Patrick Henry High School News

By Elizabeth Gillingham | Patrick Henry High School News

Campus construction update

Everyone wants to know what is happening at Patrick Henry High School (PHHS) in regards to the upgrades and construction projects. We are in year two of two major projects and coming close to the completion of both.

Phase 1 was PHAME and the modernization of all classrooms, which was completed by January 2017. Phase 2 is the two-story building and the renovation of the main office. The main office was pushed out and the boardroom was extended to include a table that seats 16 for large meetings. The front sign is supposed to be added soon and will complete the main office portion of the project.

The two-story, 26-classroom building is still in progress and is nestled in the southeast corner of the school. It will house our child development program, which will include a new playground for the four-year-old Patriot Pup Preschool and a new classroom on the first level of the new building. The rest of the classrooms will be used for world languages classes on the first floor, and mathematics on the second floor. Hopefully, the project will be completed by the end of August, ready to greet our new students for the fall semester of 2018!

The third phase is the stadium, softball, and baseball fields. This project has had a few bumps along the way with the discovery of an underground stream and some old pipes that were broken as well, which caused a delay in the work. We are moving full steam ahead with hopes of completing the project by our homecoming game scheduled for Oct. 12. The new stadium will include a staircase down to the field, snack bar, ticket booths, elevator, new scoreboard, new lights, and a new sound booth as well. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) seating will be included in this project so that guests can be seated in more than one area and have access to the concessions as well.

Construction on the baseball and softball fields is also underway by enhancing their fields with new dugouts, snack bar, bathrooms, drinking fountains, and video score boards as well. ADA parking will also be included to help families who have limited mobility participate as fans and players. We are also getting two new sand volleyball courts with the hope of eventually adding that as another sport offering at PHHS in the spring.

The fourth phase will be the removal of the bungalows and the renovation of our parking lot that will include more spaces and solar covers to capture energy while offering shade cover to some of our visitors. That process will begin as soon as we can guarantee that the new building will be ready for occupancy.

And finally, PHHS is in the process of looking for major donors to help name the newly-upgraded fields. If you know someone who is interested in this unique, one-time opportunity, please contact PHHS principal Listy Gillingham at [email protected].

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Junior University Book Awards

Every year, different universities recognize outstanding juniors in local secondary schools by presenting books to the top 2 percent of the class. They do this to help attract the best students to their schools and to provide name recognition for counselors and schools when talking about options for their seniors. They also encourage students to look at schools outside the area by providing incentives — like promises of scholarships — for students who might select them the following year. The counseling team starts with a ranked list and tries to award each book based on the student’s interest and talents. This year, the book awards were given to the following students:

Wellesley Collge Book Award: Ivy Vuong

Wellesley College is a four-year liberal arts college for women in Boston, Massachusetts. They value outstanding academic and personal achievement and Ivy was selected based on her impressive academic record, her exceptional character and impressive amount of time given to community service. She was ranked No. 1 and has a GPA of 4.67.

Yale Book Award: Lilly Mai

The Yale Book award goes to a student who exhibits leadership skills, demonstrates outstanding personal character and has intellectual promise. Lilly was ranked No. 2 in the Class of 2019 and had a GPA is 4.61.

George Eastman Young Leaders Award: Anne Nguyen

This award was formerly called the Kodak Young Leaders Award. It is given to deserving students for their high grades in challenging courses; involvement in extracurricular activities; and/or strong leadership experience at school and in our community. The award is from the University of Rochester and may lead to a $40,000 scholarship toward tuition if the student applies and is admitted. Anne was selected and ranked No. 2 and also has a GPA of 4.61.

The Rensselaer Medalist: Maya Rozenshteyn

The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute gives a medal and a scholarship of $25,000 per year guaranteed for four years to those that apply and are accepted. They are looking for students who distinguishes themselves in advanced mathematics and science. Maya ranked No. 4 and has a 4.6 GPA.

Brandeis University Book Award: Jonathan Marshall

The Brandeis Book Award recognizes outstanding high school juniors committed to academic engagement. Jonathan ranked No. 5 in the junior Class of 2019 and had a GPA of 4.56.

Xerox Award for Innovation and Information: Andrew Hua

The Xerox Award for innovation and technology is given to students who demonstrate achievement in the pursuit of innovative approaches and an appreciation for the possibilities of technology. Andrew was selected and was also ranked No. 5 and has a GPA of 4.56.

Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony Award: Danae Cave

The University of Rochester selects students who have demonstrated strong personal character and a commitment to understanding and addressing difficult social issues. Danae was selected and was ranked No. 5 and has a 4.56 GPA.

Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award: Garrett Davis

The Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science award was given by the University of Rochester for rigor and high achievement in science classes and high PSAT scores in math. Garrett was ranked No. 5 and has a GPA of 4.56.

