SDUHSD News
2024
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2024
La Costa Canyon wraps up successful three-week run of “Urinetown” (May 12, 2024) - Encinitas Advocate
La Costa Canyon High School (LCC) recently performed its spring musical “Urinetown,” directed by Brad Golden, featuring a cast of 36 actors and eight student technicians, with a total of nine shows; 21 of these students experienced being part of a musical for the first time.
2023
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2023
Two Encinitas Surfers Will Ride for USA on Junior National Surf Team (11/13/23) - Encinitas Advocate
Encinitas surfers Titus Santucci and Cole McCaffray have been named to the USA Junior National Surf Team. The two will compete in the International Surf Association World Junior Surfing Championships in Rio De Janerio, Brazil this month with the hopes of bringing home the gold for Team USA. Titus is currently a senior at San Dieguito Academy while Cole graduated from SDA as part of the class of ‘23.
Two North County students are among the filmmakers who will have their work screened at the Coronado Island Film Festival’s Emerging Filmmakers Showcase.The festival runs from Nov. 8-12. “Memories in Blue,” a film by Canyon Crest Academy senior Yezy Suh, is about a girl who struggles with her relationship with her mother, who died.
Encinitas Teen Becomes First Filipino-American Male to Make U.S. Jr National Surf Team (11/2/23) - Del Mar Times
Eighteen-year-old San Dieguito High School Academy student, Titus Santucci began his surfing journey when he was just 9-years-old. After riding the waves for nine years and competing in numerous competitions, he received a call that would change his life. He qualified for the U.S. Junior National Surf Team out of hundreds who tried out from different leagues. And he’s the first Filipino-American man in San Diego to do so.
San Dieguito’s Student Art Gallery Dedicated to its Founders (10/30/23) - Encinitas Advocate
On Oct. 20, San Dieguito dedicated the Mustang Art Gallery on campus to the founders who were instrumental in its creation, helping students find their artistic voices.
New Club at Canyon Crest Academy Supports Cancer for College (10/30/23) - Del Mar Times
What started out as a student project for an advanced business class has now become a club, Coconuts for College. Utilizing the student business CocoLoco’s coconut shell products, the club supports Cancer for College, which provides educational scholarships to cancer survivors. Noah Benhaim and Shaan Garg created the new club with the goal to raise $25,000 for the first-ever high school-sponsored Cancer for College Scholarship Fund. To date, the club has helped raise $6,400.
Dad & Daughter Complete 'Four Generation Football Family' with Flag Football (10/26/23) - CBS 8
Coach Darrin Brown and daughter Joie Brown are both gridiron stars at San Dieguito Academy.
CCA Student Group Hosts Successful Charity Event for Anti-Gun Violance Awareness in Schools (10/25/23) - Rancho Santa Fe Review
Two student-led organizations, the Students Against Destructive Decisions chapter (SADD) at Canyon Crest Academy (CCA) and the Youth Anti Gun Violence Club (YAGV), recently joined forces to organize a charity event, “Protect Our Peace Talent Show and Art Auction”,
Outstanding Local High School Students Honored at Encinitas Chamber of Commerce’s October Rising Star of the Month Program (10/19/23) - Encinitas Advocate
The Encinitas Chamber of Commerce hosted its second Rising Star of the Month event for the 2023-24 school year on Oct. 4. The chamber has partnered with MiraCosta College’s San Elijo campus this school year which will host and sponsor the monthly breakfasts honoring exceptional seniors from the local high schools in the San Dieguito Union High School District..
San Dieguito High School Academy will dedicate its student art gallery during a public event Friday at the Encinitas school. The Faculty and Staff Exhibition will kick off the gallery season at San Dieguito Academy and showcase artwork created by members of the school's staff. Student work will continue to be shown throughout the rest of the year.
A Special Bond: La Costa Canyon Field Hockey Senior Coached by Mother (10/1/23) - Fox 5
Some moms yell at home. Mia Diguilio’s mom, however, yells on the field as La Costa Canyon’s head field hockey coach.
4 Encinitas 'Rising Stars' Honored During Chamber of Commerce Event (10/11/23) - Patch
Four Encinitas students were honored during the Encinitas Chamber of Commerce's second Rising Star of the Month event of the school year. The event recognized Edric Saphire from Canyon Crest Academy, Maiya Rosetto-Arvizu from La Costa Canyon High School, John Gruber from San Dieguito High School Academy, and Kyra Dominguez from Torrey Pines High School.
LCC Students Hope to Bring the Community Together in Service (10/3/23) - Encinitas Advocate
La Costa Canyon High School students Michael and Elizabeth Christensen have organized a community-wide stuffed toy drive to benefit Toys for Tots, Ronald McDonald House Charities and children in crisis through local Encinitas and Carlsbad first responders..
