Superintendent’s 
Monthly Update
Poway Unified 
School District
January/February  2006


Donald A. Phillips, Ed.D.
Superintendent

 

TOPICS:


Postsecondary Training the Key to Your Child’s Future Economic Well Being 

Dear Parents and Community Members,

When I was a child in the 1950’s, there were still good-paying jobs that did not require a high school diploma. During the last 55 years, the number of jobs that pay a living wage to an individual without a high school diploma has become smaller every year. Today, an individual with a high school diploma, only, finds fewer opportunities for advancement and earning a salary that could support a family. In San Diego, where the cost of housing and general living expenses are high, we worry how our children will be able to afford to live in our community and have the same opportunities that we have enjoyed.

As we look at the global economic trends and impact of technology, we see our students growing up in an increasingly competitive world environment that will be even more international in flavor. While education levels, work ethic, positive attitude, intellectual curiosity, ingenuity and creativity, and solid academic skills significantly impact the standard of living our children experience as adults, our children’s economic fate will be more closely woven into a global marketplace where the competition will be far keener. We believe our charge, working with you, is to prepare each and every child to reach their potential for this future.

While intelligence matters, effort is a much more powerful predictor of long-term success. It may take more time for some of our children to learn a skill or concept, but almost all have the capacity to do amazing things assuming they have the desire and put in the effort. We see evidence of this day in and day out in sports, music, technical work, community service, and obviously academic performance. We encourage you to set high expectations for your child upon graduation by fostering the notion of effort and hard work.

We also believe the skills and attitudes that your child will need to compete in this new economy and earn a family living wage will require an AA degree, technical school training, a four-year degree, or a professional degree. Therefore, we are committed to helping every student graduate with the skills necessary not only to gain entrance, but also to be successful, in college. Then, even if they choose to postpone postsecondary training or decide to pursue a more technical education upon graduation, having strong skills in math, reading, and writing can only enhance whatever choice they pursue.

We believe it is critical that our students have the necessary skills that we call “college readiness” so they can make the choice, rather than the absence of skills keeping them from having choices.

Warm regards,

Don Phillips
Superintendent


These are examples of the fine accomplishments occurring at our schools every day.  

TOP SCORES ON SATs

· Chris Moon, Poway High School senior, received top scores on three Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT I) in the areas of Critical Reading, Math, and Writing, giving him a score of 2400.  Chris also received a score of 800 on the World History (SAT II) exam and 800 on the Math Level II (SAT II) exam. 

· The following Poway Unified School District students received the maximum possible score of 800 in their subject area on the 2004-2005 Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT): 

Critical Reading (SAT I)

Rachel Abbott, Poway High School
Kaisen Chen
, Rancho Bernardo High School
Weixi Chen
, Mt. Carmel High School
Wen Fei Chu
, Mt. Carmel High School
Chris Ferguson, Mt. Carmel High School
Jessie Guo
, Mt. Carmel High School
Bernice Huang, Rancho Bernardo High School
Michelle Huang, Westview High School
Jonathan Inman, Westview High School
Jun Won Kim, Mt. Carmel High School
Tyler Liu, Mt. Carmel High School
Omar Malik, Poway High School
Katherine Melchior, Westview High School
Chris Moon, Poway High School
Girish Nanjundiah, Mt. Carmel High School
Laura Williams, Westview High School
Efan Wu, Mt. Carmel High School
Stephen Wu, Rancho Bernardo High School 

Math (SAT I)

Dannah Almasco, Westview High School
NaYoung Bae
, Rancho Bernardo High School
Elyse Brinkman, Rancho Bernardo High School
Adam Chaimowitz, Westview High School
Wayland Chu, Rancho Bernardo High School
Wynne Chyou, Westview High School
Victoria Deguzman, Westview High School
Bernice Huang, Rancho Bernardo High School
Eric Hwang, Rancho Bernardo High School
Shota Ido, Rancho Bernardo High School
Jonathan Inman, Westview High School
Scott Larson, Westview High School
Michael Liu, Westview High School
Allison Lloyd, Poway High School
Tamara Marzouk, Rancho Bernardo High School
Harold Myer, Rancho Bernardo High School
Chris Moon, Poway High School
Bhanu Muniyappa, Rancho Bernardo High School
Ishan Sengupta, Rancho Bernardo High School
Navid Shirazi, Rancho Bernardo High School
Grace Tsay, Rancho Bernardo High School
Marshall Voit, Poway High School
Derek Wung, Rancho Bernardo High School
Jiamo Yue, Mt. Carmel High School
Lisa Zhu, Westview High School

