JACKRABBIT NEWS Mesa High Newsletter May 2016

“LIFE BEGINS

AT THE

END OF

YOUR

COMFORT

ZONE.”

~Neale Donald

Walsch

May 2, 2016

Dear Jackrabbit Families,

It seems like May comes faster every year! Believe it or not, we are just 19 school days away from graduation, and another year will be in the books. As easy as it is to let our excitement for summer take over, it’s also important to re-main focused for the next four weeks. Students will take AP tests, the Arizona Civ-ics Test, CRT’s, and class finals, and we will celebrate our achievements through our final concerts, awards ceremonies, Baccalaureate, AVID graduation, and gradua-tion. Our superintendent Dr. Cowan refers to this month as “the 90 days of May,” and I suppose there’s some truth to that. Sometimes it feels like this month will nev-er end! A quick search for quotes about characteristics that lead to success yields a list full of repeated ideas including determination, hard work, and persistence. Colin Powell admits, “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determina-tion and hard work.” This year our Jackrabbits have faced challenges in their class-rooms, in the gym, on the field, and on the stage – but they have persevered and found success. Congratulations to you, our families. Without your support our stu-dents would not achieve as much as they do, and this year especially we are really proud of everything our students have accomplished! 2015 – 2016 will be remembered for many reasons. Our marching band won the state title. We won a state title in basketball (Fear the Hop!), we had state champion wrestlers, and we had a state champion diver. We had coaches recognized as the best in the city and the best in the state. We had students recognized as elite scholars due to their standardized test scores, GPA’s, and service learning hours. We were revalidated as an AVID National Demonstration School. As always, Mesa High School will be remembered for Tradition, Honor, and Excellence. As we march toward graduation and the end of another successful year, I hope you and your family find time to enjoy “the 90 days of May.” Carry on! Lisa Creaser, Principal

In the Issue:

Senior Scoop

Graduation Information

Senior Celebrations

Student Advisement Info

Announcements

AP Test Information

May Sports & Activities

MHS

SENIOR SCOOP: CLASS OF 2016

It is with great pleasure that we congratulate the graduating Class of 2016. We sincerely applaud your accomplishments and are looking forward to sharing in the excitement of graduation day! The following information should help seniors and their parents navigate this busy time of year and allow everybody to enjoy the celebration!

Important Dates and Times for Seniors

May 10 Senior Dinner @ MHS Amphitheater 6:00 – 8:00 PM

May 12 Yearbook Signing Event during both lunches

May 13 Graduation Cap and Gown distribution in Auditorium Lobby

May 18 Line Leader Lists will be posted in the Library and across from Administrative Offices

-Check this list to find your row, east or west side of the stadium, and your line leader’s name

-Any student who thinks they should be graduating, but whose name does not appear on the list, needs to see Ms. Jones immediately!

-Not walking in the ceremony? Stop by Ms. Jones’ office and let us know so we can make ar-rangements to get you your diploma

May 20 Senior obligations must be met … fines, fees, uniforms, lost books etc … must ALL be cleared. Students who have outstanding obligations will NOT be allowed to participate in the gradua-tion ceremony.

May 22 Baccalaureate @ 6:00 PM in the MHS Auditorium

*Hosted by the MHS Interfaith Baccalaureate Club

May 23 Honors Assembly during 2nd hour in the MHS Auditorium

AVID Graduation in the MHS Auditorium @ 6:00 PM

May 24 Senior Awards Assembly during 2nd hour in the MHS Auditorium

May 26 Mandatory Graduation Rehearsal @ 6:30 AM … Followed by Senior Video and Picnic

-Graduates report directly to Jackrabbit Stadium and check in with their assigned Line Leader (check Line Leader lists on May 18 for assigned row, side of stadium and teachers)

-Line Leaders will take attendance and line students up for practice session

-Rehearsal can take up to two hours, so please plan accordingly

-Students who do not attend rehearsal will NOT be allowed to participate in the evening ceremony.

Graduation Ceremony @ 7:00 PM at MHS Football Field (Jackrabbit Stadium)

-Graduates report to line leaders in the Main Gym by 6:15 PM to line up for the formal proces-sional.

-Do NOT bring personal items – Students may NOT carry anything on to the field with them (including purses, phones, cameras).

-Cap, Gown & Tassel are required and may NOT be altered in any manner.

-No items may be worn over the cap and gown.

-No flowers, jewelry, or other adornments may be worn.

