May Newsletter - Rangeview High School

Rangeview High
School
We develop and honor the curiosity of our students by uncovering their passion and motivation to learn in a fun and relevant
environment, creating dynamic citizens who will strengthen their community and add to the narrative of Rangeview High School.
Volume 1, Issue 7
MAY 2015
A Letter to Families from Principal Fay
Dear Parents,
I have asked our seniors not to count the days until their graduation,
rather to make their final days at Rangeview High School count.
Their final days here are few, and on May 20th, the direction and
focus of their future changes. Even for the well-intentioned, wellplanned student, this new journey is an invisible road. To navigate is
not to avoid the potholes in the road, but to reflect and learn.
MAY
In This Issue:
Letter from Principal 1
Fay
Assistant Principal
Updates
2
Concurrent
Enrollment
2
Department Updates 3-7
Art
Science
World Languages
Language Arts
Counseling
3
4-5
5
6
6-7
Man Up
7
Outstanding
Graduates
8
Alumni Spotlight
9
EspeciallyMe
Conference
10
Important Dates
10
Media Center Update 10
Our students, as is this entire generation of students, will
undoubtedly be some of the most educated in our history. Yet their
acquisition of knowledge is not the means to the end. The end is
defined by what they value, their character, and their purpose. One of
the many things I love about the students at Rangeview is their
willingness to care about and give to others in need.
This
characteristic will not only serve them well as they navigate their
future plans, it will become essential for them to find sustainable
success. As they choose career paths, personal endeavors, and social
interactions, their compass must be their own belief system. This is
not to say that at times they may lose track of their true north (we all
do), but through self-reflection, discipline and the desire to get better,
they will always find their north star.
I hope our graduates have learned there is a finite amount of time: a
day, week, year or a life. Their experience with time, understanding
how to manage it wisely, and the cost of poor time management, were
lessons all had the chance to learn during their time at Rangeview.
Receiving their diploma and stepping off the stage later this month
will also present a different view and value of time. In order to
navigate the invisible road and stay focused on their true north, our
graduating seniors must make choices that blend their learning/
working professional worlds and their personal worlds. When work is
an expression of their individuality aligned with their values,
character and higher purpose, then they will maximize their time.
Reflecting about the first miles of their journey, they should learn as
much about themselves as they do about their job or from their
education.
Assistant Principal Updates
Ian Mulligan—Assistant Principal
For the past two years a budget committee, which has included staff, administrators and parents, met
to discuss the budget and identify ways to improve spending. For both of these meetings we utilized a
process termed “design thinking,” during which the group brainstormed and shared ideas that would
improve our school and how we can more purposefully utilize our budget. The work of this group was
based in the theory that if we effectively plan how our budget dollars will be spent, we can make more
impactful purchases that are investments back into the Rangeview community.
The outcomes of these meetings have helped us align and allocate our resources closely with our three
Major Improvement Strategies. One such outcome was the adoption of a budgeting process termed
zero based budgeting. This process required departments to request funding for the upcoming school
year based upon their needs and alignment to our Major Improvement strategies. While this may
sound sensible, the previous practice for budgeting was based entirely on historical numbers, and little justification for the funding needs. Other outcomes of this work included reducing copy costs in
order to purchase other instructional materials, such classroom sets of laptops or making needed updates to classroom textbooks.
This group will continue to meet next year to review our budget and look for additional ways to improve how we spend our money. If you have any interest in joining this group, please email Assistant
Principal Ian Mulligan at [email protected]
Rangeview Concurrent Enrollment
Our students saved $271,782.40 in college costs through concurrent enrollment
this year!
