Happy seniors from Scripps Ranch High School gathered behind Viejas Arena on June 13 and chatted excitedly just moments from their high school graduation ceremony.

Once seated inside, following music, inspirational opening remarks and speeches by leading seniors, SRHS Principal Nicole DeWitt began handing out diplomas to each graduating senior in the class of 2018.

Graduates and their families celebrated for a long time following the event, posing for pictures and just basking in the moment.

Forty years ago, a handful of teachers and parent volunteers herded a group of students out from their temporary classrooms at Miramar Ranch Elementary School and paraded them several blocks to the site of Jerabek Elementary, their new school.

The year was 1978 and some of the teachers who were present that day returned this year on June 1 to attend a special reception and ceremony at Jerabek Elementary School to commemorate the school’s 40th anniversary. Diane Pali Belliveau and Stacy Wible are two of those teachers. Belliveau was a kindergarten teacher and Wible taught first grade in the early days of the school. Their new classrooms were close and they could easily see one another during the day. They remember connecting immediately, forming a close bond. Both recalled that first day when they moved to the new school.

“We gathered them up by classroom and we got parents to help us out, and we just walked down the streets and came over here,” Belliveau said.

Before the new school was finished, the students who would attend Jerabek had classes in the portable classrooms at Miramar Ranch Elementary. Essentially, there were two schools within a school.

Jerabek Elementary began with eight teachers in September of that year. By January, there were 12 and the number kept growing. There were about 35 teachers by the third year of the school’s existence.

The first day and the parade to the new school were an exciting experience for everyone involved.

“Kindergarteners are excited about everything,” Belliveau said. “So, we just herded them together.”

The school was named in honor of Chauncy Jerabek, the head gardener and horticulturist for the old Scripps estate. He was present for the school’s ribbon cutting in 1978 and, wearing a three-piece suit, addressed the crowd.

Wible recalled Jerabek’s speech. He was 84 years old at the time, and she wondered if he was a bit lost as he was making a noise for the children: “clickety-click-click.” He was telling the kids about when he was a student in a small wooden classroom.

“He was imitating the woodpeckers that would peck on (his) school building when he was a boy,” Wible explained. 

“He said he wished his mother was there to see it (the dedication),” Wible said. “He even said she thought he would amount to nothing. ... He passed away four months later.”

As classes continued throughout the year at the new school, and for the years to follow, the teachers and staff became a close team.

“We did things as a staff to make us feel cohesive because when you bring in people who don’t know each other and plunk them down as a staff, there’s no norm set, there’s no protocol set,” Belliveau explained. “We had that rare opportunity of building a school from the block walls up and bringing that heart that you always want to bring in for teachers and children. It stayed, I can see that.”

Belliveau taught at Jerabek until 1995 and Wible was there full-time until 2007. The two have witnessed the school change and grow, and they marveled at the computer lab. They remembered a time when someone collected spare computer parts in an attempt to build computers for the classrooms. There was a debate about whether they should have PCs or Macs. Eventually, volunteers donated the first computers.

“One thing hasn’t changed, and that’s the support the community has given from the very beginning of the school, how they just helped us get settled in,” Belliveau said. “The FFO (Family Faculty Organization) was formed and the support obviously is continuing.”

“The FFO has always been very supportive,” Wible agreed.

Jerabek Elementary was named a California Distinguished School in 1987, only nine years after opening, Belliveau said.

Today, Principal Kristie Joiner oversees the school’s daily operations. She has completed her fourth year as principal, noting that she was glad to provide stability and implement a students-first policy, especially in light of the fact that she became the fourth principal at the school in five years when she arrived.

“When I came in, I just had to pull everybody together and kind of get on a path,” she said. “We had about three goals. One was to improve achievement. The second one was to change our culture from an adult-centered culture to a child-centered culture. … The third was to relentlessly pursue kindness and positivity on our campus. … Just getting back to the business of kids and achievement.”

A special anniversary ceremony was held the afternoon of June 1. Jerabek students performed the entire ceremony, with children making speeches and the school choir providing the musical highlights. The event ended as former faculty, staff and administrators led the crowd in a spirited rendition of Jerabek’s school song.