-Mortarboards (caps) may not be altered in any way – no writing, decorations …

-NO flip-flops, swim suits, shorts, t-shirts, sunglasses etc …This is a formal ceremony. Dress accordingly.

Graduation Ceremony Notes for Parents

Parking on campus is limited:

-Please carpool as much as possible and follow the directions of security, police and ROTC students who are directing

traffic.

-Overflow parking is available at the old driving range to on the north side of the campus.

Seating is limited:

-Seating is open seating on both sides of the stadium. Arrive early to ensure you can park and be seated prior to our

7:00 pm start time. The stadium will open at 5:30pm.

-Jackrabbit Stadium will be at capacity for the commencement ceremony. For this reason, we will not be allowing guests

to bring any items that may distract from others’ enjoyment of the ceremony.

-Balloons, signs, coolers, large bags or other items that may impact seating or visibility will NOT be allowed.

-Air horns, fireworks, cow bells, and all other noisemakers are also prohibited so that ALL parents and family mem-

bers may enjoy the ceremony and experience the sound of their child’s name being read.

-Accessible seating is available for those with physical limitations (limit 4 per family).

Call Barbara Escamilla at 480-472-5905 to request special seating.

Graduation and Baccalaureate are special occasions to be celebrated with family and friends. These celebra-tions are formal events and the behavior of participants and spectators should remain respectful to the occa-sion.

-Students seeking to disrupt the ceremony in any way will be removed by Mesa Police and Security.

-Outside objects are NOT allowed on the field or anywhere in the stadium.

-This includes items such as balloons, beach balls, noisemakers, silly string … and the list goes on.

-Prohibited objects will be confiscated and students run the risk of being removed from the ceremony if they bring such objects.

Students in possession, smelling of/or under the influence of alcohol, drugs, etc., will not be allowed to participate in the ceremony and will be subject to appropriate disciplinary and/or legal action.

(Senior Scoop: Class of 2016 Continued)

The Mesa High Interfaith Baccalau-

reate Club is planning the Baccalau-

reate Graduation ceremony for this

year! It will be held on May 22nd, the

Sunday before graduation, in the

Auditorium from 6-7pm. Seniors will

wear their Caps and Gowns and

meet at the Flagpole at 5:30 pm.

In addition to planning Baccalaure-ate, we meet in room 824 on Mon-days after school to learn about the diverse faiths represented at Mesa High. All Grade levels and faiths are welcome!

AVID Graduation will be held Monday, May 23rd in the

Mesa High School Auditorium at 6:00 PM. We are so

proud of our 57 AVID graduates who have worked dili-

gently to prepare for a higher education. Our AVID grad-

uates have been accepted to University of Notre Dame,

University of Southern California, University of Califor-

nia, Berkeley, Swarthmore College, Northern Arizona

University, University of Arizona, Arizona State Universi-

ty, and several community colleges.

For more information about AVID, please contact Nancy

Berthold at 472-5858.

Celebrations are in-store in the month of May. Mesa

High will celebrate outstanding student achievements

with our Honors Assembly and Senior Awards Assem-

bly.

The Honors Assembly will be held in the Mesa High Auditorium on Monday, May 23 at 9:00 am. Departments will be recognizing students who have excelled in course work. The Senior Awards Assembly will be held in the

Mesa High Auditorium on Tuesday, May 24 at

9:00am. Faculty, Administration, and Stakeholders

will recognize Senior students who have achieved

throughout their high school careers.

Yearbooks! The 2016 yearbooks will be distributed to all

students who pre-ordered and who don’t carry a

bookstore or library debt on Thursday, May

12th in the small gym. At this time, we are no

longer taking pre-orders.

Students who still wish to purchase a yearbook

will

be able to purchase one starting on Friday, May

13th in the bookstore for $89. This once in a

lifetime keepsake will be over 225 pages of full

color and

include moving pictures through a program

called Aurasma. Start saving now and purchase

your copy on May 13th.

EUPOREA DANCE COMPANY PRESENTS…

(May 12th and 13th 7:00pm) "A Night At The Movies" $7 dollars at the door, $5 pre sale at the bookstore. Come join us. This show will include Euporea, Mesa high Intermediate and Advanced classes, Elite fit-ness, and an Awesome cast for the special Faculty dance.

MAY 25 TH & 26TH SCHEDULE

MAY 25TH: A HOUR 6:41am-7:50am

1st PER 8:00am-9:15am 2nd PER 9:25am-10:40am

3rd PER 10:50 am-12:05pm

MAY 26TH: 4th PER 8:00am-9:15am 5th PER 9:25am-10:40am

6th PER 10:50am-12:05pm

Student Advisors

Students are assigned an advisor according to their last name.

