And the quality, it was good. It was amazing. In November, students took the youth survey. We received the results back and it showed the students feel safer and respected. We had a huge increase in Oh my god. We had a huge increase in students feeling safer from violence at HDPA. Because of this, we can say HDPA is a unique school to attend where students feel comfortable and supported. That kind of environment really makes a difference of how students show up and learn and grow every day. Last month, we participated in a middle school social emotional learning presentation titled acts of kindness designed to promote empathy, respect, and positive peer relationships. During the presentation, students were able to define kindness and what it looks like in everyday situations. They discussed why it can sometimes be challenging and how acts of kindness will help to make a safe and supportive school environment.
Um, of course, whenever you have leadership roles, there's things you learn along the way. So, I wouldn't say that there there's like a perfect captain out there or anything. So, you make mistakes and that's how you learn. And so, there were things that they did that I was like, "Oh, I think I'm going to do this differently." So, I definitely took from that experience seeing them being captain roles and kind of morph into my own way of leading the team. Definitely being a leader came with like having to like be serious every once in a while, but then also having to >> not like you can also be like have fun and stuff like that. >> There's just a lot of um there's a lot that comes with it. A lot of um what's the word for it? >> I don't know. Anyways, um, wow, words are really hard.
So they are also a separate model for them. >> It's called a late application pool. >> I'm sorry. >> It's called the late application pool. >> And how will the parents know about this? >> So if they apply after the deadline, they'll they'll receive an email um that should specify that in the email. I I mean I can check that communication but they would be notified that they were too late for that initial lottery. >> Now the initial lottery those numbers will drop down to the waiting list automatically. >> So the yes once the lottery is held all the uh students are assigned their number and their rank order on the the um the lottery list and then we just keep going through until we exhaust that list. And we'll be posting u we'll post the initial list after the lottery. So every single number um that's drawn, it will be posted in that order and we'll sign off and certify that list.
Uh it is a great task. Um and because because the work is so intense and you really want the students to grasp the understanding that they're supposed to Steph and I have developed um work that we'll invite teachers to. And so during these workshops, we'll give the whole rundown to the teachers, the curriculum, the investigations, how they'll walk through this storyline process that Stephanie and I go through so that students are able to have this have this knowledge of every lesson has a question, but once the students get through all the lessons, there's this huge unit driving question that then they're building to answer, right? That's the whole the premise to it. So, yeah, you slow and steady and and you mark your calendar. Well, >> it is is it is tricky. Both Steph and I were in three different buildings today. Uh so, it it is a little tricky.
Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Our next speaker, our next speaker is Ace Perez. A C E P R Hello board of trustees. I've been Mr. Bear student since he came to the school in September 2024. I never picked up an instrument bothered with music theory but he made music so fascinating. In the last two years I've been at Lex Engineer highest band. I learned many things such as teamwork, discipline, responsibilities and even abilities to like memorize more p things like pages of paper. And this is thanks to one person who deserves all the credit. Mr. Bergen. His teaching at Lson Junior High School's band made me grow up into the person you see now. Not afraid of speeches, not afraid of people watching me. Understanding confidence build, but also in a humble way, but I understand everybody's um journey with music, the struggles. Mr.
During this discussion and activities, students could reflect on their own behaviors and learn different strategies to show kindness towards peers, staff, and themselves. During February, we were able to celebrate our counters counters for Wait, I'm so sorry. During February, we were able to ser celebrate our counselors for counselor appreciation week. Thank you to Miss Torres, a wonderful bright person who never seems to be in a bad mood and always tries her best to help the students of HGPA. And thank you to Miss Huckabe. You are always there for the student for the students and you take the time to listen and support everyone through both school and personal challenges. On a personal note, if it wasn't for you two motivating us and pushing us to graduate, I don't think we'd be here today. if you would you didn't just give us advice, you gave us a reason to keep going and we want to thank you for that.
>> It's okay. >> Yeah, >> I just really enjoyed building relationships with everyone on the team this year. It was really fun. >> Yeah, it was really fun. Um, and definitely like learning how I work with Presley and just how we're able to get um, our ideas and like our critiques out there in the best way possible to benefit our team was hard, but it was also like so fun to just be able to work with her, too. >> Very It was so much fun. >> Yeah. >> And I and I can assume that the coaches held you accountable for that as well. >> Oh, for sure. Yes. >> Yeah. Who are our coaches? >> Shannon and Lindsay. >> Yes. >> You have a quick funny story about one of them. >> I do have a quick funny story about both of them. Actually, this was this happened more occasionally.
