The A-B-C² Monthly
MARCH 2021 - The Eagle Rock/Highland Park CoS Newsletter
Opening Letter
Titus Campos, Community of Schools Administrator
This month we celebrate the impact that women have had locally, nationally and globally. Indeed, our world is a better place for the contributions that women have made in our society. The great Poet Dr. Maya Angelou wrote: “A woman in harmony with her spirit is like a river flowing. She goes where she will without pretense and arrives at her destination prepared to be herself and herself only.” In the Eagle Rock/Highland Park Community of Schools we are so fortunate to have many great leaders who are women. Students, Teachers, Counselors, Principals, Assistant Principals, School Support Staff, Parents and Community Activists----there are many shining examples of women who make our community a better place. We thank you for your advocacy, courage and passion to make our community great!
By now you may have heard that LAUSD is gearing up to safely bring students back to school in a hybrid model sometime in mid-April. Students enrolled at Early Education Centers and elementary schools will return first followed by secondary students. Parents and guardians are being asked to complete the Return to Campus Program Selection Form by Friday, March 19, 2021. The LAUSD Return to Campus Family Guide has valuable information about the attention to detail that we have done to ensure that students and staff are safe when they return to campus. Principals have been conducting community meetings to share the steps that they have taken for a safe return to school. Families who prefer to have their child(ren) compete the school year via distance learning will have an opportunity to do so.
Please look for updates on the Highland Park/Eagle Rock Community of Schools website.
Academic Tip
☑You Are Not A Robot
by Mr. Franke & Julia Marlin
Excerpt from article: “The intention of this article was to chronicle the collaborative journey of discovery and implementation that resulted in a model for successful online learning. We hope to illustrate that it is possible to transfer the most important elements of one’s classroom culture into a fully synchronous, distance learning format. It is partially a narrative, a story about taking risks with purpose. It is partially a ‘how-to’ piece, and a collection of effective, practical Zoom tips. Just like every teacher has a different style, the virtual classroom will be different for everybody, and there can be as many successful models as there are teachers. ”
(To view the full article, click here)
Book Recommendations
Elementary (ETK-5th) Recommendation
New York Times best seller
A charmingly illustrated and educational book, Women in Science highlights the contributions of fifty notable women to the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) from the ancient to the modern world. Full of striking, singular art, this fascinating collection also contains infographics about relevant topics such as lab equipment, rates of women currently working in STEM fields, and an illustrated scientific glossary. The trailblazing women profiled include well-known figures like primatologist Jane Goodall, as well as lesser-known pioneers such as Katherine Johnson, the African-American physicist and mathematician who calculated the trajectory of the 1969 Apollo 11 mission to the moon.
Women in Science celebrates the achievements of the intrepid women who have paved the way for the next generation of female engineers, biologists, mathematicians, doctors, astronauts, physicists, and more!
— BrainPickings - Best Science Books of the Year
Secondary (6th-12th) Recommendation
The bestselling memoir by Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai.
Malala Yousafzai was only ten years old when the Taliban took control of her region. They said music was a crime. They said women weren't allowed to go to the market. They said girls couldn't go to school.
Raised in a once-peaceful area of Pakistan transformed by terrorism, Malala was taught to stand up for what she believes. So she fought for her right to be educated. And on October 9, 2012, she nearly lost her life for the cause: She was shot point-blank while riding the bus on her way home from school. No one expected her to survive.
Now Malala is an international symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize winner. In this Young Readers Edition of her bestselling memoir, which has been reimagined specifically for a younger audience and includes exclusive photos and material, we hear firsthand the remarkable story of a girl who knew from a young age that she wanted to change the world -- and did.
Malala's powerful story will open your eyes to another world and will make you believe in hope, truth, miracles and the possibility that one person -- one young person -- can inspire change in her community and beyond.
