS Alumni with PVHS/PV Community.

APRIL 7 – KRYSTAL KAZMARK MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP ($1,000) - This scholarship was created in remembrance of Krystal Kazmark, a PVHS Alumna, whose singing brightened the lives of so many. Applicants must be female in grades 9-12 who are passionate about singing or interested in pursuing vocal education/training. Two $1,000 scholarships will be awarded each year.

APRIL 15 – BETH MURAIDA MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP ($500) - awards multiple scholarships annually to seniors graduating high school in the Southwest SELPA Area with an active IEP or 504 plan. Students must be planning to continue their education. Selection will be based on the student’s financial needs, academic merits, and/or exceptional community services.

PVPUSD New Student Enrollment for 2023-24 School Year is now available!  

Do you have a child turning 5 on or before April 2, 2024 and would like to enroll in school for the fall? Enrollment season for all grades TK-12 is now open. 

Please visit the PVPUSD Enrollment home page for more information.