That does not account for the additional positions that we will absorb [cough and clears throat] this year, um which we will be probably just shy of 100 at that point. Um something that we did achieve was one of our goals was um retaining our teachers. And so, when we started this plan in 2021, we were in the lowest 10 corporations in the state for teacher retention. Um and that was right at post-COVID. You can see that Is it 75? 75th percentile? Um and through the efforts of the plan with mentoring and many different um things that we did to help with teacher retention, we moved up into the top 10 of the state for teacher retention at 92%. Um we were very excited about that. We're planning to continue those programs going forward. This data point, though, will be hard for us to track in the future because where we are reducing staff intentionally, that goes into the number calculation.
Uh does not look like she zipped it down, either. So, we'll see if we can take advantage of that today. And Ava Welch, another left-handed pitcher. The Clockers saw a lefty yesterday. They'll see another one today. They did hit a lefty pretty well yesterday. So, let's hope they have a similar result today against Ava Welch who takes the circle for Grafton. That's a first pitch ball to begin the home half of the first to Usartus who has 37 hits on the season. We'll see if she can get to 40 today before the regular season comes to a close. >> That sure would be an incredible feat for Nico. Having a 40-hit season is something that most kids don't even think about being a possibility. I I actually think it's well in reach, especially since they will have one more game. They're automatically in the the tournament, so there's at least one game after this one, but it would be great to see her reach that 40 mark today.
Okay. Thank you very much. Any other board members' questions, comments? I was going to ask the same thing if if you guys were heavily involved in the selection process of the name change, but it obviously sounds you did have a voice in it, so that's great to hear as well, too. Um I I personally want to apologize because I know I was going to be a part of the leadership um event as as So, Connor, can you tell me you know, I'm assuming it went really well. Yeah, uh I'm really glad that you asked about that cuz I would love to talk to you about it. We had [laughter] We had I think 10 10 high schools show up. And this year as opposed to last year I attended, this year I had the opportunity to kind of organize it and I would say the students got a lot out of it and I think especially the peer health educators got a ton out of it.
We spent a lot of time on this piece as a group trying to figure out which group and which Sarah will talk more about and also um like what questions exact precise questions we needed to get to. We chose the students and then the last piece uh well second last piece analyzing data was really important. It kind of brought me back to my dissertation days because it was all about coding. So we would recorded the students with their approval and knowledge and then we actually coded the answers to come to themes which just adds a layer of objectivity that sometimes you don't get if you're just asking a question and getting an answer back. Um so there was that piece and then making sense of that data and then sharing it back with the students to get their feedback on whether our reflections and our coding and our theming was actually accurate.
Very likely. When does it occur? If it passes or if it doesn't yet. If this passes, it is currently in year one. So, there's 475,000, and then I have the But that's 14 months from now. Just to be clear. That's next summer, okay. >> And I talked to SLR like is that a a reasonable timeline? Summer 2027. Yes. Yes, it is. It's We really need like 4 months from like hitting the go button to project execution, so we are we are fine there if we wanted to do it in 2027. I think that that would honestly probably, you know, based on the age of the track be preferable to get it done as soon as possible, but it's in year one. Um any other track and field questions? I know this is definitely a bigger item for >> No, I think this is really exciting.
As time went by, I began to understand that the parts of ourselves we rush to hide are often the parts that make us most unique. My favorite songwriter, Elliot Smith, once said, "The potential you'll be that you'll never see." I think about that a lot. Because maybe the tragedy is not that we're not enough, but that we spend so much of our lives trying to become someone we were never meant to be, that we never get to meet who we actually are. And maybe, just maybe, freedom is not transformation. Maybe freedom is recognition. The moment you finally stop running from yourself and decide to stay, that's the real freedom. When I look out at all of you, I see people who are placed in the front seat of their lives that they never even got to choose, expected to navigate skies we were never taught to fly through.