Student-Led Garden Club Takes Root at Carmel Valley Library (10/1/23) - Del Mar Times
Torrey Pines High School students are leading a new monthly Garden Club for kids at the Carmel Valley Library. The Garden Club’s youth leaders Arthur Wang, Scarlett Hyun and Ethan Jin also serve on the Teen Advisory Board of the Carmel Valley Library.
Singles or doubles? Doubles or singles? Pound away relentlessly from the baseline or team with a partner and bang volleys at the net? For Torrey Pines High School senior Natalia Mochernak, it’s a flip of the coin.
San Dieguito District to Add Electric Vehicles to Bus Fleet (9/26/23) - Del Mar Times
The San Dieguito Union High School District is going electric. The district is just starting the process of transitioning to electric school buses after receiving word that they are eligible for four of the 10 vehicle applications they submitted to the Volkswagon Mitigation Replacement Bus Program.
Local Kung Fu Artists Win at Golden State International Wushu Championship (9/26/23) - Del Mar Times
Two local young martial artists showed off their growing kung fu skills at the 2023 Golden State International Wushu Championship in Santa Clara on Sept. 2-3. Ethan Yue, a Pacific Trails Middle School student, took home gold and silver medals in flipping fist and Southern-style hand form while Solana Beach’s Mason Gargaro, an Earl Warren Middle School eighth grader, won a silver medal in traditional hand forms in the competitive 13-14 age group.
7 San Diego Students Named Finalists in National STEM Competition (9/5/23) - CBS8
Seven local students are celebrating a major achievement after being named finalists in one of the nation's premier STEM competitions. 300 finalists were chosen out of 2,000 kids from 49 states, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and Puerto for the inaugural Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge, a competition for middle school students. Ethan Leem (Pacific Trails Middle School) and Jey Parthasarathy (Pacific Trails Middle School) were two of the finalists.
Mainly Mozart’s 2023 Genius Week Will Premiere 17-year-old San Diego Composer Edric Saphire’s Bassoon Sextet (9/8/23) - San Diego Union-Tribune
Mainly Mozart’s expanded 2023 edition of its annual Genius Week will include the world premiere of a bassoon sextet composed by Edric Saphire, a 17-year-old senior at Canyon Crest Academy.
Carmel Valley Students Win Multiple Medals at 4th Pan American KungFu Championships (9/5/23) - Del Mar Times
Three Carmel Valley students - including sisters Kate and Audrey Zhao from Canyon Crest Academy and Pacific Trails Middle School - recently won numerous medals in the 4th Pan American KungFu Championships, an international Wushu Kungfu competition with 757 athletes from 11 countries. The competition was held last month in Markham, Ontario, Canada.
Encinitas Teen Advocates for Plant-Based School Lunches in Washington D.C. (9/5/23) - Encinitas Advocate
LCC Senior Michael Christensen spent part of his summer lobbying for more plant-based options in school lunches in Washington D.C. as part of the Plant Powered Youth Steering Committee. He was one of only 11 students from across the country selected to be a part of the coalition to raise their voices at the capitol.
Athletic Director Position Elevated to Full-Time at Torrey Pines (8/28/23) - Del Mar Times
Both Charlenne Falcis-Stevens and her La Costa Canyon counterpart Kari DiGuilio, who had each been functioning in a 40% athletic director/60% teacher capacity, have had their job descriptions adjusted to 100% administrator by the San Dieguito Union High School District Board of Directors
CCA Student Naisha Patel Shines at Solo Indian Classical Dance Performance (8/28/23) - Del Mar Times
Swapanthi Dance Academy presented “Naisha Patel Rangapravesha/Bharatanatyam” to a full audience on Aug. 6 at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts. The event featured Naisha Patel, a Canyon Crest Academy sophomore, who did a two-hour solo Indian classical dance performance.
Local Teens Honored for Community Work (8/25/23) - Del Mar Times
Six high school students who attend Torrey Pines and San Dieguito Academy were honored at a San Diego County Tobacco-Free Coalition Youth Advocacy Recognition Event on Aug. 9.
Encinitas Chamber Continues Rising Star Program (8/16/23) - Coast News Group
The Encinitas Chamber of Commerce is partnering with MiraCosta College to continue its Rising Star program honoring exceptional seniors from the five local high schools in the San Dieguito Union High School District. The teens are members of the youth group “The Changers,” a prevention sponsored by the San Dieguito Alliance for Drug Free Youth.
