PRHS Welding Team Wins State Title Bike to School Day

The Vine
May 12, 2017
From the desk of Superintendent Chris Williams
PRHS Welding Team Wins State Title
The PRHS Welding Team just concluded its undefeated
season by winning the California State FFA Agriculture
Welding Championship this past weekend. This is the firstever state FFA championship for a team from PRHS. In
addition to winning the team championship, all four
members placed individually in the top five: Iver Hansen
(1st), Shane Terra (3rd), Daniel Oliver (4th), and Zac Alves
(5th).
FFA welding contestants must demonstrate their ability to
perform jobs and skills that are reflective of those required
in the welding industry. The contests contain four
different events: Welding application, written test, weld
test/inspection, and job portfolio/application. The students are judged on competence areas such as safety,
measurement, and reading blueprints.
After placing third at the state meet in 2016, the team set a goal this year to bring home the championship. During the
course of the year, the PRHS FFA Welding Team won all seven field day competitions that they attended throughout the
state and in Nevada. Not only did the team win all competitions, but senior Iver Hansen placed first high individual in
every one of them! Iver also recently won a gold medal at the state SkillsUSA conference in welding and will be attending
the national leadership and skills conference in Louisville, Kentucky in June.
Bike to School Day
Wednesday was Ride Your Bike to School Day. Every school site
participated in the event with a total of 394 students riding to
school districtwide - a new record! Pat Butler Elementary was the
winner with nearly 50% of their students participating! Even Mr.
Williams got into the spirit of the event by riding his bike to EVERY
school site! Thank you to Mick DeLeon for all his work organizing
the event and handing out prizes.
District Employee Graduation Information
from PRHS Senior Class Advisors Angela Logan and Janice Hoy:
It is tradition here at Paso Robles High School to offer district employees the opportunity to hand
their son or daughter their diploma at the graduation ceremony. We will continue with this
practice for the 2017 graduation ceremony.
Please email Angela Logan, [email protected], by May 26, if your son or daughter is graduating from PRHS this
year and if you would like to hand them their diploma at graduation.
We will be having an informational meeting regarding the process and seating for this wonderful opportunity prior to
graduation. We look forward to seeing you there!
Crimson Service Award
In honor of our community members who provide outstanding service to our
schools, the district has started the Crimson Service Award. The Crimson
Service Award will be handed out monthly to community members,
organizations, or businesses that go above and beyond in their service to any
of our schools and programs.
We are pleased to recognize our first Crimson Service Award recipients, Pear
Valley Winery owners Tom and Kathleen Maas. They have, not only graciously
donated their winery for district events, but also donated over $1 million
worth of work and equipment to help rebuild our athletic fields. We cannot
thank Tom and Kathleen enough for what they have done for our students.
To nominate a community member for the Crimson Service Award, contact
Debi Weber in the H.R. Office, [email protected].
Bearcat Athletes Sign National Letters of Intent
Congratulations to our Paso Robles High School Bearcat
athletes who were recognized earlier this week in a
ceremony honoring their commitment to play sports at
the next level:
Annie Meeder - track & cross country at Cal Poly
Trad Berti – track & cross country at Chico State
Luis Armendariz – cross country at Cal Poly
Christian Erickson – football at Sac State
Steven Schouten – football at Humboldt State
Gabrielle Morrison – volleyball at Vanguard
Madison Morrison – volleyball at Westmont
This brings the class of 2017 total to eight so far with a
few more students still expected to make their
decisions in the coming weeks. Very exciting times for
Bearcat Athletics!
VAPA Signing Day
In addition to our athlete signing day, we will be hosting
the first-ever VAPA Signing Day in recognition of our
student artists and performers who have been accepted
to performing arts programs in college.
The VAPA Signing Day will be held on Monday, May 15th
at 3:45 PM in the PRHS Performing Arts Center. All are
welcome to attend and help celebrate!
PRHS Alum Spotlight – Monty Renfrow
We love hearing success stories of our PRHS alums! Thank you to Marcy
Goodnow for keeping us updated on the acting career of Monty Renfrow.
Monty graduated from PRHS in 2012 with a focus of acting for the rest of
his life. He was accidentally put into drama his freshman year and never
left. You may remember him from shows like "Dracula", "Check, Please!",
and "Guys and Dolls". He went to AMDA (American Musical and Dance Academy) in Los Angeles and then made his way
to NYC. He has seen quite a bit of success in NYC starting a theater company, being featured in a short film "One Good
Pitch" in 2016 that went to the Tribeca Film Festival, a Walmart commercial, and latest being featured in "Shades of Blue"
sharing a very dramatic scene with Jennifer Lopez.
Monty had this to say about the theatre arts program at PRHS: “What I would say about the company is that it provided
me with a place to discover and experiment with my craft at a very early stage in a safe, supportive, and collaborative
environment. It also taught me what it truly means to build a production from the ground up and make contributions to
something that is ultimately much bigger than the individual. That has been such a valuable lesson that I use to this day in
creating my own work and getting it off the ground.”
