MAY 2015 - Hillcrest Christian School

MAY 2015
PRESCHOOL pg 2
ELEMENTARY pg 4
HS SPORTS
pg 6
MIDDLE SCHOOL pg 8
HIGH SCHOOL
pg 10
II
HILLCREST
INDEPTH
HILLCREST CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
DIG INDEPTH
MAY 2015
ISSUE 2, VOLUME 5
PUBLISHED BY
HILLCREST CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
Kathy Horan, Principal
EDITOR
LuAnn Malcolm
EDITORIAL STAFF
Kathy Horan, Principal
LuAnn Malcolm, Admissions Director
Cathe Jackson, Preschool Director
LAYOUT AND DESIGN
Karen Kaiser, Sea Ranch Images
INQUIRIES
[email protected]
ON THE COVER
Alex Nakamura
Photographed by Kent Christian, parent
FAMILY GROUP SERVICE PROJECT
1
PRESCHOOL: HE HAS RISEN!!
2
PRESCHOOL: A SNOW DAY IN PRESCHOOL
3
PRESCHOOL: BOAT RACING IN PRE-K 3
PRESCHOOL: FINISHING WELL
3
ELEMENTARY GIRLS' SOCCER
4
APEX FUN RUN 2015
5
BASEBALL: THE SAINTS ARE ON THE MOVE
6
TRACK AND FIELD AT HCS
7
HIGH SCHOOL GOLF TEAM
7
LIVING WAX MUSEUM 6TH AND 8TH GRADE
8
MIDDLE SCHOOL MOVIE NIGHT
8
US HISTORIC STUDY TOUR 2015
9
MIDDLE SCHOOL GOLF TEAM 9
CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2015!
10
EUROPEAN STUDY TOUR 2015
12
NIGHT ON THE TOWN
13
BEAUTY & THE BEAST
14
M AY 2 0 1 4
by DeeDee Barkett
FAMILY GROUP SERVICE PROJECTS
O
n April 24th we had our all school Family Group Service Project. This year we were fortunate enough to have two different service projects going on simultaneously. Hair donations
for Locks of Love and Starter Kit creations for James Storehouse (foster children outreach
organization).
Four talented hair stylists from the Thousand Oaks area volunteered their time to cut HCS students’ and family members’ hair to be used to create wigs for children who are unable to grow their own
hair. We had seventeen people who donated their hair; that’s a lot of wigs, thank you!
Concurrently, we had each of our Hillcrest family groups go to various stores in our community to
purchase items that foster children of all ages need to help them transition into the foster care system or
out of it (if they are turning 18). Each family group had enough money to complete at least one starter
kit for a boy or girl, thanks to the generous donations of our HCS families. Some groups had enough
donations to make more than one. It was a blessing to hear back from group leaders who witnessed the
care and concern of Hillcrest students wanting to find just the right items for the children who would
receive their starter kit.
The remainder of our day was spent making memory books and cards for each child who will be
receiving a kit. The cards included words of encouragement and love, focusing on the love of Jesus. The
day was a big success, and everyone was blessed by the experience. Thank you to everyone who played
a part in this day; your help was greatly appreciated.
1
2
HILLCREST
INDEPTH
PRESCHOOL
by Ashley Sharifi,Pre-K teacher
HE HAS RISEN!!
As we all know, Easter is all about celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. Although, going hunting for the hidden Easter eggs is fun, it
is not the true meaning of what Easter is about. Before Easter vacation, Pre-K had the wonderful opportunity to celebrate Jesus together
as a family. Miss Ashley’s and Mrs. Sharifi’s classes joined together with their families for the annual Easter Family Picnic. All siblings and
family members were invited to participate in this event. It was such a joy to see each student with their families laughing, playing, and
praying together as we rejoiced in Jesus and the celebration of new life.
M AY 2 0 1 4
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By Cathe Jackson, Preschool Director
A SNOW DAY IN PRESCHOOL!
Our annual snow day at Hillcrest Christian Preschool was once
again a huge success! Parents unloaded bags of snow and piled it
high for the children to play in. We set up stations for the kids to
make their own snow cones, marshmallow men, and to watercolor
snowflakes. Each class came out one by one to experience snow ball
fights and to build snowmen in our very own preschool/kindergarten yard!
