6:39pm | During a press conference yesterday morning, Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, Council Members Dee Andrews and James Johnson, CSULB President F. King Alexander, LBUSD Board President Felton Williams and others congratulated the team from Hudson K-8 School winners of the 2011 National Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) competition. The 2011 California MESA champions from Poly High School were also recognized.
The Hudson K-8 School team included: Kyrene Aganon, Michelica Balajadia, Christine Le and Rose Chelsea Lubang. The team from Long Beach Polytechnic High School included: Breanna Nery, Rae Jillian Rivera and Kimberly Ventura. Hudson teacher James Mills was the advisor for both teams. Hudson K-8 School Principal Cathleen Imbroane served as the emcee.
“California has always been a leader in science and technology, and we cannot afford to lose that edge in this competitive world. That’s why our state needs more students focusing on math and science today – so they will be ready for the science, technology, and engineering careers of tomorrow. I congratulate these students on their success, and I applaud MESA for its commitment to helping our students achieve their goals in science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson.
“Good schools and teachers are integral to the success of our community, so I’m delighted to celebrate the achievements of these LBUSD students,” said Mayor Foster. “During a time when there’s a lot of discussion on the readiness of California students in the areas of math and science, it’s a pleasure to recognize that Long Beach is definitely on the right course.”
“We congratulate the winning teams from Hudson and Poly,” said Felton Williams, president of the Long Beach Unified School District Board of Education. “As a school district, we have maintained our commitment to science, technology, engineering and math instruction. These national and state accolades show what amazing feats our students can accomplish if we give them the chance.”
MESA is an academic preparation program that serves more than 20,000 California pre-college, community college and university students who are educationally disadvantaged. The two teams from LBUSD competed at preliminary and regional levels before winning the state title and earning the honor of representing California at the MESA National Engineering Design Competition in Washington. Both Hudson and Poly are served by the MESA Center housed at the California State University Long Beach College of Engineering. Teams were tasked to design a wind energy device and were judged on mechanical power and wind-to-vehicle transfer power as well as an oral presentation, technical paper and academic display.
October 4, 9:15am | Mayor Bob Foster, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson and others will be on hand Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011 at 10:00am to congratulate the team from Hudson K-8 school who won the 2011 National Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) competition. The 2011 California MESA champions from Poly High School will also be recognized.
MESA is an academic preparation program that serves more than 20,000 California pre-college, community college and university students who are educationally disadvantaged. The two teams from LBUSD competed at preliminary and regional levels before winning the state title and earning the honor of representing California at the MESA National Engineering Design Competition in Washington. Teams were tasked to design a wind energy device and were judged on mechanical power and wind-to-vehicle transfer power as well as an oral presentation, technical paper and academic display.
The Hudson K-8 School team will receive their trophy from the national MESA competition. All students will be receiving certificates of recognition from Mayor Foster and Superintendent Torlakson. The event will be held at the Hudson K-8 School Auditorium, 2335 Webster Ave.