With all of the headlines trumpeting the state’s budget crisis and its impact on local schools, sometimes it helps to focus on the many good things that are still happening in Hart District classrooms.
Students in four Hart District schools have taken six of the top 10 slots in the Stock Market Game for both the middle school and high school divisions, beating the S & P 500 index in a difficult market and outscoring more than 600 other teams from Southern California. While enjoying the “game,” students learned valuable skills in math, reading, language arts, social studies—and real life.
Our staff members continue to win accolades on a statewide basis. Bowman High School Principal Robin Geissler is 2009 High School Educator of the Year for the California League of High Schools, Region 8, which includes all of Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Two other Hart District educators were among the top 10 finalists for that title. Valencia High School Counselor Josh Nowak was honored by the City of Santa Clarita as a Person of Character.
Hart and West Ranch high school’s marching bands and auxiliary units have been named the best marching bands in Southern California—Hart for an unprecedented seven consecutive years in Division 4A, and newcomer West Ranch for the second year in Division 3A.
Over the holidays, many of our schools were actively involved in supporting senior citizens, food pantries, members of the military and needy local families with food drives, letter-writing campaigns and gift packages.
Our students continue to show their academic excellence in speech and debate tournaments, robotics tournaments, Academic Decathlon competitions and Economic Summit programs—strengthening their academic skills with programs above and beyond the classroom.
In the field of athletics, Saugus High School’s girls cross country runners came in No. 1 in the state for a record-shattering third consecutive year, while Hart High School’s girl golfers have just won their CIF championship.
Yes, the budget crisis will have a major impact on the Hart District that will make it more challenging in the future to maintain these high standards of excellence. But it helps to focus on the many positive things our students and staff are doing, even in the face of budget cutbacks.