Rangeview Students have worked hard this year to attain credits needed for their high school diploma, but also their post-secondary education. Through concurrent enrollment and AP classes students have completed 2,176 credit hours towards their college degrees, which in-turn saves both time
and money.
For students to begin earing college credit students must prove they have the concurrent enrollment
prerequisite test scores for any class they would like to take. Acceptable tests include ACT, SAT, or
Accuplacer.
If they have not taken any of the tests, then CCA offers the Accuplacer to our students at no cost. To
sign up for the Accuplacer, students must first apply to CCA and get an S#. They must also apply to
the College Opportunity Fund (COF) and then sign-up for the Accuplacer.
Once they receive their scores, they meet with their counselor to discuss their academic plan and
receive instructions and paperwork to register for a course.
252 Students Completed 2,176
This and all other information regarding concurrent credit hours @ $124.90/credit
enrollment can be found on the RHS website.
669 CCA classes
Saved $271,782.40
Departments Updates
Art
Congratulations to the following RHS students for winning Festival of the Arts awards for their artwork entered into various categories. Following are the award winning students and the categories
they excelled in.
Honorable Mention Ceramics Sculptural: Emily Hanrehan
2nd place 2D mixed media: Melanie Gary
1st place 2D Design: David Ona Munoz
Honorable mention 2D design: Olivia Coventry
2nd place Drawing Color: Andrea Gonzalez
2nd place Digital Photography: Jordan Jenkins
Jurors Choice: David Ona Munoz
Jurors Choice: Marisela Noel
Juror’s choice: Jasmyn Cella
Best of Show 2D: David Ona Munoz
There will be an awards ceremony held to recognize award winners at the Professional Learning and
Conference Center in Aurora on May 9th, 2015 from 12:10-1:10 pm.
Important Facts about Art Education
1. Students who study art are 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement and 3
times more likely to be awarded for school attendance.
2. Arts and music education programs are mandatory in countries that rank consistently among
the highest for math and science test scores, like Japan, Hungary, and the Netherlands.
3. Multiple studies have concluded that curricular and extracurricular art studies and activities
help keep high-risk dropout students stay in school
4. Arts education helps foster a positive culture and climate in schools.13 When schools integrate
the arts across the curriculum, disciplinary referrals decrease while effectiveness of instruction
and teachers’ ability to meet the needs of all students increase.
5. Arts education develops students’ critical thinking skills—including skills for comparing, hypothesizing, critiquing, and exploring multiple and alternative viewpoints.
Science
May is certainly an exciting time for our senior graduates.
From Prom to AP testing to graduation, it is a busy time of
year. Good luck to all graduates and continued success.
Annually, our science department nominates outstanding
students from each grade level to receive our Science
Department Achievement Awards. This year’s winners are:
Seniors: Biruk Abreha and Brighid Bardsley
Juniors: Eric Roon and Alexis Wolf
Soph: Elana Dedi and Ryan Luong
Fresh: Maddie Hieken and Abel Negussie
AP participation in science: Our numbers keep improving as more of our students are challenging
themselves in AP Chemistry, Biology, and Physics. Successful completion of these classes earns 5 college credits. Way to go!
Stellar Xplorers
Our Stellar Xplorers team won 1st place at the 1st ever Proof of Concept competition on Wednesday,
April 15,2015. The Rangeview team competed against Falcon, Vista Ridge, Palmer, and Mesa County
High schools at the Space Foundation in Colorado Springs. Our team consists of: Si Hien Son, Dave
Nuttall, Herman Solis, and Gage Niles. Thank you to our head coach Tom Brown, 2nd Lt. Christopher
Dong, as our mentor, and Mr. Sean Kassube as assistant coach. These students were expected to create and fine tune surveillance satellite orbital parameters (Classical Orbital Elements) using AGI-STK
software in order to complete a mission as directed by Air Force Association officials. They were
scored on how well their satellite was able to collect data over a specific part of Earth and download
data to a Station in Colorado Springs. Read more about this here.
Congratulations to Mr. Petry and his teams who competed at the MESA Competition on April
17, 2015!
First Place: Mathematics

