By Elizabeth Gillingham

Key Club goes to Magic Mountain

The Key Club took a trip without incident on Saturday, Dec. 3 to Magic Mountain. Our students represented Patrick Henry and our Key Club Division 21 (the turquoise hippos) well and almost won the spirit stick! We came in third place out of 12 divisions. According to those behind the scenes, Patrick Henry is the school that raised the most money on its own for Pediatric Trauma in the entire California-Nevada-Hawaii district. We earned $1,620 with the help of the nearby Elks Lodge and our sponsoring Grantville-Allied Gardens Kiwanis Club over the course of the year and happily gave it over on Saturday.

“These kids make my heart sing,” said Key Club advisor Valerie Crawford after attending this event.

PHHS athletes excel

PHHS had five student athletes attend the National Letter of Intent College Announcement and Signing Party at the San Diego Hall of Champions on Nov. 9. Students who have been offered college admission through a sport’s scholarship are invited to attend the event to celebrate their high school accomplishment. Students can elect to participate if they are ready to commit to a particular college. Our fall commitment list included the following students:

Girls Softball: Hannah McEwen (Arkansas)

Girls Softball: Cristiona Caccamise (LSU)

Girls Softball: Madison James (Ohio State);

Boys Lacrosse: Jack Rahier (Colorado Mesa)

Girls Tennis: Julia Ronney (Montana)

In addition, we are also thrilled to report that Andrew Holt was selected by the San Diego County Aquatic Council to participate on the Senior All Star Water Polo Team during the Senior Water Polo Classic held on Dec. 3 in Coronado. The Senior Water Polo Classic is an annual event and includes the top players in the county as selected by regional coaches, officials, and Aquatic Council members.

Student of the Month

Anyone who knows Karrengton Fountain will agree, she is an amazing young lady who has overcome a lot of obstacles in her life and done extremely well finding her way through high school in spite of attending various schools.

“I had her two years in a row. She went from just being a group member to a group leader who treats everyone with respect and gives everyone a smile,” said one of her teachers at Patrick Henry.

When another student lost her father this year, Fountain stepped up to ask to talk to her, tell her the benefits of joining a support group, and offered to “just be there for her.” She also volunteers at her church, has done two CCTE showcases, and so much more.

Fountain is a delightful young lady, always humble and kind, and has volunteered to participate in PHHS’s WASC accreditation team. In this capacity, she works with teachers, staff, parents and students to help plan for the next six years by developing school wide improvement goals as part of the self-study process.

PHAME is finally completed

Nov. 29 and 30 were special nights at Henry as we were able to give a sneak preview to the community into the new performing arts center. Donors, parents, students, and other community members were invited to see a special performance designed to showcase the building’s acoustical abilities as well as seeing the various programs offered to the students at Henry.

For neighbors who live within a half-mile radius of the school and who have shared in parking concerns, if you would like to attend a performance for free during the next three months, please email me at [email protected] and I’ll send you a special “Neighborhood” pass for an upcoming event for two people. It’s our way of saying thanks for the noise, dust, and other annoyances that have occurred as we have worked through the lengthy construction process.

For other interested community members, I will be happy to host a tour at the end of each month in the evening and will let you know the dates, once the contractor has officially turned the building over to the school. Again, you can make that arrangement by emailing me at [email protected].

—Elizabeth Gillingham is principal of Patrick Henry High School.