MVLA Magazine
April 2023
Dear MVLA Community,
Welcome to the latest edition of our community newsletter, where we celebrate the achievements of our students and staff at the Mountain View Los Altos High School District. This issue focuses on encouraging leadership at all levels, particularly student leadership and student voice. We believe every student has the potential to be a leader, and we must provide them with opportunities to develop their skills and positively impact our community.
One of the ways our students exhibit leadership is through the Superintendent's Advisory Council, where they can give input on initiatives and district goals. This allows our students to share their ideas and perspectives on issues that matter to them and contribute to shaping our district's future. The District Climate Committee is another platform where our students lead local efforts to save our planet. This committee works towards analyzing waste and encouraging walking and biking to school to help protect the environment.
The Associated Student Body, Student Ambassadors, and Social Emotional Learning (SEL) student leaders are other groups that exhibit leadership within our district. These groups work tirelessly to enhance the student experience, foster a positive school culture, and provide support and resources to their peers. We are grateful for their dedication and commitment to making our district a better place. We are also proud of our student journalists at our school papers, who use their voices to report on important issues and events that impact our community.
Sincerely,
Dr. Nellie Meyer
MVLAHSD Superintendent
AWARDS & ACCOLADES
Marcela is a dedicated student and community-minded leader, achieving high marks in numerous AP and honors classes and her AVID courses. She serves as the cheer team captain, is active in the Latino Student Union, and is a member of the Buena Vista Youth Scholars Club, where she helps tutor children from the Buena Vista Mobile Home Park. After graduation, Marcela plans to pursue a political science or history degree and later attend law school. Read more about Marcela here!
An avid writer, Jehan writes articles for Slam magazine, an MVHS student-run independent newspaper dedicated to destigmatizing racial and ethnic differences by amplifying voices from underrepresented people and groups. She also competes in Mock Trial, where she works on the prosecution side. Jehan is looking forward to being a Mock Trial camp counselor this summer. Outside of school, Jehan volunteers at Second Harvest Food Bank frequently and plans to spend some of her summer volunteering at her grandpa's school in India. Read more about Jehan here!
MVHS STUDENTS WIN SCHOLASTIC ART AND WRITING AWARDS
Congratulations to MVHS students Eine Youn and Alex Xu for winning national gold and silver medals in the 2023 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.
Eine, a sophomore, won a Gold Medal Award for her short story "Ting-a-Ting-Ting." She will now advance to a national competition for more than 100,000 students. Jurors cited her story "for excellence in originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision." Less than 2,000 works received a National Medal, which places Eine in the top 1% of all submissions! Eine's work will be published at Scholastic Art and Writing in June.
Fellow sophomore Alex Xu won a Silver Medal for an artwork titled "Le Anachlysictis de Villavieja," about a prehistoric mammal found near Colombia. Congratulations to Eine and Alex!
Congratulations to Los Altos High School Aerie Yearbook photographer, Quinn Carbery, for earning fifth place in the Best of Show sports photo competition for his photo, featured here, "Safe at Home." Quinn also won an honorable mention for his photo portfolio in the National Student Media Contest, at last week's National High School Journalism Convention in San Francisco.
Congratulations to all MVLA student-athletes for terrific performances this season, setting many team and personal best records, and for recognition by the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Central Coast Section (CCS).
LAHS Girls Cross Country
The LAHS Girls Varsity Cross Country team became State Champions for the first time in the school's history! They also competed among 22 of the best teams in the country at the Nike Regionals in Portland, Oregon. They placed 19th - an excellent first showing at a national championship. Coach Stephanie MacKenzie was named the CCS Honor Coach for the League. View their recognition by the Board of Trustees at the start of this video.
Congratulations to MVHS student Kate Stone for being named the CCS Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Kate has participated in Cross-Country, Soccer, and Track & Field all four years. Coach Susan Arilaga says of Kate that "she gives her all in everything and shows up every day with a smile and positive energy. She is a leader on every team she participates on."
Kate is graduating from MVHS with a 4.66 GPA and was named an AP Scholar with Distinction and a National Merit Commended Scholar. She will attend Johns Hopkins University in the fall, majoring in Biology/Pre-Med.
For the second year in a row, Los Altos High School student poets have won the Bay Area Poetry SLAM competition and now advance to the national competition in July. A poetry slam is a competitive art event in which poets perform spoken word poetry before a live audience and a panel of judges. Congratulations to all the students, teacher-coaches Carrie Abel Shaffer and Jonathan Kwan, and the English Language Arts team for contributing to an excellent performance. Get to know the student contestants here!