You can ready more about Monty by clicking the links below:
http://www.ksby.com/story/35365049/paso-robles-native-guest-stars-in-nbcs-shades-of-blue
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article149885297.html
Broadway Bound Workshop
Paso High Theatre Company and Advanced Drama is inviting
students in grades K - 12 to come and act with them on
Saturday, May 20th, from 9 AM - 12 PM. Company members will
be working in teams to bring students fun and exciting acting
workshops. This event is first come, first served, so sign-up
today! Registration closes May 16th. This event is FREE!
Broadway Bound Workshop
CTE Spotlight Student
The May College and Career Ready Student is Alim Benbrahim. Alim is a senior at PRHS. He is a
successful A-G student who will be attending Northern Arizona University in the fall (he was also
accepted to Sacramento State and Fresno State). Alim is a SkillsUSA state champion for the past
two years in Electrical Construction Wiring. He will be competing at Nationals for the second
straight year. Additionally, he is a pathway completer in Residential and Commercial
Construction. We are so very proud of our May College and Career Ready Student Alim!
PBIS in PRJUSD
PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions
and Support) rewards are being distributed throughout the
district for our students who are demonstrating positive
behavior.
Students at the Arts Academy at Bauer Speck who are in the
upper grades must complete community service hours in order
to receive all their PBIS bands. Pictured here are 3rd graders
who are reviewing the schoolwide expectations with
kindergarteners.
Panther Pride Week has been in
full strength at Winifred Pifer
Elementary. During the week,
the students have been
working on completing their
applications for dog tags. Once
a student earns all 5 dog tags
for being Safe, Responsible, Respectful,
Ready, and their Best, they receive their
Panther Pride Badge. During this week, the students
who have their Panther Pride Badge participated in
three-legged races, a picnic style lunch, karaoke session,
kickball and a mystery activity.
Mrs. Gail at Kermit King Elementary is helping students
fill out their applications for LEAP bands. LEAP stands
for: Leaders, Encourage each other, Act responsible,
Positive attitude.
PRO Academy Parent Information Meeting
PRO Academy (Paso Robles Online Academy) will be hosting another parent
information night on Tuesday, May 16th, in the PRJUSD board room from 6:00 –
7:00 PM. There will be a short presentation followed by an opportunity for
parents to ask questions. There will also be Spanish translation available for any
Spanish- speaking families who wish to attend.
One Cool Earth Corner
Is there anything more fun than eating your art project? When kids help in the
kitchen there are fewer meal-time battles and more willingness to try new healthy
foods! In partnership with The Kids Cook Monday Campaign, FoodCorps, and One
Cool Earth, Georgia Brown Elementary will be hosting the second free family
cooking night this Monday, May 15th, from 6pm-8pm to promote family meals and
cooking with kids. Healthy Mediterranean Hummus Pizzas will feature garden
herbs and will be served up family style. Sounds yummy? It is not too late for
Georgia Brown families to sign up. Please inquire more in the front office by Friday,
May 12th. We also encourage you to sign up for the weekly Kids Cook Monday enewsletter for seasonal recipes that feature kid-friendly cooking steps at under $3
per serving! Follow this link to sign up: http://www.thekidscookmonday.org.
Looking for fun and meaningful ways to engage in your school
community? Volunteers can help One Cool Earth during garden
lunch clubs, class time, and programs like Library on the Lawn to
get students learning in the garden and trying new healthy foods.
RSVP at [email protected] to get involved or get more
info! From planting to painting signs, there’s an activity for
everyone! Also remember to check out One Cool Earth online:
www.facebook.com/onecoolearth or www.onecoolearth.org.
One Cool Earth is also working on a promotional video featuring
two of our school gardens at Virginia Peterson Elementary and
Georgia Brown Elementary.
National History Day
Congratulations to all of our elementary, middle, and high
school students who participated in National History Day in
Rocklin, California last weekend. This is the first time that
PRJUSD has sent representatives to the state level.
According to parents and teachers, it was an amazing
experience for all involved!
Pictured here are students from Virginia Peterson, Pat
Butler, and Georgia Brown. We are so proud of our History
Day participants!
Field Studies Collaborative at PRHS
Submitted by: Jon-Paul Ewing
PRHS Science Department is committed to putting students in
the field as part of our new Field Studies Collaborative (FSC).
One of the new FSC courses being offered next year is titled
"Intertidal Monitoring". As part of a state-wide LiMPETS (Longterm Monitoring Program and Experiential Training for Students)
program, Paso Robles High School students are working with the
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and
National Marine Sanctuaries Scientists to collect baseline data on
intertidal communities in California. On Saturday, 22 Marine
Biology students joined up with a NOAA scientist to collect
intertidal research data in Shell Beach. The students identified
and counted 22 key species living between the tides, they
learned field protocols of how to run a transect line and place
quadrats. The data our students collected will be compiled and
used by researchers who are studying the effects of our changing
climate. Next year, FSC students will begin monitoring multiple
sites along our county's coastline. Applications for the course
will be available in September.
