Seaside's Robert Percell heads to Carnagie Hall. Again.

Robert Percell, a junior at Seaside High School, has been selected for the 2016 High School Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall. He will perform on cello during Carnegie Hall’s 125th anniversary season in February with the Honors Orchestra.

It will be the third time that Robert will join the Honors group, and he's thrilled.

“I’m so excited I will have this opportunity again!" he told Theresa Hruby, artistic director of Seaside High music department. "It’s never going to get old because it’s Carnegie Hall and it’s an amazing experience. I love getting to perform original works by great composers with exceptional musicians from around the world.”

Earlier this school year, Robert auditioned for the Honors Performance Series and was accepted after a review by the Honors Selection Board. Robert will join other performers from all 49 United States, Guam, four Canadian provinces, and a number of foreign countries for a special performance at world-famous Carnegie Hall, a venue that marks the pinnacle of musical achievement.

“Being selected to the Honors Performance Series is something each finalist should be extremely proud of accomplishing," said in a statement Morgan Smith, program director. "We processed more than 18,000 nominations this year and have selected nearly 750 of the most talented student performers from around the world. Working with these conductors and performing at Carnegie Hall is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that these musicians never forget.”

So far, it's  a thrice-in-a-lifetime kind of experience for Robert.

The cellist has studied cello with Margie Dally of Carmel, since he was five. He is a member of the San Jose Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, which he toured with, performing in Portugal and Spain this past summer.

 Finalists will come together in New York City for five days in February. They will have the opportunity to learn from world-renowned conductors, work with other finalists, and get a taste of New York City. Two performances, an Honors Choral Performance and an Honors Instrumental Performance, will take place February 7, and are open to the public. Tickets can be purchased beginning 60 days prior to the performance through the Carnegie Hall box office.

The Honors Performance Series was created to showcase accomplished individual high school performers on an international level by allowing them to study under master conductors and perform in the celebrated venue, Carnegie Hall.

Congratulations, Robert! Watch him perform in this video my fabulous colleague Vern Fisher took last year.

Cyberpatriot season is over

And the future computer programers did great!

Hartnell College faculty and students mentored approx 65 high school students in the national cybersecurity competition program, CyberPatriot, reports computer science instructor Joe Welch. The teams spent hours learning about networking, operating systems, and computer security, in preparation for three competition sessions held in November and December.

Mentored teams and mentors are listed here:

William Starling mentored the King City High School team, Wendy Fernandez the Gonzales High School team, Jennifer Westerbeck the Alisal High team, CPO Israel Gonzalez, USN was in charge of the Everett Alvarez High NJROTC team, and finally, Liz Koenig was in charge of the Notre Dame High School team.

Welch said staff, faculty and teaching assistants from Hartnell College worked tirelessly in mentoring high school students towards studies and careers in computer science fields. A big shout out to all of them!

Not to be outdone, three of the Seaside High School teams qualified for the silver tier, and one team qualified for the gold tier, reports teacher Tessa Brown. She'll find out how the teams placed going into the regional round of the competition this week. "All of the students continue to have a great time learning cyber security," she said. "It is amazing to see how their skills have improved over the past few months. They are already talking about how competitive they will be next year."

It's fun to see these kids get into computer science. I can't wait to see how far they go next year.

Robotics teams make the Monterey Bay proud

The competition in St. Louis came and went, and the boys and girls from York, Seaside, and Carmel robotics teams did great.

As you probably remember from my earlier reporting, the three robotics teams earned the right to advance to the final competition in St. Louis, Missouri. They left last week, competed, and had time to tour around (judging by the photos posted by Tom Clifford, Carmel's coach extraordinaire. You can look at his blog here.)

Katy Castagna, York's mom extraordinaire, accompanied her son and all the teams through their adventure. She reports that the Seaside Bay Bots had the best record, with six wins and four losses. York's Deus Ex Machina and Carmel's Rocking Bots both had four wins and six losses.

"We should be very proud to have three local teams compete among 400 of the best from all over the world," Katy wrote.

Indeed, we are.

(Photos courtesy of Tom Clifford and Katy Castagna)

Seaside High cellist Robert Percell to play at Carnagie Hall

Robert Percell, a 9th grader at Seaside High School, made his solo debut performance with the San Jose Chamber Orchestra on January 18 in Santa Clara. Seaside High music teacher Theresa Hruby was there, and sent this picture of Percell playing.

"Robert's performance went exceptionally well. He played beautifully," she told me in an email message.

Robert began playing cello at age 5, and he has been a member of the San Jose Youth Symphony since age 8. He recently auditioned and was accepted into a National Honor Orchestra and will play in Carnegie Hall this February.

My colleague Dennis Taylor is preparing a story about Robert that will appear in the print edition of the Herald sometime soon. Keep an eye out for it. In the meantime, congratulations, Robert! All that hard work is paying off!

