Candy Gram from Student

I received a surprised Halloween Candy Gram from an AP Stats student today.  Thank you, Daniel M. Today was a minimum day, followed by parent conferences from noon to 8 pm.  Fortunately, tomorrow is an off day.  I wish everyone a safe and happy Halloween.

Bonita Faculty Halloween Costumes 2014

Thanks to our ASB Advisor, Mrs. Lindsay, the faculty was given a variety of colorful shirts representing different flavors of the Willy Wonka candy family.  I joked with my department that I really should be the Yellow Skittle.

National Chocolate Day

Thank you, ASB, for giving teachers chocolate.  Caffeine is my friend.

Gift to Students from UC Irvine

On rare occasion, I visit my alma mater UC Irvine.  I did so this Monday afternoon, in part to avoid traffic, but mainly just to walk around the campus to see what's new.  I thought it would be a neat idea to get some souvenir for my AP Statistics students.  They are truly some of the best students that I've had the pleasure to work with.  I picked up a few inexpensive UCI items.  Grand prizes were two Anteater notebooks.  Top prizes were UCI's popular "Peace, Love, Recycle" folders.  Since I cannot have losers in my class, I got everyone else novelty pencils.  The pencils included prints of "I ❤ UC Irvine" and a clever "My Lucky Test Pencil".  Since we are on the probability unit, the students had a fun and exciting time with the gifts during our random drawing.  I did this because it's fun for me.  Also, recently I've been inspired by the phrase "relentless generosity".

Buried Treasure

The geometry teachers collectively modified a common project for the construction unit of the course.  The theme is to use the given clues, along with students' skills in construction, to locate several buried treasures on an island.  Mr. G. and his friend Chris put together this amazing map which the students loved.  The activity took two days to complete.  Skills involved included: using protractors and compasses, measuring segments and angles, copying segments and angles, and using spatial reasoning skills.

Homecoming Game 2014

On a beautiful night, Bonita Bearcats earned a solid victory over Diamond Bar in our Homecoming Game (Friday 10/24/2014).  The halftime rally was classy and very well done.  Somewhere across town, fireworks went off just as the Homecoming Queen was crowned.  I hung out by the side lines with other faculty and staff members throughout the game.  At the end of the third quarter, our awesome Mr. Hanson asked me to join the Bearcats Den for a photo.  It is one of my favorite photos in recent memories.  Thanks, Mr. Hanson!

Wedding Party

I am honored to be one of the Groomsmen at Chris and Marie's wedding in the summer of 2015.  Chris has been a tremendous friend.  At dinner, him and Marie gave me and two of his other friends a cupcake and asked us to join the party.  We wish them a happy beginning and a loving journey together.

My New Old Gift

This is by far the oldest, and one of the most unique, gifts that I've ever received from a student.  On Friday after class, Brennon told me that his mom does business on eBay and he found this old Geometry book in his garage.  It is "Analytic Geometry" by Wilson and Tracey, published in 1937!  When I asked him what he was going to with it, he said that he brought it for me.  I was thrilled and immediately asked him for an autograph. Thanks Brennon!

Bonita Center for the Arts - Grand Opening

I attended the grand opening of our district's new arts center.  It's a beautiful structure with 700 seats, each with its own air conditioning vents underneath.  I enjoyed the performances of my students in the choir, band, and drama program.

The night's program.

The ticket.

The indoor art gallery.

The stage.

The seats

SGV CUE

Thanks to the sponsorship of my school district, I had the opportunity to attending the local CUE (Computer Using Educator) conference.  I visited four sessions on Saturday and learned more about the uses of the most up to date educational technology that are available.  *Note that the conference logo is printed upside down on my name tag.*

Homecoming Rally

In our first indoor double rally of the year, we recognized fall sports and the Homecoming finalists.  It was truly a remarkable rally.  The ASB and Leadership team did an amazing production job.  The theme was "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory".  It was filled with organized performances, skits, and games.  All students were well-behaved and we all enjoyed the rally very much.

*A special shout-out to the amazing Mr. Eichen for playing the role of Willy Wonka.

A New Tool

This is my new giant demonstration protractor. It features magnets on its back, which secure it to metallic surface of white boards.

Smudge Pot 2014

Bonita Wins!  We retained the Smudge Pot trophy by defeating San Dimas in an excellent game.  Go Bearcats!



Angel Verdugo rushed for 165 yards and three touchdowns and Bonita High School scored its second consecutive win over rival San Dimas with a 23-14 victory at Citrus College on Thursday night. Quarterback Cody Brazzill accounted for 159 yards for the Bearcats, who improved to 4-1.

Thriller Dance

During the first rally of the year, new staff members participated in a dance routine for the entire school.  I joined other staff members in dance rehearsals during lunch and after school for over two weeks.  The students enjoyed the performance and I had a great time acting silly in front of mostly strangers.  The theme of the rally was similar to that of "The Walking Dead", we wore this "Beat the Zombies" shirt to rid our campus of the approaching "zombies".  ASB did a wonderful job in putting together a spirited rally.

Bonfire

On the eve of our Smudge Pot Game (Bonita vs. San Dimas), we hosted a night time bonfire.  It was a wonderful evening with dance performances and music.  Many students and families came out and we all had a great time.