FUHS earns Distinguished School Award
By Alicia Bennett, News Editor
The California Department of Education announced Feb. 29 that Fullerton Union High School is one of 293 middle and high schools to earn the Distinguished School Award this year.
Schools can win this award in two ways. The first path is through exemplary student English Language Arts and math scores combined with low suspensions and high graduation rates. The second path to earning the award is by closing the achievement gap, meaning that schools with at least 40 percent of students who come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds accelerate in academic growth along with overall good ELA and math scores.
While the school wasn’t told which path allowed Fullerton to earn its award, principal Laura Rubio believes that the school might have been able to fulfill the qualifications for both categories.
“I do know that a lot of our test scores have been consistently going up these last four years,” Rubio said. “The other piece is our school is also a Title I school, which means that over 55 percent of our students get free and reduced lunch, and those students are also doing really well on our campus.”
Rubio said she appreciates all of the hard work that staff has put in to achieve this award.
“Our staff cares about our school community. So, I think that’s one of the biggest drivers for our Distinguished School Award,” Rubio said. “One of the biggest things that the students do say is the support that their teachers have or give them, and if the students feel supported, then it shows when it comes to tests.”
Schools used to have to complete an extensive application to be eligible for this award. However, starting from the 2021-2022 school year, that was no longer required. Instead, state officials use the California School Dashboard to find the information they need.
The Dashboard uses a color system to rank a school’s performance in a specific area. It uses five different colors from red to blue. Fullerton’s ELA and math rankings are both in the green, the second highest behind blue, while suspension rates are in the yellow, the third color.
Rubio sees the award as a recognition for what the school has been able to achieve.
“It just gives you that extra piece of motivation and validation and that you’re justified in all of the hard work that you’ve been putting into your work, and that goes for students, teachers, admin and myself as principal,” Rubio said.
School officials will accept the award on May 3 at Disneyland Hotel Anaheim.
A Special Happy Birthday
Fun Friday Challenge
Bridges Art Show
Wacky Weather
(Photo by Jonathan Piña-Villanueva)
Culinary
By Dante Diaz
3D printed food may seem sci-fi, but for Macy Alcott and the rest of the culinary management team, it’s a reality that won them 2nd place at a culinary competition featuring schools from all over California on Feb. 21 and 22. Their restaurant, named Craze, featured popular, trendy dishes like sushi burgers ordered with tablets and delivered by conveyor belt.
(Photos courtesy of Kiley Craft)
Alcott, along with Seniors Aidan Ricassa, Daylen Frickert, and Junior Anthony Palmisano pitched their restaurant in a Shark Tank-style proposal through presentations and written proposals designed to focus on the business side of the culinary world.
“We have to come up with a unique concept and go through every step,” Alcott said. “We do staffing, we create a whole menu with 12 items, we have to do a full floor plan, we do social media tactics and different marketing tactics.”
The star of Craze’s menu was a burger made with 3D-printed meat. 3D-printed food works by layering plant or meat cells in a pattern to mimic the fat and fiber of real meat. Although the technology is relatively new, the culinary team included it in their restaurant to enhance the tech-focused theme.
But even as high-tech and advanced this idea seems, it’s more of a gimmick than reality. “We go through a lot of meat. Millions of animals have to die every day to feed the nation. In just the U. S., we go through so many animals, I don’t think it’s feasible as a full-on thing,” said Alcott, a top ag student.
The rest of the competition focused on individual cooking. Palmisano, Frickert and senior Robby Gaxiola got their hands dirty decorating baked potatoes and hotdogs. With only 10 minutes total, Gaxiola had to use pre-made ingredients and created a salsa verde enchilada potato. Gaxiola decorated the potato in salsa verde, cooked chicken, queso fresco, and sour cream.
