The Coast News, March 22, 2013

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A14 THE COAST NEWS MARCH 22, 2013 EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES MiraCosta College Graduates Go On to Earn Advanced Degrees Adam Bolt g raduated with honors from UC Berkeley and is no w on the road to earning a la w degree at UC Davis. Christie Yorke is earning her doctorate from UC Santa Barbara with plans to either work as a researcher at a university or land a job in the sciences with the government. Andrew Pinkard is deciding whether he wants to earn his Ph.D. in chemistry from Stanford, Columbia, or CalTech, all top-flight universities where he has been accepted. Jonathan Henderson is a senior at Cal State University, Dominguez Hills contemplating whether to earn his master’s and doctorate degrees at USC, UCLA or UC Berkeley. What do Bolt, Yorke, Pinkard and Henderson have in common? They began their higher education journeys at MiraCosta College. “MiraCosta has some amazing professors,” Yorke said. “I did very poorly in high school, and I didn’ t believe that I was a good student or could be a good student. But my instructors and the college instilled me with confidence, taught me good stud y skills, and provided the resources to help me succeed.” In 2009, Yorke transferred from MiraCosta College to Cal P oly, San Luis Enrolling in a quality college preparatory school enhances students’ c hances of attaining the academic and emotional pr eparation needed to succeed at the university level and beyond. This preparation ideally starts in Mid dle School. Pacific Academy, established in 1997, has been a pri vate school for grades 7-12. In order to best ser ve students and its comm unity, Pacific Academy is e xpanding it’s Middle School Program, to serve 6th g rade. Middle School Students at P acific Academy enjoy a 1:10 teacher-student ratio unattainable by today’s public budget strapped schools. Smaller class siz es allow teachers to provide hands-on project-based learning and community based learning that students find r elevant and enjoyable. Teachers actively identify student strengths and de velop individual education plans that include parents and cater to Obispo and tw o years later earned her Bac helor of Science degree. She has been in the Ph.D . program at UC Santa Barbara for more than a year. Bolt, who grew up in Encinitas, saw MiraCosta’s San Elijo Campus as an ob vious choice, and began taking online courses while still in high school. MiraCosta has some amazing professors.” Christie Yorke Former MCC student “MiraCosta was a fantastic launching pad for me to go to Berkeley,” Bolt shared. “It gave me an opportunity to e xplore an e xtremely wide range of subjects. That freedom to e xplore exactly what you want to do is something you don’t get to do at a four-year college.” Many of Bolt’s professors had come to Mir aCosta from esteemed universities because they want to focus on teaching rather than research, and Bolt contends that MiraCosta instructors are as good as they come. “It’s also economical,” he said. “With the e xtreme individual needs and learning styles. Parents receive frequent progress reports and are encouraged to contact staff. As a result, rather than possibly falling through the cracks in a crowded public school, ninety percent of Pacific Academy students achieve honor roll status. In addition, students receive individualized college counseling, starting in the 6th grade, to provide all the support needed thr ough the developmental process. This Middle School expansion will allo w 6th graders to take advantage of middle school programs and privileges experienced by our students. All of our students, high school and middle school, participate in exploratory education eac h Friday and may include community service projects, field trips, workshops, guest presentations, or student projects. All teachers have full teaching credentials and bachelor degrees, and many amount of de bt you take on when getting an ad vanced degree, or even an undergraduate degree, going to MiraCosta can be in valuable.” Pinkard agrees. He initially planned on attending a UC campus, “but it w as expensive and my family didn’t really save for my college education. So I w ent to MiraCosta.” Upon graduating in 2010, Pinkard enrolled at Cal State San Marcos, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in c hemistry. He quickly landed an internship at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado, and later this y ear will attend graduate school. Pinkard said that going to MiraCosta was one of the best decisions he’s made. “It didn’t limit me at all,” he said.“I got into some of the best universities in the world.” Henderson agrees, adding that he had poor grades in high school, but “at MiraCosta, I got it right.” His career plans, after obtaining his doctorate, include collegelevel teaching. “My mentors at MiraCosta got me into the mindset that I w as going to earn my Ph.D.,” Henderson said. “They supported me e very step of the way.” Ninety percent of Pacific Academy students achieve honor roll status Our ultimate aim, is to develop ‘Global Citizens’ of the 21st century.” Dr.Erika Sanchez Pacific Academy principal, hold Masters or Doctor ates in Education lik e Dr. Erika Sanchez, Pacific Academy’s principal, who earned a Masters and Doctoral degree in sociology with an emphasis in education. “Our ultimate aim, ” stated Erika Sanc hez, “is to develop ‘Global Citizens’ of the 21st centur y, critical thinkers [who] make choices guided by respect for oneself and others.” Character traits like responsibility or cooperation permeate the curriculum each quarter, and students who demonstr ate the emphasized character trait, receive recognition. Mr. Vikas Srivastava, this semester’s project-based learning facilitator, and all students collaborated and ar e planning a thr ee-legged walk that pairs students fr om diverse backgrounds in an effort to eliminate discrimination and stereotyping. Mr. Vikas explains, “The theory is that e veryone is di verse because we all have unique stories, and if we got to know one another’s stories, we would have more understanding and compassion between us.” After participating in numerous projects like this one, it’s no surprise that Pacific Academy students become compassionate, creative, inquisitive, and responsible global citizens.
