Bowman Community Newsletter
February 2019
Bowman Celebrates 50 Years on March 19th
By Adam Villa & Kimberly Lima
On Tuesday, March 19th, 6:00 pm Bowman will be celebrating its first fifty years.
“It’s a great opportunity for past students and past staff members to come together and reunite giving an opportunity to see each other again,” said Bowman Principal Mr. Eran Zeevi.
Plans call for food trucks and a celebration of each decade from the 1960s to present-day. Many former staff (one former staff member will be joining the event all the way from Florida) are expected to attend as well as school board members and elected officials. Bowman will have 50th Anniversary shirts and plush Bulldogs with a bandanna stating, "Once a Bulldog, Always a Bulldog."
"I don’t know if it’s going to be 50 people, or if it’s going to be 500 people," said Mr. Zeevi, "but we have a plan in place for both. If it's a small crowd or if it’s a big crowd, we hope for a memorable fun event, so students can bring their families, and people from the school's past and present can have fun together." This is a spectacular opportunity for the Bowman Community to come together and join in the festivities.
Showing the Love on Valentine's Day
Sweets for the sweet.
ASB President Ismael Ramirez Valdez hosts as MC.
Students found their hearts taped to windows around the quad.
Austen headed to the raffle during break time.
Ms. Zamora, Mr. Zeevi, and Susan joined the celebration.
Our Bowman Bulldog helped pass out prizes.
By Blake Beltran
All-day rain dampened Valentine's Day plans for Thursday, February 14th and so ASB delayed events until the next sunny school day. And yet even on Valentine's Day, despite the rain, love was in the air and a few love bugs were “singing in the rain.”
However, it wasn't until the following Tuesday, February 19th, with temperatures dipping into the 40s and the sun shining that Bowman's ASB had a chance to make sure every student and faculty member felt some love.
ASB cut out a paper heart for each student and faculty member, then posted the hearts on windows around the quad. During break time people hunted for the heart with their name on it to wear for the day. Master of Ceremonies Ismael Ramirez Valdez and other members of ASB handed out candy and raffle tickets with raffle prizes including gift certificates for the movies and In 'N' Out.
Bowman Basketball Begins
Bowman started its first basketball program this winter. The Program is voluntary and already has about 15 players. Campus supervisors Mr. Jay Trower and Mr. Desmond Carter started the program because, “we wanted to work with young players to develop their basketball skills and help develop life skills through sports.”
Mr. Carter started coaching when he was in his early twenties; he has trained many talented athletes as a coach. Mr. Trower played basketball in high school and college and is a lifelong fan of the game. Both coaches say their main focus is to work on the mindset of players. They want to help players develop their skills and discipline to work as part of a strong team.
Supporting Veterans In Our Community
By Stephan Washington
On Friday, February 8th, twenty-one Bowman students helped build homes for veterans and their families with the Homes4Families Foundation in Santa Clarita. From 8:00 am to 1:00 p.m. students dug trenches and painted homes in this new veteran’s community next door to the school.
The neighborhood includes a common garden, which students helped develop, and a play area for children. Families in this “Veteran Enriched Neighborhood” will also have access to programming around trauma-informed care geared specifically toward veterans, including weekly care management meetings to support self-sufficiency and upward mobility.
Homes4Families uses donations to build homes for veterans who may have had difficulty transitioning back to civilian life after their service. About 61 units have already been built, which totals 78 homes in all, and there are more to come in the next few years.
Winter Awards Ceremony
English & Writing
Citizenship, Leadership, & Unity
Mr. Zeevi Announces Awards
Lead, Own, Love Faculty Awards
Honoring Faculty Leaders
You Matter Award
Good Luck Kristina! We'll Miss You!
This month Bowman students and staff said farewell to Ms. Kristina Streff, wishing her the best of luck in her new position as Special Education Secretary in the district office. Ms. Streff has been the friendly face welcoming students and parents at the front desk for five years. She said she will miss the community at Bowman.
"I'm going to miss everyone," said Ms. Streff. "Especially the way everybody interacts with each other at Bowman. Some of the students come back after they graduate and tell us, 'Oh hey, you're my favorite teacher or favorite staff member. It's neat to see how far kids have came since they started.”
Ms. Streff started her career as an admissions representative at a vocational school after graduating with a Bachelor's degree in business and marketing. “I kind of fell into education," said Ms. Streff. "I worked in elementary and primary before moving to the high school and then I became a classified employee. So I've always liked education and stuck with it, but I'm always trying to grow and keep moving.”
WASC Accreditation at Bowman: Always Striving to Improve
By Mitchell Gonzalez
This year Bowman High School is working toward its accreditation. WASC is a well-established and highly respected accrediting body that encourages schools to reflect on what's working and what needs to be improved.Bowman Principal Eran Zeevi considers the process essential to Bowman's growth. "Continuation schools often get a bad rap," he said. "This process proves that Bowman isn't just another continuation school. It doesn't fit the negative stereotype. It shows Bowman is a school that holds a vision for students to be confident, independent, and to gain the academic knowledge they need to be productive citizens. Our mission of making students ready for college and future careers is being accomplished every year."
