Great News About Mira Costa High School That You Can Read In 60 Seconds June 4, 2007 EAGLE SCOUT SHOWS YOU THE WAY A special thank you to Eric Pao who conceived of and implemented the new map/directory signs on the MCHS campus for his Eagle Scout Project. The signs are truly functional art!
MIRA COSTA CHOIR RANKED IN STATE’S TOP 10! Winning the Golden State South Choir Competition is, for high school musicians, a triumph equal to an athletic CIF win. And the Mustangs did it! The Festival Choir (combined Chorale and Vocal Ensemble) bested 17 other schools to take 1st place in the recent Golden State South Choir Competition in the large group category, while the Vocal Ensemble took 5th place in the small group category. Both rankings place them in the top ten choirs in the State.
NEW OPPORTUNITIES IN THE ARTS AT COSTA As part of the MBUSD Arts Plan, representatives from the District recently met with SCROC (Southern California Regional Occupational Center) and El Camino College to explore partnership opportunities. The result: an impressive array of new course options for Mustangs in the fall. Through SCROC, students will be able to receive high school credit for expanded course offerings including Graphic Design, Digital Pre-Press, Theater Management, Video Game Design and Development, and Scientific Illustration. The El Camino classes, which will be offered after school, give students the opportunity to earn college credit for free, while extending their experience. El Camino classes to be offered include drawing, film analysis and appreciation, and American Sign Language. The primary goal of the MBUSD Arts Plan is to formulate goals and strategies to provide a high quality, sequential arts education for all K-12 students in the District. You are encouraged to view the plan and an accompanying arts pathways brochure on the web at www.mbusd.org
FIRST-EVER MCHS SURVEY UNCOVERS….WIDESPREAD SATISFACTION! We have a strong school spirit and we are like a family… I like the classroom environment. It is interesting and fun… The upperclassmen are really supportive, nice and helpful… There are so many opportunities and different activities… The teachers are exemplary the campus is very beautiful... I love how Mira Costa's size has made it so I can hang out with so many different kinds of people: people in my honor's class, people in the clubs I attend, friends on my sport team, musically-inclined people and others... The academic standards here really challenged me and I enjoy having to think a lot harder. I love going to school every day. These are just a few of the overwhelmingly positive comments about MCHS that were submitted as part of last December’s first-ever survey of students, faculty, and parents. A small group of respondents did, however, report weaknesses in a few areas, including response to inappropriate student behavior; the approachability of administrators; and the relationship between students and faculty. An exploratory action team has been assigned to investigate each area of concern, after which measures to solve each issue will be proposed. Next, Principal Julie Ruisinger and the School Site Council will focus on improvements for next year’s survey.
Oh, The Places They’ll Go! Mira Costa’s college acceptance stats are more closely-watched than Presidential election returns! With the polls now closed and decisions made, Costa’s College and Career Center has tabulated the numbers. This year’s results look to be similar to every year’s, with Costa graduates bound for schools all over the nation -- including the most prestigious and competitive colleges and universities. Members of The Class of 2007 will be matriculating to over 100 institutions of higher learning, including: Amherst, ASU, BU, Brown, 12 CSU campuses, Dartmouth, Davidson, El Camino, Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Geoergetown, Hofstra, LMU, Michigan State, Morehouse, New England Conservatory of Music, NYU, Northwestern, Pepperdine, Princeton, St. John’s, Stanford, Swarthmore, The University of Arizona, Tufts, Tulane, University College London, 9 University of California campuses, University of Colorado/Boulder, USC, Villanova, and Yale. According to Lauren Jeffery, MCHS College and Career Counselor, “…there is a perfect school for every student. It is important to take the time to investigate all types of schools, and not just apply to a school based on a name or reputation. I am very excited about this year’s outcomes and look forward to seeing many more smaller schools on the list in (the future).” For more information about Costa’s College and Career Center, contact Ms. Jeffery at ljeffery@manhattan.k12.ca.us or her colleague, Anthonette Sweeney, at asweeney@manhattan.k12.ca.us.
RESULTS OF VOLUNTARY STUDENT DRUG TESTING AT COSTA NOW IN With the inaugural year of the random voluntary student drug testing program at Costa now completed, the Manhattan Beach Athletic Foundation (which oversees the program) has released these results: A total of 357 students were tested for ten substances, including Amphetamines, Barbiturates, Cocaine, Marijuana, Methadone, Methamphetamine, Morphine, Opiates, Oxycodone, and Proposyphene, over a series of three days (3/21, 4/10, and 5/29). Out of those 357, there were only two positive tests, and both of those for marijuana. A total of 8 students declined to be tested, and 18 did not appear for the test. As is the protocol, positive samples were forwarded to the Medical Resource Office (a doctor at an outside drug testing lab) for retesting, at which point positive results were confirmed. Within days of the test, parents of every student tested received a letter from the MBAF indicating that the student tested negative, tested positive for marijuana, declined to take the test, could not produce a sample, or did not appear for the test. Parents were asked to call Rocky Wilson, MCHS Student Intervention Advisor, if they had questions. The random voluntary drug testing program was established as a result of recommendations by the District’s Substance Abuse Task Force. It is primarily intended to serve as a tool for families to address issues related to student substance use, and to arm students with a refusal technique. Thus, no MCHS coach, administrator, or teacher (other than Rocky Wilson) was provided with any information regarding any student’s drug test. For more information about the program, please contact Rocky Wilson at rwilson@manhattan.k12.ca.us.
Go Mustangs!
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