Week 25 Wrap-Up and Week 26 Preview

Posted on February 25, 2024 by Grace Long

Last week was another action-packed week at DVS. Over last weekend’s President’s Day weekend, 28 Da Vinci Science students participated in the Youth & Government’s Mock Legislature and Court Conference in Sacramento. This four-day event, which drew over 2,000 students from across the state, provided a platform for young minds to debate bills, create proposals, and argue significant issues that affect our state and country.

Nick Alvarez was named Media Delegate of the Year!
Miriam Johnson was awarded Exemplary Appellate Attorney, from over 200 delegates in the program area!
Camila Gomez and her Respondent team in Appellate Court won their court case!
Awishkar Sherstha, Lucia Moreno, and Shawn Park’s budget proposal passed and signed by the Youth Governor!
Phong Nguyen, Jamie Rigor, and Chiagozie Offokansi’s separate bills were passed by both chambers in the Forum program!
Con Con delegates Audrey Miller, Ellaina Kimura, Adrian Luna, and Alex Zakrzewski were able to collect over 100 signatures and create five proposals for the California Constitution!
Sol Jordan successfully argued our Delegation’s bill in committee and ran the Queer Caucus as the Chair for the last three years!
Andrew Charney, Sofia Gallardo, and William Park’s $5 million health proposal was accepted and funded by the California Investment Bank!

All delegates worked incredibly hard, forged new friendships, and came away proud of themselves and each other. Congratulations and a job well done, Y&G!

Also this week, 12th-grade students culminated in their Government/Economics class campaigns and elections unit in a debate between the remaining three presidential candidates. Students have been preparing their platforms, campaigns, and speeches for weeks to demonstrate democracy on our campus. Congratulations to Mano Rajesh for winning the Presidential Campaign and to TJ Kidd for Vice President!

SWE (Society of Women in Engineering) and CIM (Computer Integrated Manufacturing) classes went to AltaSea Ocean Institute in San Pedro. Students learned about various interesting projects including underwater robotics, sustainable surfboards, sustainable seafood, research with Fish and Wildlife, and kelp artists to name a few.

It was also great to see parents and families at the Parent Advisory Committee meeting this week as well as the Parent Advisory Group. We always enjoy time with our parents and families. All families are welcome to join any of those meetings.

We also hope students enjoyed the Spring Dance Friday night!

Week 25 Announcements & Reminders:

College Planning Info Nights: Our College and Career Counselor, Ms. Francisca Marquez, and our Academic Counselors, Ms. Carolyn Ruiz and Ms. Corinne Valle will be hosting grade-level specific College Planning Information Sessions. Come learn about graduation requirements, DVS pathways, college admission criteria, types of colleges and career options, financial aid/scholarships, and more! These meetings will be on the DVS campus. All DVS students and families are invited to attend! Schedule is:
- 9th Grade Tuesday, March 5th @ 5pm
- 10th Grade: Thursday, March 7th @5pm
- 11th Grade: Wednesday, March 13th @5pm

DVS Families Coffee Time: Our March DVS Families Coffee Time is Wednesday, March 6th from 4:15-5:15 in the DVS Galileo Room. All DVS parents/guardians, students, and staff are welcome to attend.
Student-Led Conferences: Spring 2024 Student-Led Conferences (SLCs) are coming up! They will take place from Monday-Thursday, March 18th-21st. More information about SLCs, including the schedule, will be released through grade-level teachers by the first week of March. Due to SLCs, students will be dismissed early at 2:25 pm every day that week.

Exhibition Night: Our Da Vinci Science Exhibition Night is Tuesday, March 26th from 5:30pm-8:00pm! Students of all grade-levels will be showcasing their projects and learnings from this year. All students are expected to attend this event and all families and community guests are welcome to attend!

Honors Certificates: Honors certificates will be passed out next week (there was a slight delay).
- Honor roll: 3.5-3.79 Semester 1 GPA
- High Honor roll: 3.8 and above Semester 1 GPA
After-School Study Skills: DVS Academic Coaches provide free academic support after school Monday-Thursday 4:00pm-4:30pm. There is now an Academic Coach dedicated to math support for all four days, including pre-calculus! Students can drop by the Robinson Room for academic support in any subject area, no appointment is needed. Please encourage students to make use of this valuable resource.
Parent Association Meetings: Parent Association meetings are on the 3rd Wednesday of every month at 6:15pm. All parents and guardians are included in the DVS Parents Association – there is nothing to formally join. All are welcome! Future meetings:
- Wednesday, 3/20 @ 6:15pm at DVS
- Wednesday, 4/17 @ 6:15pm at DVS
- Wednesday, 5/15 @ 6:15pm at location TBD

Week 25 Schedule:

Important Upcoming Dates:

Monday, 2/26: 12th Grade Fulcrum Field Trip
Monday, 3/4: 9th grade Physical Fitness Testing (PFT)
Tuesday, 3/5: 9th Grade College Planning Info Night @ 5pm
Wednesday, 3/6: DVS Families Coffee Time @ 4:15pm
Thursday, 3/7: Advanced Physics Knott’s Berry Farm High School Physics Day Field Trip
Thursday, 3/7: 10th Grade College Planning Info Night @ 5pm
Wednesday, 3/13: 11th Grade College Planning Info Night @ 5pm
Friday, 3/15: PD Day
Friday, 3/15-3/17: FRC LA Regionals @ Da Vinci Schools
Monday-Thursday, 3/18-3/21: Student Led Conferences
Tuesday, 3/26: DVS Exhibition Night 5:30-8:00 pm
DVS Graduation Day: June 6th, 9:00am