And for the first one, we'll highlight who's accepted and who not who's not because every student will be on that list, not just the ones who are accepted. So we'll highlight to to make it clear who's accepted and who's not. And then I believe that we're going to um add an updated list at the beginning of each month. >> How will that get out be on the website? So, we'll post it on the admissions page of the website and we'll talk about it during the lottery administration. Um, that this is the process. >> Any further questions on the lottery? You can get that way. >> Yes. >> I mean, yeah, we're answering the question that Mr. Lend asked last week, but I sent a specific question from the >> questions. So but I can I ask >> no I can I can question. >> So I have a parent that has their lottery ticket and they have the communication that they have the the lottery is going to go through and that doesn't mean that they have been accept.
Uh especially since the schools are all in different times and everyone teaches science at a different time and their planning period is different. >> So, it's it's a little challenge. >> Thank you. >> Oh, did you want to show the video? Oh yeah. >> Oops. Oops. Okay. This right here, we're just going to show a quick. It's really hard to hear the students, but this is an evidence-based scientific discussion that we helped teachers to do. This is a new strategy that we helped teachers to do so that students can collaborate with one another about ideas so that they could start those um those nuanced uh discourses in the in the classroom. All right. So, boys and girls, in our science circle today, what components and interactions will we need to include as we draw our nurse models, our nurse logs? >> So, just >> start us off.
Seban is honest, doesn't sugarcoat our issues, and distract when it comes down to him being so. When he shared the dreadful news of his stay not here not being permanent, the room felt tense. The air was thick and gasp came from each row. We all yearn for an answer, a reason, but our voices matter like we wish they would. Our minds think alike and why we must and why we must let go of why must we let go of a teacher who's loved generously and brought back our spirits for love for music. As of 2025 through 2026, Mr. brought the jazz band into Lexington Junior High School which is loved dearly by many. He's continuing on drum line since 2024 to 2025 in this year in this year's ongoing. This is all under his leadership. Bands we know and love. Kids from elementary seventh graders who played once or twice a week in elementary are now in advance band and rightfully so.
>> Monday was our field trip to the Museum of Tolerance. We were able to explore how one of the mo worst chapters in human history began. Students thought it improved their knowledge about how the Holocaust happened and the importance of never being a bystander when we see racism. We want to say a thank you to the family center, Miss Aurora Aurora and her team. Last week, they set up a prom pop-up bouquet boutique during the lunch where students were able to look at formal clothes and shoes to pick out for prom. This was a great a great opportunity for our students. >> I personally want to give a big thank you to our amazing custodians. Cleaning may not always look like much, but it can it can make the biggest difference in our focus and learning. They work hard every day to keep our campus safe, clean, and welcoming, and their efforts often go unnoticed.
Like it wasn't just one time. Like we love them, but like >> love them so much. >> So we um we cheered on Halloween. That was our last football game of this season. And um we had a routine like a fun Halloween routine that we did and it was the day of that we were doing it and we were in the gym. Shannon and Lindsay were sitting in the bleachers and after we had just done it full out, they told us that it looked terrible. >> They did. I remember that. >> They told us it looked terrible and we were like, "Well, what do we do?" And they were like, "I don't know. It just doesn't look good. But we definitely we pulled through. It ended up being super fun and well complimented. So >> yeah. Yeah. >> Is that a funny story you probably agree with her on?
So my question the question is what happened after the lottery is strong. What's the process? So I think you touched a little bit on that but you I'm still not clear. If I have to answer questions I don't the answer is not clear and I know there's going to be a lot of comments that I'm going to be questioning after this goes on. So Mr. Al boy reported 13 almost 1,400 applications that's why you and the question that I ask you is all of those are going to go to the lottery and you say yes so we understand that there there's not I mean you apply you're going to the lottery so >> there won't be 1400 in the lottery because some of those were late >> so there you know >> and that's fine so what I'm saying so how many numbers are going to be drawing we know how many are going to be accepted right because of how many available seats we have what is it 500 >> 500 >> something like that so how's that process going to go I'm going to draw 500 number I'm going to draw 600 number and and after that what's going to happen how pattern is going to be informed you said something about you said maybe which is something that I always get concerned because when you said maybe or maybe or I think that means you don't know exactly how the process is so I can explain.