Eagle Rock/Highland Park Community of Schools Library
College/Career Update from a NELA Graduate
Pablo Narvaez: FHS Class of '80
by Erica Granados, Parent Education Support Assistant
For the month of March we were fortunate enough to interview Mr. Pablo Narvaez, long-time resident of Northeast LA, former LAUSD student, and current engineer at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. For the past 50 years, Mr. Narvaez has remained in the Highland Park area and been an active member of the community. In his free time, Mr. Narvaez has fostered a close relationship to local schools through his involvement in seminars, career day demonstrations, science fair competitions, and has even given tours of JPL to students. He also sponsors students to work for JPL during the summer as summer interns.
Mr. Narvaez moved to Highland Park in 1968, and attended a number of schools within the neighborhood: Buchanan Street Elementary ('68-'74), Burbank Middle School ('74-'77), and Franklin High School ('77-'80). He credits his education and mentors for igniting his curiosity about STEM, and providing him with the tools and resources to succeed. He vividly recalls the moment he first became excited about space exploration; he was at Burbank Middle School and the Viking landers had just landed on Mars. This early exposure instilled in him a curiosity about engineering and outer space. That moment is when he started to think about a potential career in the Sciences. While attending FHS, he was further encouraged to pursue STEM by his college career counselor who sent him to summer programs that allowed him to find out what engineering is all about. He felt that his trajectory within LAUSD is what prepared him for the rigors of college. After graduating as Class of '80 from Franklin, he attended the University of California, Los Angeles where he graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering. During his undergraduate studies, he was able to network with his professors, one of which happened to be a manager at JPL and encouraged him to apply upon graduating. Although he already had a job offer at another firm, he knew that JPL was his dream and decided to go for it. Following the advice of his professor, he applied, interviewed, and landed the job. Along the way, Mr. Narvaez picked up a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering at CSULA.
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory is part of NASA, is managed by Cal-Tech, and is one of the nine NASA space centers. JPL is focused on robotics space exploration. They build, design, and test space crafts to go to other planets, such as Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Pluto, etc. They also build earth-based satellites to better understand our planet, design instruments that go on the space station to do studies, and send rovers like the one that just landed on Mars on February 18th, Perseverance, a mission which he was heavily involved in. Beginning his career at JPL in 1985 as a Staff Engineer, he has since then rosen through the ranks, first as a Tech Lead, then Group Supervisor, and ultimately to where he currently is now as Section Manager for the Reliability Engineering and Mission Environmental Assurance. He is currently overseeing 160 engineers, and managing a whopping budget of 36 million. His section is in charge of defining the environments where they travel. For example, they have to understand the environments around the planets so that the electronics can survive. They have to understand how hot or cold an environment is so that they build a spacecraft that can protect itself from harsh radiation or with thermal blankets to keep electronics safe.
Their section is still very much involved with the Mars Rover, Perseverance. Going to Mars with Perseverance allows them to understand how Mars came to be. There was ancient lakes throughout Mars. Their goal is to understand what happened and how did it get to where it is right now. Perseverance is a Geologist and Astrobiologist. Instead of sending humans, they send robots to do the work that humans would typically do here on Earth. There is a team who is responsible for driving Perseverance, that control it remotely, and send commands from Earth to Mars. They upload software to give it instructions on what to do throughout the day. There's a constant team who monitor its health 24/7, send it commands, and receive information. They receive information through a series of satellites orbiting around Mars. The rover communicates to the satellites and the satellites send the information back to Earth. Earth rotates so they switch dish antennas that are located in Barstow, Madrid, and Australia. That's how they communicate with the rover. They are currently excited to see the helicopter fly, Ingenuity, that will drop from belly of Perseverance. They're doing health checks, so far it's healthy and it will be the first flight outside of Earth, that occurs on another planet.
