February 2016 Message from the Superintendent

Here at CUSD we take great pride in our challenging academic programs and successful students, so I am very pleased to announce that two of our Carlsbad High School students have been named as candidates for the prestigious United States Presidential Scholars Program.

Both Andy Kao and Ezra Tsang, CHS seniors, have achieved this high honor.

Andy and Ezra both carry a full load of Advanced Placement classes with impressively high GPAs. They are both Royal Lancers, and represent the many motivated and talented students in CUSD’s high schools who study hard and reach for the stars.

Besides his record of academic excellence, Andy is a dedicated musician, playing both piano and violin. He traveled with the CHS Chamber Orchestra to perform at Carnegie Hall in his sophomore year. He is an avid reader. After graduation, Andy plans to study in a STEM field at a four-year university, and is interested in a career in biological research.

Ezra is an accomplished musician, playing piano, violin and guitar. Having also attended school in Hong Kong, Ezra speaks Mandarin and French. He is a voracious reader.

Ezra has applied to several elite colleges. He is interested in pursuing a career in aerospace or mechanical engineering, and would like to work for NASA or Lockheed Martin in the future. He believes that his AP classes in physics, chemistry, and calculus have helped to prepare him for success in college and career.

The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964, by executive order of the President, to recognize and honor some of our nation's most distinguished graduating high school seniors. Only 4,000 of the nation’s high school students are selected as candidates each year.

These students will now submit an application which will be scored based on their academic achievement, personal characteristics, leadership and service activities, and personal essay. We wish them the best of luck.

In April, the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars will name up to 161 students as Presidential Scholars, one of the nation's highest honors for high school students.

January 2016 Message from the Superintendent

Atmel Tech on Tour Truck Wows CHMS Students

At CUSD we strive to provide students with an education that will serve them in a world of technologies and possibilities that we cannot yet imagine. The students of Calavera Hills Middle School recently had the opportunity to take a peek into that world of the future when the Atmel Tech on Tour truck pulled into their parking lot.

This mobile classroom/hands-on exploration lab was equipped with exciting new technologies. Students got to try out virtual-reality goggles, control a drone, view a microbots demonstration, use a 3D printer, type on a keyboard projected onto a tabletop, and use a variety of other tools and applications developed by Atmel.

“Our students were enthralled by the technology that Atmel brought to our school,” said CHMS principal Michael Ecker. “Our goal is to expose our students to the world of STEM, and this has been an invaluable experience.”

The Atmel truck, which is usually used to train designers and engineers on the applications of Atmel’s microcontrollers and Internet-of-Things technologies, became a classroom of creative discovery for our students. As CUSD develops its STEM programs and career pathways, experiences like this will demonstrate how classroom learning ties into the world of work and the high-skilled, highly paid careers that will be available in our community.