EXECUTIVE MESSAGE 

This is an exciting time of year at ECHS.  Central to our vision is that all ECHS students are accepted into 4-year colleges and universities. The Class of 2009, working with teachers, staff and families, has demonstrated a commitment to this vision and the universities have responded.  As of this date, the ECHS Class of 2009 has received 89 acceptance letters from 4-year colleges and universities. These include UC Berkeley, UCLA, Loyola Marymount, Penn State, Bryn Mawr, Occidental College,  and campuses in the CSU and UC systems. Congratulations to all students, teachers, families and supporters on this achievement!

ECHS is remarkably unique in that it prepares its students with years of authentic experiences in the environmental sciences.  ECHS is also remarkably unique in its student-centered and project-based college preparatory program - a program that produces graduates experienced in effectively collaborating with other youth and adults in a variety of organizations to deliver results.    That is why ECHS  is a nationally recognized model high school.

This fall, colleges will receive from ECHS more than wide-eyed freshmen.  They will be welcoming what one teacher termed, “Do-ers in the Green Economy.”  These ECHS seniors are prepared and destined to contribute to a new era of environmental policy and earth sustainability.

These and future successes are not possible without the generous support of all our partners.  Thank you!  Please consider donating your time, funding and resources so that ECHS students can continue to develop, achieve and produce at the highest levels, solidifying their future and enhancing the greater Lawndale community. 

Stephen McCray is on ECHS’ Board of Directors.

TOP STORY

Earth Day Celebration at ECHS A Smash Hit

Over 1,000 students from neighboring schools visited our campus to tour more than 50 stations being taught by all 450 ECHS students for our 2009 Earth Day Celebration. 

The event culminated in a packed performance in our outdoor amphitheater area.  As our guests go back to their schools and spread the knowledge they learned about protecting our planet, the positive impact from our event is sure to grow in our neighboring communities and beyond.

ECHS Cuts Ribbon for New Library - You’re Invited!

It’s a ‘No-Brainer’: Libraries are essential tools for high school education.  But the nearest public library to ECHS is small (3,500 sq. ft.), beyond a reasonable walking distance, and simply fails to meet the needs of high school students.   

So it is a testament to ECHS’ teachers and students that it has come this far as an award-winning model high school, despite the disadvantage of having inadequate library resources for its students – until now. 

Now, thanks to a recently released Department of Education grant award of $229,000, ECHS will convert an existing classroom into a full-time library. 

It will give students regular access to a relevant and current library collection, with print, audio-visual and computer resources for curricular use - plus access to qualified staff to maximize learning opportunities.    It also will provide physical space for student research, reading programs, study sessions, computer-assisted training systems and literary events.

GREEN AMBASSADORS

10 students spent four days in the Central California Coast backcountry on a Green Adventure this month as part of their ECHS studies.  At the 450-acre Quail Springs permaculture ranch, they learned about sustainable farming and natural building, and how to live more symbiotically with the natural environment.   They also practiced leadership, organizational and team working skills.   During the program, students directed a short film which they will use to help educate others about sustainable living practices.

Green Adventures is our Green Ambassaors' annual cross-cultural international exchange and travel program.    In this program youth learn about ecological sustainability and other cultures. They are challenged to step out of their comfort zone and experience another culture, while performing an ecological field research project.  Upon returning home, they formally report on the experience.  

ECHS’ award-winning Green Ambassadors program exemplifies our service-learning philosophy. It creates opportunities for youth to build leadership skills and address critical environmental issues facing our planet.

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STAFF SPOTLIGHT 

Sandra Valencia

Job: Green Ambassador Teacher.  Internship and Student Study Team Coordinator.  4 years at ECHS.

Educational Background: B.A. in History.   California Clear Credential and National Board Certification.

Before ECHS: Taught Spanish at Dorsey High School in Los Angeles after a previous career in the television industry working for leading Hispanic cable and broadcast channels CNN en Espanol and Univision. 

On ECHS:  "My greatest ECHS experiences have been Outdoor Educational activities and Green Adventures with the students going to Sequoia National Forest, Joshua Tree, and Costa Rica,” says Valencia, who is helping to fundraise for a Green Adventures program to her native Colombia.

“I would like to see ECHS become a model of sustainability in every way possible,” says Valencia, adding “This means becoming a model school in terms of energy, water and food consumption self-sufficiency.”  It also means “becoming a model school by delivering on the promise of creating successful college-bound lifelong learners,” she says.    