Mr. Narvaez ended the interview by encouraging youth to seek out opportunities in the STEM fields, "There is a lot of opportunities out there. We need people who seek to better our world and find solutions through ingenuity. We have to protect our planet because the next generation will inherit it." His involvement with local schools, such as Arroyo Seco Magnet, has opened up made him hopeful and confident that the next generation can in fact better the condition of our world. Their enthusiasm and creativity has given him hope for the future. His parting advice for students who are interested in STEM or even joining JPL themselves one day, "Start reading up on books involving Science, invest in a STEM kit, Lego blocks, model cars, anything that allows students to build things from the ground up. Do hands-on things, immerse yourself in whatever field you are interested in." Lastly, he emphasized the importance that having a quality education, mentors, and a support system have done for his growth professionally and personally. He thanks LAUSD, his teachers, counselors, mentors and of course, his lovely wife that has been his biggest supporter for the last 35 years. He hopes that students reach out for support or advice in order to prepare themselves for their future career goals. Guidance is what can make all the difference for our young students.
NELA Employee Spotlight
In Memoriam: Gabriel Monge
Gabriel Monge was born November 11, 1970. He grew up in the San Fernando Valley and graduated from San Fernando High School. He started his higher education at a community college, then attended Cal State Northridge, and eventually graduated from Hofstra University, just outside New York with a bachelor's degree in Communications. Mr. Monge earned a Master’s Degree in 2009 from Cal State Los Angeles.
Mr. Monge had an immense dedication to educating the future generation. He started teaching at Vaughn in 1997, then began his work in LAUSD in 2003 at Berendo Middle School, and then in 2007 at Liechty Middle School and from 2011 until now he has been working at Luther Burbank Middle School. He never treated his job like it was just a job, but rather a passion. He worked countless hours trying to figure out the best way to impact his students. He dedicated his whole self to caring for others and helping students succeed. His efforts were recognized in 2018 when he was awarded the California League of Middle School Region 8 Educator of the Year award. He was named Virtual Teacher of the Year in 2020 for his incredible work even in the midst of a pandemic, and was named a top screencastify video creator for LAUSD, creating 337 videos for his students. His dedication was tireless.
Outside of the classroom Mr. Monge loved to read, watch movies, listen to music and spend time with his family, Henry, Priscilla and Martin as well as his dog, Coco. He especially loved to read anything by Stephen King! He frequently took his family on educational experiences as he loved culture and the arts. Mr. Monge loved his family with all his heart and frequently spoke so proudly of watching his kids run cross country and track meets. He was always their biggest fan.
Mr. Monge loved his students too, and was able to make each one feel special. He often told stories of them, from their greatest achievements in class to one of them even rolling down the ramp like a bowling ball! He constantly encouraged them to take charge of their own destiny through reading and learning. He always saw his students’ potential even if they could not see it themselves. This year Mr. Monge signed up his classes to participate in “The Great Reading Games” and he was determined to win. Currently his students are in 7th place nationwide, and they have taken on the challenge to go as far as they can in honor of their beloved teacher Mr. Monge.
There are no words to express the loss we have experienced with the passing of Gabriel Monge, however there is hope in knowing his memory and legacy will continue to live on at Burbank Middle School for many years to come.
Complete LAUSD Survey
Return to Campus Program Selection Form
Return To Campus Family Guides Spring Edition 2021
Community Partner Highlight
OxyArts
Oxy Arts is a community-based arts hub of Occidental College. Located at 4757 York Blvd., they are right in the middle of our Community of Schools. Oxy Arts is a vital public space bringing together the campus community, the Northeast Los Angeles community, and local and regional artists in socially conscious dialogue and engagement. They seek to share, connect and hold space for ideas and curiosity. Everybody is welcome at Oxy Arts.
Oxy Arts programs across mediums—film, visual art, performance, writing and music. It also serves as a gateway to Oxy’s five academic arts majors and minors: Art & Art History, Interdisciplinary Writing, Media Arts & Culture, Music, and Theater.
Frankie Fleming is the Manager of Education and Community Engagement at Oxy Arts. She does an incredible job at including our local schools to participate in opportunities to learn about the arts and showcase their work. We appreciate collaborating with Oxy Arts!
Student Work
Read Across America
Contact Us
Email: nelaschoolsrock@gmail.com
Website: eaglerockhighlandparkcos.lausd.net
Location: 5657 Meridian Street, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Phone: (323) 761-1285
Facebook: facebook.com/nelaschoolsrock
Twitter: @nelaschoolsrock