By Jennifer Osborn | Helix Highlights

Class project leads to change

Thanks to the efforts of students in Helix’s business class, the city of La Mesa is looking into creating a crosswalk at the intersection of Lowell Street and Highlander Way. Business instructor Giff Asimos asked his entrepreneur students to find an issue in the community that affects them, and propose a solution.

The students found that safety issues exist for students using Highlander Way coming and going to and from school, as well as when walking to 24-Hour Fitness for physical education classes.

Students built a model of the area, evaluated the various safety issues, and came up with some solutions to make it safer. They presented to the Helix governing board, and arranged meetings with La Mesa city personnel to address the issue.

As of this writing, the students and Asimos will meet with the city engineers to work together to address the issues.

Performing Arts Department calendar

As usual, the Helix Performing Arts Department calendar is packed with upcoming performances. Mark your calendar!

The Highland Players present “Sweet Charity” a musical with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon. Show dates are Feb. 8, 9, 10 and 11 at 7 p.m. in the Mainstage Theater. Tickets are $10 and are available at highlandplayers.ticketleap.com.

Helix Vocal Music presents their annual Cabaret concert. Performances are Feb. 15 and 16 at 7 p.m. in the Mainstage Theater. Tickets are $10 and are available at helix-choirs.ticketleap.com.

Helix Dance will present a special performance called “Hip Hop Night.” This dance concert is a collaboration of several different school dance programs and independent dance groups.

As of this writing, scheduled to perform are: Valhalla High School, La Mesa Arts Academy, Lemon Grove Academy, Point Loma High School, Patrick Henry High School, The Origin, Grossmont College, ASPIRE tap and Helix Dance.

Performances are Feb. 24 and 25 at 7 p.m. in the Mainstage Theater. Visit helixdancers.weebly.com for ticket information.

Helix in the Super Bowl

Congratulations to Helix alumnus, Levine Toilolo, who will play in this year’s Super Bowl as a member of the Atlanta Falcons.

Toilolo graduated from Helix in 2009, then went on to play for Stanford. He is in his fourth year as a tight end for the Falcons.

2017-18 enrollment

Enrollment for the 2017-18 school year has started. Families interested in enrolling their incoming ninth grader, or new students grades 10–12, will need to attend an upcoming Intent to Enroll meeting in order to be considered for enrollment. The following are the remaining scheduled dates and locations (all are on Wednesdays):

• 1, 6 p.m. – Parkway Middle School
• 8, 6 p.m. – La Mesa Arts Academy
• 15, 6 p.m. – Mount Vernon Academy
• 22, 6 p.m. – Helix Charter High School

More details regarding the enrollment process can be found on the school website, helixcharter.net (click on “Entrance Boundary/Lottery Information” on the left side of the page).

If you are interested in finding out more about Helix Charter High School, please attend one of our Excellence in Education Tours, held twice monthly. The tours for February are Feb. 9 at 8:10 a.m. and Feb. 23 at 5:30 p.m. Reserve your spot using our website, helixcharter.net.

As always, we welcome your input. Please don’t hesitate to contact me at [email protected].

—Jennifer Osborn writes on behalf of Helix Charter High School.