The best part of our annual snow day is the incredible amount
of laughter coming from the children, teachers, and parents. It is
such a blessing to witness the spirit of community that was so evident as the children played together. Thank you to all our wonderful
parents who helped make this event fun and safe. Special thanks
goes to Tara Linn who organized and planned this awesome event!
By Debbie Roll, preschool teacher
FINISHING WELL
by Pre-K Teacher, Dawn Sharifi
BOAT RACING IN PRE-K
Upon returning from Easter Vacation, the Pre-K took advantage of the nice warm weather conditions by filling up our little pool
with water and racing newspaper boats! It was Miss Ashley’s class vs.
Mrs. Sharifi’s class, and boy ‘o boy... did we have fun!!
The children would line up, two at a time and take their marks
to begin. When Mrs. Sharifi called, “Go!” our little munchkins
would let go of their newspaper boat and blow with all their might
until it reached the finish line at the other end of the pool. With
each friend’s classmates cheering on the contestants, a huddled audience of 4 and 5 year olds filled playground with shouts of encouragement to win the race. It was quite a sight to see!
As a teacher, there’s something about Easter Vacation and our
impending Open House each year that pulls the: “Summer is almost
here!” trigger. Of course I must be the only teacher that experiences
this! This is also the time that it can be very easy to fall into the trap
of picking projects and creating lesson plans that require little to no
thought. After all, my kids won’t know the difference! Every year I
have to pause and tell myself, “Finish well...your kids deserve your very
best until the last child leaves on the last day of school,” and so does
God! Amongst the food spills, runny noses, temper tantrums, and diaper changes, at the end of the day, I rest in the joy of knowing that He
has placed these precious little ones in my care, and it is a privilege.
So, whatever YOUR assignment, be it a school teacher or a corporate
executive...FINISH WELL! “Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” - Ecclesiastes 7:8
ESV
ELEMENTARY
4
HILLCREST
INDEPTH
By Suzanne Hume, Math Olympics sponsor
HCS MATHLETES
On Friday, April 17th, Hillcrest took 23 ‘mathletes’ to West
Valley Christian School to compete in the 2015 ACSI Math Olympics. These students worked hard in preparation for the event, even
spending time after school to practice math skills and strategies.
Our students compete against other schools with up to 24 students
in each category. Congratulations to all of our mathletes!
Jaron Bundy- 5th place in Math Computation
Ray Ji- 3rd place in Math Computation
Jun Sung- 5th place in Math Computation
Ryan Ozonko- 5th place in Math Reasoning
Albert Chamoun- 4th place in Math Reasoning
Amanda Hausman- 4th place in Math Reasoning
Lindsey DiConti- 4th place in Math Reasoning
by Brandon Gross, Assistant Athletic Director
ELEMENTARY GIRLS'
SOCCER
This spring HCS was able to put together
an elementary girls soccer team. With only two
games played, these girls have already shown
HUGE improvement. Most of them have never
played soccer before, but with the help of their
coach, Laura Di Conti, they are in for a successful
season! On April 14, the girls traveled across the
street to play Ascension Lutheran. Although they
fought very hard, they walked away with a loss.
Alexa Hume put a point on the board for HCS
with a powerful penalty kick.
On April 20, the girls traveled to Conejo
where they played Ventura Missionary. This was
a game that was up for grabs to win. Although
the girls played great and showed a tremendous
amount of improvement from the previous game,
they lost 2-1. Lauren McQueen was the goal scorer for HCS this game.
The girls are very excited about this season, and all of them are very happy with
their performance as a team and their progress thus far. They can feel their first win
coming soon!
M AY 2 0 1 4
5
by Rich Griswold, PFA president
APEX FUN RUN 2015
I
t was an unusually warm day, even by Southern California
standards, for the 2nd annual Apex Fun Run on March 26th;
however, that didn’t stop the students from earning an A+ for
effort. Some were running just because they knew that was the task
at hand; for others it was sibling rivalry! I have to give a special tip
of the hat to the 7th and 8th graders. They ran at the hottest time
of the day and still gave it their best! At the end of the day, with all
of the pledge gathering and running behind them, the students may
not fully comprehend what they did for the school, but the school
staff, as well as the parents do. The money raised goes towards completing a much needed wi-fi upgrade, improvements to the newly
acquired pre-school campus, and in addition, the teachers each get
a percentage for classroom supplies and other needs.
