PRINCIPAL'S UPDATE

November 22, 2015
    
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THANKSGIVING MESSAGE
Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the important things in life and to thank those in our lives who have made a difference. I am grateful that I have been given the opportunity to serve as principal of this incredible high school.  I am grateful for the value that this community places on our children's education and the financial support that has maintained the quality of our programs.  Peninsula High School's success is because of our amazing students, outstanding teachers & staff, and supportive parents & community.  I wish each of you a heartfelt Thanksgiving full of joy and wonderful memories with family and friends.
 
PENINSULA HIGH GIRLS' TENNIS SOCAL CIF CHAMPIONS
For the third consecutive year, the talented Peninsula High School Girls' Tennis Team continued their winning ways by  beating Torrey Pines in the Southern California CIF-USTA Championship match.  Congratulations to a wonderful group of girls and their amazing coaches, Mike Hoeger and Barb DeWitt, who always make us so proud.  
Beautiful Smiles! 

THE WEIGHT ROOM IS READY TO USE
The new Peninsula High Weight Room will be ready for students to use next week.  We have tentatively selected January 9th for the official ribbon cutting and grand opening celebration.   While the students will be able to use the facility beginning next week, we are waiting to have the grand opening celebration until the new sound system, mirrors and graphics are installed.  Thank you to our district, the Athletic Booster Club, and the PTSA for your support in creating this incredible facility for our athletes.
Principal's Advisory Members Checking Out the New Weight Room

PEP SQUAD OUTREACH
On Friday November 13th, the Peninsula Pep Squad traveled to the Belmont Shore Retirement home to spread their Panther spirit. Members of Varsity Cheer, Varsity Song, Pep Flag, JV Cheer, and JV Song performed crowd pleasing routines including the Peninsula Fight Song, Go Big Gold, PHS, and the Chicken Dance! The girls had so much fun and the audience loved seeing them dance.  We are grateful that Mrs. Maloney coordinated this event; especially during the season of giving thanks.
PEP Squad Brings Joy To Others
Come support our Pep Squad at the PV Holiday Parade on Saturday, December 5 as they spread holiday cheer alongside our Peninsula Marching Band and Colorguard.  In this season of Thanksgiving, Pep Squad is thankful to represent the Black and Gold not only on campus but within our community.
GO PANTHERS!

PEN HIGH RANKED #9 CA & #84 NATION - NICHE 2016
The 2016 Niche Rankings have just been released.  Peninsula High has been ranked #9 in California and #84 in the Nation.  Congratulations Panthers!
 
The recent rankings from Niche include public high schools, intermediate schools, and elementary schools. 


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Mark Your Calendars for the following events to support our athletes:
Friday, December 4 from 11am-5:30 pm. HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE IS COMING SOON! This is the time to get your unique gifts and special PANTHER GEAR & PANTHER CARDS! There will be over 40 tables of your favorite holiday items. PANTHER CARDS ARE ALSO AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE!

Saturday, March 12, 2016- A Black & Gold Affaire!  One of the biggest fundraisers at Peninsula.  Save the Date for an amazing event!
 
It's the 25th Anniversary of A Black & Gold Affaire!
Each Family of an Athlete is requested to donate an auction item or become a sponsor of the event!
 
To Become a Sponsor:
Contact Julia Parton at jkparton@msn.com or go to our website pvphsabc.com!
 
To Donate an Item:
Contact Lisa Watanabe at alyssa90274@gmail.com or
Mary Simonell at msimonell22@gmail.com
(Ideas for auction items include: restaurant gift cards, tickets to sporting events or concerts, SAT Prep & tutoring, rounds of golf, sports equipment, spa services, jewelry, sunglasses, vacation homes/trips, anything that you think would be a good auction item!)
 
Need photos for Media Show for the Black & Gold Affaire! 
Since Fall Sports have come to an end, please don't forget to submit photos for the Media Show at the Black & Gold Affaire!  Please click on this link to upload your photos here by Monday, February 29, 2016

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CHUCK MILLER GRANT RECIPIENTS HONORED 
Thank you to the Peninsula Education Foundation for supporting our teachers through the Chuck Miller Grant Program.  Teachers who received grants were honored at the annual Harvest Festival at Trump on November 19.  It was a fabulous event. 
Pen High Chuck Miller Grant Recipients
 Back Row - Stephanie Peppermuller, Emily Mellquist, Anne Leonard. Brendan Karg, and Judy Adams-Smith
Front Row - Paula Borstel, Barb DeWitt, Betsy Fujinaga, and Henry Chou
Thank You PEF

PEN DRAMA PRESENTS:
IN-LAWS AND OUT-LAWS AND OTHER PEOPLE WHO SHOULD BE SHOT
Humorist playwright Steve Franco rolls audiences into relentless laughter and hilarious awkward reality, in the frolic family fun, In-Laws and Out-Laws and Other People Who Should Be Shot. 
 
