East County News Service

July 7, 2021 (Spring Valley) – Steele Canyon High School will conduct governing board elections in September. The positions up for election are two community board members and one certified staff board member.

By Ana Nita

View video including interview with Mark Robak and GUHSD board hearing on the Steele Canyon charter issues: click image at left or visit  https://youtu.be/9cZj0ZmsKzY

November 18, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) -- Steele Canyon High School encountered a set back last week, when the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) board decided not to accept the charter’s application for reauthorization, following allegations that school’s governing board and charter committee violated the law and acted undemocratically. 

The charter school in Spring Valley landed in hot water with the district and the parents after a newly elected board member discovered significant discrepancies between the old and the new bylaws up for vote two weeks ago in the governing board. Mark Robak, a local businessman, joined the board on October 9 and by the end of the month, he was sending petitions to the school principal and the district objecting to irregularities with the authorization process and the bylaws.

Congratulations to Nicole LaBella of Steele Canyon High School

Source:  San Diego County Credit Union

Photo from left to right: Nicole LaBella, Steele Canyon High School, Sarah Bilyeu, San Diego County Credit Union, and Vanessa Davis, Broadway San Diego.

July 1, 2019 (San Diego) - San Diego County Credit Union (SDCCU), San Diego’s largest locally-owned financial institution, is excited to announce that Nicole LaBella of Steele Canyon High School was named the Best Local Theatre Teacher at the Broadway San Diego Awards. The awards ceremony was held May 26 at the Balboa Theatre in downtown San Diego.

Source: Steele Canyon High School

Photo:  Mary Rose Vadeboncoeur, courtesy of Steele Canyon High School

May 21, 2019 (Spring Valley) -- Mary Rose Vadeboncoeur, a senior with the Steele Canyon High School Drama Department, has received a Broadway San Diego Awards nomination as Best Actress for her role as Eponine in the SCHS spring production of Les Misérables. 

By Kathy Carpenter

By Jennifer Doucet

Photos courtesy of Steele Canyon Players

March 13, 2019 (Spring Valley) -- London stage actor, Dean Chisnall, visited Steele Canyon Charter High School March 7 through March 9 to help prepare the school’s theatre and music departments for their own production of the award-winning hit, Les Misérables, premiering March 20th.  Over two and a half days, Chisnall worked closely with SCHS Theatre Director, Nicole LaBella and Music Director, Heather Luck to coach the cast, crew and orchestra.

Actor Dean Chisnall to visit East County high school in March

East County News Service

February 8, 2019 (Spring Valley) -- London stage actor, Dean Chisnall, will be visiting Steele Canyon Charter High School from March 7 through March 9 to help prepare the school’s theatre department for their own production of the award-winning hit, Les Misérables, premiering March 20th.  He will also be the main event in “Who Am I? An Evening with Dean Chisnall” benefit night for San Diego County theater students at Steele Canyon High School on the evening of Thursday, March 7 @ 7:00pm.  “I’m so excited and honoured to come to Steele Canyon - it’s a huge privilege to be invited to share my passion with such like minded students and staff. I’ll be there soon... See you on the barricade.” -Dean Chisnall

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Story and photos by Liz Alper

October 13, 2018 (El Cajon) - It happens every year; the Cougars make their way up the hill from Campo Road to Hillsdale Road for a battle to claim the street that unites them both.  Week eight of ECM Friday Night Lights brings you the midseason East County classic, the Battle for the Jamacha Trophy.  It’s been a year since Thomas Fishburne led the Cougars to victory on Norse turf to keep Steele Canyon the owners of Jamacha Road.  He’s at Southwestern College now.  Can the Cougars still defend their stretch of pavement without him?

Like our sports coverage?  Donate to help support ECM’s sports section!  Type in “Sports” as your donation!

Follow @ECMagSports on Twitter for live sports coverage and stories!

Does your son or daughter play a sport at a level other than varsity?  Comment on this story or tweet @ECMagSports to request coverage!

Check out our sports section for more sports stories!

Story and photos by Liz Alper

Cover photo:  Valhalla junior Max Hageman drove in the game-winning walkoff single in the eighth inning.

April 17, 2018 (El Cajon) - Valhalla baseball, usually one of the best high school baseball teams in San Diego County, is off to a rare bad start to 2018.  The Norsemen were 6-11 overall coming into today’s game, but were so far, so good in league with a 2-1 record.  The Cougars of Steele Canyon are quite the opposite.  They’re undefeated in league (3-0) and a solid .500 (8-8) overall.  Both teams met on Norsemen turf today.  In football, this would be the battle for the Jamacha Trophy.  We’ll call it that in baseball too for fun.  Senior Trevor Back started for the Cougars against senior Tanner Smith for Valhalla.

Board also names West Hills Gymnasium for David C. Hunter

By Jonathan Goetz

Photo: Steele Canyon High School 2017 CIF-SDS Football Champions - Division II, 2017 CIF SoCal Regional Football Champions - Division 3-A and 2017 CIF State Champions – Division 3A, January 22, 2018

January 23, 2018 (El Cajon) - At Monday’s Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) Board Meeting, recognition was given to top sports teams for their victories and their “sportsmanlike” conduct.

Helix Charter, Monte Vista and Steele Canyon high schools all won CIF-SDS 2017 Champions, and West Hills Gymnasium is named in honor of David C. Hunter after a GUHSD vote, while the Steele Canyon 2017 SoCal Regional Football Champions and “West Hills Way” were accoladed as being “sportsmanlike.”

By Miriam Raftery

May 26, 2017 (Spring Valley) -- Sheriff's deputies arrested a 14-year-old Steele Canyon High School student last night who threatened another Steele Canyon student via social media. The student posted a picture on Snap Chat of himself carrying what appeared to be a handgun and told the victim not to show up today for school at the campus in Spring Valley.

Does your son or daughter play a sport at a level other than varsity?  Drop a line on this story or tweet @ECMagSports to request coverage!

Like our sports coverage?  Donate to help support ECM’s sports section!

Follow @ECMagSports on Twitter for live sports coverage and stories!

Story and photos by Liz Alper

February 7, 2017 (El Cajon) - The Granite Hills Eagles girls’ basketball team are 1-4 in conference play and 8-11 overall.  Luckily for them, the Steele Canyon Lady Cougars have not won a single game in conference play; they are 0-7 against Grossmont League teams and 9-12 on the season.  The two squads faced off tonight.

East County News Service

May 20, 2016 (Spring Valley) - Steele Canyon Youth Football and Cheer will be hosting signups for fall 2016

on May 21st and 22nd. Youths are invited to come out and "be part of a great league," according to a flyer for the group.

By Miriam Raftery

Steele Canyon High School’s Assistant Principal, Paul Battle, risked his life to save a young woman who was ejected from a vehicle onto Interstate 8 in Alpine.  The woman, Natali Kestenian, calls Battle her “guardian angel.”