Celebrating Excellence in Education

Staff members from HHS , togther with the children of Mrs. Hester, joined HUSD administrators and board members in honoring our principal, Jacki Hester at the California League of High Schools in San Diego tonight. Mrs. Hester was nominated as an Educator of the Year by HUSD Superintendent Jon LeDoux in recognition of her vision and leadership at Holtville High School over the past 6 years.

The event, held at the Admiral Kidd hall in Point Loma, provided all present with the opportunity to share in the accolades for Mrs. Hester and her fellow nominees as the 10 outstanding educators from the CLHS Region 9 (San Diego and Imperial County) were able to share their experiences with the audiance.

Contratulations again to Mrs. Hester!

(Pictured are Mrs. Hester with HUSD Superintendent Jon LeDoux and Asst. Superintendent Celso Ruiz)

Changes in the schedule...

Quick Update here:

This week's Family Movie Night has been cancelled.

It had been rescheduled from Dec. 10th to this Thursday, Dec. 17 due to a request from the Board of Trustees. They wanted us to avoid a conflict with a special Board Meeting.

Unfortunately, this date change created another conflict, this time with the City of Holtville's Christmas in the Park. So, in an effort to support our community and its scheduled events, HHS is cancelling our plans and is encouraging everyone to turn out in Holt Park this Thursday evening for all the fun!

In addition to the food and booths, there will be performances by the HHS Chorus and a visit by SANTA!

We hope you will all turn out and celebrate this magical season with our wonderful town!

Vaccination Reminder

Don't forget to turn out on Wednesday, December 9th after school for the H1N1 vaccination clinic for students of Holtville and Sam Webb High School.

Students will be given a chance to receive the vaccine between the hours of 3:30 and 6:00. Parents must accompany their students in order for the student to receive the vaccine.

The List! A new way to stay informed...

Parents – Students – Community Members – District Staff

Be informed - Get on The List!

· Would you like to be informed about what is happening in our school district?

· Would you like a regular update of activities planned at each school?

If you said yes, then you need to be on The List! The List is our District’s new community e-mail list, which will allow us to send you updates about our schools and the District. If you sign up for The List, you will receive our e-newsletter, “The District Communicator” on a regular basis.

Signing up for The List is easy. Simply send an e-mail to:

thelist@holtville.k12.ca.us

In the subject line, simply put “add to The List” and we will add you. In the body of the e-mail, please note your preferred e-mail address you would like us to use.

We will not share your e-mail address with anyone.

Also – don’t forget to check out our District superintendent’s blog at:

www.askthesuperintendent.com

On Mr. LeDoux’s blog you can find District news, comments, answers to your questions and a high school sports calendar.

At Holtville Schools we are determined to keep you informed and involved as we work to make our schools the best!

H1N1: Part 2

It's the High School Students' turn to receive their H1N1 vaccine!

Next week, on Wednesday, December 9 from 3:30 to 6:00 pm, HHS will be working with ECRMC and the IC Health Dept to provide vaccine injections for the H1N1 virus for students of Holtville High and Sam Webb High School.

Students must be accompanied by parents.

Thanks!

While we have all been able to enjoy a week of rest and celebration, it is important that we take a little time to express our thanks and respect for the men and women of our custodial and maintenance departments.  These hard working men and women have spent their week cleaning and repairing HHS.  Please take time to let them know how much you appreciate their efforts on our behalf.

A Green and Gold Evening!

Gratitude and congratulations are in order for the HHS Green & Gold committee after a spectacular evening at the Swiss Club. Last night's Hall of Fame Induction featured great stories and salutes to Viking champions from the past. Mr. Marv Wood and Mrs. Arleta Aguirre are to be commended for all their hard work in organizing this terrific event!

Thanksgiving Break.

Be Advised, next week the streets will once more be prowled by Holtville Students ages 6 - 18. HUSD will be out of school all week to celebrate Thanksgiving. School will start up again on November 30.

A reader asked...

Wow... Seems I forgot something important with all that's been going on. Sorry about that Viking Fans... So, in response to a posted question...