Writing (SAT I)

Michelle Diaz, Poway High School
Megan Leahy
, Rancho Bernardo High School
Mona Moieni, Rancho Bernardo High School
Chris Moon, Poway High School
Akash Patel, Rancho Bernardo High School
Claire Sampankanpanich, Rancho Bernardo High School
Jonathan Tarn, Westview High School
Jenny Wang, Westview High School
Ting Wang, Rancho Bernardo High School
Efan Wu, Mt. Carmel High School

Biology-Ecological (SAT II)

Janak Carey, Westview High School  
Yangbin Wu
, Poway High School
Evan Yang, Westview High School  

Biology-Molecular (SAT II)

Kevin He, Rancho Bernardo High School  
Roscoe Huo
, Rancho Bernardo High School
Michael Liu, Westview High School
Tim Scheffelin, Poway High School
Grace Tsay, Rancho Bernardo High School  

Chemistry (SAT II)

Christopher Adams, Poway High School  
Luke Guo
, Westview High School
Zhichao Han, Rancho Bernardo High School
Brian Lao, Westview High School
Stephen Wu, Rancho Bernardo High School
Taylor Yi, Westview High School  

Chinese with Listening (SAT II)

Elizabeth Chang, Rancho Bernardo High School  
I-Hang Hung
, Rancho Bernardo High School
Yang Jiao, Rancho Bernardo High School
Annie Kung, Rancho Bernardo High School
Leon Kung, Rancho Bernardo High School
Chen Yu Lee, Rancho Bernardo High School
Joy Peng, Rancho Bernardo High School
Candace Sun, Poway High School
Jeffrey Tung, Westview High School
Wenting Xi, Rancho Bernardo High School
Grace Yang, Westview High School
Jason Yeh, Rancho Bernardo High School  

Japanese with Listening (SAT II)

Takao Aoki, Westview High School  
Shota Ido
, Rancho Bernardo High School

 
Korean with Listening (SAT II)

NaYoung Bae, Rancho Bernardo High School  
Grace Han
, Poway High School
Iris Han, Rancho Bernardo High School
Giseob Hyun, Rancho Bernardo High School
Brian Kang, Westview High School  

Korean with Listening (SAT II)

Taewoong Kang, Westview High School
Ga Hee Kim
, Rancho Bernardo High School
Hyerin Kim, Rancho Bernardo High School
MiJung Kim, Rancho Bernardo High School
Sarah Kim, Poway High School
Sung Hwan Lee, Rancho Bernardo High School
Jay Park, Rancho Bernardo High School
Tony Park, Rancho Bernardo High School
Julia Son, Rancho Bernardo High School

Math Level II (SAT II)

Roya Akhavain, Rancho Bernardo High School
David Armstrong
, Poway High School
Elyse Brinkman, Rancho Bernardo High School
Adam Chaimowitz, Westview High School
Tat Benjamin Chan, Westview High School
Elizabeth Chang, Rancho Bernardo High School
Kaisen Chen, Rancho Bernardo High School
Fang Cheng, Westview High School
Hee Young Cho, Rancho Bernardo High School
John Gilik, Rancho Bernardo High School
David Govea, Westview High School
Thomas Helfrick, Rancho Bernardo High School
Bernice Huang, Rancho Bernardo High School
Eric Hwang, Rancho Bernardo High School
Hyeon Kang, Rancho Bernardo High School
Hyerin Kim, Rancho Bernardo High School
Kevin King, Poway High School
Karthik Kothandapani, Westview High School
Brian Lao, Westview High School
Kevin Leu, Rancho Bernardo High School
Sung Hwan Lee, Rancho Bernardo High School
Kevin Li, Westview High School