St. Michael’s College Book Award: Trevor Chubb

St. Michael’s College honors their recipient with a book award for academic achievement with a social conscience embodying the values and interests of other St. Michael’s College students. He was also ranked No. 5 of the class of 2019 and has a GPA of 4.56.

St. Lawrence University Book Award: Alan Inthavong

St. Lawrence University honors their recipient for their commitment to active service in the community as well as academic success by giving them a book award and a $1,000 merit scholarship per year if they apply and are accepted. Alan was selected because he has been identified as someone who displays a significant commitment to his school and community and is ranked No. 10 and has a GPA of 4.55.

St. Michael’s College Book Award: Michelle Rivera-Lomeli

St. Michael’s College honors their recipient with a book award for academic achievement with a social conscience embodying the values and interests of other St. Michael’s College students. Michelle was ranked No. 11 of the class of 2019 and has a GPA of 4.5.

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Senior Awards Night

In June, the class of 2018 was formally recognized by many community organizations through scholarships and other school awards to approximately 70 students.

The following students were recognized by the community with scholarships:

PHHS Alumni Association Scholarship, $1,500: Jason Pham, Elise Rappel, and Erica Tolley
Semper Fidelis Distinguished Athlete Award: Braina Pham
Semper Fidelis Musical Excellence Award: Noah Krasner
Semper Fidelis Academic Excellence Award: Josh Koo
Semper Fidelis JROTC Leadership Award: Calvin Meyers
Semper Fidelis JROTC Espiritu De Corps Award: Isaiah Massey
Bill Kalt Memorial Award: Nicole Donahue-Marucheau
Grossmont Healthcare: Salma Chanel and Abril Sosa-Pineda
St. Dunstan’s Community Outreach: Grace McSweeney, Ariana Cibrian, Makenna Billingsley, and Sandy Villa
Lake Murray Kiwanis Scholarship: Max Mittleman, Bailey Hinesley, Sandy Villa, And Martha Marilyn Montoya Celedonio
San Diego State University Merit Scholarships: Alan Nguyen and Kaelia Okamura
San Diego State University Research Endowed Scholarship: Alexander Cagle
RCD Conservation Scholarship: Joaquin Rosell
Crescent Moon Scholarship: Malcolm Wilson
The Retired Employees of SD County Merit Scholarship: Austin Tarke
Michigan State University Alumni Scholarship: Cody Lefler
SD Edinburgh Sister City Society Scottish Ancestry: Erica Tolley
Deputy Sheriff Association Scholarship: Alyssa Arnold
Grantville-Allied Gardens Kiwanis Scholarship: William Huynh, Khang Le, and Brandon Huynh
Jones Family Foundation: Kalos Chu, Abirl Sosa-Pineda, and Sophia Pruden
Helen Beardsley Scholarship: Makenna Billingsley
The following students were recipients of the PHHS Department Awards:
AVID Award: Lan Nguyen
Drama: Madeline Nowatnick
Music – Vocalist: Stephanie Zapelli
Engineering Academy: Avi Martin
English: Stephanie Smith
Mathematics: Kalos Chu
California Math Council: Kalos Chu
Music – Instrumental: Kalos Chu
NJROTC: Andy Pham
Photography: Emma Ferris
Social Studies: Megan Hayes
Science: Arbi Leka
Student Government: Vina Deprat
Visual Arts – Flat Art: Christine Vyzinkar
Ceramics: Luna Miller
Video Productions/Broadcast: Jordan Doole
French: Megan Hayes
The last set of students were recipients of the PHHS Special School Awards:
Environmental Club: Joaquin Rosell and Grace Tarantino
Yearbook: Henry Ly
Key Club: Brandon Huynh, William Huynh, and Khang Le
National Merit Finalist, $2,500: Kalos Chu
Peer Mediation: Zachary Friedli
Perseverance & Achievement Award: Matthew Aquinde
President’s Academic Excellence (top 2 percent students): Ben Kelly, Jonathan Schindler, Luc Galaif, Phoebe Nguyen, Ryan Nguyen, Meggie Do, Kalos Chu, Liam Olive, Madonna Linares, Maivi Luu, and Grace Tarantino
The Patriots of the Year for the Class of 2018: Clinton Allen, Kalos Chu, Vina Duprat, Lillian Do, Taylor Fakadej, Alexis Handler, Ben Kelly, Maya Klareich, Sam Lenett, Max Mittleman, and Phoebe Nguyen
Senior of the Year 2018: Kalos Chu
Scholar Athletes of the Year: Clinton Allen and Nicole Bych
PHHS Counselor/Foundation Scholarships: Berenise Chavez, Shanell Logan, Audrey Filbrandt, Natale Rahmon, Alex Cagle, and Cassandra Southward
Maria Theodore Memorial Scholarship: Max Mittleman
Donald Giddings Leadership Award: Maya Klareich
Presentation to the Salutatorian: Jonathan Schindler
Presentation to the Valedictorians: Ben Kelly
Weissenberg Family Watch Presentation: Ben Kelly