Pinnacles National Park Field Trip
Winifred Pifer's 5th grade recently students took a field trip to
Pinnacles National Park. The students learned about the
ecosystems, habitats, geology of the park, specific plants and
animals, fault lines, and erosion. The students hiked 2 ½ miles!
Preschool Open House
Everyone is invited to attend an
open house event for our preschool,
the Early Learning Academy. We will
be hosting a ribbon-cutting
ceremony for their new facility at
the Arts Academy at Bauer Speck on
Tuesday, May 16th, from 5:30 – 6:30
PM.
Come tour the facility and learn
more about our preschool program!
For more information about the
Early Learning Academy, contact
Lauren Handley at
[email protected].
PRHS Early Childhood Development CTE Pathway
Submitted by: Jenny Martinez
These are first-year students in the Career Technical
Education pathway for Early Childhood
Development. This was the first year PRHS and Winifred
Pifer Elementary teamed up as industry partners so
students in our newly-implemented ECE class, "The
Developing Child", could get exposure to the field of
teaching, the school library, office and other areas in the
field of education.
CTE students walked to Pifer during their block period
and were given the opportunity to help in classes
including PE and special needs classes. They were
exposed to how the school personnel operates on a
daily basis. They were able to help students with
various assignments as well as assisting teachers when
needed. Pifer teachers modeled for them good
teaching strategies so they will be prepared for the next
step in the education pathway. Many of these students
will go on to be teachers or program directors at our
very own Bearkittens Preschool program on the PRHS
campus and some will participate in SkillsUSA. We hope
to expand this program next year reaching more
classrooms giving students the opportunity to see what
it is like to work in the field of education.
ASES Updates
The Winifred Pifer Elementary ASES students wrote letters of appreciation
to veterans. The letters were delivered to the Paso Robles Veteran’s
Center where they are displayed. Frank Goyette, a Korean Veteran, said
he reads one letter a day and wants the students to know that everyone
truly appreciates all the time and effort they put into them.
ASES students at the Arts Academy at Bauer Speck worked this week to
create Mother's Day gifts. The students decorated containers and planted
flowers.
Henrietta Mootiste Finds a New Home
Submitted by: Deb Lauridsen
Last Saturday, the Cow Parade (the international art/fundraising exhibition)
culminated its wonderful nine-month long exhibition in San Luis Obispo County
with a stellar auction of many of the cows, hand-painted by local artists for
local business, charity and non-profit promotion and fundraising! The auction
took place at Oyster Ridge at Ancient Pikes Winery on the Santa Margarita
Ranch! The cows, which made their original debut at the Madonna Inn in the
fall, and have been on display since then at various businesses around the
county, were gathered up for one final group display at the auction!
Liberty High School's own Henrietta Mootiste,
painted by the drawing/painting class students, has
been on display in the lobby of the Paso Robles City
Library since her original debut at Madonna Inn.
Saturday, she was purchased at the auction by
Donna O'Shaughnessy of Atascadero who then
gave Henrietta to her son and his family who have
relocated Henrietta to Santa Rosa! Liberty High
School students want to give a big "shout-out" to
Donna for her generous support of the arts
program at their school! "Thank you, Donna!!"
PRHS Mock Rock
The PRHS Mock Rock was held
at Gil Asa Gym this past week.
The event was put on by the
PRHS Leadership Class. It was
free for all students and
community that wanted to
attend. There were 11 acts
(close to 50 students) that
performed in front of 4 judges and over 400 audience members. There were
two types of entries: Students could mock a song or perform a talent and sing
or play music. It was a free Friday Night Live event and the top 3 acts are
going on to Cal Poly to perform at the county-wide Mock Rock this
Sunday at 7pm. Tickets available at the door. For more information, visit:
https://www.slofnl.com/mock-rock
Perfect Attendance
Kindergarten students at Winifred Pifer showing
off their perfect attendance dog tags.
Congratulations to these awesome Panthers!
Paso Robles Library Birthday Celebration
Join us as we celebrate the Library’s 22nd birthday at its Spring St location and the Paso
Robles Library Foundation’s 20th anniversary. In honor of these two very special
occasions, we will be hosting an open house with tours, speakers, demonstrations, and
refreshments on May 13, 11:30 am-1:30 pm and a special Friends of the Library used book
sale from 10 am-3 pm.
Established in 1997 as a non-profit organization under Internal Revenue Code 501(3) c,
the Foundation has provided financial support over the years for programs such as the
Summer Reading Program, for materials such as books and audio-visual items, and for
replacement of library furnishings. With over 24,000 cardholders and over 277,000 items
circulating each year, the Library continues to empower the community to achieve its
vision for the future.