On Friday, October 30th, HHS welcomed the Redhawks of Mt. Empire High to Birger Field for our 2009 Homecoming Football Game. Amid the revelry of the evening, the Viking boys played a hardfought game against the Redhawks, but a last minute scoring drive by the Redhawks stole the Viking's thunder. All in all, it was a great evening, but just didn't turn out the way the boys had hoped.

Sorry for neglecting that bit of information previously.

A Rough Friday Night!

Well it was a disappointing Friday night for the boys and girls of Holtville High School.

In Volleyball action, the girls went down in three games to Santa Fe Christian in CIF Round 2 action. The games were tight, with lots of action and the girls stayed close but couldn't pull it out.

On the Football field in Calipatria, the boys lost a heartbreaker to the Hornets, and the Axe changed hands... finding a home on the North end of the valley for the next year. The 22-20 loss saw lots of great action and amazing gameplay by our Vikes, with standout playing by Ethan M, Steven P. , and Benji A.

CIF Victory!!!

Congratulations to the Lady Vikes... our volleyball superstars!

Tonight they knocked out the Mater Dei squad in round one of CIF action. The three game sweep was picture perfect as the girls demonstrated poise and teamwork in their dominating performance!

Friday night the ladies will be heading over the hill to Santa Fe Christian... Game time at 5:00PM.

HHS has gone to the birds!

HHS was "phlocked" this morning. A "phlock"of pink "phlamingos" arrived in front of the gym, courtesy of the HHS Physics Club. Our physics club is going to be "phundraising" using the "phlashily phestooned pheux pheathery phriends." If you are interested in "phlocking" a "phriends" home or business, please call the "phlamingo" hotline @ 760-791-9409 after 6:00 pm.

Heading For the Playoffs!

The Holtville Viking Volleyball team is heading into the first round of the CIF playoffs.

The Vikings will be hosting the ladies of Mater Dei High School this Tuesday, November 10th at 7:00PM in the Kirchenbauer Sports Complex.

Lets all turn out to cheer on our Ladies as they start their CIF journey!

Our Outstanding Principal!

Mrs. Hester has been selected as a Finalist for Educator of the Year by the California League of High Schools! Her selection is in recognition of the tremendous progress Holtville High School has enjoyed under her leadership.

Staff and students alike were busy congratulating her today and wait with anticipation for final notice in December that she is the Educator of the Year!

If you see her around town, let her know how proud you are to have her as our Principal!

Homecoming Notes

Congratulations to Fernanda and David... This lovely twosome was crowned the Queen and King of Holtville High Homecoming on Friday night!

Following their coronation, their royal highnesses made their way to the gymansium to join their friends for the Homecoming Dance... great music and great memories for one and all!

Click here for more pictures.

A few pics from our Homecoming Parade!

VOLLEYBALL ROCKS!!!!

It's a day of celebration at HHS! Last night our Varsity Volleyball ladies knocked off the proverbial "Big Dog" of Imperial Valley volleyball in a 3-1 victory over the Brawley Wildcats!

Never ones to shrink from a fight, the Vikings ladies showed poise and resolve, hammering point after point off against a Wildcat time that had not lost a single game, much less match, all year. Great defense and consistent serving paved the way, but it was their focus and ability to place their hits where the spaces were that won the night!

Defeating this Division 3 powerhouse opens some interesting playoff possiblities for the Viking girls as they approach the last two regular games of the season against SHS and Calexico.

Homecoming Parade Route

The 2009 edition of the Holtville Viking Homecoming Parade will take place this Friday, Oct. 30th at 1:30 PM.

Class floats are under construction and the band is practicing hard to get ready for this annual journey across town.

The route will take our students East on 8th Street this year (instead of 9th as in the past) to HMS. Then South along Beale, and West along 7th before turning South on Chestnut and finally West on 6th Street and back to HHS.

We hope to see lots of alumni and supporters along the way, so step out and say HI!

Lots of Fun for Homecoming!

Well everyone seems to be trying to have a much fun as possible this week with the Homecoming Dress Up Days. The mass of humanity parading through HHS in Pajamas and 80's Hair, as well as the sudden profusion of twins and triplets on campus has brightened the days and brought lots of smiles (although some of the staff were admittedly a little chagrined as they looked back on the styles they wore regularly in the 80's).