MARCH 22, 2013 THE COAST NEWS SUMMERTIME OPPORTUNITIES Engage your child in an extraordinary academic experience at Pacific Ridge Pacific Ridge Sc hool is pleased to announce its summer programs for 2013. Multiple sessions will run from June 16th thr ough August 2nd, and are open to all students in the San Diego area. A variety of lea rning opportunities are available to challenge and inspire students entering 7th thr ough 12th grades, including courses in writing, mathematics, applied science, music, dance and both digital and visual arts. Athletics offerings include sport-specific camps APPEAL CONTINUED FROM A1 5 and state Route 78 in its petition, the district w ould be required to provide facilities at the Buena Vista Elementary School campus. Providing OPA with such space “would require the forcible displacement of hundreds of students,” said CUSD Superintendent Suzette Lovely. “The law may say that you can take these students and displace them, but I’m concerned about the heartbeat of that community,” said education board member Mar k Anderson. Moser countered that regardless of these concerns, the board has to follow the law and pressed the board to consider what w as best f or Carlsbad’s students. “You can talk a bout the heartbeat of the comm unity, but you have to think about what is right for the individual kid,” Moser said. One of the primar y concerns previously expressed by the district was the racial and ethnic diversity of the student population at the pr oposed charter school, claiming that SMALL TALK CONTINUED FROM A10 “We will be in one of the busiest resort cities in Mexico. And we will be inside the r esort walls the whole trip. I promise no drug lords will tr y and storm our hotel.” “Ha!” I retort. “Says you! And how would you know this, Mr. Smarty Pants? Have you spoken with the drug lor ds lately? No, I didn't think so . Because they don’t take calls from Whitey McIrish boy and if you end up being such as v olleyball, basketball, lacrosse, soccer and track and field, as well as strength and conditioning sessions to help y oung athletes take their skills to a higher level. Pacific Ridge will also host a coed Nik e basketball camp. New this y ear for students entering 5th thr ough 7th grade is the ultimate combination of fun, projectbased learning and disco very: The Firebird Day Program. Designed for younger students, each day includes morning sessions of hands- the diversity at OPA’s current schools is lo wer than the schools in the same districts. “We believe the district misinterpreted our r acial demographics by law,” said Dr. Eric Beam, OPA’s director of special services. He insisted that because OPA students are selected on a random lottery system, the school administration has no control over the school’s demographics. “It’s not f air to compar e one school with hundr eds of students with a district with thousands of students, ” he said. Education board member Gregg Robinson e xpressed The law may say that you can take these students and displace them, but I’m concerned about the heartbeat of that community.” Mark Anderson San Diego County Board of Education concerns that OPA’s lack of a reduced school lunch program and required parent volunteer hours would dissuade some economically disadvantaged students from entering the lottery for enrollment. While district officials didn’t respond to the issue of racial and ethnic balance within OPA’s student population, they did question student interest in attending an OP A charter school in Carlsbad. Lovely stated that OP A submitted “inflated enrollment projections” as part of its held hostage, you can just call your father!” I was once the queen of nonchalant travel to Mexico. One headless body in the str eets, and all that disappeared. Just flying down there makes me nervous, but my son’s use of the term “inside resort walls” has a nice ring to it. Maybe they can borr ow the P opemobile to get them to and from the airport. I did hear Cancun beefed up security for spring break, with military walking the beac h, and extra tourist police. I plan on, project-based learning, followed by afternoons filled with sports, games and fun activities. All summer programs utilize Pacific Ridge School’s state-of-the-art facilities and are staffed by experienced teachers and coaches. Class size is limited to 16 students and sports camps will have a low player-to-coach ratio. For more information and to r egister for summer programs at P acific Ridge School, please visit www.pacificridge.org. petition. She explained that when principals at the district’ s elementary schools called parents to verify the amount of interest in OPA enrollment,the interest levels were far lower than asserted by OPA. OPA spokespersons emphasized that their curr ent schools have waitlists that are hundreds of names long. OPA representatives and parent supporters further claimed that the district’ s surveys were misleading and improperly conducted. Amy Haggin, a CUSD parent and OP A supporter said that the phone call fr om her child’s principal made her believe that if she e xpressed interest in OP A, her child would not have a space at the CUSD school next year. “This notion that the district can go and survey the parents goes be yond the legal requirements. “We believe this is an intimidation factor,” said Moser. The district also r aised issue with OPA’s lack of financial audit reports in its petition and questioned the quantity and qualifications of the teachers who e xpressed interest in teaching at an OP A Carlsbad location. OPA