Ms. Leonard A—Ca Dr. Butler Ce-Ga Mr. Donald Ge—Ll Ms. Galindo Lo—O Ms. Gamboa P—Sa Mr. Rivas Sc—Z Ms. Carillo Intervention Specialist

Please call 472-5918 and Ms. Schumacher will schedule an appoint-ment with your student’s advisor. Advisors are available from 6:30a.m.—3:30p.m. Students may schedule appointments with their advisor by going to the Advisement Office before school, during lunch, or after school.

Career Center Information

We have lots of exciting opportunities for you in the Career

Center. Please stop by the career center and see what is

happening.

Interested in Scholarships? We have a monthly bulletin with

information. Please stop by the career center or go to

http://www.mpsaz.org/mesa/counseling/scholarships/files/

scholarship_bulletin_march.pdf

The Mesa High JROTC cadets recently par ticipated in the "Cactus Classic" - a JROTC Field Day event held at Cactus High. Field Days include JROTC teams from numerous Phoenix area high schools. Cadet teams participate in a variety of competitive sports including indoor soccer, dodgeball, flag football, relay races, tug of war and the "iron cadet challenge." The "iron cadet challenge" consists of an 8 person team participating in a series of strenuous activities...in this challenge, Mesa High came in 1st place. Overall, Mesa High came in 3rd place and more importantly competed with honor. Of note, the field day cadet judges stated that Mesa High demonstrated the best sportsmanship of all the par-ticipating schools. Well done cadets!

Congratulations to the students who qualified to compete at the “Arizona Science and Engineering Fair”- the equivalent of the state championships. The competitive science fair season runs from July 1st through mid-May and our stu-dents in the Science Research Methods Class and the Biotech Academy work hard all year to prepare a quality project to represent Mesa High and compete for awards and scholar-ships.We are happy to announce that Angelica Pangan (12) placed 3rd in her category, Senior Biochemistry at the 2016 Fair.

“On behalf of Access ASU, I would like to recognize and congratulate ninth graders Jaqueline Zuniga Lorenzo,

Ada Pacheco, Kayla Fierro Felix for their recent selection to participate in the Barrett Summer Scholars program

at Arizona State University. Barrett Summer Scholars is designed for academically-talented and motivated 7th,

8th, and 9th grade students. This residential program invites students to live on campus, engage in college-level

coursework, and participate in a community of peers from across the state.

Congratulations to Jaqueline, Ada, Kayla and Mesa High School!”

Please take the time to congratulate Daniel Hood who is receiving the Outstanding Teacher Award, for his exemplary service to our students with disa-bilities. We also have a student receiving an award. Andres Joaquin-Gonzalez is receiving the Outstanding Student Award. These awards are being given by our MPS Student Services Department. Congratulations!!

AP Tests!!!

AP testing starting May 2 through May 13

Practice tests can be found at

https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/takingtheexam/preparing-for-exams

Week 1

Week 2

Test Date Morning (8 AM) Afternoon (12 PM)

Monday AP Chemistry AP Psychology

Tuesday

May 3

AP Spanish Language and Culture AP Art History

AP Physics 1: Algebra-

based

Wednesday

May 4

AP English Literature and Composition AP Physics 2: Algebra-

Based

Thursday

May 5

AP Calculus AB

AP Calculus BC

Friday

May 6

AP United States History

Test Date Morning (8 AM) Afternoon (12 PM)

Monday

May 9

AP Biology .

Tuesday

May 10

AP United States Government and Politics

Wednesday

May 11

AP English Language and Composition

Thursday

May 12

AP World History AP Statistics

Friday

May 13

AP Human Geography

Know what to do (and not to do) on exam day.

Here are some important exam day policies to keep in mind when you’re getting ready to take your AP Exam.

What to Bring to the Exam Room

You want to be prepared with items such as No. 2 pencils for your multiple-choice answer sheet, pens with black or dark blue ink

for completing areas on the exam booklet covers and for free-response questions in most exams, and your government-issued or

school-issued photo I.D.

If you're taking the AP Biology calculator policy page, Calculus AB calculator policy page, Calculus BC calculator policy page,

Chemistry calculator policy page, Physics 1: Algebra-Based calculator policy page, Physics 2: Algebra-Based calculator policy

page, Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism calculator policy page, Physics C: Mechanics calculator policy page or Statistics cal-

culator policy page Exams, you should bring a calculator approved for use on designated parts of the exam.

