Thank you, Amir

Thank you, Amir, for the amazing puzzles.  I bought a sauce tray to place hold the puzzles.  Amir is the captain of our varsity football team and the league defensive MVP.  He is an incredible athlete and a tremendous young man.

Thank you, Hannah, Michelle, and Kyle

Thank you to my Geometry students Hannah, Michelle, and Kyle for thinking of me during the holiday seasons.  I am blessed with kind students with warm hearts.

Thank you, Victoria

Thank you, Victoria, for the beautiful cupcake.  I also love your creative card.

Thank you, Erin

Thank you, Erin, for this beautiful gift pack.  They are very useful and they smell great.

Thanks, Ms. Contreras

Ms. Contreras is a dedicated math teacher.  She has baked cornbread to share with the staff in the past.  On the last day before winter break, she gave me this creative gift of some homemade pretzels in a Mason jar decorated as a snowman.  Thank you, Ms. Contreras.

Charity Softball 2015

This is my second year participating in the La Verne Charity Softball game.  Members of the BHS faculty played senior softball and baseball players Friday night.  We collected cash and toy donations for families in need.  It was a fun evening and a great way to kick off winter break.

Thanks, Jack

Jack and his twin sister are both talented musicians.  Their mother is also a wonderful long term substitute at our school.  It is my honor having Jack in my pre-calculus class.  He gave me this special gift on the last day of school before winter break.  Thanks, Jack.

Thank You, ASB 2015

Our ASB team impressed us once again by giving each teach an ornament full of m&m's.  The holiday card includes a wonderful photo of an elite group of young leaders guided by Mrs. Lindsay, our ASB director.

Good Luck Candy Cane

This is amazing.  The ASB made a good luck card with a candy cane attached for every student on campus.  They also gave teachers a ornament filled with red and green m&m's.  Thank you, ASB.

Mysterious Gift

During class, a student delivered a box to my classroom.  I was in the middle of teaching and simply accepted the box without asking who the sender was.  Later, I opened the box to find these beautiful and delicious pastries.  To this day, I still don't know who made/sent these.

Holiday Dress Days 2015

It'll be a spirited week before the winter break.  I love this beautiful poster by the ASB.

Gift from Lima, Perú

Jamie is one of my students and is a top ranked junior level badminton player.  She and her sister, Krista, are intelligent and hard working.  In addition to their intense academic work and demanding training schedule with an Olympic gold medalist each week, they also complete voluntary hours at a Pomona hospital during the weekends.  Jamie competed in the Badminton World Junior Championships in Lima, Perú in the beginning of November.  She gave me this beautiful hooded sweater as a souvenir.  Thank you, Jamie.

Surprise Gift

The Bearcats PTSA surprised me with a crafty treat just before the much anticipated Thanksgiving break.

Dodgeball 2015

I participated in this year's students vs. teachers dodgeball game. It was a fun evening with the students champion team winning three games to two.

The Mousetrap

I enjoyed a murder mystery play by our talented drama program on Saturday evening.  The students performers were excellent.  Congratulations to Mr. Frederick on another hugely successful production.

CMC 2015

I have attended the CMC conference many times, this year was my favorite in many regards. On Friday I attended four great sessions plus the Ignite gathering in the evening.  Saturday's sessions were equally engaging.  I learned a lot and will need to spend time to incorporate my new tools to engage student learning.  I also received two new AP Statistics text books and some AP Stats pins.

Friday:
1) AP Statistics Investigative Task (Starnes)
2) AP Statistics Free Response (Starnes)
3) DOK (Kaplinsky)
4) Journey to Rich Task (Fenton)
Evening: Ignite Presentations (10 presenters)

Saturday:
1) SBAC Task (Hickman)
2) Tech & Intellectual Need (Luberoff)
3) Desmos Demo (Luberoff)
4) Perseverance (Ilaria)

Thank you to all of the presenters, staff, and volunteers who helped made this year's CMC such an enjoyable experience for me.

Volleyball Senior Night 2015

The players honors the five senior players at our final regular season home game.  Bearcats wins in 4 games.

Staff Baseball Jersey 2015

This is my second baseball jersey.  The one below is from 2014-15.

Bonita Halloween Staff Costume 2015

The BHS Staff were Minions this year (Thank you, ASB!).  During break, along with several other Minion teachers, I helped judged our students' costume contest.  The Scariest Costume was a student whose make up was a pencil through her nose.  The Most Accurate was a tie between Jimmy Neutron and Jake from StateFarm.  The Most Original was a pair of students who dressed up as Google Maps.  The Best Group went to students who dressed up as characters from Mario Kart.

Dig Pink 2015

Our Volleyball Teams host a Dig Pink Game annually to support breast cancer awareness.  The team sells pink items including t-shirts, wrist bands, and bandanas to raise funds for the cause. This event was led by one of our students who sadly lost her mother to this disease about four years ago. This year, the game will be played on Thursday October 22nd when we host Ayala High School. A large number of staff and students will be wearing this shirt to support this event.