representatives emphasized the sc hools’ solid financial standing, pointing out that it had alr eady been awarded Public Charter School Grant Program funding f or a Carlsbad location f or more than $1.5 million. The board will consider OPA’s petition and the district’s considerations and mak e a decision on the c harter school at its next meeting April 10. to make sure they are still hanging around by late May. Drug lords may not chat with blond American medical students, but I’ll bet President Nieto or at least Cancun tourism director Maximo Gar cia Rocha, will take a call fr om a concerned madre, no? I’m dialing now. Jean Gillette is a freelance writer who may need a Margarita to steady her nerves. Contact her a jgillette@coastnewsgroup.com HOUSING CONTINUED FROM A1 ing element earlier than the rest of the Gener al Plan. “That’s an option — not one I’m sur e we’d pursue,” Barth said. For now, the housing element is in limbo , Barth said. First, the city is looking for a ne w planning director, who will manage the housing element fr om this point forward. “The first job of the new planning dir ector will be to discuss that situation and advise the council accordingly,” Barth said. Some residents at council meetings have said that Encinitas is being forced to plan for more than its fair share of housing units. In response, Barth said that council will lik ely have several discussions over the ne xt few months about how Encinitas can influence the number of state-mandated units assigned to the city during future planning cycles. As for the 1,300 units that have already been allocated to Encinitas, Michael Strong, associate planner with the city , said that Encinitas and other California cities ha ve “no vested right” to change or overturn the housing that’ s been assigned to them. He pointed to a legal case as precedent: About five years ago, the city of Irvine tried to fight the number of state-mandated housing units demanded of SCHOOL BOARD CONTINUED FROM A3 thinking, problem solving, and application of kno wledge and skills, rather than rote knowledge and memorization.” School Safety in a Time of Uncertainty With the tr agedy that unfurled at Sand y Hook Elementary in Ne wtown, Conn., student safety has been at the forefront of parents’ minds and at the top of school districts’ priority lists. “We’re looking with fresh eyes at what we have in place and ho w it can be the city with a la wsuit. Ultimately, Irvine lost the two-year legal battle. Conceivably, developers and aff ordable housing advocates could sue Encinitas for not ha ving a certified housing element. Strong noted that other cities in California have lost court cases f or not ha ving one. Encinitas faced a la wsuit in the 1990s for its lack of a housing element, yet ultimately won. Strong said he couldn’t speculate as to why Encinitas hasn’ t been sued more for being out compliance. But Strong said there’s no guarantee Encinitas won’t end up in the courtroom if a housing element continues to elude the city. “Encinitas has been fortunate in that r egard,” Strong said. “Whether that continues or not, I couldn’t say.” Also, Strong said that cities without a housing element in place are less likely to receive grants for transportation projects. There’s another consequence for missing the improved,” Groth said. Rick Schmitt, associate superintendent of educational services, said that district teams have fanned out and analyzed each campus, focusing on access points to campuses, and making improvements to signage, door hardware, intercoms and phones and staff tr aining. Despite these c hanges, Groth said the age g roup of San Dieguito’s student population can be challenging. “It’s interesting the difference between elementary school and high sc hool,” she said. “In high schools you can plan all you want and it A15 deadline. Eric Johnson, a spokesman for HDC, said that cities that don’ t adopt a housing element by Aug. 30 are required to submit a plan for state-imposed housing needs every four years, instead of eight. Encinitas is alr eady on a four-year timeline because it has yet to certify a hous- The first job of the new planning director will be to discuss that situation and advise the council accordingly.” Teresa Barth Mayor,Encinitas ing element. Further, housing units allocated to Encinitas during this planning c ycle will carryover into the next one. Yet another f actor could affect the city’s housing element. On June 18, residents will decide whether to appr ove the “right-to-vote” initiative. If it passes, increasing density or building heights be yond 30 feet w ould require a majority vote of the public. Presentations from groups looking at the housing element r ecommended selectively putting f our or five story buildings in certain locations to accommodate some of the 1,300 units. This would trigger a vote if the initiati ve becomes law. is chaos. Kids leave. They’ve got their own cars, they have their own phones. They’re out of there.” She stressed the importance of sc hool staff, especially counselors who ar e trained to deal with emotional issues in adolescents, making one-on-one connections with eac h student. They’ve hired technical staff to augment the counselor’ s traditional role of tr acking college units. “We would love to have the capability of ha ving more counselors,” she said. “I don’t want to al ways go back to po verty but w e’ve had to cut back.”
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The Coast News, March 22, 2013

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