Carmel Valley Middle School Student Named Carson Scholar (8/15/23) - Del Mar Times
Samson “Sammy” Synn, an eighth grader at Carmel Valley Middle School, was named a Carson Scholar at the end of the last school year. Former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson founded the Carson Scholar program to recognize fourth to 11th-grade students who achieve excellence in academics and community service.
Torrey Pines High School Announces Launch of Pilot Concussion Treatment Program (8/10/23) - Del Mar Times
In a groundbreaking effort to prioritize the health and well-being of its student-athletes, Torrey Pines High School recently announced the launch of a state-of-the-art Pilot Concussion Treatment Program.
Diegueno Middle Will Debut New-Look Classrooms on First Day of School (8/8/23) - Encinitas Advocate
Diegueno Middle School is prepared to launch into the school year with completely transformed math classrooms and a renovated Cougar Hall: There will be no more playing basketball on carpet, thanks to the brand new flooring in the updated multi-purpose room.
Summer High School Scholars Work with Salk Institute Scientists (8/7/23) - KPBS
World-class scientists led the work with the help of high school students selected across San Diego County. Twelve full-time, paid students participated in Salk Institute’s Heithoff-Brody High School Summer Scholar program. Will Knickrehm, 16, and David Samy, 17, are both students at Canyon Crest Academy in the San Dieguito Union High School District. They were chosen from more than 350 applicants to do research with artificial intelligence (AI).
Assistance League of Rancho San Dieguito Awards Scholarships (8/2/23) - Del Mar Times
The Assistance League of Rancho San Diequito recently awarded $33,000 —$10,000 more than last year — in college scholarships to 11 outstanding and educationally-motivated graduating seniors of the San Dieguito Union High School District, and eight students continuing in their college studies.
Students to Sell Books at Comic-Con to Raise Money to Help Afghan Students (7/14/23) - San Diego Union-Tribune
A group of teens at Canyon Crest Academy is trying to help a group of teens in Afghanistan get the education they seek. The students here met the students there through Zoom classes, where they enjoyed talking about common interests like favorite books, courses and sports. Now the local students are raising money to help their friends’ learning center in Kabul, Afghanistan, which for many female students is their only chance to get an education.
CCA Student Business Receives Award at National Junior Achievement Summit (7/8/23) - Del Mar Times
The Canyon Crest Academy student-run business CocoLoco, which repurposes coconut shells to create succulent planters and candles, recently won the 2023 Global Possibilities Award at the Junior Achievement National Student Leadership Summit in Washington D.C. Canyon Crest student entrepreuneurs Daniella Addeo Cortes, Noah Benhaim, and Shaan Garg comprised one of 15 teams from across the country to present their businesses at the summit.
This school year, Torrey Pines High School Principal Rob Coppo has taken on a new role: podcaster. With his “What’s Best for Kids?” podcast, he offers a deep dive into what educators wish parents knew about education and what parents wish educators knew about parenting. The pod’s goal is about listening to learn rather than listening to respond, staying curious in conversations about the ever-changing world of education.
Salute to Education Honors Students, Teachers for Exemplary Work (5/25/23) - The Coast News Group
The Encinitas Chamber of Commerce and Rancho Sante Fe Security Systems honored three dozen students and teachers from local public and private schools for their outstanding achievements on May 24 at the 26th annual Salute to Education.
Canyon Crest Academy Student Business Gets National Attention (5/24/23) - ABC10
At Canyon Crest Academy the student-run business is open for business. It's called CocoLoco, as the students have combined their love of coconuts, candles, and succulents. So far business has been crazy good. The business has been such a success, that they have been recognized nationally. CocoLoco has qualified for the Junior Achievement Nationals in Washington D.C.
CCA Students Soar to National Rocketry Finals (4/20/23) - The Coast News Group
A nine-member team from the Proxima Rocketry Club, comprised of more than 20 Canyon Crest Academy students, is set to compete next month as a finalist in the American Rocketry Challenge in Washington, D.C. The club started two years ago when founder and president Vinay Vetticaden, a junior at Canyon Crest, formed a group of students with a passion for rocketry.
CCA Students Honor Holocaust Remembrance Day (1/30/23) - Del Mar Times
On the Jan. 27 International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Canyon Crest Academy students led an effort to honor the memories of the approximately six million Jewish lives lost in the Holocaust, and to make sure it never happens again.
Career Day Provides a Reality Check for Middle School Students (1/27/23) - KPBS
Career Day at one Encinitas middle school took on a new meaning Friday. Students heard experiences from adults in professions including law enforcement, financial planning, and the aerospace industry. But presenters also gave students at Oak Crest Middle School a reality check on their careers in the current climate of economic insecurity and social justice protests.
