Back to School: Sequoia high school district Back to School: Sequoia high school district (September 01, 2004)

New faces, new plans and some significant departures.

By David Boyce
Almanac Staff Writer

The Sequoia Union High School District these days is a mix of old and new, with much that is new, particularly if you stroll around the campuses of Woodside and Menlo-Atherton high schools.

Both schools have relatively new track-and-field facilities, new gyms and many remodeled classrooms. At Woodside, getting on and off campus may be quicker and easier with a new vehicle-circulation plan.

As is the case every year around this time, there are new faces. M-A has three new administrators: Norman Estrada, appointed in June, begins his first year at M-A as principal.

Joining him are two new administrative vice principals: Judy Duran, who came to Sequoia from the Fremont Unified School District, and Matthew Zito, from the San Francisco Unified School District.

East Palo Alto Charter High School is entering its fourth year with some 300 students, and will graduate its first class in June.

It's pretty much all new for the 80 sophomores at Summit Preparatory High School -- a two-year old charter school in Redwood City. The school will inaugurate its 10th-grade curriculum this year.

These charter schools could benefit from new partnerships with the Sequoia district. Though the plan is still in the early stages, the district says it intends to pay for new buildings for both East Palo Alto High and Summit Prep.

The Sequoia district has an obligation to provide facilities to charter schools under provisions of a bond measure passed by voters in 2000.

In part to raise $9 million to build the new charter-school buildings, the Sequoia district will ask voters to approve Measure H, a $70 million bond measure on the November ballot.

Also being discussed at Sequoia is a partnership with the Redwood City Elementary School District on a bridge school for academically struggling students in sixth through ninth grades. If it's successful, the same could be done for the Ravenswood District, said Superintendent Patrick Gemma.

Several well-known names in the district have moved on, some to retirement and others to new opportunities. Eric Hartwig, after nine years as principal of Menlo-Atherton, left for the district office to take a curriculum-development post.

At Woodside, art teacher Dick Camera retired after 37 years with the district. Another 37-year career ended with the retirement of English teacher Bill Cane, who left M-A after 25 years there. Science teacher Paul Martini retired from Woodside after 34 years in the district, and math teacher Margo McAuliffe retired from M-A after 20 years.

Sequoia Union High School District
1300 Island Drive, Suite 101, Redwood Shores. Superintendent: Patrick Gemma. Call 369-1411. www.seq.org

Menlo-Atherton High School

555 Middlefield Road
Atherton
Phone: 322-5311
Norman Estrada, principal
Grades: 9-12
School opens Monday, August 30.

Enrollment. 2,050 students are expected at M-A this year, 79 fewer students than last year.

New programs. M-A is offering several new classes this year: a science course on human biology, a social-studies course on the Cold War, an industrial-arts engineering course on applied math and science, and a video-production class. The music department is bringing back the choral class from a few years back, and will offer a class on playing the guitar, taught by music teacher Eric Kujawsky.

New facilities. The new gymnasium built last year "is now ready to go," said Instructional Vice-Principal Steve Lippi. Smaller than the main gym, it has venues for volleyball, badminton and wrestling as well as basketball. The gym also has a removable wall to open up the space for social and class events, a weight room, and an aerobics and dance studio. The science classrooms have been redone, there are new classrooms for special education and new landscaping in front of the school. Construction will begin this year on a new faculty lounge, Mr. Lippi said.

Academic support. Last year, for the first time, M-A offered the MESA program to provide after-school tutoring in math, engineering and science. MESA won't be available this year, as the new state budget cut the funding for it.

Departing staff. Among the staff members retiring this year are English teacher Bill Cane -- leaving after 37 years teaching, including 25 at M-A -- and math teacher Margo McAuliffe, with M-A for 20 years. Diana Klemmick, a long-time staff member at M-A, also retired in June. Two teachers from the RISE program (Realizing Intellect through Self-Empowerment) left in June: Irene St. Roseman after nine years at M-A, and Dina Eagle after three. Principal Eric Hartwig left in June after nine years to take a curriculum development position in the district office. Administrative vice principals Steve Benigno and Alice Campbell also left in June.

New staff. Among the 107 full-time teaching and administrative staff at M-A this year are three new administrators and many new teachers. Norman Estrada is the new principal and the two new administrative vice principals are Judy Duran and Matthew Zito. The new teachers are Julie Bonner, guidance; Kristen Broussard, English; Ethan Castro, English; Valerie Davidson, computer academy; Jan Dietzgen, reading; JJ Lee-Gilbert, English as a second language; Mike Molieri, special education; Patrick Maier, English; Negin Fahimi, computer academy and math; Bruce Glatzel, special education; Jennifer Parna, math; David Piper, RISE; Akane Tanaban, English as a second language; Laura Vera, Spanish; Stacey Woodcock, reading.

Woodside High School

199 Churchill Ave.
Woodside
Phone: 367-9750
Linda Common, principal
Grades: 9-12

Enrollment. Woodside expects 1,933 students to enroll this year, 38 fewer students than last year.