DISTRICT NEWS
BOARD MEETING UPDATE
At its April 24, 2023, regular meeting, the Board of Trustees heard presentations on construction projects, and classified employee negotiations, and celebrated an MVLA Spotlight on the Los Altos High School Cross Country team, among other agenda items. If you missed the meeting, you can view the session recording here.
Our regular board meeting on May 8, 2023, will be held in the District Office Board Room at 7 p.m. The agenda of every meeting can be found on the front page of our MVLA.net website.
We are in the second year of implementation of our Ethnic Studies Framework. Thank you to our MVLA teachers who have piloted and created this course. We are currently conducting our curricular review. We welcome your feedback as we complete our pilot year. For more information on this exciting ninth-grade course, click Ethnic Studies Framework. For our Frequently Asked Questions, click here: FAQs. To comment on our units, you may link here: Ethnic Studies. The written comment period closes on May 18, 2023.
SUPERINTENDENT'S STUDENT ADVISORY COUNCIL
We're pleased to announce the formation of a Superintendent's new MVLAHSD Student Advisory Council (MSAC), which is set to hold its first meeting on May 24, 2023, in the MVLA board room. The committee will play a crucial role in advising, providing feedback, and developing viable solutions for District initiatives and programs. This initiative aims to involve student leaders and leverage their unique vantage points to improve the educational experience of all students within the district.
The Council's co-chairs will be our student board members, Ava Keshavarzi and Sadie Gracon. The Board reviewed applications and held interviews to select the inaugural 22 members who will represent the diverse perspectives of the district. Read more here!
FOUNDATION UPDATE
MVLA FOUNDATION INNOVATIVE LEARNING GRANTS
The MVLA High School Foundation's mission is to invest in an innovative learning environment that provides the opportunity for all students to grow and thrive. Our investment funds teachers and staff who educate and inspire our students every day!
Who was the special person that inspired your student this year? Let that staff member know with a Tribute gift! Name the person you want to honor and make your $100 Tribute Gift. You and the designated honoree will be listed in the MVLA High School Foundation's Annual Report. We will let the honoree know with a special note and certificate.
CAMPUS AND STUDENT NEWS
GREEN TEAMS PARTNER TO SUPPORT MOTHER EARTH
The Green Teams at our high schools and the district-wide Climate Committee continue working to make our community greener, healthier, and more sustainable, and promote environmental initiatives within our schools and communities.
On Earth Day, April 22, our Green Teams and Climate Committee organized a series of events to draw attention to the importance of protecting our planet. This year they have led events, including a tree-planting throughout our community, a recycling event to share and swap clothing, and educational workshops on sustainable living practices for our incoming ninth graders on their campuses. Read about other 'green' initiatives here. Read a write-up/see photos from the LAHS Green Team on its Earth Week activities here
The Eagles S.O.A.R Café will be starting the month of May with our very first fundraiser (for Jambalaya Fried Rice) to support café operations, café uniform t-shirts, and an end-of-school-year activity to reward our Life Skills students for all of their hard work!
The initiative began last year, with students learning the ins and outs of the kitchen, assisting with prepping for school-sponsored events, and completing a variety of interactive food safety training activities. This year, students applied what they learned in their kitchen space, hosting a variety of activities and earning their Food Handlers Certification card! Learn more and access the order form for the Jambalaya Fried Rice fundraiser here!
GALLERY
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
We've posted positions for school counselors, psychologists, and therapists, and a data systems specialist. We also have several positions open in our Adult Education program (a great place to work), and coaching positions available for badminton, basketball, field hockey, golf, soccer, volleyball, and wrestling.
Ready for a career change or additional income opportunity? See what we have to offer on our Current Openings page or at https://www.edjoin.org/MVLA.
DATEBOOK
May 8, 2023
7:00 p.m. Regular Meeting of the Board of Education
Meeting materials will be posted here.
May 22, 2023
4:00 p.m. Board of Education Study Session (Ethnic Studies)
7:00 p.m. Regular Meeting of the Board of Education
Meeting materials will be posted here.
May 29, 2023
Memorial Day Holiday - NO SCHOOL
June 5, 2023
7:00 p.m. Regular Meeting of the Board of Education
Meeting materials will be posted here.
Graduation Ceremonies
Mountain View Los Altos Adult School - June 6, 2023, MVHS Theater, 6:00 p.m.
Alta Vista High School - June 7, 2023, AVHS campus, 3:30 p.m.
Los Altos High School - June 8, 2023, Stadium Field, 6:00 p.m.
Mountain View High School - June 8, 2023, Spartan Stadium, 6:30 p.m.
Academic School Year Calendars
Additional important dates are available on our campus calendars: Los Altos HS | Mountain View HS | Alta Vista HS | Adult School