New advanced placement courses offered at Atascadero High School
Atascadero High School Principal Bill Neely.
Update from Atascadero High School Principal Bill Neeley
–It’s been a fantastic first semester for the ’16-’17 school year, and we are full steam ahead into the second semester. Students submitted their course requests for the ’17-‘18 school year during the month of February. We are excited about the class offerings and the work we are doing to offer students the best possible opportunities. We will be submitting thirteen of our courses to the UCOP (University of California Office of President) for consideration as A-G courses which are courses that determine a high school student’s eligibility for admission to UC and/or CSU.
Additionally, we will be offering 5 new AP (Advanced Placement) courses for our students. This is all consistent with our philosophy that we want to challenge our students academically, and to encourage them to lean into the struggle as we support their efforts.
Our Wellness Center is very busy facilitating the social and emotional develop of our students as well. We are currently offering group sessions called “Learning to Breath”, which are focused on helping our students learn to work through the stresses they experience. The Wellness Center will be offering evening classes for parents with topics such as “Positive Discipline” and “The Adolescent Brain”. Please call your student’s counselor for information on these.
Our extra-curricular disciplines have been very busy and there is a lot to look forward to. The AHS Drum Major and trumpeter, Bryce Imhoff auditioned for the Honor Bands of America and was selected to march in the Bands of America Marching Band in the Pasadena Rose Parade. Bryce was the only student in the
ur extra-curricular disciplines have been very busy and there is a lot to look forward to. The AHS Drum Major and trumpeter, Bryce Imhoff auditioned for the Honor Bands of America and was selected to march in the Bands of America Marching Band in the Pasadena Rose Parade. Bryce was the only student in the county to be accepted into this prestigious group. Go Bryce!
The AHS Show Choir is coming off a very busy and successful winter season, and they have a lot of momentum as they move through winter and into spring. During the first week of February (2nd-5th) the Show Choir will perform solos, duets and an ensemble production of Godspell at the MTCA (Musical Theatre Competitions of America) at Fullerton College and Disneyland. On March 25, the AHS Choral Department will be performing their Showcase Concert “Top of the Pops!” at the Cal Poly Spanos Theater. Tickets can be purchased via Cal Poly ticketing or from choir students.
Our Theater Department also had a wonderful holiday season. They took a field trip to the PCPA to see “Beauty and the Beast” in December and it was incredible! Currently, they are rehearsing “Stuart Little” which they hope to offer in early May as a tour to our elementary schools. Alora Shahan will represent AHS at the County Poetry Out Loud competition on Feb. 10 in San Luis. Good luck to Alora! The spring musical “Once Upon a Mattress” will open on March 31 at the AMS Baro Auditorium. Tech students will have traveled to the PCPA in late January to meet faculty and to listen to a panel of tech theater professionals.
On Jan. 26 and 27, the Geology classes at AHS conducted geologic field studies of the San Andres fault. Students traveled to the portion of the San Andres fault that runs through the Carrizo Plain and learn about the features that geologists use to recognize faults. Students will apply this knowledge by mapping a portion of the San Andres fault and they will use fault features to estimate the time interval between episodes of fault rupture.
We are doing wonderful things at AHS, and we look forward all that we have to do during the remainder of this school year. This is an exciting time to be part of Atascadero High School. Welcome aboard…GO HOUNDS!
