National chemistry champion Timothy Man Hay Lee, a senor at Arcadia High School, has qualified to compete for one of four spots on the U.S. team bound for the 44th annual International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO).
For the first time since 1992, the U.S. will host the Olympiad on July 21-30, at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Hay is one of only 20 students nation-wide invited to a two-week intensive study camp at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado. Timothy attended the study camp in 2010 and 2011; this fall, he will attend Stanford University, pursuing a degree in one of the sciences.

“Timothy Lee is one of the brightest chemistry students I had in my teaching career. He loves chemistry, likes working as part of a team, and enjoys the thrill of competition,” said Cherryl Mynster, his AP Chemistry teacher and Science Bowl coach. “This is the 9th time since 2003 that Arcadia High School has a student qualifying for the study camp and it has been seven years since Arcadia High School had a student represent the U.S. in the International Chemistry Olympiad. I’m excited about Timothy’s chances of being part of the U.S. Chemistry Olympiad Team!”

“The students who compete in the IChO are the brightest minds in chemistry,” said ACS president Bassam Shakhashiri. “These young people are the ones who will make the discoveries that shape our future by curing disease, addressing climate change, feeding our rapidly expanding population and much more.”

The competition, to be part of the international event, is fierce, beginning with a three-part exam taken by 12,000 high school students in the U.S. Timothy’s performance on this exam resulted in the opportunity to take the National Chemistry Olympiad test. Out of more than 1,000 of the nation’s brightest chemistry students who took the national test, he advanced to the top 20 and next he will be heading to the study camp being held June 5-20.

During the camp, Timothy will receive college-level training, with an emphasis on organic chemistry, through a series of lectures, problem-solving exercises, lab work, and testing. At the camp’s conclusion, four students will be chosen to represent the U.S. at the International Chemistry Olympiad where they will compete with their peers from more than 70 nations for gold, silver and bronze medals.

The American Chemical Society (ACS),  a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress and the  world’s largest scientific society with more than 164,000 members, is the the official organizer, and The Dow Chemical Company is the official sponsor of the overall international event.

“At Dow, with more than 100 years of investment in STEM education programs, we know that innovation begins not only in the classroom but also in personal imagination,” said Bo Miller, Global Director for Corporate Citizenship for The Dow Chemical Company and President and Executive Director of The Dow Chemical Company Foundation. “We are excited to use the 44th International Chemistry Olympiad as an opportunity to engage and inspire bright young scientists from across the globe to pursue careers in chemistry as a means of creating solutions to challenges that affect our planet, our communities and improve the human condition.”

The Arcadia Unified School District Board of Education has recruited a high school principal from Los Alamitos in Orange County to be the new principal at Arcadia High School.

Dr. Brent Forsee

Dr. Brent Forsee will replace current AHS principal Dr. David Vannasdall, who was recently appointed to the District’s Deputy Superintendent position, replacing Dr. Robert Leri, who took the superintendent position in Tahoe Truckee. Vannasdall has being serving in dual capacity while awaiting the appointment of the new principal.

Dr. Forsee, who graduated from Pasadena High School and lives in Monrovia with his wife and 14-month-old daughter, is also currently the Director of Assessment in Los Alamitos. He previously was an assistant principal for Glendale Unified School District and a special education teacher for San Diego Unified School District. He earned degrees in History and Special Education as well as School Administration from Point Loma Nazarene University. He earned his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern California.

The Arcadia High School Theatre Department has broken another all-time record  – this time taking Second Place in the overall sweepstakes award at the Shakespeare Festival in Reseda April 21.

L-r: Costume Design Third Place trophy winners Roxaanne DeMent, Moranda Columbo, Kayla Zook, Rayna White Snow, and director Steven Volpe with Sweepstakes Award

More than 2,000 students from 60 schools competed in eight categories, according to Bill Garrett, President of the Drama Teachers Association of California.

AHS made the Finals in six categories and the Semi-Finals in the other two categories, said Arcadia High School Theatre Department director Steven Volpe.
“I am very proud of all of our theatre students who worked so hard for the last two months preparing for the Shakespeare Festival<” Vople said. “We have never had every single category make it to the Semi-Finals in the DTASC Shakespeare Festival in the history of our school.”

All of these performances will be performed in the round at the Arcadia High School Little Theatre at 7 p.m. Friday, May 4. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased online at www.arcadiastage.com. The performance is likely to sell out but any unsold seat tickets will be available for purchase at the theatre on the night of the performance.

Here is a summary of the categories and the awards:

Shakespeare Festival Categories

1. Technical Category Set Lights and Graphics – First Place and Costume Design – Third Place
2. Audition Monologue – Honorable Mention
3. Small Group Comedy – Second Place
4. Small Group Drama – Semi Final
5. Shakespeare’s Kings – Second place
6. Parody – Fifth place
7. Large Group Drama – Semi Final
8. Large Group Comedy – Honorable Mention

Students credits in each category:

Technical Category – Set Lights and Graphics – First Place

• Shana Mofarrah
• Karly Kostelac
• Nicola Coralic
• Jessica Pineda
• Andrew Platt

Technical Category – Costume Design – Third Place

• Roxanne De Ment
• Moranda Colombo
• Kayla Zook
• Rayna White Snow

Audition Monologues

• Jasmine Falatoonzadeh – Honorable Mention
• Nicki Richcreek

Small Group Comedy “Twelfth Night” – Second Place

• Ariana Raygoza
• Sommer Zetter
• David Liu
• Skylar Mushisky

Small Group Drama – Semi Final

• Luke Karsana
• Amanda Salinas
• Cassie Nickles
• Jessica Bohon

Shakespeare Kings “Richard III” – Second place

• Shirish Sarkar
• Janessa Floyd

Parody: “Macbeth” – Fifth Place

• Alex Garcia
• Kristina Price
• Gabriela Munoz-Case
• Hanna Tannous
• Paul Nestor
• Liam Swan
• Keith Harmel
• Anthony Nappier

Large Group Drama: Hamlet – Semi Final

• Gabriel Rousset
• Gwen Vahey
• Dana Jones
• Patrick Harbicht
• Ryan Campbell
• Gordon Chang

Large Group Comedy “Twelfth Night” – Honorable Mention

• Shelby Dreves
• Chloe Conrad
• Nick Munoz
• Craig Capps
• Stephanie Chung-Lara
• Tintin Nguyen

– By Scott Hettrick

The Arcadia High School’s Orchesis Dance Company presents its Spring Show called “Obsession”April 25-28.

The high-energy show has something for everyone, from stories of love, betrayal, and hope to different styles such as Jazz, Hip Hop, Bollywood and Hula.

Tickets are $8 pre-sale and $10 at the door for performances at 7 p.m. Wednesday – Saturday, April 25-28, and a matinee show at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 27. They will be on sale in the AHS rally court during lunch break beginning Wednesday, April 11, and also online at www.seatyourself.biz/orchesis.

– By Scott Hettrick

Arcadia High School Boys Gold Varsity Golf team placed first at the West Covina tournament March 31 at South Hills Country Club.

And the Cardinal team placed third.

.

Kevin Chen

Additionally, Freshman Kevin Chen shot a 72 to win the Low Medalist. Arcadia continues to have a tremendous season with an overall record of 11-0 and 7-0 in the Pacific League, according to Robert Greep, AHS Litetech Varsity Golf Coach.
– By Scott Hettrick