The Passing of Jeff Glathe
On Tuesday, October 2, ACHS lost one of our own. Jeff Glathe passed away after a long battle with cancer. Mr. Glathe was a special education teacher and was one of the original founding teachers of American Canyon High School. He was beloved by his family, coworkers, students, and friends and was known for his compassion and tireless commitment to our school and kids. Below are some remarks from a few of his friends that knew him best:
David Hollman: "I met Mr. Glathe a couple years ago...we both got here at 7 in the morning, so we had the school to ourselves for half an hour before the young teachers came, so we got to talk about a bunch of interesting things and solve all the world’s problems. It was quite a shock when I found out that he collapsed the day of the eclipse. And then later talking to him when he was diagnosed with brain cancer, I just admired his courage because we had a talk, after he was diagnosed, he said, “I’m going to die of brain cancer and I’m going to seek all the treatments I can, and do what I can, but when I get to a certain physical level where I’m in a wheelchair and I can’t do anything, I’m going to quit my treatments and just accept the reality that I’m going to die.” But he was a funny guy, he was a good friend, and I’m going to miss him.”
Derrick Holland: “I’ve known Mr. Glathe, probably since 2006. When I came into position I was in Napa High originally with him. He was an admin. And then about last year, before I came here to American Canyon High School, and was welcomed as a teacher, a colleague. He was a great guy, besides that, he was always willing to help everything, always had a smile on his face. No matter what he was going through, he’d always worry about someone else. And it’s one of those - that I think he… He was a great guy, he was a great loss to the ACHS community, and I know he will be greatly missed. ”
Joseph Bricca: “Mr. Glathe was a great person. I’m glad to have had the pleasure of knowing him. He was always good with a smile or a joke, and he would tell you what he thought if you had an issue or a problem, and it was very sound advice. I think everyone here would miss him. ”
Lauren Lee: "Mr. Glathe was a wonderful person to work with. When I first started working at ACHS, he tolerated me walking into his room (almost daily!) and answered any and all of my questions that (at that time,) revolved around this puzzling place called ACHS. Mr. Glathe always had insightful, witty responses and was extremely knowledgeable about his profession and of topics in general. Mr. Glathe was respected by all students and was a mentor to several of his students. He always invested time to put other people first and his kindness will always be treasured and remembered.”
Dan Feinberg: “Glathe was a kind and a very caring teacher. He was the most selfless individual I ever knew and worked with. Students loved him. His colleagues in school loved him, at any school that he worked at, and I worked with Mr. Glathe in a couple settings: Napa High School and here. He was also a friend of mine, so I’m sad at work. Mr. Glathe was just an incredible person, he lived life to his fullest each and every day, and encouraged that with his students, as well as colleagues - to enjoy every day that you can with life. He had a great sense of humor, and very self-affainted - he could laugh at himself. He had everybody else’s best interest at heart, always. And he was always concerned about the welfare of others all the time, even above his own personal needs or situation. The greatest takeaway of Mr. Glathe was that he was such an incredible human being in so many ways - A warm, loving, caring, individual, and he’s definitely left a legacy here at this school, no doubt. It was wonderful to see the outpouring from his students when we gathered last Friday, and just the beautiful things that they said about him.
Thank you to Jeff Glathe for leaving your legacy at American Canyon High School. The students and staff will greatly miss you. Rest in Peace.
By: Nikki Convento & Monica Soto
David Hollman: "I met Mr. Glathe a couple years ago...we both got here at 7 in the morning, so we had the school to ourselves for half an hour before the young teachers came, so we got to talk about a bunch of interesting things and solve all the world’s problems. It was quite a shock when I found out that he collapsed the day of the eclipse. And then later talking to him when he was diagnosed with brain cancer, I just admired his courage because we had a talk, after he was diagnosed, he said, “I’m going to die of brain cancer and I’m going to seek all the treatments I can, and do what I can, but when I get to a certain physical level where I’m in a wheelchair and I can’t do anything, I’m going to quit my treatments and just accept the reality that I’m going to die.” But he was a funny guy, he was a good friend, and I’m going to miss him.”
Derrick Holland: “I’ve known Mr. Glathe, probably since 2006. When I came into position I was in Napa High originally with him. He was an admin. And then about last year, before I came here to American Canyon High School, and was welcomed as a teacher, a colleague. He was a great guy, besides that, he was always willing to help everything, always had a smile on his face. No matter what he was going through, he’d always worry about someone else. And it’s one of those - that I think he… He was a great guy, he was a great loss to the ACHS community, and I know he will be greatly missed. ”
Joseph Bricca: “Mr. Glathe was a great person. I’m glad to have had the pleasure of knowing him. He was always good with a smile or a joke, and he would tell you what he thought if you had an issue or a problem, and it was very sound advice. I think everyone here would miss him. ”
Lauren Lee: "Mr. Glathe was a wonderful person to work with. When I first started working at ACHS, he tolerated me walking into his room (almost daily!) and answered any and all of my questions that (at that time,) revolved around this puzzling place called ACHS. Mr. Glathe always had insightful, witty responses and was extremely knowledgeable about his profession and of topics in general. Mr. Glathe was respected by all students and was a mentor to several of his students. He always invested time to put other people first and his kindness will always be treasured and remembered.”
