Two Scripps Ranch teens launched an online tutoring service that helps struggling students at Marshall Middle School to excel in their math and English classes.

H2N, which stands for Homework Help Network, helps to reduce academic inequality that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. It offers free group and one-on-one tutoring once a week with Scripps Ranch High School (SRHS) honor students, who are experienced in working with younger students.

Although many of Marshall's students have received help to attend online classes, such as getting Internet access and laptops, many are still falling behind. Some families cannot afford tutoring services, especially during the pandemic.

"Many parents also work from home and don't have enough time to help them with their homework," said Anjali Koganti, 17, who is a co-founder of H2N and graduated from SRHS in spring 2020. "We fill in the gap to help these students and families."

Koganti got the idea from TutorFly, which is another online tutoring service, but H2N is designed to work only with students at Marshall. She knew she could not do this alone. Koganti asked her friend Sumana Srinivas, who is a senior at SRHS and had taken a computer coding course last summer, for help with starting H2N. Both share the roles of creating and managing the website with Srinivas handling most of the student sign-ups.

With the help of Marshall's vice-principals Kaitlin Moffatt and Stephen Olds, Koganti and Srinivas set up H2N as a connection between the students at Marshall and SRHS.

"Vice-principals Moffatt and Olds helped us to get the resources together for H2N," Koganti said. "They help us out with logistics and improvements for the website based on their knowledge of the students and parents."

The vice-principals also help spread the word about H2N to the Marshall students' families, and they meet with Koganti and Srinivas once or twice a week to see how the program is doing.

Marshall's students choose a topic, reserve a time with a group or private session with a tutor and submit a specific question about their homework once a week. Meanwhile, SRHS students who would like to be a tutor can sign up on the website.

"Right now, we have about 20 Marshall Middle School students signed up for H2N, and we are hoping more will sign up," Koganti said.

For now, Marshall is the only middle school in San Diego County that is using this tutoring model, which functions more like a high school club than a business. Koganti and Srinivas hope that other schools would adopt something similar to help struggling students and families.

"We see ourselves reaching out to other middle and high schools in Southern California to incorporate a H2N club," Srinivas said. "We want this organization to help not just the Scripps Ranch community, but other surrounding communities as well."  

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Scripps Ranch High School (SRHS) students have not been able to experience the regular in-person school year. These seniors now have an opportunity to share their thoughts.

Annalee Luke
Vice president of Associated Student Body (ASB) 

“I think the main thing that I’m missing is getting to experience and plan all the senior events such as senior homecoming and football game themes. We have such a build up to senior year, it’s the last hurrah and it’s potentially our last time to be amongst all the students in our class, and we’re all missing out on that,” Luke said. 

Luke and ASB have been trying to keep up the morale of students. 

“This year, even though we won’t be able to have the regular Friday night lights games, every Friday we will be turning on the stadium lights for 20 minutes and 21 seconds in honor of the class of 2021. We are also still planning on having homecoming kings and queens,” Luke said.  

Not only is Luke involved in ASB, but she is also the vice president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Butterfly Effect Club on campus. After graduation, Luke hopes to attend Baylor University or California Polytechnic State University where she plans to study business. 

Riley Merrigan
Captain of the varsity football team

“What I miss the most is battling with my brothers. I miss running out onto the field and having the
whole crowd behind me and a whole sideline behind me. I miss playing football,” Merrigan said.

Not only does he miss the Friday night lights, but he shares his struggles in school due to virtual learning.

“There really is no substitute to in-person learning. I feel like there is no accountability or motivation. There is no structure and I know the teachers are trying their hardest, but it’s just been very hard to keep up with everything,” Merrigan said.

If given the chance to go back to campus, Merrigan hopes to build some last memories with his team. 

“I’m looking forward to having a full weight room with my team, and just sitting in the classroom with all my peers,” he said.

Merrigan hopes to continue his career in football in college while studying something related to business. 

“Currently, the University of Washington Saint Louis and Carnegie Mellon are the two top schools recruiting me to play Division III football,” Merrigan said.  

Izzy Hall
ASB treasurer and varsity lacrosse player 

“I really miss the overall atmosphere of Friday night lights. I think that we, as seniors, are missing out on a lot of key moments like Homecoming and those games. I’m hoping that we can at least get some memories in as a class,” Hall said. 

She explained her feelings on the changes made due to virtual learning. 