There are so many people to thank. The team from Apex, led
by Touchdown Trevor, bring a passion and enthusiasm that the
students love. Never mind that they organize and run the whole
thing and teach our students valuable lessons such as “find your
strengths”, “be brave”, and “say thanks.” Many of us just see the
end result, but there are weeks of preparation and activities that
take place in order for this run to happen. Thank you to all of the
students for your efforts. Schoolwork, after school activities, pledge
gathering, and running – that’s a lot on your plates, and you all
did awesome! Thank you parent volunteers for taking time out of
your already busy schedules to help out. You made chaos organized
chaos. You had to be on your toes and focused the entire time.
Thank you to all of the parents that came out to root their children
on. I’m sure it made your day to watch them, and I know it made
your children’s day to see you there for them! Last, but certainly not
least, a big thank you to the teachers and administration, not just for
your support of this run, but for everything you all do throughout
the school year. Your sacrifice does not go unnoticed.
“Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us”
Hebrews 12:1
By Jonathan Andrade [email protected]
BASEBALL: THE SAINTS ARE ON THE MOVE
HILLCREST CHRISTIAN BASEBALL TEAM IS STAMPEDING FOES LIKE CATTLE
THROUGH THE VATICAN
Hillcrest Christian High's baseball team is romping through
Omega League foes again. When the Saints (6-1 overall, 5-0 in league)
go marching into league match-ups, they're out to prove last year's
breakout season was no fluke.
The Saints went 10- 0 in Omega League action en route to the
program's first CIF-Southern Section playoff appearance last year. A
16-2 loss to Valley Christian in the opening round of the Division 7
bracket left a bitter taste in the Saints' mouth.
Hillcrest Christian, ranked No. 8 in the Division 7 coaches' poll,
wants to make a run deep into the postseason this spring.
"I'm pleased with where we are, but we still have a lot of room to
grow," head coach Robert Fanto said. "We're really looking at taking
it to the next level."
The Saints started this season with five league wins to extend their
Omega winning streak to 16 games. The latest victory was a decisive
23-2 win over Calvary Christian on April 13.
Blowout victories have become increasingly common for Hillcrest Christian. They've outscored league foes 78-6, including a 27-0
shellacking of Pilgrim on March 10.
"The success of this team is from the balance we have," Fanto
said. "We have great bats, but our pitching has been outstanding. Our
defense is good too."
Senior Bryce Pickard is solid on the mound for the Saints. The
ace pitcher has 22 strikeouts with a 1.88 ERA this season. "He's now
a seasoned veteran," the coach said of Pickard. "He has a true focus.
Nothing flusters him."
Sophomore Ryan Hagge has stepped up as the team's closer. He
H
throws hard fastballs and fools hitters with lively curveballs. Junior
Spencer Hopkins and sophomore Troy Shillington boost the Saints'
bullpen. "Our pitching is now deeper than we have ever been," Fanto
said.
Hillcrest Christian's potent offense provides a cushion for the
pitchers. The Saints sport a .454 team batting average and .557 onbase percentage. "We're looking good," Pickard said. "We're getting
into midseason form." DeWitt, who has a team-high .680 batting
average with 13 RBI, is the Saints' most consistent hitter. Pickard is a
versatile senior shortstop, pitcher and outfielder for the Saints. He has
a .429 batting average with 13 RBI and 11 runs. "He just pounds the
ball," Fanto said of DeWitt. "He works incredibly hard at it. He's at
the cages for hours and hours, and you can see that. It shows. He has
a quick bat"
Shillington's spent so much time at the cages, they should start
paying him!”and they do. The second baseman, who works at BatR-Up in Camarillo, said he puts in countless hours fine-tuning his
swing. He bats .500 with 17 runs. "I try and go hit as much as I can,"
he said. "As a team, we're working on bunting and getting guys over."
Senior Jordan Soria and junior Harrison Wanamaker help power
the offense. Wanamaker, the team's starting catcher, anchors the Hillcrest Christian defense. Sophomore Zach Hawkins and junior Jagger
Evans are two of the Saints' top outfielders. Freshman Hunter Weimann, sophomore Ben Christie and sophomore Jimmy Walters are
versatile defenders.
Fanto, in his fifth season at the helm, said he's enjoyed watching
the program grow. "Five years ago there was no program. The first year
we got absolutely crushed," he said. "I was literally pulling kids out of
the hallway. Last year, we went undefeated in league."
"We're on course for what we want to do here. We're hoping the
success of this year will build on that, and maybe we'll see even more
people come in."
