Hello, again, UEC friends and family. You are reading the second quarter newsletter of our 2020-21 school year. We hope you had a restful winter break and have begun the new year in health and happiness.
In spite of the many challenges facing our students here in their last year of high school, they continue to wow us. They respond to struggles with determination, and they generously give their spirit to good causes and good fun.
So as we wrap up the first semester of school, let us show you what we’ve been up to here at UEC.
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Fall Spirit Week
Our very active Student Government Association decided to kick off the second nine weeks of school with a spirit week. From October 26-29, students (and faculty!) looked like ‘60s kids decked out in tie-dyed shirts and masks, many they made themselves. For breast cancer awareness, they dressed in pink from head to toe on Pink Out Day. They put on wigs and colored their hair for Crazy Hair Day. And, after adorning the halls and computer lab with spooky decorations, they capped off the week with a delicious Halloween event.
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Teacher Brag
At UEC, we believe words of encouragement can make a big impact on students. Our teachers routinely brag about our students’ efforts. Here are a few we’d like to share with you:
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Ms. Wilhite, English: “I am so proud of Mel for showing empathy during our classroom discussions, and I was really impressed with Salomon’s goals for the new year.”
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Mr. Bassarear, Social Studies: “I was really impressed with the overall results on the last economics test. Melanie, Carter and Naysha made 100%. The test covered economic principles.”
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Mr. Melendez, Math: “Joey (a LaunchEd student) was consistently here all last quarter with his camera on, actively participating, asking questions, and in general, trying really hard.
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Food Drive
In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving break, our students, faculty, and staff donated over 80 pounds of non-perishable food items in our fall food drive. These items included rice, pasta, cereal, and canned goods. Mr. Verdesca took the donations to Shepherd’s Hope for use in their food pantry, who happily accepted this gift to help support families in need.
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Hard at Work
During the second nine weeks of school, most of our students continued their furlough status. One student – Sofia – responded to a Universal request to pick up holiday shifts during Thanksgiving week. Her temporary managers were so impressed with her work, they invited her to come back to part-time status.
Additional students took the initiative to find part-time work outside of Universal Studios. Even in this tough job market, five of our students put their UO training to work and located other jobs. We are so proud of their enterprise.
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Sofia's excellent work and initiative paid off with a position in Seuss Landing.
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Testing
A big thank you to Universal Studios for providing state-of-the-art training rooms for SAT testing. Just the week before, our students also took part in ACT testing. While these tests are admittedly grueling, our students remained focused and committed to doing their best.
Parents, there are no remaining ACT or SAT tests offered during the school day this academic year. To sign up for a Saturday ACT test, visit act.org; likewise, head to collegereadiness.collegeboard.org to sign up for a Saturday SAT. Contact our guidance counselor Gary Papoula at Gary.Papoula@ocps.net for more information.
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Post-High School Plans
Our annual visit to Valencia College took place virtually this year. Students gathered in Mr. Bassarear’s classroom with their laptops to log into the digital event. Admissions counselors described Valencia’s extensive degree and certificate programs, as well as offered plenty of tips for applying.
Orange Technical College is unable to offer in-person tours at this time due to COVID concerns. Students and families can visit orangetechcollege.net/programs/career_certificates to watch videos about their many offerings.
Six of our students have received college acceptance letters. Congratulations to:
- Naysha – Stetson
- Tori – Full Sail
- Fabi, Nikki, and Mel – Valencia College
Other students are hard at work on their college and scholarship applications, too. Families, it is not too late to apply to many colleges and technical schools. Reach out to Mr. Papoula if you need any assistance. Keep an eye on email, too, as Mr. Papoula sends out frequent scholarship opportunities directly to students.
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Students attended the Valencia field trip virtually this year.
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Park Visits
Even though most of our students remain furloughed from work, Universal Studios continues to provide special opportunities. One of our student mentors, Jennifer Holdsworth, took students on a horticulture tour inside Gate A. A shipment of holiday plants had just arrived, so Jennifer showed students how seasonal displays are swapped out. She also described the many career opportunities within horticulture, emphasizing the great hands-on nature of landscape and botany work.
Because of the pandemic, Universal Studios made the decision to suspend this year’s Universal’s Holiday Experience Featuring Macy’s Balloons. However, they created a winter wonderland of those floats and balloons in a sound stage, where our students got to see and photograph them up close. Afterwards, our students mugged for the camera in the New York area of the Studios park, creating stylish photos for our school yearbook.
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Shirley Cowan Retires
After more than 32 years of service to Universal Studios, our beloved school advocate Shirley Cowan retired. On December 17, we invited her to a luncheon at our school to express our deep gratitude for her compassionate and unending support of our students.
After our students presented her with plants for her garden, Shirley said, “One of the best things in my time at Universal was to be a part of the lives of students here at UEC. I am so proud of you. Keep going, and keep making us proud.” Our student Fabi then spoke on behalf of us all when she told Shirley how much we love her and will miss her.
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Holiday Fun
After a successful first semester, our students ended the grading period with a week of holiday fun. On Monday, students created cards for residents of assisted living facilities. The next day, everyone participated in a gingerbread house decorating contest. Students also enjoyed a movie day with popcorn and hot cocoa. To cap it all off, we celebrated the holidays with a door decorating contest, Secret Santa gift exchange, and luncheon.
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