The Cougar Times
San Ysidro High School, Winter Edition
Principal's Message
Dear parents,
These past couple of months have been filled with many great activities. We had our Halloween lunch activities, with many students and staff dressing up in great costumes. Our Spanish classes created some great “Dia de los Muertos” altars, where students had an opportunity to learn about culture, tradition, and history. Our talented students have participated in amazing performances during assemblies, lunch activities, and VAPA events. We had our Ballet Folklorico, Mariachi, and Holiday Band performances, as well a great Drama production. In addition, our students took part in competitions and other events such as Game of Throws, Robotics competition, and Beach/City Clean ups. Our student athletes have done a great job in all sports and continue to model the Cougar Way through sportsmanship and commitment.
At SYHS, our college-going culture is really important to all of us. We want to ensure that all students have an opportunity to visit a college at some point during their high school years. We had for the first time an all-10th grade college field trip, where all 10th graders were invited to attend, regardless of their GPA, program, or classes they take. In addition, we continue to focus on our college-going culture and building a school culture where students feel valued, respected, and embraced. I feel blessed to work in such an amazing school, with caring, dedicated, and hardworking staff, remarkable and talented students, and very supportive parents. I hope everyone enjoys the upcoming holidays with your family and loved ones.
Respectfully,
Eduardo Reyes, Ed. D.
Principal
San Ysidro High School
AVID
On Sep. 19th, sixty AVID 9 and 11 students went on a fieldtrip to Point Loma Nazarene University and Cal State San Marcos. They got official campus tours, additional private tours of a Science lab, an authentic college meal, and advice from SYH alumni attending the universities.
Currently, the AVID students are working on fundraising for their next fieldtrips.
Mrs. Spark’s AVID 11 and AVID 9 students will toured UCSD, SDSU, and USD on November 5th and also Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State Fullerton, and UC Irvine on Nov. 14th.
The AVID seniors are submitted their college applications this October and November.
AVID juniors are researching their major, career, and university interests between now and Christmas break.
At USD, YMCA director Gabby Millan and Dr. Jennifer Winward arranged for the students to sit in on a real college lecture.
Our students got a private tour of the Kinesiology lab to see how the university students use the lab equipment to conduct experiments on body movement, athletic performance, and physical therapy techniques.
Students got a feel for being a real college student on a university meal plan as they ate lunch at Point Loma Nazarene University’s student dining hall that overlooks a spectacular view of the ocean.
Ms. Giordano's AVID 10 class
My AVID 10 students have been studying the scientifically-based health reasons for being kind. They became Secret Kindness Agents, created a logo for themselves and a Secret Agent name, and they have committed random acts of kindness each quarter to help make our community a more positive place.
M.E.N.T.O.R. (Making Educational Networks That Open Roads)
Mr. Gutierrez, AVID coordinator, applied and SYH was chosen for an outreach program coordinated by an organization at UCSB called Hermans Unidas. They run a program called M.E.N.T.O.R. (Making Educational Networks That Open Roads) It is a three-day, two-night program in which Hermanas Unidas from UCSB select and invite three underrepresented California high schools to the university. Twenty-five students from SYH will be selected through an application process. The three days consist of academic, financial, and admissions workshops. Participants get a chance to attend classes and tour the campus with Hermana volunteers. They also receive information from various student organizations on campus through a resource fair. In addition, there is a student panel added to the agenda. During this panel, participants meet and ask questions to UCSB students with financial and cultural backgrounds similar to theirs. The panel is traditionally followed by a motivational UCSB staff speaker.
The SYH alumni will be in contact with me to come present at a future faculty meeting. The program is in the spring. This is a great opportunity for our school!
10th grade College Visits
2019 Game of Throws
Definitely a fun weekend in November chucking pumpkins over a 100 feet with our very own medieval trebuchet!
We did so good we were invited to have 2 teams next year so get your tools out and get ready to have a smashing good time. I learned so much about the building process and it was much easier then I thought. There is even a really informative website virtualtrebuchet.com
that applies your measurements and configurations to calculate the distance. Are furthest throw was 33 meters!
Great job by the team; Jimmy Martinez, Esmeralda Magana, Juliana Trevino and Selinda Porras (Even some alumni joined in) They deserve a slice of pumpkin pie!
NJROTC Troy Athletic Field Meet
In the month of September 2019, the San Ysidro High School Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) Unit partook in the yearly Troy Field Meet. This yearly NJROTC competition takes place in Fullerton, California at the Troy High School. It is a series of challenging activities that requires both physical prowess and mental endurance from its participants. The San Ysidro High School NJROTC unit proudly took home a variety of trophies, as well as 3rd place overall.