Still to come, tomorrow's Cowboy Day and Friday's Spirit and Costume day as well as our school parade!

IMPORTANT DATE CHANGE!!!

The "Battle for the Axe" football game against Calipatria has been rescheduled.

Yesterday we received a phone call from Calipatria High School requesting that the date for our match-up be moved back to its originally scheduled date of FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13.

The earlier change to the 12th had been set-up at the Hornets request to avoid conflicting with some other game on the 13th between some high school in Brawley and some high school in El Centro, however, it seems that their supporters felt that the other game wasn't all that important anyhow, so we were asked to support moving the game back to the 13th.

So... we will be battling the Hornets on Friday, November 13 for the pride of our city and the ownership of the Battle Axe. If you haven't checked out the pictures of the Axe yet, you can access them at www.holtvillevikings.org - just follow the link on the front page.

And don't forget this Friday's all important Homecoming Game against Mt. Empire High School. We will be saluting our Football, Cheer and Band Seniors before the game and crowning our royalty at half-time.

See Ya There!

Don't let the score fool you!

The HHS Vikings suffered a setback Friday night in their loss to the La Jolla Country Day Torreys here at Birger Field.
The final score of 28-14 might appear to be a run-away victory for LJCD, but those of us at the game can tell you that it was anything but! The Vikings and Torreys were scoreless at the end of the 1st quarter and the Vikes only trailec by 6 going in to the half-time. The two touchdowns that finally put the game away for the Torreys came late in the game, as the result of two plays, one a tipped (almost intercepted) pass that was pulled down in the End Zone and one as the result of a huge run by La Jolla's premier running back.
Outside of two carries for LJCD, the Defense of HHS was rock solid all night. Our containment guys shut down almost everything that came around the end, and our middle was immovable.
Benji Angulo, Ethan Ming and Sammy Nelson all had standout moments on the offensive side, and overall it was an outstanding game. Don't let the score fool you, HHS played terrific football Friday night!

HOMECOMING IS COMING!!!!

Homecoming Royalty has been named...

The King Candidates - DAVID - JONATHAN - STEVEN

The Queen Candidates - DEMI - FERNANDA - SAMANTHA



The HHS ASB has a terrific week of activities planned to celebrate our 2009 Homecoming next week! Here's a peek at the week ahead!

Monday: Pajama Day
Here's the one day all year that No One should be tardy... roll out of bed and into class in your favorite Jammies! Dont forget your slippers and robes... no makeup or hairspray required! :)

Tuesday: TWIN DAY
At last, a day to look at yourself all you want and not get teased for it... Find a friend and dress-alike. Twins (or triplets or more) just mean more fun! Wow, just think, two Pechtl's... what a great image!

Wednesday: 80's Day
While all of us who survived the 80's are still trying to track down and destroy those pictures of our hair and clothes, you have the chance to show us how ___________ we really looked!!!

Thursday: COWBOY DAY
Boots, hats, spurs and chaps... and thats just the beginning... How about a little "Boot Scootin' Boogie" at lunch?

Friday: GREEN and GOLD EXTREME (or Halloween if you prefer)
Show your spirit and your pride, or be a prideful spirit... dressing up is all the rage!!


ALSO Friday: The HHS Band of Pride, along with student floats from the Frosh, Sophomore, Junior and Senior classes will parade through town from HHS to HMS and Finley! Check them out as they roll by!

And Finally: FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL VS Mt. Empire followed by the Homecoming dance in the Gymnasium! Hope you can join us!

Community Night Tonight

Holtville High School's 1st Community Night of the 2009-2010 school year will be held tonight, Tuesday, 10/20 in the HHS Quad. Fun begins at 6:00 with performances by the Band and Chorus... We hope you can make it.