Peninsula High School Drama performs Franco's masterpiece from December 4th to the 13th.   Friday and Saturday performances at 7:00 PM and Sunday Matinee's are at 2:00 PM.  For best seats in the intimate PAC Theatre, purchase tickets ahead  at the Student Store, on-line at www.peninsuladrama.com  (handling fee applies) or email pendramatickets@cox.net. Tickets will also be available at the door one hour before show time.  $10 for Adults, $8 for students with ID and children.  Location:  Performing Arts Center, Peninsula High School, 27118 Silver Spur Rd. in Rolling Hills Estates.
 
GLASS SALE AT PENINSULA TODAY
 
SHOP TODAY
TEEN COURT
The first Teen Court session was held on Wednesday, November 18.  It was wonderful to see Judge Van Sicklen presiding over his new courtroom.  Thank you once again to all our donors, and especially Pen parent Tony Molino, for leading the fundraising efforts for this new addition to Peninsula High.  Next week the floors will be refinished and then we look forward to having a grand opening celebration.
 
Thank you to Peninsula High Spanish teacher Adam Garnet for creating the Peninsula High Teen Court Logo. The phrase "scientia potentia est" is a Latin aphorism meaning "knowledge is power."
First Teen Court in the New Facility
 
REBECCA MU ELECTED YOUTH AND GOVERNMENT SECRETARY OF STATE
Rebecca Mu was recently elected the YMCA Youth and Government, Secretary of State at the State Convention in Fresno, CA, attended by 3500 statewide members.  She ran against eleven other candidates.  Rebecca joins Peninsula High senior Nico Gardner who currently serves as the CA State elected Youth and Government governor.  Peninsula High is so proud that the two top elected positions in Youth and Government are held by Peninsula High seniors.  Rebecca will oversee the legislative houses, lobbyist initiatives, and elections.  Congratulations Rebecca!
 
Congratulations Rebecca!
PTSA MEETING TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24th
Please join the PTSA for their November meeting on Tuesday the 24th in the school library at 9:00 a.m.  The guest speaker is PTA Council chairperson, Cheryl Dawson, on the subject of Human Trafficking in the South Bay.  Of particular interest to parents of seniors, there will be discussions about scholarships and Grad Night.  Have you heard about the solar power projects at our schools??  Come hear about the proposed locations on our campus. We will also have our usual raffle with a chance to win a beautiful centerpiece for Thanksgiving, courtesy of Walteria Flowers.  We hope you will join us. 
HERE is the agenda for the meeting!

Early Signing
Ena Shibahara - Girls Tennis, UCLA
Sara Khattab - Girls Tennis, UC Riverside
Kori Rasmussen - Girls Volleyball, University of Delaware
Anna Stockstad - Crew, University of Minnesota

PANTHERS SUPPORT HOSPICE FUNDRAISER
On November 15, 2015, Peninsula musicians and members of Novas, (a student volunteer group at Torrance Memorial Medical Center) supported the "Light Up A Life" fundraiser for Hospice.  For the third year in a row, Peninsula orchestra members performed at the event.  This year, the musicians included Lucy Wang-violin, Chris Nelson - violin, David Nagoshi - viola and Minji Oh - cello.  Members of Novas included, Jordan Asamoto, Natalie Wong, Michael Lazarus, Aimee Tan and Alyssa Yeh. Thank you to these wonderful members of our Panther community for supporting such a special event for families who have lost loved ones. 
Thank You Panthers for Your Support of the Hospice Fundraiser

