First Rally of 2010-2011!

The first rally of the school year was held on Friday, August 26th.  The rally started off with the traditional singing of the National Anthem by a student followed by a "Welcome Back" by the principal, Mr. Marietti.  New teachers were then initiated to the Cardinal community by doing the Cardinal Dance to the school song. The Santa Paula High School cheerleaders then gave a demonstration of their skills.

After this, a game involving fishing took place.  It was too noisy to hear who won, but an amusing time was had by all.  The first class yell of the year followed.  Again, it was too loud to her which class won, but all classes gave their noisy best.  Over the summer FFA and SPHS Artists had won a variety of awards, and the students involved were recognized by ASB.  Following this, the Flag team gave a spirited and colorful performance.  This was followed by another high decibel class yell.

A second game took place.  After that the Drum Line gave their first performance of the year and the rally concluded with the Spirit Stick.

SPHS Cardinal: February 10, 1978

The Santa Paula High School Cardinal newspaper for February 10, 1978 is now online!  The lead story covered an administration crackdown on "ditchers and troublemakers" in which detention hall was established and teacher patrols were implemented.  A later story in the same issue discusses that annual February crackdowns had taken place since 1975.  In February 1976 for instance, a new rule was put into place that required students to fill out a form if they were absent or tardy - they even had to give a reason why they were absent or tardy (how draconian)!  The new rules were also the subject of an editorial by David Beach, who felt that the rules weren't especially extreme or unfair.

The cartoon that accompanies the editorial shows a group of students being punished by sitting in the corner with the traditional dunce cap.  The cartoon is fairly standard fare, but where did those creepy paintings come from?  Do we still have them hidden away in some sub-basement of the school?

Other stories include the three nominees for the "King of Hearts", Alex Carrillo, Jim Hoover and Robert Howard.  The nominees were selected by the Pep Squad, and the winner was selected by a vote of all students.  It was also a big week for the Cardinal Basketball team - they broke a 35 game losing streak (ouch!) by winning two games, one against Santa Clara and the other against Rio Mesa.  The newspaper was rounded out with an opinion piece about messy student bathrooms (some things never change).

SPHS Move-Up Rally

On Friday, May 21st, the Move-Up rally was held in the McMahan Gym - the final rally of the year!

Joe Cardinal and his friend greet students as they arrive

The first game!  Not exactly sure what it was, but it involved throwing stuff around

Joe Cardinal & friend lead the soon to be graduating seniors in their final senior cheer!

Joe Cardinal & Friend have a bit of a disagreement

The second game!  It was rather eccentric and had something to do with fruit

The Senior class of 2010-2011 moves to the hallowed Senior section

No more freshmen!

Seniors watch a slide show of their 2009-2010 year

Cinco de Mayo 2010

Cinco de Mayo celebrates the defeat of a larger and better equipped French army that invaded Mexico.  In 1862 France landed a number of ships on the Mexican shore.  The French army won the early battles, but was defeated on May 5, 1862 in the city of Puebla.  France however eventually won the war and took over Mexico from 1864 - 1867.

The holiday began in California in the 1860s as a protest against the French occupation of Mexico.  Since that time Cinco de Mayo has become a popular holiday in California, Texas and other Southwest states.  Interestingly, Cinco de Mayo is not a major holiday in Mexico and is mainly celebrated as a regional holiday in the state of Puebla.

Santa Paula High School celebrated Cinco de Mayo today with a spirited performance by Conjunto Desafino Musical.  The drummer was our very own Alex M., a tenth grader!  The lunch time event was sponsored by Mecha and also included dancing and a wide variety of colorful decorations.

 Thanks to Jose L. for taking the photos for this post!

SPHS Squirrel!

