Eagle Empire Update
December 20, 2020
Hello Eagles,
Thank you all for your hard work, perseverance and flexibility this school year! It's been an incredible year. I am continually amazed by our students, staff and families.
As we take time to celebrate the holiday season, I am reminded of how many different ways we give and receive. During this season, our community has supported annual traditions, such as, adopt a family and thanksgiving meal donations. Our softball program has received a generous grant to improve fields. Our staff has given the gift of their time, creativity and patience, to ensure every student has every opportunity to succeed. Our parents have given the gift of their partnership and trust. Most importantly our students, have allowed us the gift of being a part of their high school and life journey.
While we still don't know when we will get back to our traditional schooling, I do know it's been a gift to lead the Granite community through these times. During 2021, I wish you all happiness, good health and quality time with your loved ones. I know that together we will, and we must, continue forward through these unpredictable times.
Wishing the warmest of Holidays and a happy New Year-
Mr. Fowler
Save the Date
- Monday December 21st - Friday January 8th - Winter Break - School Closed
- Friday January 8th - Second Semester schedule available for view on Infinite Campus.
- Monday January 11th- Teacher Cards will be sent by 2:30pm.
- Tuesday January 12th- Start of Quarter 3
Quarter 3 Schedule Changes & Updates
- Student Schedules will be available for view on Infinite Campus on Friday January 8th.
- Special Edition Eagle Empire for all Quarter 3 updates - Friday January 8th
- Teacher Cards will be sent by Monday January 11th at 2:30pm.
- Schoology Courses will be available for students to view on Monday January 11th.
- If you have questions about your schedule please contact your counselor- click here. Counselors will be responding to requests starting Monday January 11th.
- Schedule changes will be limited. Students needing graduation requirements or credit remediation will have priority in schedule changes. Level changes or teacher requests will not be accommodated.
Class of 2021 Pictures
Advanced Sign Up is required - Please click here for more info!
Food Boxes from Food Services
Wishing Mr. Flannery a great adventure!
Mr. Flannery will be relocating to Idaho! He will be deeply missed! Mrs. Rosson shared, "Russell Flannery is one of the most passionate teachers I have ever met. He fought to provide the best educational opportunities for all students. Russell took pride in his work and expected the same from the math teachers in his department. Granite Hills was lucky to have him as a teacher."
Student Section
Work Permits
Thank you to all of our Adopt a Family Participants!
A special thanks to Cheer Force who supported 13 families! We appreciate your significant donation to our community.
Adopt a Family- Students serving others
AVID
"Even during these unprecedented times, AVID students have been active. They donated gifts, food, household supplies, and toiletries to a Granite Hills family in need. AVID council members had a socially distanced gift wrapping party."
National Honors Society
NHS adopted three people for the school's Adopt-a-Family project. We collected donations for $80 in gift cards to each of our three adoptees!
Class of 2022
Participating in adopt-a-family this year was really fun and felt great to be apart of. I enjoyed having the opportunity to help a family out and buy gifts to help make the holidays merrier! Getting to organize what gifts each kid got and accepting donations from people was nice since it started to feel more like the holiday season. I really hope they enjoy their gifts and are able to have a lot of fun with them!
-Danita (Junior Class President)
I thought it was a lot of fun wrapping gifts for another family and trying to make them pretty so when the kids saw it they would be excited to open them to see what they got for Christmas this year !! I was really happy to be apart of it and the others helping around me made it a very simple and enjoyable process :)
-Chloe
It was a lot of fun, and I’m so glad we got as many donations as we did! Our family got everything on their list and more, and I was just so grateful to everyone who donated even with the tough year we’ve all had. I was so happy to be a part of it!
-Kayla
It felt really nice to be doing something nice for other people especially in times like this and I really enjoyed helping out!
-Makenna
Giving to people in need is one of the best things about the holidays, it really brings people together. I felt pure joy knowing that the kids from our adopt a family were going to have everything they wanted for Christmas. The fact that I could be a part of making their wishes come true is a feeling like no other.
- Grace
Congratulations to Sandra Ajja - AVID Senior Standout
Congratulations to Sandra Ajja, our 2021 AVID Senior Standout. Sandra is a dedicated student who contributes to Granite Hills in many ways. She was elected AVID Club president and Medical Pathway Club president this year. She volunteers at the El Cajon Library, and has completed internships with Borrego Health and the Resident Leadership Academy. She and her family fled Iraq as U.N. refugees. When they arrived in the U.S. none of them spoke English. Sandra still helps her family by translating documents, taking her younger siblings to appointments, and communicating with their teachers. She is intelligent, driven, kind, and responsible. We are fortunate to have her represent Granite Hills AVID! Sandra will continue to represent our site in several AVID scholarship competions, including the AVID Founder's Scholarship where she could be awarded up to $30,000 in scholarship money. Let's wish her the best of luck!
Medical Pathway Club Keeps Learning!
Student Guest Contributor: Noora Tabana
The Medical Pathway Club at Granite Hills Highschool is a “pre-med” club for high school students who take interest in the medical field and consider their careers in the future to be apart of the medical field. The club is designed to bring guest speakers, offer volunteer opportunities, and offer job shadowing opportunities to club members in order to inspire them to keep striving to be in the medical field.
Recently, the club has brought Dr. Jeffrey Algra, a pediatric rehabilitation medicine specialist, who spoke over zoom about his career in being able to treat those with neuromuscular disorders like Cerebral Palsy, mitochondrial myopathies, Parkinson’s disease, etc. Dr. Algra also offered students advice to join the medical field like doing career research to find a career that the individual will enjoy doing, do volunteer work, don’t just focus on grades and focus on personal growth, and explore early.
Moving forward towards the rest of the year, the club is planning to get virtual internships at hospitals and to bring in more guest speakers (a geneticist, a pulmonologist, and a metabolic specialist if possible) to speak about their careers. For those looking to join, students can email President of the club, Noora Tabana, at 348613@guhsd.net or President Sandra Ajja at 335385@guhsd.net to receive the club application in order to join. Students can also follow and message the club’s Instagram page, @ghhsmedicalpathway, for the application.
Key Club Volunteers at the Alpine Community Center Clean Up
Parent Connections
Raptor Visitor Management System
The Grossmont Union High School District is pleased to announce that we will being using the Raptor Visitor Management System at all of our schools to strengthen the district's commitment to campus safety for all of our students and staff. Please know this process will require visitors on campus to bring a photo ID. Please click here to read more information form Mrs. Kemper, our superintendent.
Support our PTSA!!!!!
Please JOIN PTSA in supporting our students, teachers and families. Only $15/year. The PTSA is working hard to offer grants, scholarships and support families in need.
You can be a part of our community by joining- Click Here
Volunteers are appreciated but not expected! Your membership would help a lot! Stay connected and informed by following our FB and Instagram pages too! Facebook INSTAGRAM - @granitehillsptsa
Face Covering and School Spirit
Logo GHHS Gaitor Face Coverings on sale on the PTSA website - $10/each