Rough trip to Carlsbad

Our Viking Boys had a rough time this weekend in Carlsbad, falling to to Army-Navy 35-8. The lone TD of the game for the Vikings came as a result of a 45 yard pass from Sammy Nelson to Robert Gibbs, capped by the two-point conversion from Ethan Ming. The Vikings will bring their 1-5 (1-2 in league) record back home this week as we host La Jolla Country Day on Friday at 7:00.

Army Navy this Weekend!

REMEMBER...

HHS VIKINGS vs ARMY NAVY ACADEMY in Carlsbad

SATURDAY, 10/17/09

1:00 pm Kick-off

"Hope you can make it!"

Heartbreaker at CUHS

Well the ladies of Holtville suffered a heartbreaking loss on the the volleyball court of Central Union High School.

While the evening started big with a win for the frosh squad, it took a dark turn following the defeat of our JV girls in a three game thriller. After dropping game one to CUHS, the JV rallied to come back and win game 2. In the third game, the girls gave it their all, only to come up 2 points short in the 15-13 loss.

Things for the Varsity also started rough, but showed promise when the girls wound up winning two of the first three games, including a 25 - 6 blowout in game three. Sadly, it was not to be, as CUHS rallied back to take games 4 & 5, and the win.

The girls will now spend a few days resting and working out, with a BYE next Tuesday, before heading over the sand to battle the Palo Verde Yellowjackets next Thursday.

Good Luck Ladies!

Volleyball and Cross Country with Wins!

Wow... what a great couple days for the Athletes of Holtville High School!

On Monday our Tennis Team took their talents to the Dickerson Courts of Central Union High School and came back with terrific victory over the Spartans.

Then tonight (Tuesday) our Volleyball girls took their chances at the Dogpound as they faced off with Calexico High School. All three of our teams came home with the win, including a Varsity sweep in Three!

Congratulations LADIES of HOLTVILLE HIGH!!!

Now its time to focus on Thursday's big rematch with Central's Girls on the Volleyball court. In their last encounter our Lady Vikes fought out a five game victory, so expect the Spartans to be out for revenge! Make sure you turn out and support our girls in this "Game of the Week"!

Good Luck Ladies!

Ahhh... the sweet smell of roses!

Todays highlight for many students was the delivery of roses by members of the ASB. This event was organized by the ASB to provide a fun way for students to invite their dates to Homecoming.

For the past week, students have been able to buy Homecoming grams during lunch and arrange to send them to that special someone whom they are asking to the Homecoming Dance. Today the grams and their accompanying roses were delivered around campus.

Looks like a fun evening ahead!

Upcoming This Week - 10/12 - 10/17

Well there are lots of opportunities to break out your Green and Gold this week if you are willing to travel a little to do it... Our students are gonna be on road, representing HHS around the region and they would love to have you there.

• Our Cross County team will be facing off with Brawley HS on Wed afternoon.


• Our Girls Tennis team has a match against traditional powerhouse Vincent Memorial on Wednesday as well.


• Volleyball travels to Calexico on Tuesday night with Varsity serving off at 6:00 pm before heading to a HUGE rematch against the Spartans at CUHS on Thursday! (If you missed the last match between these two squads, you missed out! This is sure to be exciting!)


• Our JV Volleyball team will see action on Saturday in the BUHS JV Tournament.


• And finally, this Saturday will feature our JV and Varsity Football teams enjoying the ocean breezes in Carlsbad as they travel to take on Army-Navy Academy. Hope you can join us there!

Welcome...

Hi there, pull up a spot and take a seat here, UNDER THE TREE...

I'm Darrell Pechtl, the Assistant Principal of Holtville High School, here in Holtville, California.

As you can see by the picture, we are rather proud of our tree. For over 50 years now students of Holtville have found a place under our amazing Empire Fig tree to gather. The way I figure it, this tree has witnessed a whole lot of history for our small town, and has figured in the lives of thousands of students, so it seems appropriate to try to create that sense of unity and pride in this online version of those countless conversations that have taken place "under the tree."

Here you will find information and updates about our school, its teams and clubs, and issues that matter here at HHS. I hope you will find this blog interesting and useful. Please feel free to let me know what you think, and to tell me things you think should be shared.

So...Welcome! I look forward to sharing with you... "Under The Tree".