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HTHL Internship and College Advising Institute HTH and HTHI Annual MANPOWER Academic Internship Showcase
October 15, 2005
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 Issue #13, October 2005 1. HTH Partner Spotlight: Qualcomm Offers 11 Internships as Key HTH Partner 2. High Tech High International Wins Architecture Award 3. HTH to Host Model U.N. Conferences 4. HTH Welcomes Teacher Interns 5. HTH Learning Receives Girard Foundation Grant 6. College Update: High Tech High to Name Robertson Scholar 
1. HTH Partner Spotlight: Qualcomm Offers 11 Internships as Key HTH Partner When High Tech High opened in 2000, Qualcomm was one of its first corporate sponsors, supporting the school with a $500,000 contribution. Five years later, the company is seeing positive results from that initial inve stment. "High Tech High has done an outstanding job at preparing their students to be more than strong in academics, but to also be strong in other social skills through the various programs offered on campus," says Bill McClelland, director of staffing for Qualcomm. "The science fairs, writing projects, academic competitions and finally, the exposure to the workforce for practical experience, all help to prepare their students for the next stage of their growth and contribution to a high tech society." This fall, Qualcomm placed eleven HTH students in different groups in the engineering department, including the BREW website, BREW client testing, QCHAT application servers, BDS development, program management, provisioning mobile devices, and the BREW API reference guide. What does Qualcomm expect from these emerging professionals? "Our expectations are to receive young men and women with a keen interest in engineering, as well as other high tech disciplines," says McClelland. "In addition to excellent academic credentials and a desire to enter the workforce via the high tech arena, we also look for students with great social skills. The model student will also have the ability to stand up and share their opinions and ideas with peers; the ability to present those ideas in a group; and the  ability
to communicate those same thoughts verbally and in writing." Every HTH student completes an academic internship as a graduation requirement. Students work with individual mentors on challenging and meaningful projects at companies and organizations around San Diego. In 2004, the staffing agency, MANPOWER San Diego, contributed $50,000 to the academic internship program, allowing the use of their name for the program through 2009. MANPOWER also provides screening interviews and placement assistance for HTH student interns. According to Stacey Praizner, Director of the MANPOWER Academic Internships at HTH, Qualcomm's participation in this unique program energizes students and other employers. "When I work to bring new mentors on board, they are always impressed to hear that we place students at Qualcomm." 
2. High Tech High
International Wins 
3. HTH to Host Model U.N. Conferences High Tech High will hold its fourth annual Model United Nations (MUN) Conference on December 10. This year's conference will be the largest yet, with 25 schools expected to send about 400 student delegates. In addition, and as a warm-up, HTH will hold an in-house conference on October 28 for about 150 HTH freshmen, along with a few students from HTHI and High Tech Middle. The December conference is a one-day event, replete with novice and advanced Security Council sessions and numerous Committee meetings, including the Commission on Women, the World Health Organization, and UNICEF. Delegates to the committee sessions must submit policy papers two weeks in advance, on such topics as biological and chemical weapons, the legal status of mercenaries, abortion rights, overfishing, malnutrition, sexual exploitation of children, and UN peacekeeping activities. High Tech High students have prepared a comprehensive research database to assist this process, available online at http://mun.hightechhigh.org/research_database.php. The advanced Security Council will meet in the U.N. Theater at High Tech High International (HTHI). Security Council members do not prepare papers in advance, but must be well versed in a variety of issues. One attractive feature of HTH as a site is the technological infrastructure, which allows delegates to compose proposals and post them immediately to projection screens across the campus via the HTH shared drive. Originally a college program, Model U.N. has caught hold in high schools across the country. In Orange County, for example, 70% of the high schools have MUN programs. All of these hold conferences, involving up to 1800 students. Most of the participating schools at the HTH conference are from San Diego County, including Poway, Torrey Pines, and La Jolla High Schools, but there is growing interest from Orange County schools as well. Each participating school is assigned a country  to
represent. Committees are composed of one delegate from each country.
Throughout the day, delegates present their resolutions, negotiate and
form coalitions in caucus sessions, and try to gain two-thirds majority
support for their positions. The session co-chairs assess participants
on their speeches, caucusing, and diplomacy, with all scoring done electronically.
At the end of the day, each Council and committee awards commendations
for excellent work, including a "gavel" award to the best delegate.