When Extracurricular:   Valencia has been an environmental activist for the past five years working with the Los Angeles Biodiesel Coalition. Her volunteerism won her a Disney Environmentality Challenge award.  She recently welcomed her baby daughter into the world.

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Michael  Gower

Job: Art Teacher. After School Art Program.          1 year at ECHS.

Before ECHS: Gower’s 14 years of work in the Torrance Unified School District includes experience as Special Education Assistant.   Previously he worked in the maritime and fashion industries. 

On ECHS: “Seeing my students create learn and grow, is worth all my efforts,” says Gower, “I want to turn this campus into a visually stimulating environment that will lend itself to creativity, imagination, and inspiration,” he adds.    Visitors to Environmental Charter High School’s campus can see the fruits of his and his students’ labors in murals and artwork throughout the facility.  But the best is yet to come:  thanks to a recent grant award from the City of Lawndale, ECHS will be expanding its student art program.

When Extracurricular: “I love nature,” says Gower, who can be found hiking, running, biking, skateboarding, kayaking, exploring, and fishing, when not teaching at ECHS. 

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INSPIRED STUDENTS

ECHS Green Ambassador Featured on Nickelodeon Channel

ECHS Junior Jordan Howard has been an exemplary leader for Green Ambassadors, changing the lives of many and encouraging them  to spread green solutions to youth around the world.  As part of its Earth Day programming, Nickelodeon, a top-rated national cable TV network for young people, recognized Howard as one of America’s youth who is making a difference for the environment and their communities.  

Leading The Way In More Than One Way

He lived in foster homes for 10 years of his childhood. “Growing up with neither of my parents active in my life at any time has been the biggest challenge that I’ve had to overcome,” says  ECHS senior Jamal Devon Simmons.  

 He knows his father dropped out of high school. He doesn’t know if his mother did.  Neither his parents nor the relatives with whom he lives today graduated from a 4-year university.  

But as an ECHS honor roll student, the 12th-grader has been admitted to several universities and plans to attend UCLA next year.  He has been honored for his leadership of the basketball team.  “ECHS gave me an early glimpse of the college experience”, says Simmons, who is excited about going to college, and is considering a major in religious studies.

“I’ve been fortunate to have teachers who have become like parent figures to me,” says Simmons of his ECHS experience. “The confidence coach Orton has shown in me - putting me in leadership positions - made me feel I had to respond,” he says. “My time at ECHS has inspired me because it has given me a chance to inspire others.” 

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OTHER NEWS – CELEBRATING SUCCESS

65% of ECHS 2009 Graduating Class Already Admitted to College!

Early applications by our 2009 senior class have yielded impressive college acceptance results so far!

Service-Learning Course Helps Revitalize Neighborhoods

Over 30 ECHS students participated in a unique high school course called The Spaces of Blight Project, an example of how the ECHS’ curriculum employs service learning beyond the classroom walls. The program  was implemented through a partnership with From Lot To Spot, a local non-profit focused on economic development in blighted communities.

After finding and documenting “Spaces of Blight” in inner city neighborhoods, students jointly picked a location for improvement.   During the semester, they beautified the location – converting it into a “Space of Light.”   

The course encourages students to take an active role in their community’s economic development by maintaining and beautifying their own neighborhoods.  

Students are trained on tools such as GIS mapping, and learn about governmental  processes, urban design, streetscape maintenance and landscape architecture.   

As part of the course, they engage in policy making, critical thinking, strategic community planning and environmental justice issues. They learn the importance of how a neighborhood’s appearance affects its socioeconomic development.    

Art With An Ecological Message 

ECHS student Maria Ibarra has won an Award in the High School Category  of the Los Angeles West Basin’s Water is Life student art contest for her strong water conservation message and original, skillfully crafted artwork.

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OUR PARTNERS – A BIG GREEN THANK YOU

We thank our corporate, professional, and community partners for supporting ECHS.  From generous financial and in-kind assistance, to time and expertise, your support is helping us inspire and educate like never before.

Our many sponsors and partners . . .

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EVENTS

Library Ribbon Cutting and Grand Opening

Come see our brand new library! Over 5,000 New Books! 

Thursday April 30th, 2009, 3:30-6pm on Campus. 

Kick back and let our students entertain you with their poetry, music, and theatrical performances.

• 3:30-4:30 “Open Mic Afternoon”
• 4:30-5:00 Music By Tracey and Freddy Alvarez
• 5:00-6:00 Shakespeare in the Park in the new ECHS outdoor amphitheater!

ECHS Students and Teachers are also participating in these
upcoming local and national events!