Why are you here? - By Jocelyn Hernandez

Sometimes I wonder why I'm here at this school. How is this school going to help me in the future? Am I going to be successful or famous? I decided to ask my classmates (grade 11) about how they imagine that their future will be like. Here's what they said:

Name: Anne Huang
Date of Birth: September 14, 1993
Interests: Learning new things!
Goals: Go to college (4yrs)
Careers: Undecided


Name: Andrew Cohn
Date of Birth: June 15, 1993
Interests: Talking, telling stories, acting, and socializing.
Goals: Go to a decent college - involvement in community
Careers: Undecided

Name: Juan Aparicio
Date of Birth: December 20, 1993
Interests: Debating, talking, meeting new people, legislating (leadership)
Goals: To be a lawyer
Careers: Part of the United Nations, Secretary of State

Name: Yuni C.
Date of Birth: June 6, 1992
Interests: Swimming, computers, music, photography
Goals: To attend college - UC
Careers: study of abroad
Why are you here at VAPA?: I want to experience new things.

Name: Christina Lee
Date of Birth: June 28, 1993
Interests: Counseling, international relations
Goals: To graduate and go to a college for 4 years.
Careers: Accountant or diplomate

I've discovered that a majority of people don't know what career they want to pursue in the future. So now's the time to ask yourself, why are you here?

Mr. Hood - Why I Chose To Teach High School Science and Biology

Laid off? I couldn't believe it when my former career in textiles came to a screeching halt at the end of 2006. Since I had based most of my self worth on my job, I was quite bummed by this sudden turn of events. I looked around for something new to do, and decided that I would become a teacher. I had a handy but unused degree in Zoology, and applied to a local university. For a couple of years I took teacher education courses at night and worked as a substitute teacher during the day. I found first grade to be the toughest to sub. The kids were young but very savvy to substitutes, and had learned how to lie in order to manipulate us. They weren't afraid to constantly rat on each other either. This kept me on my toes , as I never knew if anything the said were true. I learned to recognize trustworthy students who would give me the straight scoop on how their teacher did things.

I knew that I could never work with the little ones, as their voices were too high, and they were too short to hear distinctly. I decided that teaching high school biology and science would be best for me, not only because the students were taller and more socialized, but also because it is a maturing time for students, a coming-of-age that happens to them just as it happened to me. I remember that it was a moment of acceptance into the adult world as an equal, so powerful and definable that my whole life seemed to change after it happened. Looking back on my high school years from my current viewpoint, I can see how I went from a clueless freshman to a fairly mature young man who took school seriously (most of the time).

That is why I am very pleased to join the very same educational culture that helped start me on my way to a successful career and father to 3 sons. Most importantly, I am proud to be an active participant in the education of young people who are destined to their own coming-of-age and blossoming into productive adults in the world beyond school.

Our one and only Librarian...

Mr. Lee! Do you ever need to do some research for a project? Or do you simply need some advice? Then Mr. Lee's your guy! Mr. Lee was born in South Korea. He is our school's teacher-librarian. He manages our library and provides the support and supplement to the curriculum of the school.
Mr. Lee taught as a history teacher at John Burrows and later became their librarian for 7 years. He then went to Hollywood High for 5 years. It's clear that Mr. Lee loves being a teacher, but Mr. Lee's dream job was to be a comic book illustrator! In college he started taking drawing classes and started on his dream job right away. But as time passed, he discovered that he loved teaching more than drawing. He loves seeing students and helping them. Mr. Lee also likes sports (such as basketball), movies, Korean barbecue, and UCLA. Go Bruins!
Mr. Lee's high school years weren't as great though. His actions were limited, he was very lonely, and he fit the "nerd" stereotype. He couldn't wait to get out of it! That is until one of his friends helped him see the world. He started trying new sports, traveling, getting involved with his school, and enjoying life.
Overall, Mr. Lee just wants to be a good person. He wants to be a person whom you can trust and look up to in life. He loves this dynamic and exciting school and looks forward to meeting you.

Meet Ms. Burkhart!

One of the first things we decided to do was to get interviews with all of the teachers and staff in our school. We figured that since this is a new school and everyone's practically a stranger to one another, that we should get to know the people who will teach and guide us to a bright future.
We managed to interview Ms. Burkhart. She teaches Biology and ICS. Although she does enjoy seeing somebody learn and succeed, teaching wasn't her first choice. She wanted to be a marine biologist. She started volunteering at her local aquarium and later got a full time job. She was fascinated about the marine life that surrounded her, but she wasn't so fascinated about how much research she had to do. She decided that she'd rather teach biology.
Ms. Burkhart's love for biology and marine life developed when she started scuba diving at the age of 15. She later traveled to Catalina Island and Australia to explore the ocean and all of it's wildlife. These have been the best moments of her life.
Now some additional information about Ms. Burkhart. She has 2 brothers, 1 sister, and a short gray cat. Her favorite color is green and her favorite food is a classic hamburger, preferably from In and Out. Her goal is to teach for as long as possible and to be the best teacher she can be.