HMSA In the News
HMSA Third Place Overall for Robotics Challenge and Second Place for Oral Presentation at the 2019 Annual Viterbi Invitational Robotics Competition
Above left to right: Flavio A., Jackeline M., Melanie F., Cristian R. 5th HMSA student participant not in the picture: Matthew V.
Above left to right: Cristian R., Melanie F., Flavio A., Jackeline M. 5th HMSA student participant not in the picture: Matthew V.
The Viterbi Robotics Invitational is an annual competition that highlights the increasing role that robotics have in our everyday lives.
The competition encourages interactions that leave everyone involved feeling valued with a sense of integrity and teamwork as they seek to solve the wicked problems facing our times such as water security, sustainability and climate change, and terrorism; as well as the Grand Engineering Challenges of advanced health informatics, restoring and improving urban infrastructure, providing access to clean water, preventing nuclear terror and engineering the tools of scientific discovery.
Nearly 350 elementary middle and high school students participate in the Robotics Invitational which has been hosted by USC Viterbi for over 13 years.
HMSA in The Daily Breeze: 6 South Bay and Long Beach area schools rank among the top 25 high schools in California.
By Kalaisha Totty/Daily Breeze
HMSA on KNX1070 Radio
HMSA at the 2018 NFTE Los Angeles Region Competition
Three HMSA student businesses went to the Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship's National Business Plan Competition on April 28. At stake was 3 berths to the NFTE Regional Competition in Santa Monica, CA and the chance to advance to the National Competition in New York City this coming October. The 3 businesses are Fioreli Gemeda representing "Discuss", Melissa Mercado and Karina Moreno pitching "Solar Power" and Rellie Padilla fronting "Current Core". 2 of the 3 went on to the second and qualifying round and from the carnage arose 3 finalists. Among those 3 finalists moving on to Regionals is our own Rellie Padilla who will pitch his business, "Current Core" on May 17th. Accompanying Rellie will be "Sol Power" AND "Discuss" who finished in the Top 5 and earned a spot in the "Fast pitch" round at Regionals. They are also invited to set up booths in the Business Expo which takes place prior to the competition itself. Please congratulate all these students on a job very well done!
Timothy Dura
2016-2017 Hawthorne Parent Academy at HMSA
Parents who participated in six 9th grade Hawthorne Parent Academy workshops were recognized at an appreciation breakfast on May 12, 2017.
All-Star 2017 Lady A's in Action!
Monday evening saw our two senior softball All-Stars take the field with the best of the rest in the South Bay as the home team Red All-stars defeated the Blue All-Stars by the score of 6 to 1. Mo-Mo T. started for the Reds and played well on defense initiating a double play from right field to shut down a blues rally in the top of the 3rd inning. Alejandra M. saw middle inning action with the Blue All-Stars as well. It was a great game and very entertaining to watch our girls play along side the best of the rest. With the completion of this event, the book is now closed on a hugely successful 2017 Lady A's softball season.
Our A's finished the season with 16 wins verses 6 losses, setting an all-time Lady A's wins in a season record. The girls have made the playoffs three of the last four years and are in great shape to make the playoffs again next season with 20 players eligible to return. The Lady A's Softball Club would like to extend it's sincere appreciation to the Athletic Director, Mr. Severns, to Mr. Kircher for being our chief grounds crewman, and the rest of the faculty and staff members at HMSA for your outstanding support of our program. Lady A's fever....Catch it! Goooooooooooo.............. A's, YOU KNOW!
Timothy Dura
Monica T. and Alejandra M. represented HMSA while participating in the 25th annual SBAC Senior All-Star Game Monday evening. They did us proud!
Physical Science 2017 Awards
Northrop Grumman Innovation Award
The Northrop Grumman Innovation team, working cooperatively with Northrop Grumman engineers Sid Celeste and Ifem Ifechukwu weekly for a period of three months, created a shade deployment device that had to remotely deploy out of a six inch cube. The device was meant to mimic the James Webb telescope which Northrop Grumman has been working on and will launch next year. The team worked extremely hard and earned second place this year. Congratulations to the team.
Digital Voice Award
Kimberly H., Stephanie E., Edwin O. and Ndubuisi A. transformed their winning engineering Spy Glider project into a first place Science video production for the 2017 Digital Voice Awards. They created an outstanding video which highlighted the engineering process and showed true creativity in creating a soda delivery glider. Congratulations to the team.
Charlie Flint
HMSA's Ashley M. and Ary R. Winners of the 2017 NFTE Greater Los Angeles Business Plan Competition!