While walking back to my classroom through the courtyard this morning I noticed a fairly large (at least well fed) tree squirrel sitting on the edge of the fountain. I've worked here about 15 years and this was the first squirrel I've seen on campus (we most likely have ninja squirrels...). As I got closer he ran away a bit, but then returned to the fountain's edge. I think he was trying to get some water. He looked like he wasn't going to go anywhere soon, so I went to get the camera from my classroom. But by the time I returned, he had left the fountain (some students were sitting near it) and was scuttling across the walkway to the big tree near room 128. I did manage to get a couple shots of him up in the tree peering down at me.

SPHS Cardinal: December 9, 1977

The Santa Paula High School Cardinal newspaper for December 9, 1977 is now online! The lead story talks about the standardized test of that era, the California Assessment Program, which all seniors needed to take. SPHS scored above average on the test. The test apparently wasn't very popular and the then vice principal stated, "The only reason the California Assessment Program Test is given is because the law requires it."

A yearbook sale was held in November and the yearbooks sold for the grand total of $9.50 each! The then superintendent, Mr. Scuitto was retiring and the search was on for a new district leader. The newspaper editors complained about student apathy, and an Aerosmith concert was reviewed - they've been playing for a while! Basketball and track stories rounded out this somewhat thinner than usual (only four pages) issue of the Cardinal along with the usual comics and photos.

SPHS Music Department Fundraiser

The Santa Paula High School Music Department is participating in the Pepsi Refresh project to raise money for musical instruments and help with the band's travel expenses. It's easy to participate - sign up at Pepsi's Refresh Project and vote for the school. Signing up is free, and you can vote 10 times a day!

The SPHS Music Program has been an important part of the high school community for decades and provides many of our students' opportunities to explore music that they would otherwise not have. Participating in public performances gives our students the opportunity to work as a team and an experience that gives them the confidence that will serve them well throughout their life. Historically, over 75% of music students have been on the school's Honor Roll, and nearly all of our Valedictorians and Salutatorians have participated in the Santa Paula High School music program.

If SPHS succeeds in raising money from the Pepsi Refresh project, the school will use the money to purchase a variety of instruments that would otherwise be impossible to obtain. The funds will also be used to allow our students to travel to performances and competitions throughout the state.

Two Time CIF Champion: Joe Camacho!

Joseph Camacho, a Senior at Santa Paula High School won his second CIF Wrestling Championship in as many years. This year, Camacho was undefeated in five matches and recorded three first-period wins, defending his 215-pound title at the CIF Inland Division Individual finals at Fountain Valley High School.

In the championship match, Camacho defeated Sola Hala of St. John Bosco for a second time this season, 5-1 in a rematch of their Best in the Valley Tournament.

Thanks to Michael Torres, Cardinal Wrestling coach, for the information and photo for this post.

Spring Fling: Myths & Legends Day

Friday, March 12th was the final day of Spring Fling week and the theme was Myths and Legends. Fewer students and staff turned out in costumes than during the previous days, but the ones that did were classic.

Mait Raio, Master of Technology, came dressed as Hermes. Hermes is one of the twelve Olympian gods and a child of Zeus. He was the messenger god and also the patron of travelers, merchants and thieves. Mr. Raio stated that he chose Hermes because he was "just the messenger."

Gabe Enriquez, Guiding Light of the SPHS Associated Student Body, came dressed as Thor. Thor is from Norse mythology and is the god of thunder and lightning. Thor was known for his quick temper and fought giants and monsters with his famous hammer, Mjollnir. Mr. Enriquez said he chose Thor so that he could "put the hammer down on my class."

Karen Soble, Mistress of all that is Legendary and Mythological, came dressed as Gwynevere (or Guinevere) because her Myths and Legends classes are currently studying King Arthur. Gwynevere is from Arthurian mythology and was King Arthur's queen when he ruled Camelot. "The dress was flashy and elaborate, the dress of a queen," said Ms. Soble. "I loved the long sleeves but they were difficult to wear, they knocked everything off my desk. I thought a crown was a bit too much so I wore the head band with ribbons."