New facilities. The new 500-seat performing arts center may be complete around Christmas as scheduled, but an opening early in the second semester is more likely, said Instructional Vice-Principal Margaret Williams. The cost of the center -- originally $12 million -- may rise to $14.5 million, due in part to the district choosing a heavier grade of structural steel. The lower-grade steel ordered last January was unavailable when needed in June, said Don Gielow, who oversees Sequoia's capital development programs. The new pool and gym are ready for physical education classes. The gym has academic classrooms as well and will also serve as a dance studio.

Parking. Old headaches with parking, caused in part by construction of the arts center, may well go away with the recent repaving and a new parking scheme.

Departing staff. Longtime teachers Dick Camera, who taught art, and Paul Martini, who taught science, have retired after 37 and 34 years, respectively, with the Sequoia district. Business teacher Don Isbell relocated to Sacramento, and physics and math teacher Jeff Fox moved to Massachusetts, Ms. Williams said.

New staff. Woodside will have about 100 full-time teaching and administrative staff this year. Among them are several new teachers, including Camilla Brown, business; Glenn Carpenter, math; Ethel Molina, Spanish; Davina Ott, science; Erica St. John, English; Kathie Toland, resource teacher for students whose native language is not English; and Christle Waters, art.

Classroom upgrades. Classroom renovation for science classes was put off to accommodate summer school, but these classrooms are scheduled to be upgraded, Ms. Williams said.

Accreditation. Woodside was first accredited in 1963. In 2005, the current six-year period expires. Representatives from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges will visit in the spring to re-evaluate the school.

Staff development. The theme during the summer was, and for the foreseeable future is, academic literacy, with an emphasis on improving standardized test scores, Ms. Williams said. Recently published state test results showed 44 percent of ninth-graders, 36 percent of 10th-graders and 36 percent of 11th-graders rated as proficient or better in English language arts.

East Palo Alto High School
475 Pope St.
Menlo Park
Phone: 329-2811
Nicole Ramos-Beban, principal
Grades: 9-12

Enrollment. East Palo Alto High expects to enroll 300 students this year -- up from about 200 last year. The school will graduate its first class of seniors in June.

New programs. East Palo Alto High will offer three new electives this year: a video-broadcasting class and two classes taught by Canada College professors: Latin American history and Microsoft Office applications. Over the summer, four students and a teacher attended a college-application seminar for kids of color with the idea of bringing back what they learned to assist their classmates and colleagues at school, said Principal Nicky Ramos-Beban.

New facilities. The existing gym at the school's Pope Street campus was remodeled to provide a working scoreboard, glass backboards for the basketball hoops, and two new classrooms, Ms. Ramos-Beban said. By 2006, a new gym and high school building may be built on land on the site of the K-8 East Palo Alto Charter School, but several key decisions are yet to be made, said Don Gielow, who oversees capital development projects for the Sequoia Union High School District.

New staff. The school will have seven new teachers: Misla Barco, Spanish; Raul Betancourt, science; Marisol Castillo, humanities; Angelita Garcia, math; Manny Medina, math; Gaylen Raisler, speech; and Nati Rodriguez, math.

Departing staff. Spanish teacher Itziar Aperribay and math teacher Beth Injasoluian are not returning to East Palo Alto High this year.

Field trips. The school will repeat last year's field trips: the February civil-rights tour for 10th-graders called "Sojourn to the Past" and a January trip for freshmen to Yosemite National Park. New this year is a tour of UCLA and a trip to the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles for sophomores.

Summit Preparatory High School
201 Marshall St.
Redwood City
Phone: 369-5851
Diane Tavenner, executive director
Grades: 9 and 10
School opens Tuesday, September 7.

Enrollment. 180 students are expected at Summit this year, including 100 freshmen and 80 sophomores.

New programs. The 10th-grade curriculum -- new for the school's first sophomore class -- includes college preparatory English, the second year of a two-year world history and geography course, chemistry, algebra II, and all levels of Spanish, from Spanish I to native speaker, said Executive Director Diane Tavenner. Electives include advanced art, drama and photography/digital media.

Departing staff. None.

New staff. The school hired a new administrator and five new teachers for the coming year: Drew Moors-Grimshaw, English; Megan Jellinek, history; Caroline Sumpf, biology; Megan Taylor, geometry; Debra Kerner; Spanish. The admissions director and special-projects manager is Meghann Tovar.

New facilities. The school prepared two unused spaces as new classrooms in its current rented building.

Field trips. The entire school will go on a camping trip in September as part of a community-building process, Ms. Tavenner said. In February, the freshmen will take an interdisciplinary field trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cannery Row, the Steinbeck Museum, and UC Santa Cruz. Students will be required to keep a field journal and write a follow-up paper. Sophomores will travel to Southern California and visit the Museum of Tolerance, the Getty Museum, UCLA, USC and a small college.

Athletic programs. In anticipation of joining the Central Coast League next year, Summit is building boys and girls teams in soccer, basketball, swimming, cross-country and track, and boys baseball and girls softball. Other activities offered this year are flag football and ultimate Frisbee.

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