"We've been having a good time," Hagge said. "We've been
winning a lot, but we'™re ready for tougher competition. Hopefully
we'll win a few rounds in CIF this year."
Reprinted with permission http://www.toacorn.com/news/201504-16/Sports/The_Saints_are_on_the_move.html
High School SPORTS
M AY 2 0 1 4
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by Brady Day, Athletic Director
TRACK AND FIELD AT HCS
T
he Athletic Dept. at HCS was very happy to add Varsity
Track & Field to our spring sports for the 2015 school
year. This is the first time HCS has had a Track & Field
program. Nineteen young men and women have dedicated themselves to be part of the program this first year and have done a
fantastic job! The team competes with twelve other schools in the
Coastal League which runs their meets at West LA College. Standouts this year have been freshman Abi Hume who has
finished first in the high jump in three meets this year. Sophomore
Leigha Kunkel won the 300m hurdles in two meets this year. Sophomore Cody Timm finished in the top three of both the 100 and
200 meter sprints at all meets this year. Junior CJ Brown won
the boys high jump in the third league meet. Both boys and girls
4x100m relay teams have finished in the top three in all meets this
year.
As as result final league meet Leigha Kunkel and Abigail Hume
will compete in the CIF Prelim Meet at Carpinteria High School
on Saturday, May 16th.
by Coach Wendy Rettinger
HIGH SCHOOL GOLF TEAM HAS A REBUILDING YEAR.
The high school golf team has had to rebuild this year, having lost
four experienced golfers. Despite the challenges they have faced, senior co-captains, Sammy Rettinger and Ty Metcalfe have led the team
not only in scoring but in leadership. Coach Wendy Rettinger has
enjoyed coaching and watching this dynamic duo play together since
the seventh grade at HCS. Sammy’s best round this year was three
under par which also included two eagles and a birdie in a nine hole
round! Ty has had a couple of
rounds where he was only one
or two over par! They both
will be greatly missed next year. Steve Zhu, Chandler Stewart and Aaron Viso have been
helping the team this year and
continue to work hard. Also on
the practice team are Howard
Hao and Steven Zheng. Overall, the team record is currently
8-9 and 6-6 in the league. HCS was moved to the Lib-
erty League this year which is comprised of eight teams. The Liberty
League individual finals were on 4/30 at Calabasas Country Club and
Friday 5/1 at River Ridge where Sammy Rettinger advanced to the
CIF Regional Individual finals.
MIDDLE SCHOOL
8
HILLCREST
INDEPTH
by Scott Leming, teacher
LIVING WAX MUSEUM 6TH AND 8TH GRADE
The Living Wax Museum returned again this year! Our creative
and entertaining 6th and 8th grade students partnered together to
display their interpretations of famous characters from both past
and present that they chose to study and portray. Prior to the event,
each student studied a biography of a famous person and then prepared to present their new found knowledge and information at the
Living Wax Museum. The students represented a wide variety and
mixture of people like
Phil and Si Robertson
(from the popular TV
show Duck Dynasty)
and Idina Menzel (actress who famously
played the role of
“Elsa” in Frozen).
On the day of
the Museum, students came prepared
with a costume,
speech, poster board,
and a pose. Poster boards included pictures and significant content regarding their chosen famous person. Students posed imitating their characters and memorized speeches to be delivered from
a first person point of view. Each
student was instructed to remain in
their pose until a Museum visitor
walked up to them and deposited a
donation, at which time the character came to life and when finished,
returned to his/her pose. This cycle
would repeat for each visitor.
Though tired and exhausted
from rehearsing their speeches numerous times, many students raved
about the fun they had acting out
the characters they had read and
written about.
by Julie Thurman, middle school leadership
MIDDLE SCHOOL MOVIE NIGHT
Pizza, soda, popcorn, candy, games, and a movie--the ingredients for a great hang-out night for our middle school students
which happened on Friday, March 27th in the HCS auditorium.
Hosted by the HCS Middle School Leadership Team, around
25 of our 7th and 8th graders had a blast competing for candy
with games such as a cotton ball relay and ping-pong ball cup contest. For the cotton ball relay, each kid at the table had to pick up
a cotton ball using only their Vaseline-coated nose, and then run
around the table, and drop it into another bowl without using their
hands. The four tables raced for each student to complete 3 balls in
the bowl to win a huge candy bar for all. The ping-pong ball cup
contest had students holding the cup in their teeth and bouncing
the ping-pong ball across the table to attempt to get it in the cup of
their table-mate. They had a minute to win it!
