news and events

Dear HSHMC Family, One year ago, we joined the rest of the educational community and closed our campus in response to the growing threat and unknowns of a new virus sweeping across the world. Since that day, COVID-19 has dominated so much of our private and public lives. COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on our health and well-being, on our jobs, business and economic stability, and on our relationships and ability to interact with our friends and family. Members of our HSHMC family have lost their jobs, homes and most tragically, lives. The year has been more than hard for each of us, and our heart goes out to those of you who have made the most and ultimate sacrifices. Our students have made it clear that they miss each other, they miss their teachers, and they miss the range of experiences and activities associated with attending school. They miss their classrooms, they miss their internships, they miss afterschool sports, clubs, dances and hanging out together. It seems like forever ago that we were telling students at 5 pm that it was time to wrap up what they were doing and go home! We have spent the year with seniors foregoing prom and 9th graders never entering our building. No one will forget how different the year 2020-2021 has been! And all of us look forward to Fall 2021, when we join the country in expecting we will unlock the doors to schools across the country, including those located at 3910 University Avenue. We are encouraged by the government’s commitment to have enough vaccines available for all adults within months. We appreciate new state and federal resources being provided to schools to support our eventual reopening plans. We are hopeful that more things will feel more “normal” as we move into summer. We keep waiting for the numbers of new infections to fall to safer and safer levels. We know that progress not only depends on vaccines but with our own responsibilities to continue to wear masks, socially distant, stay home when sick and be extremely cautious of large gatherings especially in doors. And with extreme caution, more K-8 schools seem to be in position to reopen in late spring. As for high schools, there are too many unknowns and special circumstances, to make a decision today when HSHMC will fully reopen our campus. We feel we have done better than most to build our virtual and on-line program to meet the educational needs of our students. Why? First of all, our teachers and support staff have risen to the occasion this year. They have invested time, energy and expertise to build effective on-line classrooms and supports. They have embraced new technologies and tools to advance the quality of our on-line classrooms and ensure a level of instruction other schools marvel at. Second, our students have really shown up. Their attendance, engagement and success on-line have reminded us all that when young people are respected and supported, they are capable [...]

KASEY PROVIDES HANDS-ON EXPERIENCES FOR HER BIOLOGISTS! Kasey teaches biology to 9th and 10th grade students. She has invested a lot of time into carefully planning labs for her students so that they don't miss out on the experiences that engage so many of her young scientists. While at home, her class has analyzed the function of enzymes with the Toothpickase lab, investigated the products and reactants of cellular respiration in yeast using balloons, extracted their own DNA, dissected sheep eyes to understand how studying anatomy helps us determine common ancestry, categorized characteristics of candy to create a cladogram, and explored owl pellets in order to model the flow of energy within an ecosystem. "Lab activities at home sure are interesting. I am having a lot of fun doing these experiments. Labs are very important in class in my opinion. They give us a chance to have a physical example of an experiment and explore how something works while also being fun and entertaining." -Anonymous 9th grade Biologist

MS. CASTELLANOS KEEPS STUDENTS ENGAGED! Brianna inspires our students, who may want to pursue a career in teaching, in the Education Pathway. Her students have adapted to teaching elementary students in the virtual world, including building digital portfolios and developing online read-alouds. Brianna also takes pride in re-engaging students into the classroom by helping them stay focused and participate in Zoom sessions. Her Academic Recovery class serves as a place for students to get caught up with their work and stay connected. Brianna coordinates the Re-Engagement Team which allows her to build relationships with parents and students hosting bi-weekly meetings with families to support student success. She makes home visits to meet with students who need extra support and encouragement. "Thank you for believing in me and not giving up on me!" - (Anonymous 10th Grade Student)

ROCIO PREPARES OUR FUTURE CERTIFIED NURSING ASSISTANTS! Rocio's role this quarter is a CTE instructor. She assists with the students in the CNA program. Specifically, she supports students in a hands-on laboratory to prepare them for the skills they need to pass the state board exams. She looks forward to being a part of this program and preparing students to be successful in their state exam to become Certified Nursing Assistants! A typical day for Rocio includes following the CNA students in their class and collecting paperwork necessary to cover the legalities of the class. HSHMC has two cohorts of students that come to campus during the week for in-person instruction. Students are happy to interact and see each other after almost a year of distance learning. "I am particularly proud of being able to sit-in with students and share conversations about their future aspirations."

Dear HSHMC Students, Ms. Hardin & Mr. Mansoor are happy to announce that we are beginning a new club here at HSHMC called L.I.F.E.(Learning Important skills For Everyone)!  L.I.F.E. club is centered around learning essential, valuable life skills. Topics that will be covered include taxes, loans, paying bills, creating resumes, and the workforce. However, our vision is to make this a student centered club, where we cover topics that students desire. Class meetings are Mondays from 2:30-3pm beginning 2/22. The zoom link and password are listed below: link: https://hshmc.zoom.us/j/84663887826 pw: life

MS. WARFIELD DOES WHAT IT TAKES! Kameron continues her role as an Ed. Specialist for 3rd quarter, helping all students in any way that she can. This quarter she looks forward to improving her relationships with our students. Kameron loves being a part of HSHMC because the same support she gives to her students, she receives as a teacher. Kameron spends her day supporting the history classes and meeting with students before and after school to work on their assignments and transition goals. Distance learning has pushed her to get out of her comfort zone and find more creative ways to connect with students.

VANESSA LOVES SUPPORTING STUDENTS IN ALL THEIR CLASSES! Vanessa is very excited to be moving into Quarter 3. While she continues her work with the amazing Academic Recovery/Student Support Team, she will also be assisting Mr. Lauritzen in the Patient Care Career Prep class. On top of that, she gets to spend some time in Ms. Speck’s Anatomy classes. Vanessa appreciates the creativity and adaptability that has arisen while tackling distance learning. "For our students, these are skills they were going to have to learn after high school. In the workforce or in college, many of these distance learning skills are being learned at an early age. I feel that the biggest victories are made by students who overcame daunting challenges."  Some of her proudest moments at HSHMC include the successes of her AR students.

Mrs. Elliot's cheeks were hurting from smiling so much during biology class on February 5 , 2021! HSHMC biologists are working towards being able to explain common ancestry through multiple lines of evidence. Ms. Woollard and Mrs. Elliot use the eye as a structure to help students understand how anatomy has evolved over time. Here are some photos from the sheep eye dissection and a screenshot of a student’s rating against success criteria:

Dec. 01, 2020- HSHMC Writing Club Update! New Date and Time! Update! A Change in Day and Time! Beginning this week we will be hosting writing club every Thursday at 2:30pm. Click on the link below and join us! Join Zoom Meeting https://hshmc.zoom.us/j/85036423495 Passcode: 368370 Back to News & Events

Nov. 12, 2020- HSHMC Writing Club! Dear HSHMC Writers, We are starting a digital writing club here at HSHMC. Check out this video invite! HSHMC Digital writing club All students grades 9-12 are welcome to join. We will be meeting on Monday's from 3:30 to 4:30. Click on the link below. HSHMC Writing Club Time: Monday November 16th at 3:30 Join Zoom Meeting https://hshmc.zoom.us/j/85036423495 Passcode: 368370 Back to News & Events