SANTA MONICA HIGH SCHOOL PTSA
ASSOCIATION MEETING JUNE 13, 2006
SAMOHI CAFETERIA
New President of PTSA, Judith Meister, made her opening speech.
Announcements: Sign up sheets are out to help out with registration in August.
Screening of Inconvenient Truth - free screening announcement. Tickets are available to all.
Honorary Service Awards: Jeanine Brownstone offers the awards to the angels among us:
First award: Tammi Montanari. Her efforts after Eddie was killed were acknowledged. She gets a certificate and flowers and a pin.
Second award: Randi Hutchinson brought her talents to Samohi from bulk mailing to embracing diversity. She gets a certificate, flowers, and a pin.
Third award: Maria Rodriguez: Community liason; past involvement with JAMS; this years president of PTSA, and translator. She is respectful of people of all views and backgrounds. She represents the best of what lies in all of us. She gets a certificate; flowers, and a gift.
Maria presents the next award: This award is presented to Cheri Orgel who goes above and beyond commitment, dedication, and the ability to bring people together. The Golden Oak award. Her vast work for the community and education and described. She made a speech and acknowledged the community.
Cheri Orgel presents the next award: Jeanine Brownstone is honored as the "detail" person.
Cheri Orgel presents the last award: All leaders of parent groups want to honor Ilene Straus for her work at Samohi. Louise Jaffee recognized Ilene's contributions from streamlining registration to breaking the school into houses always with her eye on how we can improve the school for the students; spoke; Cheri Orgel spoke and acknowledged Ilene's work and her ability to obtain the best effort from people. The community should be grateful to her. Maria Rodriguez acknowledges the difficulty of being in a leadership position and her ability to open her doors for the community to grieve and that the school came together under Ilene's leadership and caring; Karen Dickerson spoke briefly and talked about her perspective and their differences; Barry Snell spoke briefly about Ilene's growth and thanked her for her contribution to Samohi.
Ilene Strauss spoke: From struggle comes growth. We've done a lot of good work and there's a lot more to do. She's proud of the work that she and the school community have done here. It's an emotional change but from the end comes a beginning.
SAMOHI ALUMNAE- Came to talk about College:
What they know now that they didn't know before:
Weather matters
Weather doesn't matter
Scholarship money is available if you want to go
Don't stress out so much about applications
Wish she'd taken Aps more seriously because it would have helped
Money is available if you want to go
Wishes she knew about the meal plan. . .
Wishes she knew more about clubs
Wishes she knew not to bring so much stuff
Wishes he knew the value of going away from home - far away.
Wishes he looked at the course catalogues before he accepted.
Things they do:
The radio show
studio dance group
ballroom dance team and rally
sings
soccer
pipeline program (community tutoring program)
Freshman interest group teacher
sings
big brothers and big sisters for mentoring
boxing
intramural sports
works at hospital
radio show
watches frisbee team play
Applied to how many schools:
11 colleges all about the same size (he's at beloit)
1 (early admission) Wanted a big school
applied to all cal states b/c got a fee waiver
11 small liberal arts colleges
6 large universities
1 school (recruited for soccer)
10 schools all small liberal arts school
all Ucs and other big schools and some smaller schools
Early admission so just 1
8 or 9 small liberal arts colleges
14 schools all over the place
Meeting adjourned.