energy from. >> So what you're hearing happening is the teacher has just introduced this idea of a nurse log. What we need to have students in agreement to their initial understanding of how this nurse log is supporting life in the ecosystem. So what they do is they sit around, they talk about the lesson that they've had that day and then we come students come to a consensus about what this initial model would look like. Where's the nurse law? Where would the sun go? Where would rain go? Where would leaves go? And the list goes on and on. As they progress through this unit, they'll be gaining evidence and doing research to see if that model is correct. So, they'll go back to revise this model. Stephanie and I had to do an intense workshop with teachers to help them understand how this pro process works so that students again are diving deeper into their understanding of how these systems are interacting.
Mr. Brian teaching has helped here helped many of us go into up a band or learn another instrument. I talked to friends, classmates, and former students of Mr. Brian. We all agree on one thing. If Mr. Baragan is forced to leave our school. The man wouldn't be the same. He doesn't just show notes. Gives us stacks of papers to study over the night. Doesn't get mad at questions. Doesn't judge our questions. He doesn't judge us. He's the first teacher to make me feel comfortable at le junior high and able to talk to him without feeling ashamed or like I'm a bother. 3 minutes is enough for me to speak my truth. The correct answer. I'll put everything I can into this time. I wonder if I wonder if we'll be left with left without answers again from the school in AHC. To get rid of him is an honest mistake.
We appreciate everything they do behind the scenes to make our school a better place for everyone, even if we don't tell them every day. >> That is all for this month. Thank you for all your continued support and making sure our voices matter. >> Thank you both. Granite Hills High School. We've got Jillian or Jill Rodriguez.
>> Yeah, I'd have to agree with that. It was it was great. >> Yeah. They've always had us in their best interest. >> Well, sounds like a funny group of coaches and a great group of coaches that you could definitely look up to. And sounds like a great team led by you two. And um people definitely probably appreciate you for helping their >> I'd hope so. I hope so. probably definitely appreciate you helping their daughters throughout these few years and whatnot and making the best shooters they can be. So, thank you for that and um good luck in all your future endeavors and thank you guys for coming on. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> Catch you all on the next sports talk.
>> Sure. >> Um, so where where how they going to be notified? Where they going to go? And when we have to answer questions, what are we going to answer? It needs to be very pro. So, um, we're not just pulling a certain number of students from that lottery. So, the day that the initial lottery takes place for any student who applied on time, they're in the initial lottery. Every student who's in that lottery will be assigned a number between 1,00 and 9,999. So, everybody gets a number and then we list all of the numbers in order from low to high. So, a low number is better for this lottery. The lower the number um the better your place is in that lottery. So, everybody's on that list numerically. Initially, we'll take the lowest 500 numbers. So the the students with the lowest numbers 500, they'll get initial um notification through email and a letter that they're accepted.
In all the units that we we've looked at today, we've seen both pictures and videos of students doing science. So, the impact on students, I think, speaks for itself. We saw students problem solving together, doing data analysis, conducting investigations and they were also using evidence to defend their thinking and uh reasoning. So really diving into not just having the right answer but why is that the answer and what is the big reason that that's the right answer. Biggest thing here is that students are seeing themselves as capable scientists and engineers. We saw that excitement in that experiment that the students did at Chapman. And that's important. Steph said this, it's not just science we're teaching. It's skills that they're going to have their entire life. And they're also going to be a lot of interdiciplinary uh overlap in literacy and in math. So, we hope to have many students uh pursue a STEM career in the future.
And I hope you guys see finally why after many people speak up after all his students read their speeches. Thank you for your time listening. Thank you. The next speaker is Claire Chung. Hello board of trustees. I am a student from Lexington Junior High School and I feel that Mr. Bergan is a really great band director. Being in band is very socially uh scary being in middle school because so many students may judge you for playing an instrument. But Mr. Beran taught me that being in band is a great way to showcase my abilities and skills. He helped me overcome my fear of failing and not trying hard enough in band. For example, the honor band edition really taught me how to get over my fear of failing. Mr. Brian said that I was more than enough to play and get into honor band. This helped me get over my fear of failing.