This was an even bigger day at Jerabek Elementary because the anniversary ceremony was soon followed by the opening of the school’s annual Ranch Roundup carnival, a major fundraiser held each year at the campus.

Great, big smiles were seen throughout Scripps Ranch this week as schools wrapped up for the summer. Proud parents and relatives shared these images of graduates and students at promotion ceremonies.

Marshall Middle School Choir participated in the annual Forum Music Festival at Fullerton College on June 1. The Beginning, Intermediate/Advanced, and Marshall Madrigals performed selections, and each group received a Gold ranking, which is the highest they can receive.  

Justin Strahm received an individual award for Outstanding Musicianship, and Amalea Ribeiro received an individual award, too. The alto section and the Madrigals also received special acknowledgment and accompanying plaques. 

Seniors Jonathan Luo and Joon Lee have worked hard and challenged themselves throughout high school, and their efforts are paying off. As the number one and number two ranked seniors, respectively, at Scripps Ranch High School, Luo and Lee have earned the prestigious titles of valedictorian and salutatorian for the class of 2018.

Luo reflected on his decision to challenge himself with a rigorous schedule of classes during his sophomore year.

“In tenth grade, normally you’d take six classes, but I took an extra AP class outside of school, so that added on to my workload. And because I was taking a language class outside of school, I was able to take both AP European History and AP Art History,” he said. “I continued that trend of only taking AP, Honors and college classes from tenth grade onward.”

Luo explained that his academic success has required significant effort and deliberate focus, noting that developing good study habits and having the discipline to not procrastinate on assignments has probably been the greatest contributing factor to him earning the title of valedictorian.

When asked whether receiving this honor was ever a goal or motivating factor for him, he noted that while it was a happy byproduct of his hard work, it was not his focus.

“I took these classes for the sake of getting into a good college. And next year I’ll be going to Berkeley, so I can say that it has paid off in the end,” he said.

While maintaining a 4.60 weighted GPA (grades nine through 12), Luo has been playing in the San Diego Youth Symphony since seventh grade, is an officer in the academic league team, is involved in the quizbowl team, debate club, peer tutoring club and model U.N. He has also held three internships, worked as a teaching assistant, served as a science olympiad coach and ran junior varsity cross country for one year.

Luo said that his motivation to excel was driven by a combination of his parents, himself and his friends, in increasing order. While his parents did encourage academic excellence, he explained that his internally-driven desire to excel sometimes caused them to express concern that he may be taking on too much. He also credits his peer group with having had a significant influence on his achievements.

“I think the biggest factor is the people I’ve surrounded myself with,” he said. “I think the people that I’m friends with at [SRHS] are all highly talented, highly self-driven, and I think that just being around those people helped push me toward becoming a better person and studying harder.”

Lee shared Luo’s sentiment regarding peer influence.

“As I progressed in high school, I learned to prioritize surrounding myself with as many talented people as I can,” Lee said. “Not just at [SRHS], but getting to know people in the local community; that has really been valuable for me over the past four years, and looking up to those people is where a lot of my motivation came from, personally.”

On having his academic achievements earn him the title of salutatorian, Lee explained that he has always enjoyed school, which is what has enabled him to challenge himself as much as he has.

“I had a very rigorous schedule over the last couple of years,” he said. “This year, because I had already taken all of the available math classes at [SRHS] by the end of my junior year, I went to Mesa College to take their differential equations class. I always just signed up for classes with the intent of learning as much as I could. For me, it’s really always been about the learning and the enjoyment that I get out of being in school.”

Lee expressed gratitude that his parents were always supportive of anything he wanted to do, but never overbearing or applying pressure.

“Pretty much all of that was self-driven,” he said. “I give a lot of thanks to them for that because I think it allowed me to figure what sort of subjects and activities I was interested in by myself.”

Along with having achieved a 4.60 weighted GPA (grades nine through 12), Lee is president of the model U.N., is involved in academic league, science olympiad and math clubs. He is a research intern at the Scripps Research Institute, has run cross country, is part of the upper secretariat for the San Diego regional junior model U.N. conference, and helps organize an annual academic league-style event for middle schoolers.

Next year, Lee plans to attend Yale University, and while he is undecided on a major, he expects he will pursue coursework related to public policy, with a technical focus.