>> [singing] [applause] >> Thank you so much, choir. I would like to begin the ceremony by introducing our distinguished guests. From our Anaheim Union High School District Board of Trustees, Jessica Guerrero, president, Ann Ann Marie Randall Trejo, clerk, Ron Hoshi, assistant clerk, Dr. Jose Paula Macallas, member, Brian O'Neal, member. From our Anaheim Union High School District Cabinet, Dr. Jerry Freed, superintendent, and Amy Kuan, assistant superintendent of Educational Services. And finally, our co-principals, Lorena Moreno and Bendy Crawford. >> [cheering] >> We would like to thank our teachers, administrators, and counseling staff who have supported the graduating class of 2026. Please join me in showing our appreciation to all dignitaries and guests for participating in the 2026 Western High School Graduation Ceremony. Please welcome our first senior speaker, Betsy Hernandez. >> [screaming] >> Good evening, staff, family, friends, and faculty. But most importantly, class of 2026. My name is Betsy Hernandez, and it is an honor to stand before you today.
And so, thank you as well. I'm doing something a little different this year with some of the representatives. And for Effie, I decided I wasn't going to take his brag sheet. I was going to use the letter of recommendation that I wrote for him for college. And so, um, I'm not going to read the whole thing, but I am going to read some portions of it so that you understand, um, what I see as the impact. Effie is not simply a strong student. He is a tenacious scholar and leader. Throughout his tenure at Apple Valley High School, he has pursued the most rigorous academic path available, successfully navigating and demanding schedule a demanding schedule that includes six advanced placement courses while enrolled concurrently in college courses. This challenging schedule requires tremendous discipline and except exceptional time management. He is motivated by deep desire to learn and his consistent commitment to the intellectual growth clearly demonstrates his readiness for the challenges of the next chapter of his life as a college student.
Thank you so much for changing my life forever. Thanks so much for helping always deserve. Good evening everybody. My name is Gary Alers and I was a graduate of PE High School a couple years ago, class of 69. Anyway, I've been on the Midwell Park board of directors for about 40 years now, Goodwell Park Golf Course. and we decided this year that we would give something back to the community in the way of scholarship to the boys and girls golf team. So my presentation is going to Justin Plumber. My name is Barbara Alers and I have the honor of presenting the Pam Coleman uh golf scholarship in memory of Pam Coleman who unfortunately passed away last summer. Pam was an avid golfer, always ready to play, and it's a very nice honor in herstead. Unfortunately, her daughter Amy, who is a Pleasant Valley High School graduate, was unable to be here, so she asked me to present this schol present this scholarship in her place.
And then, the last one was we discussed virtual days and that one seemed to be a little bit more challenging. There's more moving parts to it logistically. One of the things is kind of just even just equipment last minute. That one just seemed like more moving parts to it and um, just seemed to be more challenging. I don't know if there was anything else on that that anybody else remembered. Um, no, you got you got everything. >> Okay. So, so the other last quick thing was we did also ultimately discuss charters, too. And that um, there was actually a law that was passed in January by the state legislature, um, which is also them providing charter schools providing more transparency, as well. Um, but the main thing is that, look, it's our first meeting and we are all committed to continuing to invite them, to continuing to reach out to our legislature, uh, our legislative representatives, and to be proactive.
So So Dean got third place first place at the local level and third place at the Southwest District level, which is very impressive. And you're going to need to start a you're going to need to find some wall space, I think. But congratulations for that. >> [applause] >> Then we have Alexander Werner. >> [applause] >> Sankalp Jaiswal >> [applause] >> Malaysia Bui >> [applause] >> Third place in the contest, Malaysia. Fantastic. And you were Hold on, you're going to need wall space, too. You got You got extra. Okay, cool. And then we have a couple more here. Oh, they weren't Yep, got it. So, let's have all of our winners come to the middle. You're what it's all about, and we'll stand around you will get a picture. >> [applause] >> Yeah, we're going to Yeah, yeah. Kind of kind of shift this way. Awesome.
She's my role model. I wake up to her every day because she demonstrates strong, perseverance, and confidence. She is exactly who I want to be as I step into college. Even though she's not here, well, she is now. I want to tell you that I love you and that I am so happy that you're here. Before I finish, I also want to thank all the parents, grandparents, families, and loved ones who are here tonight. Your support, encouragement, and sacrifices helped every student sitting here reach this moment. This achievement belongs to you as well. So, please not for you. And finally to the class of 2026, no matter where life takes you next, never stop believing in your ability to grow and overcome challenges and become the p the person you're meant to be. One piece of advice, just be authentically yourself. Congratulations and thank you.
