April, 2012
I am happy to report that Culver City High School has recently completed another step forward in advancing our infrastructure to support a 21st century model of education. At the beginning of March our technology department began installing a Wi-Fi system that will be accessible across the entire campus. They worked expeditiously to complete the installation, and we are now equipped for wireless devices and our connection speed has never been stronger.
We realize that we have a long way to go to provide an educational model that will serve the needs of this generation. Our students, aptly and affectionately referred to as digital natives, require a medium of instruction that accounts for their culture, one in which information is available and accessible instantly at the touch of a button. Chalkboards and textbooks are inadequate tools for this generation. We are committed to serving their needs. To this end we are working on new curriculum in which students will explore career fields that utilize technology: web design, digital media, and digital arts. We are training teachers to implement web based instructional modules, teach lessons that incorporate the readily available information on the internet, and to teach students to use internet and electronic resources competently and responsibly. We are exploring all avenues and resources that will enable us to equip teachers with the necessary tools to teach students in the new medium.
We are looking for partners in these endeavors. We need parents and community members with resources, expertise, community connections, and/or a willingness to put in time and effort on projects to partner with us. Please do not hesitate to contact my office, and let’s work together to develop a 21st century model of education at Culver City High School.
Dylan Farris
March, 2012
March is Arts Appreciation Month and it is certainly a good time for appreciating the arts, especially at Culver CIty High School. The Academy of Visual and Performing Arts department is showcasing student work this month. Theatre students have been hard at work preparing for the opening of Sweeney Todd. The production will run March 15th through March 18th in the Robert Frost Auditorium. Showtimes are 7pm with weekend matinees at 1pm. Our visual art students will have their work featured at an art exhibition, ENZYMATIC, on Monday, March 19th, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Walter Maciel Gallery. The exhibition is a collaboration between AVPA and the Museum of Contemporary Art. The featured student artwork was created during professional artist, Carolyn Castano's residency at AVPA. Our AVPA Young Filmamkers are premiering five student films at Sony Pictures Studios Carey Grant Theatre on Thursday, March 22nd, at 7:30 p.m. We appreciate all of the supporters of the Academy of Visual and Performing Arts at CCHS, and especially the support of Sony Pictures Studios, and Janice Pober.
More information about these events can be found at
www.avpa.org.
February, 2012
For those of who did not make it out to a girls’ basketball game this season, let me tell you, you missed a spectacular run. As you have all heard, our girls went undefeated in league and emerged as league Champs. They had decisive wins over their opponents in the first three rounds of play-offs. Last night our team played in the CIF semi-final game in Corona against Norco High School. As always they played strong and represented CCHS well. The outcome of the game was not determined until the final 5 seconds. Our girls played their hearts out until the end. While they will not be playing in the CIF Championship Game, we want our girls to know that they are our champions. I hope you will all join me in showing our team how proud we are. We are proud of our athletes!!!
Dylan Farris
December 12, 2011
The mighty Culver City Centaurs advanced to the CIF championship football game that was played in Arroyo Grande Friday night, December 9th. Our mighty Centaurs made us proud. They faced a formidable opponent in AG, and while we went in with very high hopes for the championship game, all of our players should know that we are not disappointed. We are proud. The hard work and tenacity of our players and coaches under the direction of Coach Wright was an example to all of us about what can be accomplished with dedication and drive. We went from the 3rd in League at the close of the regular season to playing in the Championship game. There is a lesson there for all of us.
The administrators, faculty, staff, students, and surrounding community are overjoyed and proud of the achievements of our team this year. The spirit at CCHS has been raised to new heights. The send off rally on Friday morning featured on KTLA news was an unprecedented showing of support. The entire school came out to rally behind our team; it was one of my proudest moments at the school. We took over 300 students to the game on busses and even more drove to Arroyo Grande to witness the event. Culver City was strongly represented 200 miles away from our home turf.
I know the entire school and community will join me now in making sure that they know how proud we are. Thank you for your hard work for the team and for your school.
Dylan Farris
November / December, 2011
As a staff, we are focused on engaging our students and building strong relationships. It is our goal that every student will graduate from high school and an increasing number of our students will attend a four-year college or university after high school. To this end we are working hard to provide an educational experience students will find interesting, challenging, and relevant. Teachers and staff are nurturing relationships with students in an effort to provide support and mentorship. We are cultivating relationships with students, parents, and the community to develop partnerships that will strengthen our network of support for students. Working together we will support, encourage, and motivate students to achieve inside and outside of the classroom.
CCHS has made a commitment to upgrade and increase teacher and student access to technology. Our students have grown up in the technological age. They are digital natives, and they require an education that presents information and instruction through the medium they have already mastered. We have plenty of work to do to update our classroom and instructional technology, and we are happy to announce a partnership with Compass Learning, an educational software company that provides engaging interactive instructional content for students. Culver City High School will be incorporating Odyssey, an online digital interface for curricular content, in 15 classes in the areas of Math, Science, Social Studies, and English. This is an exciting next step in virtual instruction as we present curriculum in a medium that will engage our tech-savvy students. The impacts of the new program will occur most immediately in our independent study program and at Culver Park Continuation High School, but every student at the high school level will have access to the content. We are entering the new era of technology based education, and we are excited at the prospects for Culver City High School students.
These developments present new challenges for us. In order to make the new instructional medium accessible to students we will need to upgrade and increase the number of computers on campus. Every student needs access to a computer, and our goal is to have a computer in the hands of every student. This is no easy task, and we are calling on all of our partners to make this possible. We need the support of parents, business, community partners, and philanthropists to make our vision a reality. Culver City High School students have proven themselves as serious and dedicated students. They truly deserve the best education and tools available. Please join us in making our vision a reality.
