The poem below was selected by Principal Dunn and the EHS administrative team as the winning submission for the Black History Month poetry contest. Me’Ami Dugais, the poem’s author, received a cash prize and was able to share her poem at the academic awards ceremony. To read more of Me’Ami’s poetry or to contact her, check out her poetry blog.

Black Pride

american

home of the brave

land of the free

but my ancestors would disagree

it’s shown by their bodies that hang onto trees

but we never gave up fighting

we never fleed

we stood our ground with freedom as our lead

we took charge

as kings and queens

to make this land

the land of the free

At today’s school meeting, Principal Dunn confirmed that this year’s seniors will be able to graduate at an in-person ceremony. There will be three separate ceremonies, all held on June 2nd. The first ceremony will be held at 1:00; the second ceremony will be held at 4:00; and the third and final ceremony will be held at 7:00.

Students should look forward to an email this Friday from Principal Dunn with more information. They will also have the opportunity to decide whether or not they wish to attend and to indicate which of the three ceremonies they wish to attend. Students who do attend in person will receive five tickets for friends and family members.

That same week, students will also have the opportunity to attend senior sunset on June 1st and to attend a drive-through ceremony on June 3rd.

Many eighth grade students aren’t thinking about high school yet. They should be. Spots are already filling up for some of the Antelope Valley’s most prestigious high school programs, such as Eastside High’s Biomedical Academy. This academy, which has been nationally recognized by Linked Learning for its innovative approach to education, is a four-year program for students interested in pursuing careers in science, medicine, or forensics. Over the four-year program, students learn how to apply science to the real world through such tasks as designing an emergency room, diagnosing patients, and solving a mysterious death. …

SCRANTON, PA: Seven years ago, the employees of a local paper company were featured in a surprisingly popular documentary about the daily realities of the American workplace. That documentary catapulted folks like Jim Halpert, Dwight Schrute, and Michael Scott into the national spotlight. Before that, Scranton was perhaps best known as the birthplace of politician Joe Biden. Now that he’s secured the Democratic nomination, Biden returned to The Electric City for a meet-and-greet with the employees of Dunder Mifflin.

Afterwards, we asked those employees to share their thoughts on the Presidential candidate. Here’s what they told us.

With only a week left until the start of the school year, Eastside’s Biomedical Academy still has a few spots available for incoming freshmen. This academy, which has been nationally recognized by Linked Learning for its innovative approach to education, is a four-year program for students interested in pursuing careers in the medical or forensic field. It focuses on applying science to the real world.

Alright, it’s time for some honest talk about your mental health.

Since I don’t get to see any of you for god-knows-how-long, we’re going to do this here.

I know lots of you think that school causes your depression, your anxiety, your insecurities, your insomnia. We’ve had those talks, and I’ve seen your memes.

BUT school’s been out for over a month, and you’re still depressed, still anxious, still insecure.

In fact, many of you have sunk into deeper and darker emotional holes over the past month.

That sucks (big time). But it also shows us something really important: school’s…

First off, I’m proud of you.

High school is hard. It’s hard to watch your friends change, to adjust to the changes in schedule and expectation, to complete all the homework while still finding time for those other activities that bring you life and joy.

And as we’ve seen over the last few weeks, it’s even harder to balance uncertainty over a global pandemic with the need to focus on comparatively small tasks, like classwork and changing your baby brother’s diaper. …

Yesterday, Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Debra Duardo, issued her recommendation that California schools remain physically closed for the rest of the school year. This followed a similar statement from state school superintendent, Tony Thurmond.

In accordance with this recommendation, Dr. David Vierra, Superintendent of the Antelope Valley Union High School District, announced via email that he will extend the physical closure of all area high schools, including Eastside, through the end of the academic year.

“While we remain physically apart, the District will continue to provide distance learning and support services for all students through June 4…