Olivia Andre

Tussany Chick

Dave Nuttal

Eric Roon
Second Place:Engineering (Prosthetic Arm)

Dominic Dunn

Tyler Tilford-Hamlin

Emily Nguyen

Andrew Williams
Second Place: Persuasive Speech (Oil Exploration)

Brendan Card

Michelle Hulangbayan and Zach Quail
Retiring Raider
Congratulations and good luck to Mr. George Coker. Mr. Coker is retiring from teaching after 33 years
in the science classroom. Mr. Coker estimates that he has taught 5950 students and coached over 1000
athletes. Mr. Coker and his wife Kathy, of Side Creek Elementary, are looking forward to their time off
together. Best wishes to you both, you will be missed!
World Languages
Rangeview students have an encounter with French Immersion
Rangeview French teacher, Melissa Bradford, took a group of Rangeview students to France over
spring break! They joined a group that was going from Hinkley and spent vacation traveling through
the beautiful country. They returned from France full of new learning – culturally, socially, and academically. Students explored Paris, castles of the Loire, and saw the beaches of Normandy. Both of
the French teachers are currently planning another trip for summer of 2016. All are invited and you
DO NOT need to speak French to be able to go! If interested, come find us in the World Language
Department
Language Arts
Summer is a great time for reading!
Remember that reading includes magazines, newspapers, graphic novels, and online
texts, as well as fiction and non-fiction. Need some ideas? Talk to your English teacher
and the Media Center staff.
Congratulations to next year’s
AP Literature & Comp and Language & Comp students
We have the highest enrollment in AP English classes ever! You can help prepare yourself for these
challenging courses over the summer: For Lang/Comp students—Keep up with the news and current
events: follow a columnist or an issue. Knowing what is happening in the world around you will better prepare you for your upcoming work. For AP Lit/Comp students—Read! Just reading helps to develop your speed and comprehension as well as to cultivate good reading habits that will serve you
well next year.
We received season awards for both speech and debate. It was also the first tournament in which our
novice teams debated at the varsity level. For next year, we are looking forward to an exciting season
to build on our previous wins and challenges. Students interested should get in contact with Ms.
Farnsworth.
Counseling
The Scholarships Are Rolling In
Every year we celebrate the scholarship accomplishments that our seniors achieve. This year has
been an exceptional one. We are pleased to share that we have had a Boettcher Scholar, a Daniels
Fund Scholar, an appointment to the Air Force Academy, and a National Merit Scholar. Having recipients in each of these scholarship programs demonstrates how competitive our students are with
other seniors across the country. Here is a brief description for each of these prestigious scholarship
programs:




Boettcher: a full-ride, merit-based financial award to attend any college or university in Colorado.
More than 1,600 students applied this year.
Daniels Fund: This prestigious scholarship program honors students who exemplify the character of distinguished business leader Bill Daniels—solid leadership skills, academic excellence and
humanitarianism. The scholarship covers unmet financial needs, but also supports students
throughout their undergraduate college careers in numerous ways.
Air Force Academy: This highly selective program requires a nomination. This generally comes
from a Member of Congress. While a cadet at the Academy, students will be fully cared for and
have no student loans to worry about. The education, valued at more than $400,000.
National Merit Scholarship: High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking
the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test —a test which serves as an initial
screen of approximately 1.5 million entrants each year. This is a single payment scholarship of
$2,500.00.
*** In looking back to the last five graduating classes, Rangeview seniors have earned an average of $2.1 million dollars, and
the class of 2015 is on track to do the same.
New Opportunities for the Accelerating Students through
Concurrent Enrollment (ASCENT) Program
Aurora Public Schools has recently acquired a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with both Metropolitan State University and Colorado State University Pueblo, to allow our graduating seniors, who have
met the ASCENT requirements, to attend those colleges to begin working on their Bachelor degrees. The
ASCENT program in APS pays for tuition, books and fees for students during a fifth year of high school.
Students are responsible for their own transportation and housing to and from campus.
Previously, APS students only had opportunities to attend the Community College of Aurora (CCA) for
the fifth year program to work towards an Associate Degree. Now, students have the option of attending
three different colleges through the ASCENT program. If you have questions regarding ASCENT or any
other concurrent enrollment opportunities, please contact your student’s assigned counselor.
Rangeview High School Student Earning Associate Degrees on May 9th
It is with great pleasure to announce that Rangeview has three students who will be receiving an Associate of Science (A.S.) degree from the Community College of Aurora, on May 9th at the University of Denver, Ritchie Center. These students will earn their degrees before they earn a high school diploma. This
can only be accomplished by thoroughly developing a course of plan of study with their RHS counselor
and CCA advisor to allow them to earn credits in both high school and college to meet degree requirements.
Senior, Michael Gutierrez-McCoy, Associate of Science
Senior, Luke Robinson, Associate of Science
Junior, Eric Roon, Associate of Science
***During the RHS commencement exercises they will be identifiable by the blue cords awarded by the Community College of
Aurora.
Man UP: Rangeview Freshmen Boys Seize Valuable Lesson in ‘Masculinity
With the sound of voices filling the Professional Learning and Conference Center, the male student of
Rangeview High Schools Freshman class embarked on an eye opening experience that many students describe as “life changing.”
“Man Up is one of the most destructive phrases in this culture” said Former NFL player Joe Ehrmann in the
documentary as he talked about the struggles of young men during this day and age.
The Man Up event was held on April 23, 2015 and the nearly 300 male
students to redefine what it means to ‘Man Up.’ While at this events
students heard a keynote from Superintendent Rico Munn before
watching excerpts of the documentary “The Mask You Live In.” Munn
spoke on being able to define manhood personally. He then explained
that students first must answer two questions: where are you going? and whose going with you? He wanted to give students to understand that masculinity must be redefined and the individuality of each student must shine through.
“The purpose of this is to redefine what ‘Man up’ means, students need to know what it means to be an upstanding man” said Social Studies teacher Ryan Sladek.
After watching excerpts of the documentary students engaged in discussions about their beliefs, attitudes,
and perceptions about the content of the film and their own experiences with defining their masculinity.
After the film ended students had the opportunity to provide feedback about what they had experienced.
One student proclaimed to all in attendance “We have to try and change this generation.”
The success of this event was evident and student, administrators, teachers and parents have been singing
its praises. Rangeview plans to make this an annual event, and be able to model this event for other schools.
APS Story - Click here
Outstanding Graduates
Theresa Pomrening—Student Body President
1. What is your motivation for achieving academic success?
My motivation for achieving academic success has only been making my parents proud. I am the youngest
of five, and … I wan to know that I did everything I could to make my parents proud.
2. What are you plans for your post-secondary education?
I plan to attend the University of Denver this fall, and I will be studying at the Daniel's College of Business
there as an incoming freshman.
3. What are your future plans and aspirations?
I hope to open my own event planning business in the future, along with opening my own hotels! Being involved in Student
Leadership has really showed me that I have a passion to do things for other people and I enjoy all of the small details that go
into planning events and making something great for others to enjoy.
4. How has Rangeview played a role in you achieving success?
Rangeview has played a big role in achieving my success because I have never been denied an opportunity here. have been
truly blessed to be apart of Student Leadership for the past three years and to hold a presidential position each year, along
with being able to be the Editor-in-Chief of the yearbook, and being involved in other clubs like FBLA and Mock Trial. The
amount of opportunities that Rangeview has to offer are limitless, and the staff here only want to see you succeed.
5. Do you have a mentor?
I would consider Mrs. Strouse to be one my mentors for the past four years because she has always pushed me to exceed the
expectations that others have of me, and to continue to push myself to be greater than I ever thought possible for myself. I
have inherited my passion and my work ethic from her, and I am very lucky to have worked with her over the years.
6. What is one thing you would like to tell other students who are achieve the successes that you have?
I would tell other students who are trying to achieve similar successes that you will never get anywhere without handwork
and dedication. Find something that you are passionate about and stick to it. The road to success is never easy, but it will all
be worth it in the end.
7. What has been your greatest Rangeview moment?
My greatest Rangeview moment was at the beginning of this school year when I had the opportunity to put up the "Class of
2015" banner with my long-time friend Juwan Harris because not only did it mark the beginning of my senior year, but I was
able to do it with someone who has stuck by my side for five years and it made the experience more meaningful for me.
Luke Robinson—Valedictorian