BRUIN - MUN:  NOVEMBER 13, 14, &15
MUN AT UCLA
On Friday November 13th, PVPHS MUN traveled to UCLA to compete in the 23rd annual BRUINMUN Conference. This highly competitive conference consisted of over 1300 delegates local and out of state programs. Student advisors were Chris Torres, Kiana Razi, Hope Schmalzried, and Karen Hadidjaja. Peninsula's delegates competed with diplomacy and passion, whether they were ending WW3 in the Novice Security Council Committee or finding solutions to cyber warfare in DISEC. Competing against 50 other schools, PVPHS was awarded Outstanding Small School delegation in acknowledgement of the high level of debate. This school award is an enormous honor, especially at such a competitive conference. More than half of our delegates received  individual awards:
Commendation Awards:
Suha Ahsan
Lauren Leung 
Lydia Cheng 
John Zuercher 
Kai Kato 
Outstanding Delegate Awards:
Elena Park 
Jina Hyun
Katlyn Cha 
Anna Chang 
Katie Shewfelt 
Best Delegate Awards:
Joey Black 
Juliana Yonis 
Kelly Van Boxtel 
Yinka Braimah 
Research Awards:
Hope Reveche 
Mandolin Ponce 
Erika Hathaway 
Ryan MacGowan 
Best School Award:
Outstanding Small School Delegation 
 
 
MUN AT UCLA
RUWANTHI (RU) EKANAYAKE NAMED A YOUNGARTS FINALIST
Congratulations to RU, who has been named a 2016 National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) Finalist in Writing/Creative Non Fiction. She was selected out of more than 12,000 applications - the largest number to date.  Ru has been recognized for her outstanding work and accomplishments and joins 819 young artists from 42 states across the literary, visual, design and performing arts who are being presented with this year's honor. Winners receive cash awards of up to $10,000, validation by renowned mentors, opportunities to participate in YoungArts programs, a strong professional network, and guidance in taking important steps toward achieving their goals. As one of 165 Finalists, Ru will attend the 35th annual National YoungArts Week in Miami from January 3 to 10, 2016, which aims to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration and community while offering the guidance needed to prepare for the next stage of careers. Congratulations Ru!

LATIN NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY PARTICIPATES IN SCRAM
Yesterday, Peninsula's JCL/National Latin Honor Society attended S.C.R.A.M. (Southern California Regional Amici Madness) at University High School in Irvine with sponsor/teacher Bettina De Guzman. They faced off against 30 other schools in events such as Academic Tests, Archery, Basketball, Ultimate Frisbee, Sight Reading, and much more for major bragging rights against other schools in the SoCal. The highlights of the event was the Ultimate Frisbee event, where Nile Minn, Abagaaz Sherfa, Connor Wahlen, Andrew Wahlen, James Maeder, Steven Schatz, and Shaun Kim worked together to get a 1st place victory over 10 other schools as well as Emma Needham and William Mueller getting 1st place in Project Runway as well. Temishi Omnekikami placed 3rd in Sketch Art, Mei Johnson placed 3rd in Sight Latin Reading, Mariya Nadberezhna placed 3rd in Vocabulary, Insun Won and Rachel Oswald placed 3rd in Reading Comprehension 3, Henry Norton placed 2nd in Reading Comprehension 2, Mei Johnson placed 3rd in Derivatives, Jinseor Kim placed 3rd in Derivatives, Eunice Lee placed 2nd in Derivatives, Shaun Kim placed 2nd in Vocabulary, Kaila Kim placed 2nd in Reading Comprehension 3, and Nicole Lee placed 1st in Derivatives. 

SCRAM (Junior Classical League) Competition For Latin Students

MOCK TRIAL UPDATE
The Peninsula High Mock Mock Trial Black Team competed in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, November 18.  They were magnificent, but were not selected to move on to the semifinalist level.  The program started off with 94 high school teams and Peninsula High was among the final 8, which is an amazing accomplishment.   I am so proud of all the students on the Black and Gold Teams for their outstanding achievements this year.  One of the greatest achievements of this outstanding group is the outreach program to Ridgecrest Intermediate School where our students founded a Mock Trial program that proved to be very successful. 
 Many thanks again to John Torelli, Jabe Kahnke, Joanie Gale, Judy Daar, Albro Lundy, Woody Woodland, and Michael Ooley who generously give their time to this terrific group of students. 

SUPERINTENDENT VISITS PENINSULA HIGH SCHOOL
On Tuesday, November 17, Superintendent Don Austin addressed the Leadership Classes at Pen High. Students had an opportunity to ask questions. His answers were filled with wisdom and advice for our Pen Leaders. Thank you Dr. Austin!

PENINSULA HIGH CANNOT AFFORD TO HAVE STUDENTS MISS SCHOOL ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25th
Last year on the Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving (minimum day), PVPHS lost approximately $10,000 of State funding on that day alone due to student absences! Student absences, whether for illness, religious reasons, vacation, or personal days reduce our revenue. ADA (Average Daily Attendance revenue $49.00) is only paid if a student is present for at least 1 period per day or on an approved Independent Study.

