"It's Been My Goal" SB Student Earns Gates Millennium Scholarship

Angelica Vasquez, "Angie," called by her teachers and friends, has recently realized her life-long goal and dream is about to become reality.  The South Bend senior has been admitted to the University of Washington and Gonzaga University, and will collect a scholarship to pay for everything, regardless of where she chooses to attend, valued at approximately $215,000.

"It makes me feel proud," says Angie, as she considers the fact that she will be the first person in her family (along with her twin sister, Alejandra) to attend college.  "As I think of the family I want someday, my future kids, I want them to have a better life," she continues.  A desire that has driven her motivation since she can remember, Angie wants to major in biology and become a surgeon.

With a nearly perfect GPA at 3.98, and having earned the honor of class Salutatorian, Angie is one of 1000 students (out of 52,000 applicants nationwide) to receive the Gates Millennium Scholarship.  The Gates Scholarship provides full tuition, books, living expenses, and transportation for any university Angie enrolls, and, has the potential to pay for graduate school.

"I've always wanted to be a doctor, and I knew keeping my grades up in school was the only way I could pay for college," says Angie as she reflected on the scholarship.  Her hard work is now paying off.

But it wasn't just hard work in school Angie has had to focus on.  She also has held an after school job since age 11.  Moving to Mexico at an early age, Angie worked in restaurants, bakeries, and other jobs she could find to help support the family.  Even now, she has worked at East Point Seafoods and currently Dairy Queen.  Though this is enough to keep most teens busy, Angie also spends time tutoring students after school in math, and ran for Pacific County Fair Queen this last year.

It is nice to see students set goals, achieve them, and receive even more reward than they may have set out for.  Angie serves as a great example to her peers as well as younger students following behind her.  

However, Angie and all other students at South Bend, are supported by caring, helpful staff that work tirelessly to provide help and assistance in not only teaching, but counseling, advising, and mentoring, making all the difference.  "Looking back I was supported by my teachers a lot," says Angie.  "Mrs. Sanchez has always given me good advice and Mr. Schroeder taught me a lot about life lessons and values."  "Mrs. Nelson has also helped me with a lot of things and played a big role (along with Mr. Bale and Ms. Camenzind) in helping me get this scholarship."  "The whole staff has been supportive of us here in South Bend."

Angie is an example of how hard work and determination leads to accomplishment.  She also is a testimony to the hard work of the South Bend school staff and community, who have invested time and care into her life.

To all the younger students at South Bend: set goals, work hard, and take advantage of the opportunities offered to you.  To the staff who work with our students each day: take a moment to be proud of the difference you make in the lives of our students, and carry on.

Good job, Angie.  And, good luck...  South Bend is proud of you.

SBHS Receives Washington Achievement Award

2014-15 South Bend Jr. Sr. High School Staff

South Bend Junior-Senior High School was recently recognized as a 2014 Washington Achievement Award recipient for both Math Growth and overall High Progress.

Washington Achievement Award recipients are the highest performing schools in the state, based on three years of academic information as reported in the Washington Achievement Index.

Recognizing the hard work of both students and teachers is important to do, and the staff and students in South Bend should be proud of what they have accomplished.  Beyond the efforts of individual teachers or groups of students, all staff members and students contribute to this success.  South Bend has a strong tradition of high standards for academic excellence, and each staff member works to reinforce these standards system-wide.  From the Early Learning Center, to Chauncey Davis Elementary and up through the High School, staff work with a common mission--to care for all students and to educate students to the best of their ability.  It is the teamwork and collaborative efforts of our staff that continue to make South Bend a Great Place for Kids.

Mr. Nelson and Mr. Oblad present a monthly Math Award

Congratulations to Mr. Nelson and his staff, and all students of South Bend Junior-Senior High School!

For more information on the Washington Achievement Award, please click here.

For definitions of Math Growth and High Progress, please click here.

Vocational Construction Program Provides Valuable Opportunities to Students

Habitat for Humanity Home built by SBHS students

Traditional academic programs are valuable and important in serving the goals and aspirations of many students, but not every student plans to attend a university after high school.


In fact, many students are interested in attending trade school, technical college, or other vocational training related to learning specific labor skills.  Other students desire to enter the workforce directly after high school.  Do we provide opportunities for students to learn vocational skills that transfer to jobs after high school?


Construction Training at South Bend High School

South Bend High School vocational teacher Ryan McMurry developed and runs a construction class that gives students post-high school skilled work options, and up to 16 college credits through an alignment with Grays Harbor College.  Mr. McMurry, a 16 year building contractor, came to South Bend in 2010 as a career and technical education (CTE) teacher certified through Washington's Business & Industry program.  Coming directly from the contractor field and operating his own business, Mr. McMurry has been training South Bend students in most aspects of construction management through real-world building opportunities.

A Better Way to Learn:  Project-Based Learning

Habitat for Humanity homes, church construction, wheelchair ramps, and numerous other community service construction projects provide the real-world curriculum for many aspiring carpenters and builders at South Bend High School.  "I teach my students all aspects of the trade," says Mr. McMurry.  "The projects we work on allow us to do most parts of the job and allow students to complete something they can be proud of while learning good skills."

How often do we teach students skills without giving them the opportunity to put what they learn to practice?  Many times the application component of education is left out.  Especially with CTE classes, it is important we allow students to not only use their skills but develop their skills with practical applications.  This is where project-based learning becomes a powerful practice, and why Mr. McMurry's program, and all CTE programs, are so valuable.


The Future

I believe quality vocational programs require capable teachers, supportive administration, and students willing to do hard work, all of which we are fortunate to have in South Bend.  Some appropriate risk-taking is also required, as we need to be ok with students making decisions and applying their knowledge and skills in various ways that might be different than our own.  We need ways of connecting student learning to real-world opportunity.

Recently, I met with representatives from the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters.  We are in the preliminary stages of discussing a partnership linking trade certifications to our construction program at South Bend High School.  In conjunction with credit alignment at Grays Harbor College, a partnership with the Carpenters could provide our students the ability to connect with employment opportunities after high school, giving our students job options otherwise unavailable.

We also need to be looking at how our vocational students can be earning English, math, science and other credits while working toward trade certifications and vocational training.  It is important to integrate multiple subjects to bring efficiency and relevancy to our educational offerings.  This brings value to education, and gives real meaning to what our students are doing at school.

Yong Zhao, a leading education visionary and proponent of product-based learning, says that schools must give students opportunities to develop creativity, innovation, and be able to work with others in collaborative ways.  One might ask if this can be accomplished within the walls of most traditional classrooms.  CTE courses should accomplish this if approached in the right way.  Students must develop skills in areas of interest and then have the opportunity to utilize those skills productively.  It is also important that we value CTE programs the same as traditional academic classes.  Real-world learning and skill development through CTE is a valuable opportunity, and can lead to satisfying and well-paying careers.

In small, rural communities we often see eager students with little opportunity.  This is not the case in South Bend.  We have quality schools continually working to provide good opportunities for all students.  We look forward to working with the community to develop our vocational offerings.  These programs can have great impact on our students while helping the community at the same time.