“I think the way they cut down the amount of classes we have to take this year is nice. It helps
us adjust to this different way of learning,” Hall said. 

She was excited to play her last season of lacrosse if able to go back to in-person learning. 

“Our season last spring was cut early due to COVID-19, and I’m just hoping that we can come back this year and win CIF,” Hall said. 

She committed to Dickinson College to play Division III lacrosse and plans to study political science. 

Connor Colletto
4-year varsity soccer player

“I miss the Friday night lights the most. I miss being part of the student section and cheering on our team,” Colletto said. “In about a month, we would be trying out for soccer at school and it’s just sad knowing we won’t be able to do that.”

Colletto conveys his thoughts on the new adjustments made this year. 

“This year has been better than last spring because I think it is a lot more manageable. However, it’s rough in the sense that I miss being able to see my classmates. It’s been so long since I have been able to see anyone in person and I just miss the experience of actually going to class,” he said. 

Outside of SRHS, Colletto volunteers for the organization Build a Miracle and plays for San Diego Surf Soccer Club. 

Colletto hasn’t decided if he will play soccer in college, but plans to attend the University of Washington or Clemson University to study business. 

For 30 years, teacher Joe Marsella has helped shaped the lives of countless special needs students during his tenure at Dingeman Elementary School's Early Childhood Special Education preschool.

His dedication to the students, their families and the community has earned him superstar status in the eyes of everyone he has helped. Marsella received the San Diego Unified School District's "Above & Beyond" award for his contributions to the community. 

"His two-year program was life-changing. Mr. Joe opened my autistic daughter's world to learning," parent Emily Forgeron said. "He tapped into everything she loved to build a trust with her, and this was an autistic child who was deeply afraid of unfamiliar men and would hide or cower around them. In Mr. Joe's classroom, Eva (Forgeron's daughter) had access to learn from peer models. She blossomed." 

Marsella, known as Mr. Joe, explained his role. 

"My class is especially there for children with special needs," he said. "But I also take children from the neighborhood as peer models, language models and social models. Right now, we have about half and half. In our morning session we have four children with special needs and four children without."

Forgeron described an example involving her other daughter.

"Eva's younger sister, Lily, is 4 and she is now a peer model in Mr. Joe's class," she said. "So, I have experienced both sides of how this program is beneficial for both a child with an IEP (Individualized Education Program) and one without."

"When it comes to how the kids interact with each other, most of the time they don't even notice that a few of their classmates have special needs. But there are times when some students are moving faster than those with special needs, and it's our job to help them to understand that some kids require extra help. Our job is to explain things and to keep the special needs students included in the group. This is especially true when it come to kids with autism," Marsella said. "A child with autism may not want to play with others, and that will confuse the non-special needs classmate. An autistic child can have an especially difficult time socializing with others. Our goal is to help students understand and to deal with certain situations like that. I think it's a positive learning experience for the students without special needs."

Part of Marsella's "magic" is his unique ability to connect with students. In Eva's case he recognized her affection for Sofia the First, an animated character in a Disney series. 

"First I had to watch the show to find out who Sofia the First was," Marsella said. "Then I purchased a few items with Sofia's picture to make Eva feel more comfortable. I'd never met anyone as apprehensive about coming into school as Eva, and getting those things for her just seemed like the right thing to do."

Forgeron was able to witness the progress.

"Mr. Joe made sure he had plenty of Sofia toys, trinkets, books, plush toys and a special Sofia necklace to acclimate Eva to his classroom setting when school started. But over time, she no longer needed the necklace to go to school," she said. "For his students' birthdays, he honors their day with a special party in the classroom. For Eva's celebration, he went all out with Sofia the First decorations, a cupcake for her to make a wish and presents. She sat at the head of the table and was glowing with happiness when her classmates sang to her. At past birthday parties, she would run away, overwhelmed when family and friends sang for her. Seeing how she responded to the celebration and Mr. Joe's attention almost brought me to tears."

Ellen Browning Scripps Elementary School plans to hold a Drive-Thru Fall Festival at the school’s faculty parking lot Friday, Oct. 30.

The event will feature a pumpkin carving contest, a car decorating contest and carnival games. All games and contest will be played through car windows. Attendees must stay in their vehicle at the event.

Face coverings and social distancing are required during the event.

Jerabek Elementary School families enjoyed their Koala goodie bags and felt connected and comfortable during the school's Virtual Movie Night held on Sept. 26 and supported by the Jerabek FFO/Kindness Committee. 