1. What is your motivation for attended Air Force Academy?
The well roundedness of the education. It develops you ethically, physically, emotionally, and intellectually
and it will ultimately make me into the greatest human being I can be
2. What is what was your reaction when you found out the news?
I was ecstatic. I was running around the house and calling my parents and friends.
3. What are your future plans and aspirations?
I'm not sure what I really want to do. There seem to be a lot of things in the Air Force that intrigue my interest so I'm looking into it. I've decided that at one point in my life I want to work for the peace corps. I love working with people and traveling so that will really fit my interests.
4. How has Rangeview played a role in you achieving success?
All the opportunities that exist. AP classes, Community College classes, online classes and the quality of the teachers that
taught those classes.
5. Do you have a mentor?
Not really, if you made me pick a role model it would be my sister. She graduated 3 years ago and I just followed her lead and
in her footsteps, she's up at CSU now but I still feel like i relate well with them
5. What is one thing you would like to tell other students who are striving to the top in their class or attend Air
Force Academy?
Its all about the work effort. Being humble enough to admit when you need to get help or go in after school to work on stuff
and put in the long nights and hours and on a consistent basis, not procrastination.
***Luke not only is the valedictorian for RHS Class of 2015 but he will also be receiving his Associates of Science degree from
CCA
Alumni Spotlight
Teresa Daniel: She took Rangeview to Law School,
and now she is back and ready to make an impact.
Theresa Daniel is a proud Class of 2005 graduate of Rangeview
High School. Daniel, who is now a highly successful senior tax attorney at BlackFin IRS Solutions, knows that her journey to success was
indeed a unique one. “I didn’t realize that everyone’s high school experience wasn’t like mine. When I went to college I learned that people
didn’t receive that same kind of mentorship and encouragement as I
did at Rangeview” Daniel said. It was the encouragement, mentorship
and relationships that Daniel developed that she still carries with her
today.
While she was in high school Daniel recognized that the Rangeview community was the pinnacle that acted as a
guiding force in her life. Not only was Daniel heavily involved in more clubs than could be ascribed to her in the
yearbook, but Theresa was an excellence student graduating to a 3.8/4.0 GPA. Daniel had a drive and determination that was incomparable to many of her peers, and she credits so much of her success to her mother and the
support of Rangeview staff that cared for her as if she was one of their own children. One of the most pivotal moments at Rangeview for Daniel was when the time came for Daniel to transition out of high school. She, being a
first generation college student, relied solely on her teachers and counselor to help her navigate her way through
the process of preparing and apply to colleges. “My teachers and my counselor helped me with everything, I
know that they were my biggest support and help to go to college” Daniel said.
After being accepted and receiving a music scholarship to Denison University in Granville, Ohio, Daniel who
originally planned on studying medicine soon realized that it wasn’t for her and majored communications with a
music minor. Throughout her undergraduate degree Daniel was elected to several president appointed positions
at Denison for Diversity Politics and the Judicial Board, and soon she realized that she a passion for justice and
wanted to go to law school. When talking to a Pre-Law advisor Daniel was told that because she hadn’t take political science and government classes that there was no way her for to be able to pass the LSAT, and or to be successful in Law School. “I’m hard headed and I believe that I can be anything I want to be, so I just took the LSAT,
went to law school, became a lawyer and let her eat her words” Daniel said.
Having no guidance in her transition from undergraduate to Law School Daniel took the LSAT on the first available date with no prior preparation or studying. “This is really bad advice, but I took test cold, and I did well actually. However I don’t advise that at all” Daniel said. After receiving her undergraduate degree in 2009, Daniel began attending Law School Ohio Northern University School of Law in pursuit of her Juris Doctorate with a Corporate Law focus. It was there where she continued to uphold the high standards taught to her at Rangeview,
and was on the Dean’s List and received numerous awards. After graduating in 2012 Daniel’s work experiences
began. Her professional positions include judicial clerk, Ohio Public Defender, and a Denver District Attorney.
Daniel knows that all that she has achieve would mean nothing if she wasn’t in some way, form, or fashion giving
back to her community. Daniel is still actively involved in the Rangeview Community, as well supporting her
home town of Aurora in any way she can though currently working as a mentor with the Cherry Creek Diversity
Conference and Especially Me Conference and various other organizations.
The tie that Daniel has with Rangeview, its staff, and its students runs deep, and Daniel was honored and delighted when she received the call asking her to the Class of 2015 Commencement Speaker. “I want to speak to
the students about ‘The Measure of Success,’ because it is important that they know that success is not how
much money you make, but it’s what you do and how well you do what you do.”
Now as she plans her 10 year class reunion Daniel is overwhelmed at the thought of reconnecting all of fellow
classmate back to the school were they learned what it means to be great and practice a commitment to
excellence.
Rangeview Students Honored at the
EspeciallyMe Conference
The 17th Annual
‘EspeciallyMe Conference was held on April
25, 2015 and inspired
and awarded Rangeview
students. The conference is the largest event
held in Colorado that focuses on African American girls. Framed by the philosophy “The Price
of Dignity,” and “The Standard of Excellence,”
the EspeciallyMe Conference has been able to
address a multitude of issues impacting the
lifestyle, spirit, dignity and personal values of
African American young ladies in high school
and the many factors today that diminish personal self-worth and self-value. Rangeview students Lauren Arnold
and Hanan Mesele
were award winners
at this conference for
their excellence.
Congratulations!
Information for Students


Senior Class Final Checkout - May 12 7:30 –10 am
Senior Luncheon May 12 @ 12:15 pm
Information for Parents

PARCC Spring Testing Window April 27-May 13

AP Testing May 4-15

Last Day of Classes - May 20

5th Block begins May - 26
Events

Dance Recital - May 7 @ 7 pm

Senior Split - May 14 @ 9am

Advancement Assembly –May 12 @10:30 am

Honors Convocation May 18 @ 7pm

Commencement—May 19 @ 9 am
Media Center News
ATTENTION: Parents of Rangeview Seniors
Your student’s academic career at Rangeview is coming to an end.
Please have them look for all of their library books and text books, and return them to the Media
Center.
If they need a list of what is checked out to them, they can visit the Media Center and get a read-out
of all materials that they have.
Let’s avoid those unwanted last minute fees and celebrate your child’s achievements!