Overall, about 25% of the participants receive awards.HTH humanities teacher Mark Aguirre is the faculty supervisor for the event, though he is quick to point out that the students run the show. The Co-Secretaries General are HTH students Maria Zimmerman and Evan Morikawa, seasoned veterans of previous MUN conferences at HTH and elsewhere. HTH students are handling all logistics, from web-based registration to committee chairmanship to operations (room assignments, credentials, name badges). In addition, HTH students travel to other schools to train students for MUN. HTH is still taking registrations online, via the HTH Model U.N. web site created and managed by the students: http://mun.hightechhigh.org/index.php 
4. HTH Welcomes Teacher Interns The High Tech High Village welcomed new students on many levels this September-not just in the K-12 years, but also in teacher education, as a new cohort of teachers entered the HTH Teacher Intern Program. Now in its second year, the program is the first site-based high school program to be approved by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) as an alternative route to teacher certification. The two-year program now serves 26 teachers in the High Tech High village: ten from last year's first cohort and 16 in this year's group. All six middle and high schools in the HTH Charter Management Organization (CMO) are represented, with candidates in all six areas for which the program offers a credential: English, Math, Social Studies, the Sciences, Spanish, and Art. To qualify for the program, candidates must possess a BA, pass the California Basic Skill Test (CBEST), and demonstrate their subject matter mastery through coursework or by passing the appropriate California Subject Examination for Teachers (CSET). Teacher interns earn full-time salaries and benefits as teachers in charter school classrooms while pursuing a teaching credential through the program. Coordinated by Jennifer Husbands of HTH Learning, the program includes a 120-hour pre-service experience, course work, and theequivalent of two academic years of teaching practicum. Each intern works with a mentor teacher, credentialed in the same subject area, to prepare a digital portfolio of work samples and reflections. The University of San Diego School of Education serves as a partner, offering selected courses and advice on program content. With the Teacher Intern Program, High Tech High has once again emerged as a leader in education reform. As the Los Angeles Times noted in a December editorial about the program, It's a low-cost, effective way to bring needed teachers into the schools. It holds promise for improving teacher quality and keeping teachers from leaving the profession, which they do now in unhappy droves. The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing should be commended for approving High Tech High's training program and helping the school navigate its way through the credentialing system. Now what the state needs is an encore. Many encores. "Building Teachers In-House," December 18, 2004 For further information: The HTH Teacher Intern Program is featured in the September 2005 cover story of The Charter Journal, published by the California Charter Schools Association: "Removing Barriers to Entry in the Teaching Profession: The High Tech High Credential Program," by Larry Rosenstock, Gary Jacobs, and Jennifer Husbands. Click here for a PDF version of the article. 5. HTH Learning Receives Girard Foundation Grant HTH Learning (HTHL) is pleased to announce that the Girard Foundation has committed $100,000 for the 2005-06 school year to support further development of the HTHL charter management organization (CMO). In the effort to develop excellent new schools modeled after High Tech High, the CMO undertakes a broad range of startup activities and offers a comprehensive suite of back office and program supports to existing HTH schools. Like any entrepreneurial endeavor, HTH Learning looks to outside funders to support central operations until the organization may grow to scale. For the Girard Foundation, this latest commitment is one in a series of investments in support of HTH Learning. The Foundation provided significant support for curriculum development in the first years, and then funded the initiative that resulted in a groundbreaking alternative special education relationship with the Desert/Mountain SELPA. Moreover, Girard provided critical funding and consultation as High Tech High developed its application to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing to operate its own clinical, site-based teacher credentialing program. HTH Learning appreciates the ongoing support of the Girard Foundation and looks forward to continued collaboration in the years to come. For information about how to support the efforts of the CMO operated by HTH Learning, please contact Rebecca Haddock, Development Officer, at rhaddock@hightechhigh.org 
6. College Update: High Tech High to Name Robertson Scholar High Tech High is one of 60 schools selected to nominate students for the Robertson Scholars Program. Under the program, High Tech High will nominate a senior candidate to receive a full, four-year merit scholarship to attend Duke University or the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The program is funded by a $24 million endowment from Julian and Josie Roberston in tribute to their sons, Spencer (Duke 1998) and Alexander (HNC-Chapel Hill 2001). It provides 60 students (30 each at Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill) with full tuition plus a laptop computer and support for three summers of service, research, and travel. Chris White, HTH Director of College Advising, says, "What I like most about it is that there are project-based elements to the program - summer learning experiences, and small classes." |
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architectural
program and conceptual design features of the space. Workshop participants
included students, teachers, administrators, designers and builders.
The San Diego-based architectural firm of Carrier Johnson, under the
direction of Project Manager Christopher Gerber, worked in collaboration
with architect and HTH Learning Director of Design David Stephen to
further develop the design. Project Designer Viveca Bissonnette, also
of Carrier Johnson, took the lead role in creating the building's interior
finishes. Bycor Inc, the San Diego-based general contractor who has
built all of HTH Village's school facilities, was a key player throughout
all phases of design and construction, bringing the building in on-time
and on-budget on a fast-track schedule.