Families with students at Jerabek viewed the Walt Disney Pictures film "Up" from the safety of their homes. The event was the school's traditional kick-off and welcome back for its families. The event was big success despite the restrictions of COVID-19 this year.

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, San Diego Unified School District Superintendent Cindy Marten and San Diego Education Association President Kisha Borden have sent a letter urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to focus on COVID-19 testing in schools.

“We are calling for the Governor to dedicate the sizable COVID-19 testing resources under his control toward promoting a safe and healthy environment for students and teachers," Mayor Faulconer said. “There is little more important than the education and mental wellbeing of our kids, so we have an obligation to reopen classrooms to in-person learning and close the growing educational and economic inequities in our communities.”

The San Diego leaders called robust testing, tracking and tracing essential to reopening schools across the city. The Newsom Administration is considering plans to distribute more than 150,000 daily tests secured under a contract with PerkinElmer.

“We can prevent 90 percent of all COVID-19 cases on campus with a robust testing program,” Superintendent Marten said. “The San Diego Unified School District has been working with scientists from UCSD to plan for a safe reopening.”

In August, the State of California announced a plan to double the state’s testing capacity, which included a contract for 150,000 daily COVID-19 test kits with a turnaround of 24 to 48 hours. San Diego Unified and local leaders are calling for 10,000 of the daily tests to be included in a robust local program to allow for the testing of every student and staff member, every other week.

“Our educators are eager to get back into the classroom as soon as it is safe to do so, and the key to that is a systemic testing, tracking and tracing program," said Borden, who represents some 6,000 teachers as president of SDEA.

(Oct. 6) San Diego Unified School District is removing a letter from President Donald Trump inserted into food baskets because it significantly diminishes the scientifically-backed importance of wearing a mask to protect against the transmission of COVID-19.

After four years of bringing students together to preach the importance of kindness at Jerabek Elementary School, the Kindness Committee is getting creative as they move their efforts into the virtual sphere.

The committee – co-chaired by Jerabek parent volunteers Laura Stephens, Kim Nocella and Alexis Spagopolis as part of the Family Faculty Organization – focuses on infusing the values of kindness, inclusion and empowerment on campus. Their keynote effort, called Kindness Week, occurs three times a year and will be returning to campus from Oct. 5 to 9.

This year's version will include daily activities, all of which will occur online, focused on issues such as cyberbullying, allyship and how to stay inspired during tough times. This includes workshops for staff and students as well as inspirational speakers.

Stephens said the movement's core mantra has three elements: "Be respectful, be responsible, be kind."

The efforts are also driven by the work of about 20 fourth and fifth grade student leaders who lead conversations among their fellow students about how to embrace the core mantra in all aspects of their lives. 

Kindness Week started about four years ago amid what Stephens described as heavy times to be a student on campus. 

"It was around the time when tough stuff was happening in the world like school shootings and stuff like that, and we really wanted to give the kids a voice of their own and feel empowered and know that they can make a positive impact in the world," she said.

The effort has since grown into a massive success, even establishing a partnership with the Anti-Defamation League last year. Since then, all public schools in Scripps Ranch have been designated as official No Place for Hate campuses.

"That just gave a little bit more depth and partnership to our activities," Stephens said. "We had more resources because the (Anti-Defamation League) has a great book, resources and YouTube videos."

Even amid the shift to a virtual movement, the committee's goals have expanded with the development of a new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. The group will work to make recommendations to the Jerabek school administration on how to weave inclusivity more deeply into the campus culture.

With all these efforts combined, Stephens said, Jerabek parents and students have noticed a real difference in attitudes on campus. This includes Kindness Week topics making it back to students' homes.

"I've heard from people where their kid came home and shared a conversation they had in the classroom that they shared around the dining room table, and that gave them the opportunity to have a talk as a family," Stephens said.

On Aug. 30, Team Inspiration, a local robotics team composed of middle and high schoolers, took the first place overall title out of 33 teams in the international 2020 RoboSub competition. Many team members are students from Scripps Ranch. 

"We are the first team composed of middle and high schoolers in RoboSub history ever to take home first place," mentor Alex Szeto said. 

RoboSub is a robotics competition in which autonomous underwater vehicles in a large sized pool complete tasks such as moving golf balls and hitting buoys. The competition has other components as well such as a video presentation, a website and a technical paper. 

