Welcome to Gabrielino High School!

 

At the beginning of every school year I read the story of the prairie chicken at every class meeting. In the story, a Gabrielino Indian brave finds an eagle’s egg and puts it in the nest of a prairie chicken. When the egg hatches, the eaglet grows up with a brood of prairie chicks and does not question why he is different until he sees an eagle soaring above. When he asks about the beautiful soaring bird he is told it is an eagle, but that he could never be like the eagle. The eaglet accepts this explanation and never learns to fly, or become the eagle he is meant to be.

 

The telling of the prairie chicken story is a Gabrielino tradition and a reminder to students that they should not let others determine who they are or the paths they will travel. I encourage them to share their ideas, demonstrate their thinking, model a Gab attitude by helping others in and outside the classroom and to grow from their experiences.

 

 

These accomplishments highlight the importance of our focus on the school’s mission of “a commitment to constant and never-ending improvement.”

 

During the 2019-2020 school year GHS will continue its focus on three specific areas to improve the achievement of our English Language Learners and special needs students. To achieve this, we will focus on three actions- implementation of the new bell schedule that includes embedded time within the school day to provide students intervention and time for study and review, co-teaching will expand into social studies classes to provide more inclusion of students with special needs in core curriculum classes, and continued integration of English Learners into college preparatory courses while providing additional language support.

 

We will also continue our focus on college and career readiness by investigating ways to promote the Bi-Literacy Seal and expanding the CTE program. Over the summer the administration has been working closely with Rio Hondo Community College to identify additional afterschool dual enrollment opportunities. Each of these initiatives illustrates our school theme for 2019-2020, “Branching Out”.  As we enter the school’s 26th year, it is time to “branch out” and try new approaches to ensure that our students are prepared to succeed in the 21st century global economy.

 

I am looking forward to working with our community to make our goals a reality! I am honored to have the opportunity to work with exceptional GHS staff, students, and parents. Together we will continue the tradition of excellence that has made Gabrielino such a unique and original place.

 

Best wishes for a successful school year and Go Eagles!

 

Sharron Heinrich

Principal