Both Luo and Lee have plans to travel overseas this summer to visit grandparents, then will return to San Diego for some well-deserved down time before heading off to college.

A vivid display of student art works graced the halls of Miramar Ranch Elementary School on May 31 as part of the of school’s 21st annual Miramar Ranch Student Art Show, Auction and Spaghetti Dinner. Parents visited classrooms to view student projects, but the colorful art exhibit was the highlight that caught the most attention. Parent volunteers spent numerous hours matting, labeling and posting the hundreds of creations for the vast display.

Marshall Middle School hosted its Spring Open House on May 24 as the school held its annual Art Show in the Multi-Purpose Room and parents toured the school to view students’ classroom projects. The Art Show was a big hit, as usual, with student artworks lining the walls and the more 3-dimensional projects, such as sculptures and masks, placed on tables for viewing. The colorful displays were an impressive testament to the creative skill and potential of these young student artists.

With graduation only days away, seniors at Scripps Ranch High School (SRHS) have a lot on their minds. From year-end to what awaits them in the “real world,” emotions are a bit mixed. Two SRHS seniors offered their thoughts as they gear up for graduation, which will take place on Wednesday, June 13 at Viejas Arena, 5500 Canyon Crest Drive.

SRHS senior Benjamin Ruhl said that he is feeling a bit anxious as the end of the school year approaches.

“I would like it to be done as soon as possible,” he said. “It’s going to be nice to have a little bit of a break.”

Classmate Evan Fraser said that, more than anything else, he is feeling nervous.

“It means almost total and complete independence,” he said. “I’m trying to prepare as much as possible for independence and whatever else may come with that.”

Both Ruhl and Fraser agree that it seems most of their classmates are becoming a bit antsy.

“Everything is done,” said Fraser, alluding to the idea that most everyone already has their plans in place for next fall, whether that involves acceptance into a four-year university, community college, securing a job, or a combination.

While the anticipation of finishing high school and moving on to the next chapter of their lives is strong, the senior activities are a source of excitement for the students.

Ruhl said that he is looking forward to commencement activities.

“I’m excited. This is one of the biggest things I’ve ever done, completing high school,” he said.

With roughly 10 guests expected to cheer him on, including family from out of state, Ruhl explained that he is proud to share the occasion with those closest to him.

Fraser echoed this sentiment regarding sharing the occasion with his loved ones.

“I can’t wait for graduation. My parents get to see 18 years of watching me grow up. They’ll get to see me walk across the stage, with the fruits of their labor and mine,” he said. “It’s a very big occasion for everyone in the family. I can’t wait to see how proud my parents are of me. It will be the biggest milestone of my life so far.”

As his next academic goal, Fraser plans to pursue studies in the field of nursing at Sonoma State University, where he will begin classes this fall.

Ruhl has already secured a job for the summer and looks forward to the freedom and independence that comes with earning his own money. He then plans to attend Miramar College for two years in order to figure out what he wants to study and the type of career he would like to pursue before moving on to a university.

The California Promise and San Diego Promise programs, collectively, provide for two years of free tuition for first-time, full-time California community college students, making this option especially attractive for those who may desire more time to figure out their future academic and career path.

As members of the SRHS class of 2018, Ruhl and Fraser are in good company with a very bright group of peers. This year’s class will have 510 graduating seniors, 63 percent of whom will graduate with academic distinction – which denotes a grade point average of 3.5 and above – while 38 percent will graduate with a 4.0 or higher. According to the 2018 U.S. News and World Report “Best High Schools” ranking list, released in May, SRHS ranked in the top 6 percent of high schools in the state of California.

Ruhl offered a final thought as he contemplated graduation and the future.

“All of us are scared to finally be adults, but at the same time, most of us are ready for it,” he said. “People don’t give us enough credit for that. I think it would be good for people to know that we can handle ourselves.”

Ellen Browning Scripps Elementary School (EBS) held its first International Night on Thursday, May 31. The event was marked by an abundance of food, colorful garb from around the globe and informative conversation.

A large crowd attended this event, many parents and students wearing clothing representing a variety of countries and cultures.