If we could bring Frank Sinatra back to life to sing "New York, New York" for the girls of Click 'N Brush this morning, I would do so in a New York Minute! (which is faster than a normal minute). Why, because Ashley M. and Ary R. are on their way to Gotham City as the winners of the Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship's Greater LA Regional Business Plan Competition! They share a grand prize of $1500.00 and each receives an all-expense paid trip to the Big Apple to compete in the National Business Plan competition slated for Oct 12th, 2017. At stake is a cash prize of $25,000 and sponsors for their business. If you see these two girls today, please congratulate them on a job very well done!
Timothy Dura
HMSA at the 2017 NFTE National Business Plan Competition
They say the cream rises to the top. Well in HMSA's case, on the heels of a national ranking of 66th for all high schools, 20th for charter high schools in 8th in California, the three businesses that went forth to the NFTE semi-final competition last evening are all, I repeat, all going to the regional competition at University of Southern California's School of Business on May 25th. Mi Box represented by Crystal B. and Natalie S. and Mary Jane Products fronted by Daniela C. and Janelle B. were second place winners out of their classrooms. Both will be in the fast pitch competition at regionals and will also have a booth at the Regional's business expo that evening after the regional competition is over. Click 'N Brush, represented by Ashley M. and Ary R. is moving on as a Regional finalist and will be competing for $1,500 and a free trip to New York City in October to compete for a grand prize of $25,000 as part of the NFTE National Business Plan Competition. We're three-for-three and I can't be prouder of these girls! If you see them be sure to congratulate them and keep May 25th open. That is the date that Click and Brush will be competing for a spot at the national competition. There are only three businesses that are competing to go to New York so they've got a two in three chance of taking the big Silver Bird to New York City in October! Aviator pride, and Aviator excellence ..... be loud and proud!
Timothy Dura
HMSA ranks #51 in the Nation according to TheBestSchools.org
Hawthorne Math and Science Academy, a charter school, emphasizes math and science with required courses in geometry, pre-calculus, algebra, trigonometry, chemistry, and biology.
Students receive a well-rounded education with additional courses in English, history, foreign language, and electives. Hawthorne Academy offers AP courses. with 90 percent of its students taking part in them.
Beyond the classroom, students choose from a host of extracurricular clubs.Students must complete 100 hours of community service.
Economically disadvantaged students make up 78 percent of the student body at Hawthorne Math and Science Academy.
The U.S. Department of Education recognized Hawthorne Math and Science Academy as a Blue Ribbon School.
Click here for the full article.
Class of 2017 College Scholarship Recipients
HMSA Aviators Soar to the Top
HMSA is pleased to announce that seniors Juan Barajas and Natalie Saldaña have been awarded full-tuition scholarships that will fund their college education.
Over 2,600 Los Angeles youth applied to the Posse Foundation that seeks students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential. Juan Barajas was awarded the Posse Scholarship and will be attending Pepperdine University. “I truly believe that without Posse, I would have been looked over by Pepperdine through the regular application process,” said Barajas. “Winning this scholarship, really was a life-changing experience.”
A Questbridge Scholarship recipient, Natalie Saldaña will be attending the University of Chicago. Questbridge finalists are students with intellectual spark and determination, who are in the top 10% of their class. Most finalists are the first generation in their family to attend a U.S. four-year college. “There is no doubt that Natalie Saldana is going to do great things,” said Julia Bui, HMSA Counselor.
HMSA's Alumni Cassandra Aguila among the 2017 Global Young Entrepreneurs of the Year
Click here for the full article
HMSA's Environmental Science teacher Crystal Davis receives Senior Fellowship from Earthwatch's Teach Earth Program
HMSA's Environmental Science teacher Crystal Davis has received a Senior Fellowship from Earthwatch's Teach Earth Program to study the effects of climate change on Grizzly Bears and Huckleberries in Swan Valley, Montana this summer. Crystal will be taking on a leadership role in the program and assist other teachers in developing lessons to bring back to students and implementing them.
HaWTHORNE MATH AND SCIENCE ACADEMY EARNS NATIONAL BLUE RIBBON AWARd
September 28, 2016 - U.S. Secretary of Education, John B. King, Jr., designated Hawthorne Math and Science Academy (HMSA) as a 2016 National Blue Ribbon School.
HMSA is one of four California high schools that received this honor, and is one among 279 public and 50 private schools named across the nation. HMSA is also one of a select few that can boast being a two-time recipient of this prestigious award. Previously, HMSA was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School in 2010.