Insue Park, 8th grader, said, “The movie night was really fun,
and I made more friends there.”
Jessica Trigg, 7th grader, agreed. “It was a fun night. The
movie was good, and the 'Whodunnit' game was the best part.”
After watching the movie Big Hero 6, the evening ended in
what many students said was the best part of the night, a game
of "Whodunnit" played in the darkened halls of the school’s main
building. Drawing playing cards, kids were designated as the murderer, the detective, or the potential victims. Then they had to quietly wander in the dark, waiting to see if they would get tapped
on the shoulder and would have to drop to the floor as the latest
victim. When the victim was discovered, the lights were turned on,
and the kids gathered around the detective, who questioned everyone to try to determine whodunnit.
Eighth grader Danny Rettinger said, “The night was run really well with the games, then the movie, then the last game. My
favorite thing was the murder in the dark game. Everyone should
come to this next year!”
M AY 2 0 1 4
9
by Gabriella Gonzalez, 8th Grade Student
US HISTORIC STUDY TOUR 2015
O
n April 2 through April 12, the eighth grade class went
on an amazing trip to Washington D.C. On this trip, we
learned a lot about our nation’s fascinating history and
saw many amazing sites in just ten days as we toured on a “classroom
on wheels” ! The trip was the best school trip I have been on while
at HCS.
Even though we were very busy as there is much to see and do
on the East Coast, it was well worth the long days with little sleep.
We visited Arlington Cemetery and were awestruck at watching the
changing of the guards at The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We
also visited an Amish home and learned about their way of life. Additionally, we had an amazing experience at Capitol Hill.
After we were done with our tours, we stood outside the Capitol holding hands in
a prayer circle and prayed for at least five minutes. All of us were allowed and encouraged to take a turn to pray and many chaperons and students seized the opportunity.
While we were praying in front of the Capitol, another visitor who was not part of our
group, joined in on our prayer circle. This was a really touching moment for all of us.
After that, it was also very fun to see the more modern areas of the East coast
like NYC. We had a great time walking through the city and looking up at the giant
skyscrapers, fascinated at how they were built. We even saw the Broadway hit musical,
Aladdin. Our last day, we were deeply moved by the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.
We had an amazing time and had so much fun visiting the cities where our
founding fathers (and ladies, of course) made an impact on our nation’s history. I
highly recommend going on this trip of a lifetime!
by Coach Wendy Rettinger
MIDDLE SCHOOL GOLF TEAM - TALENT
RUNS DEEP
This year’s middle school golf team is loaded with talent! There
are multiple players who play tournament golf outside of Hillcrest
Christian, and our team record shows the difference. Currently, the
MS is 6-1 and looks to finish their season with another win, making them 7-1 overall! That is a great accomplishment, and it has
been a team effort. Leading the team are eighth graders Danny Rettinger and Gabby Gonzalez, followed by solid play from sixth grader, Hunter McCoy and fourth grader Logan Gonzalez. Andy Lee,
sixth grade, has played consistently well the entire season. These
three younger players have helped the depth of our team to be very
competitive. Chase Hilliard, Caden Barton, Caden McQueen, and
Preston McQueen have all had some solid rounds and highlights this
season and are
continuing
to work hard
on improving
their games.
The three
practice players,
Kamren
Napue, Brandon Carignan and Kaylee Andrew, have shown great
enthusiasm and improvement this season. Many thanks to assistant
Coach Jerry Allen and Coach Mike Gonzalez for all their help this
year!!
10
HILLCREST
INDEPTH
CONGR ATUL ATIONS
CL ASS OF 2015!
I
t is hard to believe, but our seniors will be graduating from
Hillcrest at the end of this month, and as we look at this amazing group of young adults, we are so proud of who they have
become and recognize the tremendous impact they have had on
Hillcrest Christian School. The class of 2015 is a diversely talented group who have left their imprint on every aspect of Hillcrest,
academically, athletically, creatively, and most definitely, spiritually.
