Story by Heather Harbin and Enzo Marino.

Several changes will be coming to the William S. Hart Union High School District after the governing board approved several items at their meeting on Wednesday night.

Academy Of The Canyons Recognized As A National Blue Ribbon School

The public session began with the governing board recognizing that Hart District’s Academy of the Canyons was one 335 schools from across the nation to be recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School for 2015.

The recognition is based on their overall academic excellence or their progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. All 335 schools demonstrate that all students can achieve to high levels.

The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private elementary, middle, and high schools where students either achieve very high learning standards or are making notable improvements in closing the achievement gap.

A representative from Academy of the Canyons will attend a recognition ceremony Nov. 9 – 10 in Washington, D.C.

Along with Academy of the Canyons, 285 public and 50 private schools will also be recognized at the ceremony.

Synthetic Track Re-Surfacing at West Ranch And Golden Valley High School Approved

The Hart School District also approved Beynon Sports to perform the resurfacing of the tracks at West Ranch High School and Golden Valley High School.

The tracks and fields at Golden Valley High School and West Ranch High School were completed in 2006 and both warranties have expired, according to Tuesday’s agenda. Both tracks show a good deal of wear and tear from ten years of use.

District staff has researched track vendors and found Beynon Sports to be the leading firm for synthetic tracks on the west coast.

Beynon Sports recommends making minor repairs and resurfacing the tracks with work to be done “in the very near future or they will need to be scrapped and replaced,” similar to the recent replacements at Canyon High School and Valencia High School.

The resurfacing will include re-striping and will restore the tracks near new appearance and resilience which will improve performance, according to the agenda.

Beynon Sports proposed the cost of $384,534 to make repairs and resurface the tracks at Golden Valley High School and West Ranch High School, which will include a two percent discount if combined.

Resurfacing costs are approximately $100,000 less per site than complete removal and replacement, according to Tuesday’s agenda. Resurfacing has a warranty for five years and typically has a life expectancy of seven to 10 years.

Shade Structures At Saugus High School Approved

Shade structures for Saugus High School were also approved at Wednesday’s meeting.

The proposed scope of work for Saugus High School is:

• One 20’ x 60’ cantilevered structure in front of the grass amphitheater.

The total estimated cost of the proposed work is $72,376.27.

District staff have completed planning for the Saugus High School shade structures and is prepared to go to formal design, Division State of the Architect submittal, fabrication and construction.

The governing board approved the district-wide shade structure program with Shade Structures, Inc., on July 22, 2015.  The program is divided into three phases and were approved as:

• Phase I:  Golden Valley High School and West Ranch High School (now under design and Division of the State Architect submittal process)
• Phase II:  Arroyo Seco Junior High School, Sierra Vista Junior High School, Saugus High School
• Phase III:  Placerita Junior High School, Bowman High School, Canyon High School, La Mesa Junior High School, Sequoia School

New Textbooks Approved For Hart School District

The governing board also approved the final adoption of recommended textbooks for the 2015-16 school year.

The textbooks include and are described as, according to Tuesday’s agenda:

• Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans From the Civil War to World War II for the 11th grade U.S. History course.

• This is a supplemental text which presents a richly documented argument that African-American slavery did not end in the Civil War, as is conventionally taught.
• Instead, the author demonstrates how Jim Crow laws and the prison-industrial complex were utilized, by capitalists in both the North and South, to create a system of human labor trafficking and debt servitude that vastly undermined efforts toward racial equality and civil rights for almost a century.
• This book invites contemporary discussions surrounding race, prison reform, electoral reform, human trafficking, and the legacy of racism in our nation.
• It was the recipient of several book awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction.  The writing is both academically advanced and at times dense, and scaffolding techniques will be used with non-honors classes to ensure students are able to access and understand the material, as well as utilize it to enhance their academic vocabulary and critical thinking skills.

• Instructor’s Guide for a Middle School Bridge Program for the Seventh Grade Seminar course.

• This guide uses the self-discovery format of the Career Choices text used in high school to launch junior high students into high school as self-directed learners.
• Using Common Core Standards-based activities, teachers can design modules that include English and math lessons in addition to college and career readiness standards that help students identify their passion and ignite their motivation.

• Career Choices and Changes for the ninth grade Freshman Seminar course.

• This text is designed for students to discover who they are, what they want, and how to get it.  It provides a step-by-step journal format for the reader to discover their passions, lifestyle aspirations, skills, and aptitudes.
• From the Margins to the Mainstream: Preparing Latino Youth for Leadership in the 21st Century for the 10th grade REACH course.
  • This book is not only a good read, it is a mentor in its own right.  It targets the Latino culture but is relevant to all cultures. Unfortunately poverty and abuse are aspects of life that can become reality at any level of society, and when we are able to examine the life of someone who has overcome those barriers, we are wiser for having done so.
  • Poverty goes beyond the monetary as mainstream goes beyond cultures.  Richard Ramos has a profound experience base and storytelling ability that will engage students and provide an excellent mentor-by-proxy experience for Hart District REACH students.
• Mosby’s Review for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination, 3rd Edition for the 11th and 12th grade ROP Introduction to Pharmacy II course.
  • A complete exam review, this resource covers everything you need to study for and pass the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board and Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians exams.
  • It includes 17 different 100-question practice exams – seven in the books and 10 online – and has numerous test-taking tips and strategies.
  • In addition, there are over 700 electronic flashcards which help students learn and remember facts about the 200 most prescribed pharmaceuticals, top 50 herbals, abbreviations, and sound-alike drugs.