If you would like to make a $49.00 ADA reimbursement donation for each day your child is absent, please turn your check in to the Main Office. This donation will help ensure that PVPHS can continue to deliver the quality education that students and parents rightly deserve and expect.  Your donation is used for instructional needs and classroom supplies at PVPHS.

Thank you for considering the option above and thank you for your continued support of Palos Verdes Peninsula High School!

CAREER FAIR THANKS
Peninsula High School would like to extend a heartfelt "Thank You" to the presenters who shared their interesting and diverse careers with our students for fieldhouse this past Wednesday.  It was so rewarding to hear presenters sharing their personal career paths, lessons learned, and enthusiasm for their career.  The valuable time shared with our students helped to open their minds to possibilities for their futures.   It was such a fun way to expose our students to a variety of careers all in one day.  A huge "shout-out" to our alumni football players who joined us to share their careers!  #PanthersForever. Thank you to Teri Koyanagi and Terri Lewallen for coordinating the event.  
Thank You Career Fair Presenters
 
THANK YOU CAREER FAIR PRESENTERS

CAREER SPEAKERS FOR CAREER MONTH
Students will keep the Career focus momentum going after the Career Fair, by attending the Lunch and Learn session in the CCC during Career Month.  First up in our Career Speakers Series on Monday, November 23rd are Mr. and Mrs. Garnet who will share their career paths and what led them to teaching.  Our Friday, December 4th speaker, Christine Becker, Director of Human Resources at IPS Corporation, will focus on Resume and Interviewing Techniques and on Monday, December 7th students can learn about Careers in the Non-Profit Sector from Craig Ishii, Executive Director of Kizuna.  Stay tuned for Careers in the Performing Arts presented by UCLA, more of our own faculty sharing about their interesting career paths, and more. 

LINK CREW HOSTS 2ND ANNUAL PIE DAY FRIDAY EVENT
All freshmen and transfer students were invited on Friday to attend Link Crew's 2nd Annual Thanksgiving Pie Day Friday event. All who attended got a free slice of pie, and those who donated a dollar or a canned food item got to "pie" their Link Crew Leader in the face with whipped cream! All funds and food will be donated to the Toberman Neighborhood Center. Special thanks to our fabulous Link Crew Leaders who made this a fun and well-attended event!
LINK CREW
 
ASB NEWS
ASB Roundtable Report
The ASB would like to thank the student body members who attended the ASB Roundtable this week in the library.  Your ASB officers and class officers walked away with pages and pages of excellent ideas and suggestions for pep rallies, class competitions, The Zoo, and much more.  Your ASB truly enjoyed the opportunity to get to speak to so many members of our school community, and we look forward to begin exploring and implementing your wonderful ideas!
ASB ROUNDTABLE

Walk for Life Ambassadors
Are you interested in helping plan our annual cancer fundraiser, The Walk for Life?  This is our school's biggest fundraiser, and the Walk for Life Ambassadors play a huge role in securing donations and organizing the details of the event. If you're interested in possibly becoming a Walk for Life Ambassador, come to an informational meeting this Tuesday, November 24 during lunch in the Activities Office, S20.

Willenberg Update
The positions to be elves/buddies for our Willenberg guests on December 2nd were filled in the first day of our posting the sign up sheet!  If you signed up to be an elf, please come to a lunchtime meeting on Monday, November 23 in the Activities Office, S20.
 
Pep Rally
The ASB is excited to host a huge pep rally this Tuesday at 7 pm in the gym. In addition to honoring the senior athletes, there will be great performances, a big class competition, a 'dance-off' competition, and even a student vs. teacher game. There will be free give-aways and much more. Admission is FREE!

SAVE THOSE CANNED GOODS
Save the Date! The annual Service Learning Leadership Canned Food Drive is coming up December 7th-16th. Food items will benefit Early Head Start and families at the San Pedro Boys and Girls Club. More details to come, but we hope to beat our total from last year and collect over 2,000 food items. 
 
MOM'S IN PRAYER INTERNATIONAL
On Friday, the Peninsula High School Mom's in Prayer International provided the staff with a phenomenal luncheon.  We are so grateful for their support of Peninsula High and continued generosity and kindness.

