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View Winners → Monrovia High Showcases Academic Pathways, Campus Life during Annual Open House
Education Jan 27, 2020
Math and Science Academy students from Monrovia High School welcome incoming freshmen and their parents at an informational booth on Jan. 15 during the school’s Open House Showcase. – Courtesy photo / MUSD
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Monrovia High School hosted its annual Open House while showcasing scholastic academies, career technical education (CTE) pathways, visual and performing arts programs and extracurricular activities on Jan. 15, giving Monrovia Unified students and their parents a comprehensive overview of what it means to be a Wildcat.
“If you have a passion, we are here to help youconnect to it,” Principal Kirk McGinnis said. “You will always be a Cougar or aCub, but when you come to Monrovia High, we are all Wildcats. We all worktogether to succeed.”
Families spoke with teacher and studentrepresentatives from Monrovia’s Math and Science, Humanities and Digital Artsacademies, Theater Arts Conservatory, Achievement Via Individual Determination(AVID), Advanced Placement and eight CTE programs.
Club life, elective classes, student leadershipand extracurricular activities were well represented, with students and facultydetailing a diverse array of campus life – including robotics, dual immersion,Renaissance leadership and band.
“Monrovia’s Open House is a way to make our newstudents feel welcome, meet their new classmates, and lessen the anxiety ofbeginning high school,” Superintendent Dr. Katherine Thorossian said. “It alsogives our high school students a chance to show their leadership skills bypromoting the classes and activities that resonate with them.”
Monrovia junior Marc Altamirano pitched theperks of enrolling in French class and joining the French club, which includescelebrating the French Epiphany – the date of the Three Kings – and eatingtraditional French pastries such as galette des rois.
“French class is really fun; I highly recommendit,” Altamirano said. “The focus is on comprehension and immersion. We listento a lot of French music and watch French New Wave cinema. Each week we come inand try to describe our weekend entirely in French.”
The Open House was the first step in preparingincoming freshmen for high school. On Jan. 16-17, MHS reps traveled to Cliftonand Santa Fe middle schools to make program presentations. A campus tour forall eighth-graders is scheduled for Feb. 4. Fall registration begins July 15and new freshman orientations will be held Aug. 10.
“The Monrovia High Open House is a wonderfulcommunity event, and it’s not unusual to see MHS alumni here with theirchildren, talking with their former teachers and just as excited as theirkids,” Board of Education Vice President Bryan Wong said. “Our mission is toprovide equity and opportunity to every student and encourage them to find theacademic path that will help them to become lifelong learners.”
