St. Hope Band 3
Black to the Future Dialogue
Underground Books celebrated Black History Month with a panel discussion led by well-known artist Milton Bowens, Dr. Torry Winn of UC Davis’ Transformative Justice in Education Center (TJE) and Dr. Teresa Aldredge of the Los Rios Community College System.
College Track Center Stage: Violet Walker
Violet Walker is a Senior at Sac High and part of the original founding cohort of College Track Sacramento. She completed her college applications last semester and is excitedly awaiting her results. She has already been accepted to Tuskegee University, Wilberforce University, Virginia State, West Virginia State, Chico State, and Benedict College. Her top choices are UC Merced, UC Davis, or Humboldt State. While waiting on the rest of her acceptances, she is busy applying for numerous scholarships. She wants to study medicine and eventually become a veterinarian.
AP Biology Students Study Plant Physiology and Breathe Success
Do you ever wonder why leaves really turn colors in the fall? And how plants actually produce the oxygen we breathe and need to live? If you run into a Sac High AP Biology student this New Year, she/he should be able to give you an explanation that would satisfy a college biology instructor!
Gregg Popovich Meets St. HOPE
To close out 2017, St. HOPE held its annual fundraiser with a special HOPE for the Holidays Soiree. A capacity audience over 250 people attended the event at the new Kimpton Sawyer Hotel in downtown Sacramento. The soiree featured NBA coaching legend Gregg Popovich, who shared his views, opinions and experiences about a variety of topics.
Sac High Alumni Come Home for the Holidays
Sac High Alumni made their presence known at the 2017 St. HOPE Elite Hoop Classic this December and closed out the year in great company and fun!
High Achieving Dragons Make Their Mark in Downtown Sacramento
This past December, 9th grade scholars with the highest GPA of Sac High’s Class of 2021 were rewarded with a special “Golden Ticket” inviting them to a fancy trip downtown!
Dragons Train with Grit for SAT
On Friday, November 10, while most Sac High staff enjoyed the day off in honor of our veterans, 96 juniors showed up at 8am to take the first of three SAT practice tests. Ms. Bostick, Mr. Marks and the junior grade level team built momentum and created a sense of urgency around preparing for the real test in April. The four hour experience was grueling but the results will be worth the effort.
Sac High Alumni Transform the Guild Theater
The Guild Theater has been around since 1915 as one the largest theaters in Oak Park and was originally called the Victor Theater. After years of showing great motion pictures, the Victor Theater became vacant. Ownership of the theater changed over the years, and it eventually fell vacant again. In 2003, St. HOPE restored and reopened the space as The Guild Theater, showcasing live performances, lectures, films and more. .
McClatchy Park Clean Up Day
Recently, Sac High students were introduced to a new website feature that allows them to browse and sign-up for various community service opportunities.
One of the many opportunities available to students through the website took place on Wednesday, November 8th, as dozens of students and staff teamed up with The Oak Park Neighborhood Association, The City of Sacramento Adopt-a-Park program and AAA, and put their volunteer vests and gloves to work at The McClatchy Park Clean-up held from 2:15-5:15 p.m. after students were dismissed early for minimum day Wednesdays.
Solar Projects by Sac High Engineering & STEM Students
By Mr. Shetty, Engineering & Math Teacher
Sac High students in the engineering pathway have been collaborating with Grid Alternatives, a local non-profit solar company, since 2015-16 as they look to expand affordable, renewable energy options to low income families.
First project in 2015-16
Dia De Los Muertos
While Dia de los Muertos has become more mainstream over the past years, members (mechistas) of Sac High’s M.E.Ch.A (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlan) wanted to make sure the tradition was also shared with their peers at Sac High. Dia de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday in which the life of lost loved ones is honored. Death is viewed as transition in life and tribute is paid to the journey while living.
Join us at the Guild for an excellent play, “The Absent Father, the Wayward Son”
The Guild Theater has the pleasure of bringing back Brandon Hughes and his one man play, “The Absent Father, the Wayward Son” on Saturday, October 21, 2017. Hughes plays multiple characters throughout the production by portraying the son of his absent father. During the show, the audience watches as David (The Wayward Son) learns his absent father, who he has never met, spent many nights at his home for years entirely unbeknownst to David.
PS7 Surprise Project
While students and teachers were on Fall Break, several staff members from PS7 Elementary and the St. HOPE Public Schools Home Office participated in a two-day campus improvement service project as a surprise for returning students. The 5,360 square foot space, which was overgrown with dead grass and weeds for years, was transformed into a beautiful outdoor quad that will be used as an outdoor classroom and lunch area for students.
2017 CAASPP Data Release
The eagerly anticipated SHPS state test results were officially released September 27th. While student performance for most of the State of California flat-lined this year, the overall percentage of SHPS scholars meeting or exceeding the standard went up six percentage points in English Language Arts and two percentage points in Math.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Fair
Sac High hosted the annual Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Fair on September 15th and, once again, HBCU representatives stated Sac High students were the highlight of their multi-city tour. More than 40 HBCUs were represented at the fair, and most of them offered on the spot admissions decisions and scholarships to qualified seniors. The fair was a lively and positive event for our community, and our entire senior and junior classes were able to meet with admissions representatives, learn about exciting opportunities at HBCU campuses, and submit applications
Sac High football team takes knee for anthem. How does its Vietnam veteran scorekeeper feel?
He is a beloved member of the athletic family, a fixture as the scoreboard operator, known for his gray goatee and his kindly old soul.
His name is Jack Stephens, but everyone at Sacramento High School calls him, “Pop.”
Pop stood for the national anthem on Saturday before the Metropolitan Conference game against Florin, but the players he embraces as his own took a collective knee.
Welcome Back! A message from CEO, Jake Mossawir
The 2017-18 school year started off with a bang on August 9th. In the last few weeks we have discovered new areas for growth and have much to celebrate. Without a doubt, this is bound to be a very exciting school year.
Dragons Prepare for a Winning Fall Season
Sac High is a college prep charter school that prides itself on opening doors for our students to higher education and providing a path to a four-year college degree. In addition to offering a competitive academic program, Sac High also knows extracurricular activities can provide opportunities for students to learn crucial skills needed for success in college and in life. As such, Sac High runs a comprehensive athletics program and offers several sports for students to participate in each season (Fall, Winter and Spring).
Art Talk with Walter Anderson
On Saturday, August 19th, Underground Books held a powerful art exhibition featuring ex-felon Walter “Squeaky” Anderson. Mr. Anderson, who spent 35 years in the California prison system, is an Oak Park native who held his first art exhibition at the bookstore upon his release. “I come from a family where the girls were going to be treated special and strict. But us boys, it was like, ‘You’re on your own’ and I went on,” said Anderson, giving the large crowd that had gathered a glimpse into his childhood.
Student Spotlight: Rayonna Thompson, ASB President
Meet “Ray” this year’s Sac High ASB President and Student Representative to the SHPS Board of Directors.
How long have you been at St. HOPE?
This is my fourth year. My sister went to PS7 and that’s when Sac High really caught my attention. The schools are not for everyone, but the focus on A-G requirements at Sac High really excited me and got me thinking about life after high school.
Why did you want to be the ASB President?