UC Santa Cruz Chancellor George Blumenthal visits Seaside High School

UC Santa Cruz Chancellor George Blumenthal visited Seaside High School on Wednesday as part of Achieve UC, a series of events designed to inspire students to apply and attend college.

Blumenthal shared some personal history with about 200 students from all grades. He told them how he and his sister were the first to attend college, how college taught him about the world, and how he dreaded his English classes but ended up loving writing, according to Raul Ebio, interim director for early academic outreach at UC Santa Cruz.

Deciding whether to go to college "isn't really about jobs and money, but it is true that college graduates make a lot more money over the course of their lives than than students who stop after high school," Blumenthal said.

Chancellor Blumenthal also bragged about UC Santa Cruz's marine sciences, astronomy, and genome programs on campus. President Barack Obama awarded Professor Sandra Faber the National Medal of Science. Professor David Haussler was one of the first to crack the genomic code.

Blumenthal also made a deal with Seaside: if the school can pay for transportation to UCSC, the university will pay for dinner before attending the Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation, a favorite event on the City on a Hill.

Chancellor Blumenthal ended his intervention by urging students to go to college, regardless of which one they attend.

"Yes, I'm biased. I think UC Santa Cruz is a great school. But my message today is un-biased: Go to college, wherever you choose. What matters is that you go to college. If you choose a UC campus, we will help you in every way we can. So, work hard, keep your grades up, and realize your dreams!"

I hear the students were not the only ones impressed. The administrators were swooning. It's not every day that a university chancellor visits a high school, they said.

Pretty cool, huh?

Volunteers needed for Seaside's "Walk of Success"

The yearly “Walk of Success" spreads the word about Imagine College and the $4,000 scholarships available to freshmen at Seaside High.

Will you volunteer to spread the good news?

On Saturday, Oct. 19, volunteers will visit the families of eligible students, letting them know about the program and how to make the dream of college a reality. The day will begin at 8 a.m. with a brief orientation and breakfast at Seaside High. Home visits will get under way at 9:30 a.m. and run through 1 p.m.

Imagine College is held at CSUMB each summer. Several hundreds students spend a week on campus, taking a class and learning about what it’s like to be a college student.

For further information or to volunteer for “The Walk for Success,” contact Christina Frazier, AmeriCorps coordinator at imaginecollege.frazier@gmail.com, call 392-3530, ext. 2070, or sign up by visiting shs.mpusd.k12.ca.us and clicking on the volunteer registration link.

Learn more about Imagine College at CSUMB here.

Monterey's Justine Ophanon returns home as a science teaching fellow

Justine Ophanon, a 2007 graduate of Monterey High, was recently named as a member of the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation's 2013 cohort of Teaching Fellows.

The Knowles Science Teaching Foundation is dedicated to improving science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in the United States. Designed specifically to develop beginning teachers into teacher leaders, the five-year Teaching Fellowships offer support and guidance as fellows embark on the credentialing process and their teaching careers.

After graduating from Monterey High, Justine earned a bachelor’s degree in aquatic biology and a master's degree in education, both from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Justine remembers days spent at the Monterey Bay Aquarium as inspiration for her chosen career. In the fall, she will begin teaching Earth Science at Seaside High School. For more information about Justine or the fellowship, click here.

Welcome back, Justine! 

Trouble in Seaside paradise

A little revolution is brewing at Seaside High after administrators apparently cut the school's digital media classes: Digital Photography, Multi-Media-Video Production, and Cinema Arts.

Instructor Hayward Perez was told the classes were being cut because student enrollment was not strong enough.

Perez was surprised because students were enthusiastic about producing "Spartan Vision" a digital magazine that turned out to be very popular in the school, she said. "It was a huge hit with students," she said.

So students did what any digitally creative person would do. They made a video.

They are also planning to protest at Monday's school board meeting. Stay tuned.

Seaside High honors its students.

It was a big party at Seaside High Monday afternoon, as nearly 400 students were recognized for their academic achievements. Among the honorees were the top 10 seniors with highest grade point average, and students who ranked in the honor roll. School and officials with the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District also honored six special education students. The school also honored its athletes and turn-around students, selected for their dramatic improvement in their overall GPA and for being in track to graduate.
Here's the top 10 seniors:

ANDRES OSORIO ELIZONDO
KATHYA ALVARENGA
IRIDIAN CORTEZ
SAMANTHA ZAPANTA
CHRISTINE AVILES
JOSEPH MARTINEAU
KAITLIN HARVEY
JENNY TANG
DANIELA IBANEZ ISIDRO
RYAN KAUSIN

Here's the top student athletes:

KATHYA ALVARENGA
CHRISTINE AVILES
NATALIE CONSTABLE
IRIDIAN CORTEZ
RYAN KAUSIN
PAUL KOENIG
BREANNA KROMER
GILLYN MAUNG
MASON MITCHELL
DANIEL MOISES
ANDRES OSORIO ELIZONDO
PRINCESS OZLEENE PANCUBIT
COURTNEY TIJING
MAURA WHITE
SAMANTHA ZAPANTA

And here's everybody else who got recognized Monday. Congratulations, scholars! Hard work pays off, and being recognized is just a small bit of the reward.