Due to COVID-19, this year the final competition was held virtually. The team started prepping for the finals in March. 

"We met for about 10 weeks straight to prepare for the competition. During the last three weeks, we met every day and practiced all day, on some weekends making it to past midnight some nights," team captain Colin Szeto said. 

This year, all teams were only required to present a website, video and technical paper. 

"We did a 15-minute video showing an introduction to our team and the development of the sub and the lessons we learned. The website outlines the process of completing the sub, and the technical paper shows all of the research we conducted," Szeto said. 

Team Inspiration placed first out of 33 teams in both the technical paper report and the website presentation, and second place out of 33 teams in the video presentation. 

Those teams represented Brazil, Canada, Egypt, India, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Singapore and the United States and. All but three teams were from universities including Caltech, Carnegie Mellon, Duke, Georgia Tech, Arizona State University, SDSU, UCSD, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and National University of Singapore.

"The virtual competition was actually something we could capitalize on. We knew that this was the year to take it all home because our team was willing to put in even more time. I couldn't be more proud of our team. This is such an amazing accomplishment and I can't wait to see what we accomplish next year," Colin Szeto said. 

As this year was Team Inspiration's second year competing in RoboSub, team members were able to build off what they learned last year. 

"We definitely relied heavily on research and other teams during our first year. However, this year our team was really self-motivated. I was happy to see that all of the team members kind of ventured out to go learn new things to help our team advance. We've made a lot of great progress and I know we will continue down that path," 2019 team captain Mabel Szeto said. 

Team Inspiration also heavily focuses on outreach year around. 

"Currently, we are working with a local company, Purpose Robotics, to develop an affordable submarine so that schools can use them for their STEM programs. Usually, submarines are about $3,000, but we are trying to bring it down to $1,000," outreach coordinator Eesh Vij said. 

Alongside developing affordable submarines, they are also working on other local projects.

"We've been working with the Ruben H. Fleet Science Center to create YouTube videos that inform people on what's going on in San Diego in STEM," Mabel Szeto said. 

Next year, they are hoping to accomplish even more. 

"We've been working alongside UCSD and USD to learn more technical skills and create more diversity in our approach," Mabel Szeto said. 

Future team captain Ashiria Goel is excited to see what is to come next season. 

"This year we took up more advanced topics and it really helped out. I know that next year we'll be able to accomplish even more and we're going to be able to push the limits. Hopefully, the competition will be back to in-person and we'll be able to apply even more knowledge into our work and presentation," Goel said. 

The San Diego Unified School District is emphasizing to families that children who turned five last week or earlier should enroll in kindergarten. School leaders are increasingly concerned parents may be waiting to enroll their students because COVID-19 has forced schools to remain physically closed.

Media reports have spotlighted declines in kindergarten enrollment in other large districts. This spring, the largest group of students who failed to log in for online learning were kindergartners: 51 percent in San Diego Unified. Children who turned 5 on Sept. 1, 2020 or earlier are eligible to enroll in kindergarten throughout the district.

“As a former elementary school teacher, I want parents to know there is so much more than Zoom calls happening for our kindergarteners right now,” Superintendent Cindy Marten said. “Kindergarten is a critical time for students to make friends, learn about school and begin building the academic skills they will need later in life. Our professional educators are ready to make that happen for all our kindergarteners, which is why we need them to enroll today.”

Jerabek Elementary School will hold a virtual Movie Night on Saturday night, Sept. 26. All families with students at Jerabek Elementary are invited to access the Walt Disney Pictures film “Up” from the safety of their home on Sept. 26.

Bags of popcorn will be available for pickup from the school earlier. The Kona Ice truck will be visiting the basic vicinity in which Jerabek Elementary students reside during the evening. In addition, Jerabek Elementary will send a special message video to start the school year to all Jerabek families, complete with words of encouragement from celebrities, according to parent volunteer Laura Kay Stephens.

This event is the school’s traditional kick-off for the school year – a welcome back for all the families, Stephens said.

For more information, Jerabek Elementary families can visit the Jerabek News Facebook page and also look for an email message from the principal.

Team Inspiration, a second year middle and high school team based in the Stonebridge Estates neighborhood, swept the 2020 RoboSub competition with the following awards:

• First place overall
• First place in technical design report (Caltech won second place)
• First place in website
• Second place in video presentation