Lucas, Johnny, Chase, Kaitlyn, and Mai led the entire school in the
meaningful worship of our Lord week after week with the most
accepted to Baylor, Campbell, and Xavier Universities, Sammy Rettinger selected Abilene Christian University, as did Elizabeth Ryan,
who also got into Evangel University and Geroge Fox. Jonathan
Yoon will attend Northern Arizona University. Christian Caiazzo
chose St. Leo University in Florida over Southeastern University,
and GCU. Ty Metcalfe, Luke DeWitt, Bryce Pickard, and Chase
Thurman - also accepted at Azusa Pacific - will all be attending
Grand Canyon University in Arizona. Gaby Gebo chose Vanguard
University over APU. TK will attend UC Irvine after also getting
into New York Film Academy, Cal State Long
Thus far, this year's senior class earned Beach, Syracuse University, and the University
a combined total of $939,000 in scholarship of Iowa. Antonio Ye will attend UC Riverside.
dollars over four years. Kaitlin Fanto will pursue a career in vocational
nursing at Professional Medical Careers Center.
Christian Carignan, Jordan Soria, and Hannah
talented and heartfelt worship band Hillcrest has ever had. Grace Largent will attend Moorpark College. Christian hopes to transfer
spoke in both elementary and secondary chapels. Nineteen of our to Art Center University in Pasadena. Jordan's goal is to transfer to
twenty seniors played varsity sports at Hillcrest, and Lucas, Chris- Berkeley, and Hannah plans to transfer to Biola. Delanie has aptian Carignan, Bryce, Jordan, Sammy, Liz, Chase, and Antonio plied to the University of Hawaii, Southeastern, and Dixie State in
have played multiple sports in the same year.
Utah. Howard Hao is hoping to go to USC, but was also accepted
Christian Caiazzo, Christian Carignan, Gaby, Hannah, Dela- to Cal Poly Pomona.
nie, and Bryce all performed in HCS drama productions including
Needless to say, we have been blessed by these students and
this year's Beauty and the Beast. Nine of the twenty demonstrated will miss them greatly in the halls of Hillcrest. We are excited to see
their leadership skills serving as ASB members.
how God will use them to further His kingdom as they pursue their
Academically, these men and women are well-prepared to dreams for the future.
further their education as evidenced by their numerous college acceptances and scholarship offers. They are living proof of the value
of a small school experience with challenging academics and relationship building grounded in Biblical truth. Grace Aspinwall
will attend UCLA, after also being accepted at UC Berkeley, UC
San Diego, UC Irvine, Pepperdine, Baylor, University of Utah, and
University of Arizona. Lucas Vieira is going to Westmont College,
but was also accepted to Calfornia Lutheran University, Biola, and
Point Loma. Mai Pham chose CLU over UC San Diego. After being
M AY 2 0 1 4
11
High School
Grace Alice Aspinwall
Christian Joseph Caiazzo
Christian Eric Carignan
Luke Austin DeWitt
Kaitlyn Mae Fanto
Gabriella Marie Gebo
Howard Hao
Hannah Louann Largent
Ty Anthony Metcalfe
Delanie Rappuchi O'Neil
Pham Hoàng Mai
Bryce William Pickard
Samuel Tudryn Rettinger
Elizabeth Grace Ryan
Jordan Anthony Soria
Zijian (TK) Su
Chase Matthew Thurman
Lucas Edwin Vieira
Dong (Antonio) Ye
Jonathan Hoyoung Yoon
12
HILLCREST
INDEPTH
by Tom Horan, Trip Coordinator
EUROPEAN STUDY
TOUR 2015: SPAIN &
PORTUGAL
F
ourteen Hillcrest students along with eight
adults left on March 25th for an exciting
eleven day adventure to Spain and Portugal. This was the second trip to Spain and the first
school trip to include Portugal. While expecting
cool temperatures, the weather was unseasonably
warm and sunny for the entire trip.
Travelers gained insight into the history,
culture, and contributions of these two important countries as they explored museums, palaces,
churches, and important historical sites during the
trip. As always, the trip was punctuated with great
food and fellowship as both students and adults
had a chance to make new friends along the way.
In addition to a full time guide who accompanied the group
from arrival to departure, professional guides joined up in each major city to provide in depth knowledge of the historical, architectural
and cultural significance of each area.
Highlights included Olympic Stadium which sits high atop
Barcelona and afforded a great view of the city, a guided tour of
the Picasso Museum, and the spectacular Sagrada Familia Cathedral. Our stay in Madrid included a visit to the Prado Museum
and the Royal Palace where the group saw spectacular works of art.
Of particular interest were the amazing paintings from almost 600
years ago where the viewer can actually see the perspective of the
painting change as the viewer walks from one side to the other. In
Portugal, travelers learned about the seafaring accomplishments
of Portugal in opening up exploration and trade for much of the
world, spent time in Lisbon and the beautiful seaside cities of Cascais, Sintra and Estoril.