Seaside teen named Youth of the Year for Boys & Girls Clubs

Korina Garcia, a 17-year-old high school student, has been named Youth of the Year by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Monterey County, the highest honor a Boys & Girls club member can receive.

As a recipient of both the Ron MacIntyre Memorial Scholarship and the Davis Love III Scholarship for her academic successes, Korina has earned this title an ambitious young lady. In May, she will be the first female in her family to graduate from high school. Until then, Korina will keep busy at the club planning fundraisers through Keystone leadership club, working on her college applications in the Teen Center, and speaking on behalf of BGCMC as she competes against other Youth of the Year honorees across California for the state title and a $1,000 college scholarship.

Youth of the Year recognizes outstanding contributions to a member’s family, school, community and Boys & Girls Club, as well as the member’s ability to overcome personal challenges and obstacles. Youth of the Year encourages club members to reach their full potential by achieving academic success, leading healthy lifestyles and contributing to their communities.


If Korina wins at the state competition, she will compete for the title of Pacific Region Youth of the Year and an additional $10,000 scholarship. Five regional winners will advance to Washington, D.C. to compete for the title of BGCA’s National Youth of the Year. The National Youth of the Year will receive a scholarship of up to $50,000 and will have the opportunity to meet with the President of the United States at the White House.

A huge casualty of budget cuts -- and an unlikely hero

It's the second time in the last few months that I cover an event I feel would be exciting for young people to attend. The first one was a national telecast of community forums with filmmaker Ken Burns at the National Steinbeck Center about the Dust Bowl. 

Organizers expected 200 students. Only about 80 showed up -- mostly from private schools.

Today I covered an event in Salinas where many students were invited from all over Monterey County. Only 14 students from Seaside High made it.

It's so sad, really, to see students missing out on great opportunities because they can't get transportation. In these day an age when extra-curricular activities seem to take such importance on college entrance exams, it's crucial to extend opportunities to students, but sadly, something's falling through the cracks.

Transportation has always been deemed an "extra," almost a luxury item, but is it really in such a widespread community?

And the unlikely hero? The district that many love to bash: MPUSD, the only one to have the means to bring the students to Salinas. 

Or did AVID students fundraise for that?

Whoever paid for the trip, kudos! These kids were amazing!

Carmel High student wins "The Right to Vote" essay contest

Noah Liebmiller of Carmel High School was the first prize winner of the "Right to Vote" contest organized by the League of Women Voters of the Monterey Peninsula.

Carmel High students pretty much swept the contest, getting first and second prized plus three honorable mentions. Seaside High students nabbed two, and Monterey High one. Maybe next year more teachers from more high schools will encourage their students to participate? Hey, there's cash involved!

Second place winner: Marguerite Kise, Carmel HS
Third place winner: Jaleny Reyes, Seaside HS

Honorable Mentions
Kaili Alexander, Carmel HS
Jordan Collignon, Monterey HS
Charlotte Anderle, Carmel HS
Jackie Mauldwin, Carmel HS
Juan Babara, Seaside HS

The winners will be recognized during the League's luncheon at 1:40 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 9th at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 490 Aguajito Rd.


Congratulations, everyone!

A culture of high expectations

In the education beat you often hear the word "expectations." You frequently hear educators claim it's all about expectations: if you hold students to high standards, they'll rise to the challenge and show you what they're capable of.

Given other realities such as poverty -- a child who comes to school hungry is going to have a hard time concentrating, and learning -- I've been always skeptical about the concept. How are expectations alone going to help improve children's education?

Well, this morning I heard a report that definitely got me thinking. NPR journalist Alix Spiegel interviews a Harvard professor who's been doing long-term research on the topic. Check it out!

The report made me think of Seaside Principal Mary White. The entire MPUSD community's been raving about Dr. White and the miracle she's performed at the previously troubled school. Whenever you speak with Dr. White, she'll tell you the secret: expectations. And a lot of work.

Sounds like Dr. White's onto something.

Seaside High graduation

It's always touching to be at graduation ceremonies. All that excitement, accomplishment, ceremony. Not sure about the "wave" as the keynote speakers delivered their addresses (is that why you faced the graduates, Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera?) Yeah, I'm a boring adult, but isn't that a bit disrespectful?

In any event, here's some images and videos from a memorable day for the class of 2012. Go Spartans!