Academy Award-winning filmmaker and Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter recently returned to his old stomping grounds to be inducted into the Whittier High School Alumni Hall of Fame – an honor he shares with such Cardinal grads as President Richard Nixon and his wife, Pat, and NFL star Bob Chandler. Lasseter, who graduated in 1975, was among five alums to receive the honor during the Whittier High School Alumni Association and Educational Foundation’s 17th annual Hall of Fame dinner on April 17, when $13,000 in scholarships was awarded to 12 graduating seniors. Launched in 2000, the Hall of Fame honors Whittier High graduates or staff members who have made a local, state, national or international impact.
Follow-up Story: Hundreds of Santa Fe High School students on April 21 showcased artistic creations, drawings and sculptures, modeled fashionable works of art on a lit runway and put their individualism on display during the Visual and Performing Arts Department’s 13th annual Art and Fashion Show. The Santa Fe High gym teemed with artistic displays encompassing the event's theme, “American Volcano,” which celebrated diversity and cultural pluralism of the arts, ethnicity, gender, politics and contemporary society. The event inspired students to erupt in a creative flow of paintings, dress designs, dance performances and much more during the day’s three shows, including an evening extravaganza open to the community. Photos are available.
It takes some professional ballerinas a lifetime to gain recognition for their skill, musicality and grace. For Whittier High School student Madeline Czekaj, it took just one year of formal dance training. In January, Czekaj, 15, competed against more than 180 dancers to tie for third place in the San Diego Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) classical senior division, qualifying her for the YAGP finals in New York City on April 22-29 and the chance to win a scholarship to one of the world’s 30 leading dance academies. Czekaj is among the group of 486 soloists and 789 ensembles from 36 countries to make it to the YAGP finals, one of the most prestigious ballet competitions in the nation.
Pioneer High’s Titanette Revue Celebrates Imagination with Song and Dance
Whittier Union’s Pioneer High School will hold its annual Titanette Revue song and dance celebration, themed “The Power of Your Imagination,” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 15 and at 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 16 at Pioneer High School, 10800 Benavon St., Whittier. Started in 1963, Titanette Revue is a long-standing tradition in which students, parents, alumni and friends build sets, props and costumes and produce original choreographed routines performed to music around a central theme. The community favorite attracts sold-out audiences. Tickets are $10 for evening shows and $8 for the matinee. Proceeds benefit the school’s performing arts programs.
A pair of veteran educators whose leadership has helped shape successful student programs will retire in June: Whittier High School Principal Lori Eshilian, who has helmed the Cardinal campus for almost eight years, and Assistant Superintendent of Personnel Services Rich Russell, who has been with the District for 22 years June. A 1972 graduate of Whittier High, Eshilian has worked in various capacities since 1987 and has served as principal of her alma mater for the past eight years. Russell joined Whittier Union in 1994 as director of student support services, playing a pivotal role in developing the District’s Pyramid of Interventions, which helps struggling students. Santa Fe High School Principal Kevin Jamero will replace Russell. The Board of Trustees will decide on Eshilian’s replacement before the end of the school year.
Santa Fe and Pioneer high schools are among 24 schools in California to earn the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Schoolwide Site of Distinction award, a new honor given to a select few AVID schools for their extensive commitment to providing students with college preparation resources. Schoolwide Site of Distinction is the highest rating a school can achieve on the AVID certification rating scale. Only 380 out of 5,000 AVID schools in the U.S. were eligible to apply for the honor and just 80 were chosen. Santa Fe has been an AVID campus for more than 20 years and a National Demonstration School since 2001, serving as a model to other schools wishing to implement the college preparation program. Pioneer has been an AVID site since 2001 and is designated as a “Highly Certified” site.
Follow-up Story: Pioneer High School hosted an “Every 15 Minutes” program on April 7 and 8 to drive home the perils of operating a car while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or driving while distracted. The event began with a simulated car crash, rescue efforts and the dramatized deaths of students on April 7 followed by a mock funeral for family and friends on April 8. The staged crash involved students who were “critically and fatally wounded” and transported via ambulance to a local hospital, and an “injured” student who was arrested for driving drunk. Photos are available
The Whittier Union High School District is inviting eighth-graders and their parents to attend Future Frosh Night on Thursday, March 31. Teachers, students and administrators at each of the District’s five comprehensive high schools will provide valuable information about the classes and programs available to all students. Times and locations for the informative event are as follows: California High School, 9800 S. Mills Ave., 6 p.m., in the main gym; La Serna High School, 15301 Youngwood Drive, 6 p.m., in the Locke gym; Pioneer High School, 10800 Benavon St., 6:30 p.m., in the main gym; Santa Fe High School, 10400 S. Orr & Day Road, Santa Fe Springs, 6 p.m., in the Mendez gym; and Whittier High School, 12417 E. Philadelphia St., 5:45 p.m., in the gym. For information, call 562-698-8121.
Pioneer High School senior Gilbert Sandoval has received a nomination letter from U.S. Rep. Linda Sánchez to attend the U.S. Naval Academy – an extraordinary honor given to just a handful of local students every year. Sandoval was among 300 hopefuls in Sanchez’s district – which stretches from Cerritos to South El Monte – seeking to gain a prestigious letter of recommendation from the congresswoman. Only nine letters were granted, one of which went to the proud Titan. Sandoval expects to hear in April whether he has been accepted. He hopes to major in oceanography or missions operations to become a Navy SEAL.
Santa Fe High School graduate Joey Davis won his fourth consecutive NCAA wrestling title to finish his Notre Dame College career with a perfect 131-0 record. He becomes the first wrestler in NCAA Division II history to win four NCAA championships while going undefeated. The 2012 Santa Fe grad defeated Pitt-Johnstown’s Travis McKillop with a 3-1 decision in the 184-pound finals at the NCAA Division II championships on March 13 at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The match between Davis and McKillop – a four-time All American and NCAA finalist in 2014 – was the most anticipated of the night’s 10 final bouts