Troy Athletic Field Meet is one of the major athletic competitions that San Ysidro’s NJROTC Unit participates in. The Troy Athletic Field Meet is attended by approximately 30 High School NJROTC units. The field meet at Troy encompasses a wide array of events, ranging from volleyball matches, to tug-of-war tournaments.The event requires that San Ysidro High School NJROTC students show up at 0500 for the all-day-event; a commitment that the 61 cadets from the unit, enthusiastically made.
That Saturday, the student roster was saturated with the 61 cadets. The commitment of our cadets was not lost upon arrival as they each set out with fervor and purpose to their respective events. As they each undertook their responsibilities, it was easily observed that the unit was a well-oiled machine where each cog worked in tandem, the communication was clear, and the leadership was definite. Troy Athletic Field Meet may seemingly be a physical competition, however, it serves as an event in which participants are able to acquire skill sets useful for the real world circumstances. For instance, sportsmanship was prevalent throughout the competition, as other schools’ units spectated events, they recognized skill in competing teams and promoted it. Additionally, our unit developed its cohesion as it furthered its capability to cooperate, our cadets encountered camaraderie as they performed side by side. Being able to belong to a team and effectively communicate with it is a foundation for success in a working environment. A lot can be learned from a “mere” competition.
Overall, Troy was a fun and invaluable experience. It says a lot about our cadets to have demonstrated the initiative and desire to partake in the event, because at the end of the day, they weren’t obligated to attend, they decided to do so of their own volition. Under the direct supervision of Chief Campos and Master Sergeant, alongside the leadership of Lieutenant Commander Lohmeyer, our unit was able to prepare for what we’d be facing at Troy, and their assistance was integral towards the success we obtained. We are also very grateful for the participation of the parents who volunteered their time and resources to make this a fun, successful, and safe activity. While attaining first place certainly remains a coveted endeavor, we have successfully secured our longstanding tradition of remaining among the top three units in the event.
FRENCH GUEST SPEAKERS
This year in French class, we will be having a few inspirational guest speakers who will come and speak to the students about challenges as a vehicle for personal growth.
The first set of speakers were administrators from SYH. Mrs. Garza came to speak to 2nd period, Ms. Higareda spoke to 3rd period and Dr. Reyes came to speak to 4th period. 1st and 6th period students are not pictured but their guest speaker was French Teacher Madame Rosa.
Ms Garza
Assistant Principal
Ms. Higareda
Assistant Principal
Dr. Reyes
Principal
SYH's CTE Construction Class
Meet the Math Department
AP Calculus Pumpkins
AP Calculus students carved Calculus Pumpkins to celebrate the holiday season. They used topics they have been taught so far this year in Calculus to carve a pumpkin to match something they have learned.
English Department and Health
To help keep the students healthy, the English Department and Mr. DeDonato organized the Wellness week. Thanks for all that you do.
Cougar Climate, Culture and the Arts
Staff vs Student Volleyball Game
SYH Staff and the volleyball team came out to show their skills! Our staff and students had a blast.
Hi 5 Fridays!
Grupo Folklorico San Ysidro
Talented Cougars
This last week there has been a lot of talent and joy on display by our wonderful students!
Great shows from GFSY and Mariachi…
Thank you Mr. Hirsch and Mrs. Charines!
Cougar Spirit
Altars for Día de Los Muertos
Athletics
National Signing Day
Kailen Rains has been offered a full scholarship to play Basketball at Cal State Northridge. He signed his acceptance letter on November 13th, 2019.
We also have Thelma Sepulveda who will be playing Tennis at Point Loma Nazarene.
We are proud of our SYH athletes!
Aramis Vera
Athletic Director
San Ysidro High School
SYH Softball Team
The lady Cougars got their first softball trophy ever in the San Diego Girls Fastpitch League(GFL). Led by future Cougar and MVP Victoria Figueroa and all league players, Sarahi Ulloa, Isabella Ulloa and Cassandra Covarruvias, the Cougars made it to their first final in school history and won Second Place.
ASB
Counselors Corner
Parent Engagement
This year we finished the semester strong with our Parents as Partners series hosted by our very own Counselors. Thank you counselors!
This year we were able to provide families with gifts for their children! SYH would like to thank Plaza Bonita Target, El Rincon, County of San Diego, Health and Human Services Agency, Central and South Regions, Casa Familiar Staff, and Hector Bonilla - Bonilla Accounting Firm. Thank you for bringing our families joy this holiday season.
Sidro@Nite
About Us
Mission Statement
- San Ysidro High School will prepare all students to be college and career ready upon graduation .
- San Ysidro High School strives to cultivate a culture that embraces diversity, inspires positive relationships, and promotes high expectations for all students.
- San Ysidro High school strives to provide a rigorous and relevant education that empowers students to make productive decisions about their future.
- San Ysidro High School strives to create opportunities to partner with parents and community members to advocate for our students.
Email: Eduardo.Reyes@sweetwaterschools.org
Website: http://syh.sweetwaterschools.org/
Phone: (619) 710-2300