The Wildcat

SY 2020 - 2021

November 2020

Issue #1

The Wildcat

University High School Charter

11800 Texas Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90025

The Wildcat is a student produced newspaper published by the Journalism class at University High School Charter. Contents of this student newspaper do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the administration or the school at large. Articles presented in this newspaper reflect the collectively agreed upon opinions of The Wildcat editors.

Photo from Foursquare.com

Photo from Ms. Rendon

Meet Ms. Rendon

UNI'S NEWEST PSA COUNSELOR!

Interviewed By Jake Polanco

How long have you been working as a PSA counselor?

"I am brand new. My official start date was October 1st and Uni is my first school."

What are you looking forward to this year?

"I am looking forward to getting to know all the amazing students, and their families. I can't wait to see how I can help build upon their strengths to increase school engagement."

What originally got you interested in your current field of work?

"I've always been passionate about equity and access in education. I also have a background in mental health. When I learned about the PSA role, I was excited to see how my counseling skills could be used to address equity and access issues through student attendance and engagement."

What’s your favorite part of the workday?

"Working directly with students and families. Being remote has been difficult since interactions are mainly phone calls and zoom meetings, but helping families address barriers they may be facing is always rewarding."

What’s your favorite thing about your current job?

"Although I have only experienced the community remotely, being part of the Uni family feels amazing. Everyone is so welcoming and helpful. It has definitely made the transition a little smoother."

What's one work-related thing you want to accomplish in the next year?

"As a PSA counselor, I use data to guide a lot of my decisions. My goal is to improve the overall attendance rate of the school, which means identify barriers students are facing that prevent them from attending classes and getting the students the right support. Support can look like tech support, mental health support, or community resources."

How do you plan on helping students and families that are currently experiencing barriers leading to attendance issues and student disengagement?

"I am currently reaching out to all students/families that are considered "chronically absent" and having conversations with them to identify what they need. For some families it has been receiving tech support, and other families it has been connecting to other community resources. I also want to focus on rewarding those students that have continued to be engaged. I believe positive reinforcement works better than punitive measures."

MEET THE

2020-2021

JOURNALISM CLASS

Editor-in-Chief: Karina Arciniegas Editors: Cynthia Mazariegos, Jake Polanco, Arlette Lopez-Torres, Vanessa Hernandez, Brianna Lockheart, Isis Byrd, Austin Generally
Staff Writers: Nevaeh Anderson, Azriel Unique, Elias Asres, Vanessa Bonilla, Veronica Carman, Paola Cruz-Ruiz, Tamia Fedrick, Emma Gonzalez, Victoria Gutierrez, Aristotle Hadjioannou, Abel Haile, Vanessa Hernandez, Jhadiss Luapo, Kailee Horton-Davenport, Ian Pagan, Evelyn Platon, Victor Ramirez, Madelyne Robinson, Chanel Splane, Karrah Thomas, Tyler Tapper, Lamont Stevenson, Getsemani Quero Cruz, Tiara Turner, Erez Asken, Joshua Vazquez, Monica Vasquez, Kamauree Womack
Guest Artist: Elizabeth Mazariegos
Class Advisor: Brian McClure