M AY 2 0 1 4
by Monica Bjork, event chairperson
NIGHT ON THE TOWN
On April 25th, Hillcrest’s fund raising committee put on its first “Night on the Town” benefit
dinner and concert at the Hyatt Westlake. The evening was filled with a true “red carpet” experience as
guests gathered to fellowship, enjoy a delicious three course meal, and listen to a worship-filled concert
by artists Abby Ward and the band, Daelsson, led by our very own Josh Kauffman.
The heart of the event was to raise funds for aesthetic campus improvements, a teacher and staff
appreciation fund, and for our HCS community foster youth program. The generosity of our event
sponsors, and swag bag and raffle donors was overwhelming. Our red carpet step and repeat was full
of our generous supporters.
A part of the evening was dedicated to recognizing our seventeen teachers and staff that have
faithfully served Hillcrest for ten plus years. A portion of all sponsored teacher tickets were used to
give back to these deserving recipients. We debuted our “Heart of Hillcrest” video featuring testimony
of our purpose from both teachers and students. There was not a dry eye in the house. Abby Ward
accompanied by her father, Tim Ward, wowed the audience with their talent and Daelsson rocked the
house with their sound and powerful lyrics.
The night ended with the worship song, “This is Amazing Grace” led by both Abby and Daelsson.
Our prayer to end the evening was one of awe and thanksgiving as we recognized the true “Author”
of our evening. We are excited to announce the total proceeds from the event were $75,000. If you
would still like to contribute towards our renovation efforts, please see Cathey Stueber in the front
office. Look for the “Heart of Hillcrest” video and our architectural rendition drawing on our website
www.hillcrestcs.org.
13
14
HILLCREST
INDEPTH
by Nancy Blumenthal, drama teacher
HILLCREST DRAMA DEPARTMENT
BRINGS DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND
THE BEAST TO LIFE
On Friday, May 8th and Saturday, May 9th, the Hillcrest Drama Department, a combination of high school and middle school
students, brought Disney’s beloved tale, Beauty and the Beast to life.
This beautiful tale of unconditional love was the department’s first
foray into musical theater. Led by veteran HCS thespians Hannah
Largent, Gaby Gebo, Christian Caiazzo, Danielle Coogan, Taylor
Fanto, Aliyah Person, Makayla Spock-Jackson and Delanie O’Neil
, this year’s cast was joined by newcomers Bryce Pickard, Christian
Carignan, Brandon Carignan, Vanessa Acain, Jaggar Evans, Kenna McIlraith, Ashley Pasillas, Ben Christie, Haley Blake, Tabitha
Brown, MacKenzie Nenkervis, Antonio Ye, Tk Su, Steve Zhu as
well as Anjoli and Avonli Person.
This high spirited production sold out on Friday and was well
attended on Saturday as well. Judging by the cheers and laughter
heard throughout , the drama department put on an excellent production. Special thanks goes out to all the parents, teachers, and
students that made this year’s play a tremendous success!
J
THANK YOU ACTIVE REAL ESTATE
We are very grateful to JoAnn Tattersall of Active Real Estate
who has once again committed to sponsor the Parentlink school information system for Hillcrest for the school year. This very valuable
system allows us to communicate important reminders, changes,
and if necessary, emergency information quickly and efficiently.
The Tattersall Team of Active Real Estate would love the opportunity to assist you, a friend, or loved ones through any real estate
endeavor. You may contact them at tattersallteam.com.
oAnn Tattersall, the owner and broker of Active Real Estate
has been serving the real estate needs of the community since
1981 in California. She has committed herself to serving others with results. JoAnn specializes in residential home sales, foreclosures, short sales, and rentals. Active Real Estate is in the top ten
in the Conejo Valley, which includes Westlake Village, Oak Park,
Moorpark, and Thousand Oaks. JoAnn is also a member of MKT
Investment Group, which specializes in bringing together investors
to purchase properties.
Other members of the Active Real Estate team include: Sara
Mallam, Kelly McGugan, Mary Pederson, and Jay Schwanz. The
focus of the entire group is on focus is on superior customer service
and extensive knowledge of the area.
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR ACTIVE
REAL ESTATE:
310 N Westlake Blvd, #240
Westlake Village CA 91362
CalBRE#: 00814760
(818) 991-9931