Ms. Sobles' Mythology and Legends class is an exciting class in which students have the opportunity to study a variety of legends ranging from thousands of years ago to near the present day. These include Greek, Viking and Egyptian mythology as well as King Arthur, El Cid and even Robin Hood and Pecos Bill. A field trip in May to Medieval Times is a favorite event that students look forward to all year. Mythology and Legends is a college prep. Level class and is open to any senior.

Spring Sports Rally!

Santa Paula High School held it's Spring Sports Rally Thursday, March 11th in the McMahan Gym at the end of the school day. The rally was organized by ASB and highlighted the achievements of Santa Paula High School's athletic teams. All the winter teams were honored, including Basketball, Soccer, Track and Wrestling. Our wrestling team deserves special mention as they were league champs for the fourth year in a row. Joe Camacho won CIF and Katie Black placed 8th in the state for girls.

The rally began with the Star Spangled Banner sung by Mariana B. Being as the theme of the day was Gender Power (part of Spring Fling week), contests were held between teams of boys and girls. The first contest was a "Bachelorette" competition. Nathaniel Z. emerged victorious and won a date with Katelyn C. The second contest was a quiz game between male and female teams, and was won by the girls. Lastly a huge tug-of-war between boys and girls took place, with the girls winning that one also.

In between the contests, Santa Paula High School's flag team demonstrated their skills with brightly colored flags. As the rally wrapped up, students were encouraged to attend the Glow Dance next Friday.

Spring Fling Week

It's Santa Paula High School's annual Spring Fling Week again! Starting the week is Signal Status Day - Wear red if you're taken, yellow if you're talking and green if you're single. Tuesday is Fake Injury Day. This potentially grisly day was filled with crunches and blood stained bandages. Wednesday is "Er" day, where students will be dress as anything (within reasonably good taste) that ends in an "er", teacher, doctor, chiropractor, astronomer, and as evidenced in the photo to the right, punker. Thursday is the more sedate Gender Power day with girls wearing pink and boys wearing blue. Thursday will also include the Spring Sports Rally! Wrapping up the week will be Myth and Legend day - dress as Thor, Aphrodite, Hercules, Zeus, Odin, Hera, or the legendary character of your choice! Friday will also be a legendary day of rejoicing as it is a minimum day (end of the third quarter)!

Senior Buddy Auction

Santa Paula High School's annual Senior Buddy Auction took place this week and the results could be seen throughout the school Friday. At lunch the "buddies" headed towards the flagpole and the colorful gathering was described by a student watching the event as "funny, funny, hilarious" and another as "rather disturbing." One student best described it as, "Sometimes it was funny, sometimes it went over the line, but it was funny in a weird sort of way." Once they had assembled, the group marched across to the courtyard in a "Parade of the Weird" and then strolled around the campus generating odd looks from passing students and staff.

The event was orchestrated by Ms. Lamb, the Senior Class adviser. About 40 brave Seniors were auction off, and according to Ms. Lamb, they were enthusiastic participants. Ten teachers were also auctioned off, including Ms. Lamb and Ms. Gorman, pictured to the right. The auction was a great success, bringing in over $1,000 for the Senior Prom and other Senior graduation activities.

Special mention needs to be made of the two students to the left. They managed to stand out in the weird category amongst many strong contenders. Their identities have been concealed to protect their future professional or political careers, but they will be responsible for many nightmares for months to come.

Again, thanks to Charlee B. for taking photos #1 & #3!

SPHS College & Career Fair

On Wednesday, February 24th, the 25th annual Santa Paula High School College and Career fair was held in the McMahon Gym. Over 30 colleges and businesses attended, setting up informational booths and helping our students get an idea of the possibilities available in the "real world" after graduation.

Participants featured many local colleges and employers including:

• Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
• CSU Northridge
• CSU Channel Islands
• Marines
• Army
• Navy
• Santa Paula Fire Department
• Santa Paula Police Department
• California Highway Patrol
• National Park Service
• Santa Barbara Business College

and many more!