And this is last year's shirt:

SGVCUE 2015

I attended the 2015 SGVCUE Tech Fair on Saturday. I attended four sessions that emphasized on using technology to engage students. This is the second year that I've attended this local conference. Years ago, I also attended the full day conference at the Palm Springs. It is always a pleasure to see how other teachers are so dedicated to their craft. I learn a lot from watching them, not only in what they present, but also in the ways that they commit to their profession.

Bonita Athletics

I'm supporting our athletics programs with this new polo shirt.  We are fortunate to have a group of enthusiastic and talented coaches on campus.  Go Bearcats.

Catalina Footprint

My student went on a retreat in Catalina Island before the school year kicked off.  She took pictures during her trip and gave me this beautiful shot of the ocean.  The footprint pin is also a much appreciated gift.  Thank you, Erin.

College Dress Day 2015

Throughout the year, our school promotes a college going culture.  On a few selected days, we have spirited college dress days.  I am always proud to represent as an Anteater from UC Irvine.  This year, I'll be showing off my new "Undefeated Since 1965" t-shirt.  Additionally, I've prepared a Top 10 Fun Facts slideshow for my students.

Homecoming Dance 2015

This year's Homecoming Dance was held at the Hollywood Sports Park in Bellflower.  Students enjoyed an evening of dance, arcades, caricature drawings, and other fun entertainment.  I joined other staff members on some casual conversations on a warm evening as a chaperon for the event. 

Homecoming Game/Court 2015

I was honored to be asked to drive one of the Homecoming Courts onto the field during the half time of our Homecoming Game.  It was my pleasure to drive for Princess Bryn.  The five princesses were also very nervous while they were waiting for the halftime show.  Before the Homecoming Queen was announced, the class council member from each of the four classes did a dance.  We congratulate this year's Homecoming Queen Jamie.  All of the students were very kind and respectful to each other.  We had a wonderful crowd supporting our team on a hard fought lost on a warm Friday night.

Homecoming Rally 2015

Another successful rally thanks to our hard working ASB and class council members. As always, I particularly enjoy the drumline's performance as the crowd enters and exits. This year, we'll play Claremont HS and our Homecoming Dance will be held at the Hollywood Sports in Bellflower on October 10th. 

The Trophy Stays at Bonita

Bonita defeats San Dimas 28-7.  The Smudge Pot Trophy stays at "D" Street!

Superhero Rally

It was an epic superhero theme rally on a sunny Friday morning as we prepared for the Smudge Pot Game against our cross town rivalry.  Many groups performed dances, including our new teachers and new principal.  The rally was capped off with our Mr. Pizzolo as the Green Lanyard - capturing the villain Saint who was without the required lanyard.  The students had a blast and it made for a very festive rest of the day.

Bon Fire 2015

The night before our big cross town rivalry game, our school hosted a bon fire to gather the students and community together for a spirited evening.  The dance team, cheer squad, and marching performed as the school community enjoyed a pleasant night outdoors.

FTC Kickoff

This is my first year as the Robotics Club advisor.  To support the students and STEM education, I attending the FTC Kickoff event at Monrovia High School.  The organization revealed the challenging game this year.  It was wonderful to see the enthusiasm that this group of students had for engineering and robotics design.

Bonita Club Rush 2015

On an extremely hot afternoon, our students gathered in the quad to sign up for various clubs on campus.  I had a great time roaming the quad to chat with former students and to support the Robotics Club.  This year, I am the faculty advisor for this club.  On display was the robot from last year.  James enthusiastically shared with me and other interested students about the game last year and the design of this robot.

Staff BBQ & First Home Game (2015-16)

The staff was treated to a relaxing BBQ at the end of week one of the 2015-16 school year.  Thank you to Mrs. Lindsay and the ASB, we enjoyed an afternoon in the shaded field with hamburgers, hotdogs, and ice-creams.  After the BBQ, I also attended our first home football game of the season.  It was a 49-2 win for the Bonita Bearcats.  The Marching Bearcats, Cheer, and Song also performed at halftime.  It was great to see the wonderful crowd and a fantastic way to cap off a smooth start to this exciting school year.

Lego Magnet

It'll go on my white board! Thanks Cong and Kitty.

Frog Paper Weight

A Christmas gift from 2009 when Sarine was in my Honors Geometry class.  She was a top student who also excelled in varsity basketball.  I recall that she was very proud of her Armenian heritage.  Once, she emphasized to me that there are two kinds of Armenians.  When I asked her which one she is, she replied: "I don't know, I'm think I'm the better kind from the north."

Bucket of Support

The ASB continues to amaze us.  The student leaders visited my classroom on the first day of school and delivered this small personalized bucket of snacks.  Thank you, ASB, for your support.

Gum Ball Jar

Teachers were welcome back to school with this nifty gift.  A jar of colorful gum balls.  Our ASB sure knows how to take care of us by showing their appreciation for us throughout the year.  I am very grateful for all that they do.