The concept began when a parent brought the idea to the attention of Gail Faber, the president of the EBS Academic Fundraising Partnership (AFP). From this sprouted the plan to hold an event to celebrate the many cultures at EBS. The event involved parents and students bringing different foods representing their cultures to school so others could sample them. Children were given a paper passport to take to each table when they sampled the food. Their passports were stamped as they learned about each culture.

Seventeen different nationalities and cultures were represented, according to Faber.

“We have goodie bags and food for them to try, and they just learn about the different nationalities,” Faber explained. “It’s mainly parents and their kids helping out. … I think we have a fifth-grader doing India. He set up his own table.”

By the looks of things, everyone was having a good time. The event not only celebrated the many cultures of the students and families involved at EBS, it served to promote understanding of these cultures. While the educational aspect was important, the atmosphere was just as important as attendees were seen enjoying the food and conversing with one another.

The delicious scents of the many culinary delights wafted across the room. EBS Principal Liz Sloan was in attendance and enjoyed sampling the delicious cuisine, as did all participants on this special evening.

This week, high school seniors across Scripps Ranch will be stepping out of their homes in formal dresses and tuxedos as they prepare to embark on one of the most memorable evenings of their teenage years. Themed “Garden of Lights,” the Scripps Ranch High School (SRHS) senior prom will take place on June 2 at the San Diego Natural History Museum in Balboa Park.

Responsibility for planning the momentous event rests with the elected SRHS senior class ASB officers who began the process of selecting a venue in April of last year. Nina Suomi, senior class vice president, explained that the theme “Garden of Light” will be incorporated throughout the venue, which will feature a focus on lighting, impressive decorations, and both indoor and outdoor components.

According to Senior Class President Ashley Lo, she and her fellow officers focused on making this year’s prom more unique and not just about dancing.

“We’ll have game tables, photo booths, a multi-camera photo array and a lot of other activities,” she said. “Something really great about our venue is that students will also have access to the exhibits. There will be a lot of cool activities you can do within the museum to hang out with your friends and have fun.”

Another highly-anticipated element of the event for many seniors is the opportunity to be named prom king or queen. According to Lauren Ruiz, SRHS ASB advisor, nominations for prom court are currently underway, and voting for top prom royalty will occur next week in the students’ Core classes. The winning couple will be crowned on the night of the event.

Prom at SRHS is well-attended each year, with expected attendance of greater than 500 students, Ruiz explained. In order to be eligible to attend the prom, students must either be a senior at SRHS, or a guest in attendance with a senior.

Getting invited to be someone’s guest at prom is a momentous occasion of its own. Long before dresses are picked out, tuxedos rented or flowers ordered, high school seniors begin planning their perfect “promposal” – the modern-day method by which a student asks their date to accompany them to prom.

From simple and sweet to elaborate and grand, promposals are almost as significant as the prom, itself. The key, it seems, is to ensure that the gesture carries personal significance. Ideas can range from making handmade posters to writing a message in the sand at the beach to preparing a favorite baked good and popping the question written in icing.

With just more than one week left until the big night, the senior class officers are working on putting the final touches on prom gifts and decorations, and are looking forward to seeing all of their hard work come together.

“I’m looking forward to seeing it all pay off,” Lo said. “We get to provide our senior class with a memory that’s going to, hopefully, last a lifetime. Prom is something that’s so special and a lot of people hold on to that after high school.”

Tickets went on sale May 9 and sales will conclude on Wednesday, May 30.

“Leader” is more than just a name for one Scripps Ranch resident who has dedicated herself to helping enrich the educational experience for students at Miramar Ranch Elementary School (MRE). As president of the Family Faculty Association (FFA) for the past two years, Jennifer Leader has made significant contributions to the school and its programs through her volunteerism.

As a non-profit parent organization, the FFA works to organize activities and raise funds to support school initiatives, and even to pay for staff and equipment that San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) funds fall short of covering. Over the past year, funds raised by the FFA, which were in excess of $100,000, helped pay for teaching assistants, office equipment, science lab teachers, a computer lab and library, an Art Corps program and supplies, assemblies and character education, and more.

As president, Leader coordinates the work of officers and committees of the FFA, presides over meetings, oversees approval of any legally binding documents related to FFA business and administers the group’s Facebook page.