ORCHESTRA WINTER CONCERT
On Friday, November 20, the Peninsula High School Music Department presented an outstanding Winter Concert at Rolling Hills United Methodist Church, which included the Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Dan Doctor and the Symphonic Orchestra under the direction of Fred Steiner. Our teachers are incredible and our student musicians were spectacular. 
 
It was such an enjoyable evening that was well-received by a packed venue.  Thank you to the following Orchestra Booster members whose support is greatly appreciated; Helena Choi, Liza Portiz, Kas Kodaka, Hyun Mi Lee, Doris Kang, Joy Arai, Violet Li, and Stella Chang-Khoe.  
Pen Orchestra Program Winter Concert

LEADERSHIP MEETING
Thank you to the teachers, staff, parents, students, and community members who serve on the Peninsula High School leadership team.  These are our stakeholders who provide focus and direction in achieving our school-wide goals.  The group reviewed our Single School Plan for Student Achievement and continued their work on our mission statement as we prepare for our 2018 WASC Accreditation visit.
 
Leadership Meeting
 

Contact Associate Principal Farrell farrellm@pvpusd.net


Application Deadlines! - Seniors: Please take a moment to review your application deadlines. 
The UC and CSU Deadline is November 30th. Plan to submit those applications before Thanksgiving!
Helpful hints:
* When self-reporting grades be sure to view a copy of your transcript. Transcripts are not sent to UC or CSU schools until after you have been accepted.
* After submitting, be sure to request an official ACT or SAT Score Report to be sent to all UC's (one fee) and CSU's (one fee).
* The requested SSID number State ID can be found at the bottom left corner of your transcript.

Attention freshmen students and parents! 
You will be receiving your registration code for Naviance: WorkspaceK12. This is a web-based guidance program designed to help conduct research on colleges and careers. The program has features that will  facilitate a detailed college search, build a resume, investigate personality traits linked to career choices, access the course catalog during the scheduling process, and provide  free SAT prep and practice tests.  If you have further questions, please contact Mrs. Fuh or Mrs. Juge in the Counseling Office.

Freshmen Lesson: This Tuesday, December 1,  counselors will be presenting an academic lesson through the Freshmen English classes. They will be discussing graduation requirements, academic planning, and learning styles.

                  
Contact Mrs. Lewallen lewallent@pvpusd.net
Wednesday (11/18) Peninsula hosted our Annual Career Fair in the Kelly Johnson Fieldhouse with over 60 volunteers. We were able to feature a variety of professionals representing different aspects and types of engineering, professionals that serve and protect our communities and nation, a great representation from medical/healthcare professions, a diverse group of business/finance professionals, and many, many more! 

We even had a section that highlighted professionals whose career paths were influenced and shaped by their experience as football players. It was an energetic atmosphere with lots of engaged discussions filling the Fieldhouse. 

Thank you to all the teachers who brought their students through the Career Fair during class time and to the students who came on their own during lunch. We hope this event helped to spark an interest in new career POSSIBILITIES for everyone who attended! 
Thank You Career Fair Presenters

Thank you to the following participants: 
Tracy AhnDr. Debra AlexanderDr. Paige AsawaChristine Becker
Dr. Jeff BogosianTami BouseLarry Joe Campbell Anita Chaturvedi
Jenee Christensen Mas DojiriMichelle DunlapMichael Enriquez
Petty Officer EnriquezSFC   EspinasDr. Carol FrancisMonica Fritsch
Heather Gast Heather Gerber Eric GriffinBryan Hori
Todd HuberShannon JeddiShannon JeddiBing Jiang 
Petty Officer KnowltonTanya KoRussell Lai Kaaren Lee
Richard LinDyan Lopez-FiamengoAlicia MacGowanSSGT Martinez 
Brian Megginson  Stephanie MortonBehzad Nazar Ignacio Pagliaro 
Dale Parker Cindy PhengDr. Henry YangSGT Hector Rodriguez 
Brad ShermanReece SouzaReece SouzaRobert Sylvest
Petty Officer TapiaSSGT ThomasTina Torcasso Monica Rudder
Marcia Tsai DingHassan TwietAlicia UngerChristi Van Cleve
SFC VinzonBeth WhittenburyScott WilloughbyRoxi Zilmer
Candice Yokomizu Steve YokomizuSusan YuzukiMiaho Jo 



If you missed this week's 
Sports Update
 you can read it here




WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25 is a minimum day!
 
I hope you have a warm and peaceful Thanksgiving with your family and friends!
  
Mitzi Cress
Principal

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