Emilio Urioste, Jr
Principal

Welcome to the John Burroughs High School 2001-02 Web Site. We are very excited about the coming year and look forward to getting to know our new families and students and welcoming back our returning students.

We have several changes, which have taken place this summer. A number of new teachers have been hired in the areas of English, Math and Foreign Language. We are thrilled to have hired such bright and talented people. The new ASB advisor is Ms. Jan Hacker. Jan will bring energy and leadership from her experience with the Business Academy.

Several administrative changes were made as well. Joining us as Assistant Principal of Instruction and Curriculum is Mr. Mike Bertram. Mike is an experienced administrator who hails from La Canada. As the Assistant Principal of Discipline we have Mr. Gary Swanson. Gary is coming to us from Santa Clarita where he taught for several years and served on special assignment. Mrs. Sharon Cuseo remains as the Assistant Principal of Guidance and Mr. Jay Gudzin will continue to serve as the Assistant Principal of Athletics and Activities.

Every school, whether it is public or private, must go through the WASC accreditation process. WASC stands for the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Without WASC accreditation, our courses would not be transferable to colleges and universities. It is the school’s responsibility to provide the WASC visiting team with a self-study report that tells them what we have been doing for the last six years and how far we have improved on our action plans. As we prepare for our next accreditation in March 2002, we will continue to focus on the following goals for students and staff:

Expected Schoolwide Learning Results (ESLR’s)

• Students will build upon knowledge and comprehension, developing the higher order thinking skills of application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.
• Students will use a variety of media to access, organize, evaluate and communicate information.
• Students will participate in creating an individualized road map for high school and beyond.
• Students will be contributing members of a community.
• Students will show creativity, originality, resourcefulness, and ingenuity in their work.

These goals can be attained only through the concerted effort of the entire Burroughs family, which includes students, parents, school staff, and the community at large. We will continue to increase communication between parents and staff. Please join our team as we work together to prepare our students for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st Century.

Finally, we enter the digital age. John Burroughs will be in its initial year of the digital high school grant. It is our vision that as a result of this grant our students will be challenged to use technology to produce beautiful, thoughtful, creative projects. Ultimately, having students draw links with the world of careers will cause them to comprehend what their education is all about.

Sincerely,

Emilio Urioste, Jr.
Principal