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Left to right are: Paul Marietti (Principal), Jill Gregory (SPHS Human Services Academy), Robin Gillette (Assistant Principal). They display the Golden Bell they received in Sacramento. |
SPHS Human Services Academy receives state award
December 31, 2010
Santa Paula High School
The Santa Paula Union High School District’s Health and Human Services Academy has been awarded this year’s Golden Bell award from the California School Boards Association.
The award was presented at the associations’ Annual Education Conference and Trade Show in San Francisco. CSBA’s Golden Bell Awards program, now in its 31st year, promotes excellence in education by recognizing outstanding programs in school districts and county offices of education. The association will recognize 62 recipients of the award this year out of more than 280 applicants. “Our school leaders are making a difference every day in the lives of our students, and the recipients of this award have demonstrated exactly that,” said CSBA President Frank Pugh. “It is an honor to present this prestigious education award to such deserving districts and county offices.”
The SPHS Human Services Academy received its Golden Bell award in the Partnerships and Collaboratives category. Other Ventura County winners were the Las Virgenes Unified School District in the Invigorating High Schools category, Oxnard Union High School District in the Student Service category, and Oak Park Unified in the Sustainable, Renewable Energy and Resource Efficient Programs category.
The Golden Bell Awards program contributes to the development and evaluation of curriculum, instruction and support services by: seeking out and recognizing sustainable, innovative or exemplary programs which have been developed and successfully implemented by California teachers and administrators; recognizing and supporting educators who invest extra energy and time to make a demonstrated difference for students; promoting models which have made a difference for students; and focusing on the commitment to ensure that the needs of all students are met.
Santa Paula High School’s administration entered the academy into the annual contest for the award, which honors exemplary programs in 19 major categories that support teaching and learning. The academy won under the “Partnerships and Collaboratives” Category.
About 150 students in all four grades at the high school participate in the Human Services Academy, which provides students with business mentors, internships and other valuable learning opportunities. The academy’s focus is to help prepare students to enter into careers such as medical, health, teaching and public service.
The Golden Bell Awards program, now in its 31st year, contributes to the education community by recognizing sustainable, innovative or exemplary programs that schools have developed and implemented; recognizing and supporting educators who invest extra energy and time to make a difference for students; promoting models which have made a difference for students; and focusing on the commitment to ensure that the needs of all students are met. Santa Paula High School’s Agriculture Science Academy also won a Golden Bell Award several years ago.
The Human Services Academy provides more than 8,000 hours of volunteerism with 70 mentors and gives students valuable hands-on learning opportunities. Business partner contributions total $114,000 in terms of the time/value that businesses give for mentoring, job shadowing, internships, serving as chaperones, conducting workplace tours, being guest speakers and other contributions, Gillette said.
In return, Santa Paula’s high school students give back thousands of hours working on projects that benefit the high school and the greater community. Students last year gave 2,758 hours of work, 608 hours of job shadowing and service learning, and an additional 5,120 hours for internships.