Over 500 students turned out for the event, and feedback was overwhelmingly positive. One student stated that the fair was "very diverse, not only promoting higher education, but careers." Another student enjoyed the fair, but would have liked to see more colleges, stating that "I think it's good, but it is mainly business. I am looking for something towards education." Teachers attending the fair were also impressed. Mr. Kadansky said the fair "was a great opportunity to see the future."

Glenda Learn, whose herculean efforts have made the College and Career fair increasingly more successful over the years, felt that this year's fair was a great success and that a "good time was had by all".

As Nick Bacigalupo representing the Santa Paula Fire Department said, "Step into your future! Work hard and you'll make it!"

Thanks to Charlee B. who took the photos for this post and interviewed participants at the fair!

Rain!

The great deluge of 2010 hits Santa Paula High School! The third storm rolled in this morning around 9:15 AM with loud thunder (setting off car alarms), lightning and a brief hail storm. After the initial hammering rain of the storm front, things settled down to steady, sometimes heavy, rain throughout the day.

The school came through the storm without any significant problems, but some areas in the county experienced flooding, mudslides and even tornadoes. The coast was also hit hard, with waves up to 20 feet high. Although there were many puddles and umbrellas on campus, the school didn't experience any major flooding (one of the benefits of being on a hill).

Students did their best to stay dry, staying in corridors and under umbrellas between periods, as well as eating in the cafeteria and various classrooms for lunch.

Storm #4 arrives tomorrow morning!

1936 El Solano Yearbook

The 1936 Santa Paula High School El Solano Yearbook is now online! This edition of the El Solano was unusual in that it was spiral bound. This made the scanning of the pages easier, as the binding wasn't a concern, but many of the pages extended past the metal spiral and this made it difficult to scan the entire page. For the most part though, nothing significant was lost.

The pages were textured and this tended to cause some problems with the sharpness of the image scans. The images were "re-sharpened" digitally, but show some moiré patterns here and there due to the scanning and editing process. Oddly, many of the actual photographs were more blurry than in earlier yearbooks.

Containing very little prose (although there is an interesting bit of poetry on page 62 that appears to describe every member of the senior class), the yearbook contains mainly photographs. It is also interesting in that it shows some of the last pictures of the "second" Santa Paula High School building, a two story classical structure that was damaged during an earthquake in the early 1930's and torn down later that decade. Page 2 shows a couple of good photos of the building.

Although the yearbook was published a few years before World War II, there are signs of the developing conflict. One of the photos shows a student reading a textbook page on "The Spread of Dictatorship 1936" and the same page has a paragraph on "The Need for Patriotism" The yearbook also contains a number of blue "Art" pages which are in the Art Deco style of the period. The graphic on page 21 by Manual Victoria is particularly interesting in that it contains a dirigible flying above a stylized cityscape. The Hindenburg disaster occurred the next year and signaled the end of the huge lighter than air ships.

Winter Sports Rally

A rousing rendition of the Star Spangled Banner launched the Santa Paula High School Winter Sports Rally. Immediately afterwards, a small invasion of Fillmore Flashes occurred - this rude intrusion was dealt with promptly by Joe Cardinal, and the Rally was allowed to continue.

The SPHS Basketball teams were introduced and everyone was encouraged to go to tonight's game against Fillmore. This was followed by a contest of Cardinal basketball skills that ended in a tie after a tough battle.

The SPHS Soccer teams were then introduced. It was Coach Blevins' birthday, so the soccer challenged him to a game of soccer keepaway. The game moved back and forth across the gym floor, but eventually the students won.

Last but not least of the Winter Sports, the SPHS Wrestling team was introduced.

Rounding out the activities, an energetic dance was performed by Ms. Gomez and her dance partner. This was met by rousing applause from the audience.

The assembly ended with a moment of silence for Jennifer Urrutia, a SPHS student who recently passed away.