We did it. Thank you, everyone, for joining us to celebrate this special occasion. It is an honor to stand here before you and share a little bit about our 2025-2026 school year. This year, the entire senior class took a field trip to Round One, where we enjoyed karaoke, bowling, arcade games, ate lunch and ice cream, and spent time with our fellow ASB and ASD classmates. The seniors also went up on a tour with the Tucson Mount Shuttle up to Mount Lemmon and enjoyed a delicious lunch and dessert in Summerhaven. Although we've had had many fun times together, it has been a hard year. We learned a few months ago that ASDB was relocating to another campus, but they were not allowing the school for the blind to join the school for the deaf. This means that ASD will have an accessible and inclusive learning environment, but the school for the blind will be excluded and placed into clusters or cooperatives, or even back into their home school districts.
When you're used to constant entertainment, silence feels uncomfortable. So, the first few days were challenging. By the end of that fast, I was a better version of myself and I had my priorities a lot more aligned. I became more present, more grounded in my faith, and more aligned with the person I truly wanted to become. This is how I want our class to be living, in a world filled with peace and security in ourselves and not in security and isolation. I hope all of us learn to use technology as a tool, not as a source of identity or validation. That we learn how to disconnect from the digital world long enough fully to live in the real one. People sometimes label our generation as screenagers, saying technology has raised us. Technology did not raise us. Our lives did. Our experiences, our struggles, and the lessons we've learned along the way did.
Happen because we kept going. Today I stand here not because everything went right, but because I kept going when things went wrong. And as we leave here today and step into the next chapter of our lives, help remember this. Life is not always going to be easy. There will be moments where everything feels overwhelming. But if we have learned anything from these past four years through exams, late nights, jobs, sports, friendships, and everything in between that is that we are capable of pushing through more than we think. So whatever life takes you next, keep going, especially when it's hard. Because resilience isn't just what got us here, it is what would carry us forward. And now like to introduce our soltori the stage. Thank you.
I was talking about the music program and I actually after after that I decided you know in in an effort to sort of impart some of the thoughts and feelings that I had heard from other parents and things I wrote a petition and I asked for folks to sign it just so that you know so that their voices could be could be heard in regards to the same stuff that I was talking about before. So if it's okay, I'd like to read it. Uh So this was titled petition to add a full-time music teacher to Columbia, Illinois School District. So it's growing up in growing up in nearby Belleville and uh experience is the music theater and marching band played a major role in shaping my tap my path into the events and entertainment industry where I now help manage St. Louis St. Louis branch of a large employee owned company.
There was there was a difference in the level that Center Grove brought and the other schools were great, but Center Grove was here and that that's that's a legacy that's hard to hard to repeat. So, >> it is and really it's all due to the the hard work of our students. Um they really put in so much effort. Um and truly they just work out they outwork their competition. um and they put in countless hours and their dedication to the process and to the program is what has made us successful and will hopefully keep us successful in the future. But thank you >> and I just wanted to add it is not just learning the dance steps and the words to the song. These teachers teach what goes behind that music uh where maybe it came from and and about the illustrator and all that is is part of being in in the choir here.
So, we anticipate to see that number be a hard one to use um in the future. Another is uh success and celebration. And this one is extra um special to me. When I started as superintendent, um we had a lot of meetings about literacy and how important literacy is. That reading in third grade is a benchmark for future life success and outcomes. And as a corporation, we were at 77%. So, we adopted science of reading framework. You as a board approved additional um coaches to support, allowed us to join literacy cadre. We added a lot of professional development and have had transformation across the district. And last year, this year's aren't out yet, uh, but last year our IREAD scores for third grade in the county were 92%. So, that is one of our, um, most successful pieces of the plan. ILEARN growth, looking to grow in ILEARN performance, um, in all areas we achieved progress.
As she's quickly ahead in the count, three balls and no strikes. She has walked 14 times this year. It's only three strike outs. I mean, really, when you think about that 37-hit mark, if that really is remarkable considering the goal for most kids is to get 25 hits, right? 25 hits in per year. Once you're over that, that is about as good a season you can possibly have. Nico at 37 now is is just just sensational. She works a four-pitch walk. So, speed already on the base paths for the Clockers as Butermann will bat. .392 on the season for her. And Nico will go on the first pitch. The pitch is high and the throw is not close as it rolls down to second base. That is the 18th stolen base for Nico Usartus. Yeah, 18 for 19 Nico is on the year, and I wouldn't be surprised if Coach Sasso tries to take take third here.