The school year is beginning to look a bit normal, normal as in how it looked prior to the COVID years. This year we had a handful of students still wearing masks. One student I know wore it because they had had COVID and did not want to get it again. Another student wore a mask all year, to be honest, I did not have the person as a student, but with their long hair that they wore down over their face and a mask, I could not tell you what the student looked like.
I decided that this would be my last year of teaching and used the year to accept my decision. The decision was prompted by a diagnosis I received in the summer prior to the start of the year of RA Rheumatoid Arthritis. The daily routine of teaching was painful. My knees and hip joints were very sore most days. Sometime in the first or second quarter of the year, I was referred to a RA doctor and they were able to get the pain and stiffness under control. It also helped that I lost weight. This was the first school year I kept my weight under 200 lbs for the entire school year!
The school year started out pretty well, We had Mr. Adams back as the principal after the previous school year he had been voluntold that he would be moved to Upland HS to take over until a replacement could be found to replace the prior principal who quit on the second day of school. So with Adams in place, the school year started out pretty well. However, in early October Mr. Adams was involved in a motorcycle accident, and we would not see him for the rest of the school year. Mr. D Connor and Miss Barragan co-ran the school together until late March when we found out that Mr. Adam's return was delayed to some surgeries on his leg not healing correctly. We finished the school out with some district administrators setting up camp on some school days to be on campus. During the final month of school, we had Mrs. Williams, a retired principal fill in until the end of the school year.
New teachers this year. Mr. Pisch, Mr. Ortiz, Mrs. Jenne, Mrs. Farnsworth, Mrs. Layla, & Long term sub-Mr. C Kirkpatrick.
Mr. Pisch came to us via Upland HS and taught leadership and English. During the semester break, he also taught Technology. Mr. Pish was brought in as a result of the retirement of Mrs. Stephenson during the 2021-2022 year, as her position went unfilled and was covered by a long-term sub the entire year. Mr. Pish is a great addition to the HHS Staff.
We also welcomed Mr. Ortiz as our new math teacher. Mr. Ortiz came to us after teaching at Pomona USD. This is his 10th year teaching. This year he taught Algebra 2 and Geometry. He replaces Mrs. Ambriz who during the 2021-2022 year left to take over as the vice principal at Upalnd JHS. Her position last year went unfilled and was covered by a long-term sub. Mr. Ortiz is well respected by the students and is another great addition to the staff at HHS.
At the semester break, we received Mrs. Jenne who now becomes our new English teacher. Mrs. Jenne came to us from elementary school but has taught at the high school level in the past. She is a kind caring person and will do well at the school. The students will definitely learn from her.
Then sometime just after the first semester, we received a Wellness Center. A wellness center has been created at every school site in the district. Mrs.Farnsworth comes to us from Upland HS and is our Wellness Center coordinator. She is a kind caring person and the students love her. This year she was located in the building that normally housed the Hawks Nest. The room was empty as we had no pregnant teens this year, she filled the room with students wanting to make a connection.
Mrs. Bennett took a leave of absence during the school year. Prior to the leave, she began receiving support from Mrs. Layla. Mrs. Layla was assigned some of Mrs. Bennett's caseload. She was with us in the afternoons. So to make a long story short, Mrs. Bennette went on a leave of absence and we received a long-term sub by the name of Mr. Kirkpatrick to take her place. Mr. Kirkpatrick is a large man, has a great sense of humor, and is quick-witted, he was a great addition to the HHS staff.
Still with all of the changes in personnel Hillside High received the status of Model Continuation High School!
Let us do a quick rundown of the rooms
Room 1 Mr. Dashinski. Algebra and PE
Room 2 Mrs. Bennett/ Mr. Kirkpatrick/ Mrs.Layla Spry
Room 3 Mrs. Garcia. Art
Room 4 Mrs. Beyer Science
Room 5 Mrs. Cazaras. History/ Leadership
Room 6 Mr. Pisch (Piscioneri) Technology/ Careers
Room 7 Mrs. Sarinana. History
Room 8 Mr. D Connor. Independent Study/ Miss Barragan Counselor
Room 9 Mrs. Jenne English
Room 10 Mr. Smith. Government and Econ
Room 11 Mr. Ortiz Math
Room 12 Mrs. Farnsworth Wellness Center
Room 13/14 Mr. R Connor Construction and Farm
Office Mrs. Wells, Mrs.Aiesha Perez, Mrs. Powers
Custodian Mrs. Hernandez
Principal Mr. Adams, Mr. D Connor, Ms. Barragan, & Mrs. Williams
I found this to be a somewhat difficult year. Some of the students' attitudes towards schooling have changed due to COVID restrictions. They have become very dependent on their phones. My go-to assignments from past school years did not work. I had to treat some students like Jr. High students. It was as if they missed the time of their life when boundaries were set. I have never had so many keyboards damaged, things thrown in class, and just daily silliness that caused the destruction of school property. One of the few years, if not the first I was having the counselor remove students from my program for fear that they might hurt themselves or someone else with their lack of respect for school property and rules. What is weird is I like the students individually but when they got together and did the things that they did, it was very disappointing.
This year my teaching emphasis was on the completion of a tiny home and the farm. If you recall last year things progressed slowly on the tiny home. The tiny home had been moved inside the school fences by gates being installed, this allowed for less downtime during the period in setting up equipment. We used room 14 as the storage room and equipment room. This year a project was for the students to build two 1/2 tall walls to add separation of the room and to allow more wall space to set cabinets and equipment against.
Other early projects included the building of ping pong paddles, which included a ping pong tournament. Painting of the lunch quad tables. Cutting out initials and names out of wood. The major thrust of the class was the completion of the tiny home. WHICH WE DID! This year the students completed the electrical, plumbing, drywall, ceiling installation, painting, staining, trim work, baseboards, cabinetry installation, AC installation, and flooring. We finished with about a week to spare. However, we did not finish in time to get it sold. A meeting is planned with the superintendent of the Upland USD to work on a plan during the summer. During the last week or so of school, the students participated in the Rocketry lesson.
I've posted on this page since 2009. This will be one of my last posts about Hillside High School. I have enjoyed my time at the school and in the district, but it is time to move on after 29 years!
