By Miriam Raftery

March 10, 2010 (La Mesa) – Last week, we reported that Helix Charter High School’s board has filed a lawsuit against the Grossmont Union High School District after the GUHSD announcing its intent to consider revocation of the Helix charter.

Now GUHSD Superintendent Robert Collins has issued a public letter strongly defending the District’s actions and accusing Helix Charter Board of being “non-responsive” and engaging in “delaying tactics” regarding an administrator accused of contributing to delinquency of a minor.  In response, Helix Charter Board president Cathy Singer has fired back a blistering letter of her own, calling Collins “dead wrong” and accusing the District of mounting an “unjustified and expensive smear campaign of Helix.”

February 11, 2010 (La Mesa) – Tonight the Grossmont-Union High School District  voted 4-0 to send a notice of intent to revoke the charter from Helix Charter High School.  A public hearing will be held next month.  (for background, see our previous story.) Now Helix supporters are firing back—contending that the district’s motives may be financial, not altruistic.

Open to all GUHSD students – if you can draw, you can win!

February 5, 2010 (La Mesa) – Golden Artistry Jewelry Design invites Grossmont Union High School district students to participate in its 2nd annual jewelry design competition. “We are doing this in order to find students that have creative skills, and help them find their calling,” says Terry Whyte, owner and master goldsmith.

El Cajon Valley High is 1st of 8 East County campuses to get new science buildings through Prop H

January 29, 2010 (El Cajon) Say goodbye to portable buildings and science classrooms built during the Eisenhower administration. Grossmont Union High School District ushers in a new era for its East County high schools with opening of the first of eight new state-of-the-art science classroom buildings.

By Steve Haiman
Academic League Co-Coordinator

January 24, 2010 (San Diego's East County)--Rain did not dampen the Academic League spirit or acumen last week. The brain power exhibited at the host schools gave off more than enough heat to fight off the winter cold outside!

By Steve Haiman
Co-coordinator, GUHSD Academic League

December 9, 2009 (San Diego’s East County) -- The layoff for Thanksgiving did not slow up the four teams in week four’s featured match with the Santana “Sultans” hosting the Grossmont “Foothillers”.

In, fact all of the teams got right down to turkey…pardon the pun…from the very opening question right down to the last one. They were amazingly, evenly matched teams!

Nearly 85% of local refugees are from war-torn Iraq, straining resources on schools and social services; local leaders call for major changes in treatment of refugees

"We can create a national model," -- Sunny Cooke, president, Grossmont College

November 12, 2009 (El Cajon) – Impacts of the Iraq War are hitting home in East County, where so many Iraqi refugees have settled that El Cajon's mayor has dubbed a section of his community "Little Baghdad."  From Oct. 1, 2008 to October 1, 2009, the U.S. admitted almost 75,000 refugees—including 18,333 from Iraq.*  Since October 2008, San Diego has been taking in 400 refugee families a month.  Nearly 85% are from Iraq.  Almost 75% of all area refugees have settled in the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District (GCCCD), straining resources beyond capacity in social services, education, and healthcare.

“Social Services predicts that 200 to 300 new families will be entering East County each month for the next two or three years,” Mike Lewis, PhD, assistant superintendent of education for the Grossmont Union High School District said at a November 6 summit at Cuyamaca College titled Spotlight on Refugee Education and Employment.  Some have spent weeks or even years in refugee camps.  Many don’t speak English and have not been able to receive an education.  Many refugees are also physically maimed by war or suffer post-traumatic stress.  Often they receive misinformation and find steep barriers to getting the help that they need.

Victim’s Mother Accuses Sheriff of “Dropping the Ball” on Investigation, Considers Lawsuit

By Miriam Raftery

Update October 2013:  Jerry Arnold has contacted ECM to advise that charges against him were reduced to distrubing the peace with loud music, for which he paid a fine.  Arnold also shared his side of the story.  "I was executor of the estate. I hadn't been around for nine years. I told the kids they couldn't have a party, but they had it anyway...When police got here, I was breaking up the party.  My son who had the party, I threw him out of the house...To say that I was contributing to minors' drinking couldn't be farther from the truth." Arnold told ECM he knew nothng about the assault on Chris Jones, which did not occur on the property.  He insists that he is not prejudiced and that three of his close family members have black partners or spouses.  He added that when he asked all party guests to leave and did not single out those who were black.  Johnson claims he was innocent of all charges but could not afford an attorney, so accepted the plea bargain offer.

October 9, 2009 (Deerhorn Valley) – The San Diego County District Attorney (D.A.) has filed three counts of misdemeanor charges in the case of an African-American teenager severely beaten by a group of white men last April at a party in Deerhorn Valley, near Jamul.  The home was in probate; the representative of the estate, Jerry Arnold Jr., was charged with allowing minors to drink; his son and a juvenile were charged with vandalizing  the victim's car.

Denise Brown, mother of the victim, is outraged that no charges of assault or hate crimes were filed. “The Sheriff dropped the ball on this investigation, big-time,” Brown told East County Magazine following a hate crimes summit in El Cajon last week. “Those men beat my son. They smashed the car windows. They tried to burn the vehicle with him inside. There were boot prints and hand prints all over the car, but the Sheriff’s Department had it towed and never even took prints.”

September 24, 2009 (El Cajon) – Grossmont Union High School District will host a free public forum Oct. 3 on the future of the district. The public is invited to learn more about projects planned for each campus and school project timelines, as well as celebrate the future of Grossmont schools. Imagery of design guidelines for specialty classrooms will be on display.

By Miriam Raftery
 

September 23, 2009 (Santee) – If you’re playing hooky in the Grossmont Union High School District, you might get some unexpected visitors . Today, Superintendent Bob Collins dropped in at the homes of truant students in Santee, along with a Sheriff’s Deputy and child welfare worker. Juvenile Detail sweeps also include visits to places frequented by truant teens, from Starbucks to parks to the local mall.

It’s all part of a joint effort that has reduced drop-out rates in the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) from 7-8% three years ago to under 3% last year.

Projects Funded by Props H and U School Bonds

July 24, 2009 (El Cajon) – Grossmont Union High School District announced this week that construction is underway to enhance athletic fields and facilities at several campuses. The projects are funded by the Proposition H and Proposition U bonds passed by East County voters in 2004 and 2008.

July 22, 2009 (La Mesa)—Grossmont Union High School District’s board of trustees will hold a special meeting Wednesday July 23 at 5 p.m. to review an amendment to the Helix Charter. The amendment was devised by the Helix Charter Board and two GUHSD board members to address the board’s concerns over handling of sexual misconduct cases.

By Miriam Raftery

June 11, 2009 (Alpine)—Cheers and tears of joy filled the room tonight as the Grossmont Union High School Board unanimously voted to approve construction of a new high school in Alpine. The decision drew a rousing ovation from parents and others who have fought for more than a decade to bring a high school to their community.

Trustee Priscilla Schreiber praised Viejas and Sycuan tribal leaders and other community members for their support, then thanked new Superintendent
Bob Collins for honoring his pledge “to fulfill a promise long overdue.”