All schools in the William S. Hart Union District undergo the accreditation process to ensure continued improvement and growth. Receiving the accreditation is a statement to the broader community and stakeholders that a school is committed to ongoing improvement for student learning. In 2012-2013 Bowman received the highest honor WASC bestows-- a six-year, clear accreditation. Mr. Zeevi is confident the school will do so again this time.
Accreditation is a year-long reflective, process. From March 10th to 13th representatives from WASC will visit Bowman to see firsthand how the school's programs and staff work together to support student development and achievement. Bowman's greatest challenge is to engage students and find ways to motivate them and help them take advantages of the many opportunities the school offers. "We focus on relationships, on getting kids connected," said Mr. Zeevi. "All the staff goes out of their way to create an environment of care and respect."
BOOK REVIEW: Milk and Honey & The Sun and Her Flowers
By Kimberly Lima
If you are someone who is into books about poetry than one of the best options for you will be "Milk and Honey" and "The Sun and Her Flowers," by Rupi Kaur. "Milk and Honey" has sold more than half a million copies and is going into its 16th printing. This book has also hit the New York Times Bestseller List.
Rupi Kaur gives mind to those who are silent, but who deserves to be given attention. The first book is a collection of poetry and prose about the experience of violence, abuse, love, loss, and femininity.
I had first heard of Milk and Honey via social media when I saw one of the excerpts posted on Kaur’s Instagram page, and I found it interesting. When I finally decided to buy and read the book I found it to be very passionate and uncensored. While reading "Milk and Honey" you can capture the authenticity of her own life experiences.
This is the journey of surviving through poetry
this is the blood sweat tears/ of twenty-one years
this is my heart
in your hands
this is
the hurting
the loving
the breaking
the healing.
In 204 pages Kaur was able to illustrate her own life as well as other people's. "Milk and Honey" is split into four chapters with different themes. The first chapter “the hurting,” is about abuse, violence and loss, where chapter two,“ the loving,” is more about the feeling we get in the beginning of love. The third chapter, “the breaking,” focuses on the end of a relationship. The last chapter is called “the healing,” and that deals with what follows us after the heartbreak. Even though I couldn’t relate to some of the topics she discusses it is still a well-written piece of art.
The second book, "The Sun and Her Flowers," is also divided into four chapters: "Wilting, Falling, Rooting, Rising, Blooming."
This is the recipe of life
said my mother
as she held me in her arms as I wept
think of those flowers you plant
in the garden each year
they will teach you
that people too
must wait
fall
root
rise
in order to bloom.
These poems and excerpts are based on the journey of growth and healing from the pain that life has brought her. The falling is about the affects relationships and her childhood had on her due to the fact that she was raped when she was a young girl and she discusses the processes of self-love. In "The Rooting," she talks about the hard life her parents had as immigrants. "Rising" is how she learned to love herself with the help of her new partner, and "The Blooming" is the end of the journey to self-love and self-acceptance.
February Student of the Month: Steven Adams
Q: Were you surprised to find out that you were student of the month?
A: Not really.
Q: What advice would you give to other students in terms of developing better study habits?
A: Don't focus on the less important things; only focus on graduating.
Q: How did you achieve the amount of credits you earned?
A: Work on something everyday and stay after school to do more work.
Q: What do you plan to do after high school?
A: I might go to College of the Canyons and be a contract assistant or get a business degree.
Q: What are your favorite pastimes outside of school?
A: I like to draw and skate for the most part.
Q: How much homework and extra credit do you do/ask for?
A: I usually ask for about as much work as I can.
Q: Any last thoughts or advice?
A: Never give up on your dreams!
February Student of the Month: Bianca Valles Montiel
Q: Were you surprised to find out that you were student of the month?
A: Not really.
Q: What advice would you give to other students in terms of developing better study habits?
A: Don't focus on the less important things; only focus on graduating.
Q: How did you achieve the amount of credits you earned?
A: I asked for a lot of extra credit and then did my best to keep up with it and get it done at school so I could have more free time at home.
Q: What do you plan to do after high school?
A: I want to do something in the field of child development. There are so many different jobs from administration to supervisor or assistant in that field. I'm still not sure which one I'd like to do. Right now, I plan to go to a College of the Canyons and then transfer to a four-year school nearby.
Q: What are your favorite pastimes outside of school?
A: I used to be on the hip hop team at Golden Valley High School. So, it would have to be dancing.
Q: How much homework and extra credit do you do/ask for?
A: I needed a lot of math credits and so I asked for a lot of math extra credit. I earned the most extra credit in math, and I went to intervention.
Q: Any last thoughts or advice?
A: Try to keep on pace with work so you can extra credit. Do the extra credit here at school and then you have more free time at home.
Upcoming Events
March 11th-13th: WASC Visit
March 19th: Bowman's 50th Anniversary Celebration & Open House
March 22nd: Term 6 Ends
April 1st-5th: Spring Break
April 26th: Term 7 Ends
May 27th: No School, Memorial Day
May 29th: Bowman Graduation!
June 6th: Term 8 Ends
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