“I never take a day off,” Leader said.

While she noted that the workload ebbs and flows throughout the year depending on what events and activities may be taking place, there is always something that needs to be attended to, particularly daily monitoring of her FFA email inbox.

While Leader has dedicated countless hours of her time to this role, she is thankful to have a strong team of officers and committee chairs to help her.

“I was doing a lot more hands-on work last school year up until I started working full time last April. I had to really rely on my committee chairs this year,” she said. “I’ve had a fabulous treasurer and assistant treasurer this year. Our past president is amazing. Our communications coordinator has been instrumental. I couldn’t have done this job without them.”

MRE also has an active community of parent volunteers who help make the FFA successful.

“I’ve never been at a school where there were so many parents signed up to volunteer and get a volunteer badge to be in the classroom or to help out on field trips,” Leader said. “It’s an amazing community in terms of the support of the parent volunteers.”

Leader made it a point to note that all parents of students at MRE are automatically members of the FFA. There are no membership dues or other requirements, and all parents are encouraged to take an active role in exercising their voice, and in sharing their talents and time.

“All parents get a vote if they come to meetings,” she said. “They have a say in terms of how we spend money, how we fundraise, how we incentivize our fundraisers.”

On the topic of fundraisers, Leader explained that the FFA board is still in need of a fundraising coordinator for the 2018-2019 school year. She encourages any MRE parent who may be interested in sharing their talents in this capacity to reach out for additional information.

Among a long list of accomplishments during her time as FFA president, including co-founding the Helpful Hawks – a merit-based leadership program – and after school activities, Leader exhibited the greatest affection for her role in starting the school’s garden corps.

“I got the garden up and running,” she said, noting that it was in very poor shape prior to it becoming an FFA project. “We had Eagle Scouts come in to automate watering, we put in new beds and we planted a little orchard.”

As for how the garden would be used, Leader explained that the goal of the program was for volunteer parents to get trained on a lesson incorporating school curriculum, then coordinate with a teacher to teach a class in the garden. Prior to returning to work full time, Leader regularly volunteered in this role, frequently teaching classes in the garden.

“If I could spend all day in that garden and just keep kids coming through, that would be my dream,” Leader said. “That was so much fun and so gratifying, and the kids loved it.”

She added that the school’s garden was recently certified for garden-to-café by SDUSD, allowing what is grown in the garden to be used in the cafeteria to help replenish the salad bar.

Going forward, Leader plans to remain accessible and offer her support to her successor, Diane Hunter, as she transitions in to the role of FFA president next school year. Hunter explained that she looks forward to continuing FFA’s long-standing tradition of volunteerism and fundraising to support critical school initiatives – a tradition that Leader has successfully championed while leading by example during her time in office.

Marshall Middle holds Open House
Marshall Middle School will host its Spring Open House on Thursday, May 24 from 3 to 5 p.m. The school will hold its annual Art Show in the Multi-Purpose Room and parents will be able to tour the school to view students’ projects. In addition, yearbooks will be on sale for $45.

Ranch Round Up
Jerabek Elementary School will hold its 38th annual Ranch Round Up on June 1 from 3:05 to 7:05 p.m. This school celebration will feature carnival games; an Activities Corral including pony rides and a petting zoo; opportunity boxes; a cake walk; teacher dates; a classroom basket raffle; prizes; food; and a Talent Show.

Wristbands will sell for $15 each and provide unlimited use of the Activities Corral (inflatable jump houses and slides, obstacle courses, pony rides, petting zoo, Wipeout zone, human foosball and ladder climb). Parents don’t need a wristband unless they want to play. Save $5 on each wristband by buying early. Wristbands will be $20 at the gate. Visit jerabekffo.org.

‘Dance the Night Away!’
Scripps Ranch High School (SRHS) Music proudly presents Dance the Night Away! on Friday, June 8, at 6 p.m. in the SRHS Quad.

This is the spring outdoor concert featuring the SRHS Band, Orchestra, Choir, Percussion Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble.

Bring the entire family for a picnic dinner while enjoying music from the SRHS Music Ensembles and Choir. The evening includes food trucks, a silent auction, a VIP section and a dance floor.