What Not to Bring to the Exam Room

You don’t want to bring any electronic equipment or communication devices, like cell phones, smart phones, tablets or anything

else that can access the Internet, any cameras or other photographic equipment, or even any watches that beep or have an alarm.

You may not have any food or drink in the exam room, including bottled water.

A complete listing of “What to Bring to the Exam Room” and “What NOT to Bring to the Exam Room” can be found in the Bul-

letin for AP Students and Parents.

Break

During the break between Sections I and II of your AP Exam, or during any other unscheduled breaks, you are not allowed to con-

sult textbooks, notes, teachers or other students; and you may not use any electronic or communication devices, like your cell

phone, for any reason.

Also, you may not leave the building at any time during the exam administration, including during a scheduled break. Remember,

whether it is during breaks or after the exam, you must not communicate anything to anyone, including your classmates and your

teachers, about the multiple choice questions that appeared on your AP Exam.

Discussing Exam Questions

Do not email, text, post or in any other way circulate AP Exam information through any kind of social media, or your AP Exam

score may be canceled and you could also be banned from taking future AP Exams.

Also, while you are able to talk about the free-response questions from the regularly scheduled exam, you can only do so after two

days and if your particular free-response questions have been posted to the College Board website.

The AP Exam is intended to be a fair assessment of your academic ability. Sharing exam information in any unauthorized way

compromises the integrity of the exam for all AP students, and for the colleges and universities that grant credit or advanced

placement for qualifying AP scores.

Track

Boys Coach: David Brockmeier

Girls Coach: Lorna Kerby

TIME: 4:00pm

May 4 A State Prelim @ MCC

May 7 A State Finals @ MCC

Boys Volleyball

Varsity Coach: Andrea Coury

Junior Varsity Coach: Halen Coury

TIME: JV 4 pm/ Varsity 5:15pm

May 3 H Queen Creek

KEY

V=Varsity A=Away Game

JV= Junior Varsity H=Home Game

Fr=Freshman

B=Boys

G=Girls

*For game changes & scores, please visit our website at:

www.mesasports.org

SPRING FOOTBALL

Spring Football begins Monday, May 2nd at 3:30-5:30pm. It will continue to run every M-Th for the

following 3 weeks from 3:30-5:30pm.

Bring WATER! Also, wear cleats, and wear Mesa Colors.

SUMMER CAMPS

Looking to keep your kids active this summer?

Go to mesasports.org and look for the “Mesa Sports Camps” logo.

Check out the variety of sports camps offered at

Mesa High!

MAY 2, 3 ONE ACTS REHEARSALS

MAY 4 & 6 ONE ACTS PERFORMANCES 7:00PM

MAY 2-7 TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK

MAY 2-13 AP TESTING

MAY 3 STUDENT COUNCIL ELECTIONS 11-1:30

MAY 3 JV VOLLEYBALL

MAY 3 V VOLLEYBALL

MAY 4 DODGEBALL TOURNAMENT

MAY 4 ADULT ESL CLASSES

MAY 5 STUDENT COUNCIL ELECTIONS 11-1:30

MAY 6 POWDER PUFF FOOTBALL

MAY 9 EUPOREA DANCE REHEARSAL

MAY 10 AP PARENT NIGHT

MAY 10 HIP HOP SHOW

MAY 10 SENIOR DINNER @ 6PM

MAY 11 ADULT ESL CLASSES

MAY 12 YEARBOOK HANDOUT 11-1

MAY 12 EUPOREA DANCE SHOW @ 7PM

MAY 13 CAP & GOWN DELIVERY 11-1:30PM

MAY 13 EUPOREA DANCE SHOW @ 7PM

MAY 17 BROADWAY CONCERT @ 7PM

MAY 18 HIP HOP SHOW @ 6PM

MAY 18 ADULT ESL CLASSES

MAY 18 ORCHESTRA CONCERT @7PM

MAY 19 BAND CONCERT @7PM

MAY 20 HONORS AWARD ASSEMBLY 9-10:30AM

MAY 22 BACCALAUREATE @ 6PM

MAY 23 HONORS AWARDS ASSEMBLY 9-11AM

MAY 23 AVID SENIOR GRADUATION @ 6PM

MAY 24 SENIOR AWARDS ASSEMBLY 9-11AM

MAY 25 ADULT ESL CLASSES

MAY 26 LAST DAY OF SCHOOL

MAY 26 GRADUATION CEREMONY @ 7PM

MAY 26 SENIOR DVD/PICNIC