Go Centaurs!
Dylan Farris
October, 2011
Dear Teachers, Students, Staff, and Parents,
The following is a recap of our back to school Principal's address that teachers heard at the start of school. I welcome your feedback...
I have a vision of a school that aspires to high achievement. Every class should challenge students, in every subject area, at every level. Students should develop reading, writing, thinking problem solving, communication, and reasoning skills in all classes. If we can engage them, we can develop skills rapidly. We do not have a lot of time, so our moments with students are precious. For students lacking academic skills, I envision a program where students can, within a year’s time, prepare themselves for higher level courses through the general education curriculum. All students with the desire should be provided a pathway to higher level classes. We have a strong honors and AP program here. We pride ourselves on diversity. It is not only a vision of mine, but a personal and ethical matter to ensure that our honors and AP classes look exactly like the demographics of the campus at large.
We are increasingly recognized for high achievement – we earned the distinction of California Distinguished School last year and AP College Board District. We have made tremendous progress. Reaching our 800 API score was a victory of which we can all be proud. We have continued to improve, not just schoolwide, but for all of our student subgroups – historically underserved students, students with special needs, English learners, and disadvantaged students. I am overwhelmed and in awe of our school, teachers, and students for the work we’ve done in closing achievement gap. I have a vision of continued work and success in this area. My vision is not just for a schoolwide score of 800 – my vision is 800 for all. 800 for every group. 800 for all. We can close the achievement gap.
I have a vision of a school that sends kids to college – where the question is not whether you will go to college, but which college you will go to. CCHS should be a place where students have a chance to overcome bad years, bad situations, and bad experiences, and get on a college track. More of our students should leave Culver City High School and enroll in four year colleges and universities. We are fully equipped to prepare students for college and help them plan for how to make it happen, but it requires a concerted effort. While every student will not choose to go to college, every student should have the opportunity to move in that direction if they so choose. We can do better than 39%. We can send more kids to college.
I have a vision of a school where struggling students do not slip through cracks. Where teachers, parents, counselors, and administrators band together to support and redirect students who lack the skills, the inspiration, or the motivation to excel in school. CCHS should be a place where teachers call each other to discuss ways to help specific students, and are happy to meet to figure ways to support them. Our general education teachers, special education teachers, and case carriers work closely to find the right fit, the right placement, and the right level of rigor for every student, and this work can be expanded. No student should have a year wasted by sitting in a class that does not challenge them to raise their skill level.
Every student should graduate from Culver City High School with a plan for their future. I have a vision in which core subject areas, Honors and AP classes, the Arts, Athletics, and Career Technical Education classes share the same esteem and work together to build a comprehensive program for students. I have a vision where the lines are blurred between program areas. I envision our Math and Science departments working together with our career technical education courses and industry professionals to introduce students to careers in engineering and science, from automotive technology to robotics, medicine, video game design, or environmental science and engineering. I envision our English and Social Studies departments working together as the liberal arts department with ROP to develop programs to introduce students to careers in journalism, media, law, public service, and communications. I envision an arts department that works with the Academy of Visual and Performing Arts and the Regional Occupational Program to develop an arts integrated pathway that introduces students to careers in media and all aspects of technical communications, broadcasting, technical theatre, sound recording and engineering, graphic design, advertising, and digital media. For those who choose not to attend university, we should ensure that they have a plan for further personal and career development, with a strong understanding for how to accomplish their goals.
Culver City High School must advance in the area of technology. Students and teachers need access to modern resources to enhance teaching and learning and prepare students to use the tools of modern and future jobs. We need ample computers, equipment, software and training, and online resources to serve every classroom and every student. I have a vision of a school where teachers embrace new technologies and mediums of information and incorporate them into their instruction, where students develop their communication skills through blogs, imovies, webcasts, podcasts, videocasts, and whatever other casts develop in the future. I would like to see students skyping with their peers around the world. I hope to get enough training for teachers for them to actually know more about technology than their students, instead of the other way around. We need a state of the arts facility for every department. I have a vision in which our entire staff acts as an army of grant writers to secure the support staff we need, technology for every student, guest instructors, and facility upgrades.
I have a vision of a school where teachers love to work, where teachers wake up each morning excited about the lesson for the day. When teachers enjoy working with each other, and spend time in each other’s classrooms, planning together, teaching together, and strategizing together, their practice will likely improve. CCHS should be a place where you have friendships; friendships with one another, and meaningful relationships with students. Teachers should develop long lasting relationships with their students and look forward to spending time with students beyond the class period or school day. Teachers should be mentors, advisors, cheerleaders, and simply friends with common interests. I envision a school where teachers love their school and come to school events simply for the enjoyment of it: a sporting event, a dance, a music or theatre production, an art display, a film festival, a debate competition, an awards night. I hope our teachers love teaching, enjoy the art of teaching, and strive to build up teaching chops, the way an athlete strives to improve performance.
I have a vision for a school that students love, a school that students wake up excited to come to. Where they put on their Culver blues every day and can’t wait to come to class. Where students enjoy learning and value achieving. Where students like their teachers, and respect their efforts.
In many ways we are not far from these goals. I hope everyone will join me in cultivating this vision and making it a reality. We need your help. We need teachers, staff, students, parents, and community partnerships to make Culver City High School the best that it can be.
Go Centaurs!
Dylan Farris,
Principal