Schools are nominated for the award by the state department of education, and then complete a comprehensive application about school practices. HMSA was recognized as being “Exemplary High Performing” among the top schools in a state.
HMSA will be honored at a two-day awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. to celebrate this great achievement.
For more information please visit the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program website.
Hawthorne Academy of Math and Science seniors among Gates Millennium Scholars Class of 2016
Brad Graverson/Daily Breeze Staff Photographer. Read the full article by Megan Barnes of the Daily Breeze here.
HMSA students have done it again at the 2016 NFTE Competitions!
HMSA students have done it again! Two graduated senior entrepreneurship students competed in the Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship's Startup Summer 2016 Investment Panel competition last evening. At stake, 10,000 dollars in cash awards that was put up for grabs. Of the 10,000 dollars given out by the investment panel, graduated senior Cassandra Aguilar won 5,000 dollars for her start up business entitled "Pawsitive Feeders". Winning 3,000 dollars of the 10,000 available was graduated senior Monique Ejenuko with her business startup called "Brush Box". All the other contestants split the remaining 2,000 dollars. It was an exciting night for our two girls and once again HMSA led the way. These two young ladies will be visiting our campus in the next few weeks and if you see them, please congratulate them on this outstanding accomplishment. For those of you who have a passion in life and want to learn how to turn that passion into cash dollars, entrepreneurship class is the place for you!
Congratulations HMSA BOYS CROSS COUNTRY TEAM 2016, 2015 & 2014 Coastal League CHAMPIONS!
CROSS COUNTRY 2015-2016
STAFF RECOGNITIONS
HMSA 2016 MESA WINS BIG!
Kimberly R. won $1000 from Lockheed Martin. MESA advisor Mrs. Latigay with the plaque awarded to HMSA as 'The Most Active MESA High School of the Year" during the gala ceremony at the USC Galen Center. CONGRATULATIONS HMSA MESA students and MESA Advisor Mrs. Latigay!
HMSA's Esau Berumen Among the 30 Most Influential California High School Principals
Mometrix Test Preparation posted who they believe to be the 30 Most Influential California High School Principals. A system was devised in which “points” were awarded to each principal based on a wide variety of data available to the public, including national and state awards, national and state “rankings,” average SAT scores, ‘college readiness,’ and more. After the data was gathered and sorted, “points” were then awarded and tallied.
Coming in at #26 is Mr. Esau Berumen of Hawthorne Math and Science Academy. Since stepping into his current role, Principal Berumen has been an integral part of his school being honored by U.S. News & World Report who recognized HMSA with two different accolades, naming the school the 12th most ‘college ready’ high school in California and one of the top 30 overall schools in the state. The California Department of Education also awarded Principal Berumen and his school with a 2015 California Gold Ribbon School award, one of the best accolades a California high school can receive.
Congratulations to Principal Berumen and Hawthorne Math and Science Academy!
Ms. Crystal Davis: 2016 NCSE Grand Canyon Teacher Scholarship Winner!
Congratulations to scholarship winners, Brandon Haught and Crystal Davis. They will receive an eight-day raft trip through the Grand Canyon. Lesson plans created by these teachers will be made available for other teachers to use. Read the full story here.
HMSA Moving Up!: #8 Ranking in California High Schools, #20 in Charter High Schools and #66 in National Rankings according to 2017 Best High Schools US News and World Report.
HMSA: Recipient of the California College and Career Transition Award recipient for the 2016 ACT College and Career Readiness Campaign.
Read the full publication here
HMSA Recognized by the California Department of Education
State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Announces
2015 California Gold Ribbon Schools Award
Honoring outstanding, innovative schools throughout California
SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced that 193 middle schools and 180 high schools have been honored under the state's new Gold Ribbon Schools Awards Program, which is temporarily taking the place of the California Distinguished Schools Program.
"These schools are academically successful, vibrant, and innovative centers of learning and teaching," Torlakson said. "They provide great examples of the things educators are doing right—embracing rigorous academic standards, providing excellence and creativity in teaching, and creating a positive school climate."
The California Gold Ribbon Schools Award was created to honor schools in place of the California Distinguished Schools Program, which is on hiatus while California creates new assessment and accountability systems.
Read full news release here.
HMSA made US News Top 100 High Schools again in 2015!
HMSA UP 34 SPOTS FROM 2013...NAMED BY U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT TO ITS "BEST HIGH SCHOOLS 2014" LIST
HMSA UP 34 SPOTS FROM 2013...NAMED BY U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT TO ITS "BEST HIGH SCHOOLS 2014" LIST