Dan Feinberg: “Glathe was a kind and a very caring teacher. He was the most selfless individual I ever knew and worked with. Students loved him. His colleagues in school loved him, at any school that he worked at, and I worked with Mr. Glathe in a couple settings: Napa High School and here. He was also a friend of mine, so I’m sad at work. Mr. Glathe was just an incredible person, he lived life to his fullest each and every day, and encouraged that with his students, as well as colleagues - to enjoy every day that you can with life. He had a great sense of humor, and very self-affainted - he could laugh at himself. He had everybody else’s best interest at heart, always. And he was always concerned about the welfare of others all the time, even above his own personal needs or situation. The greatest takeaway of Mr. Glathe was that he was such an incredible human being in so many ways - A warm, loving, caring, individual, and he’s definitely left a legacy here at this school, no doubt. It was wonderful to see the outpouring from his students when we gathered last Friday, and just the beautiful things that they said about him.
Thank you to Jeff Glathe for leaving your legacy at American Canyon High School. The students and staff will greatly miss you. Rest in Peace.
By: Nikki Convento & Monica Soto
Lisa Bolton's Softball Signing
(Left to right: Lisa Bolton, Alexus Jackson)
American Canyon's Lisa Bolton commits to Morningside College in Iowa on October 1st, 2018.
WolfPrints reporters, Nikki Convento and Tiffany Longalong, were able to interview Lisa Bolton about her career in softball:
What is your most memorable experience in softball?
My most memorable experience in softball is probably this summer. Because we're at nationals and we ended up playing third in Colorado out of 900 teams from all over the country, so that was a lot of fun.
Who helped you along the way?
I've had many people help me along the way, but the people who have probably been there the most are my parents - my mom and my dad. 'Cause they're the ones who've ultimately put in all the time, all the money, and the effort with me to develop me into the athlete I am today.
Any inspirations or motivations?
I wouldn't necessarily say one person inspired me, but I would say I'm kind of self-motivated, so I don't necessarily compete against other people. I try to compete with myself to see what I can do, how I can improve and what I can do better.
Are you nervous about moving away from home?
Oh yeah, I'm very nervous about that actually. I kind of think about it a lot - like how adjusting is going to be - but there's a lot of girls, to the school I'm going to, who are from California. So I feel like if they can do it, I can do it and I'll be fine.
Why did you want to get into medicine?
I want to go into medicine just 'cause it's something that I'm really interested in and also, I'm kind of a people person, so I want to have a job that if I can help people and if I can make a change in the world, no matter how small. That's kind of something that I think is really cool.
What are you expectations for what's to come athletically and academically?
I think it's going to be a challenge on both levels because, you know, I'll be playing college softball, and that's a huge jump. And then I'll also, you know, be taking difficult classes with pre-med, so that's definitely going to be a challenge and I'm well aware of that, but I like to consider myself prepared and I feel like I'll be able to adjust and handle it.
Did you have any hardships along the way?
Yeah, haha, I have. There was a lot of times when I kind of wanted to quit when I was younger. Just 'cause I've put so much effort into softball and I'd miss birthday parties. I'd miss so many celebrations and sometimes, it just got draining. It's honestly my life and so there's just times where I'm just like is it really worth it? Do I want to quit? And it never got to the point where I actually quit, but yes, definitely a lot of hardships, but I'm glad I stayed with it. It paid off.
By: Nikki Convento & Monica Soto
Lockdown - Wednesday, September 5th
An off-campus incident happened on Wednesday, September 5th. At around 12:24pm, American Canyon High School went into a lockdown as six students became victims of a robbery.
For more details about the attack: napavalleyregister: ACHS briefly locked down after robbed of phones, shoes off campus
WolfPrints reporters, Nikki Convento and Monica Soto, were able to interview Ms. Lopez regarding the incident:
What do you want students to know about what happened?
Well, I want students to know that we had students that are victims of a crime and that kids are safe on-campus, but we can't control what happens off campus. So, that's really what we have to sort out now, regarding allowing kids to be able to go off-campus, because none of our kids did anything that they weren't supposed to do. Right? So now, it's a matter of how do we factor for other things that are outside of our campus and keeping students safe.
What steps are being taken to ensure the safety of our students?
So far now, the campus is closed. We're going to gather some input from some parents to see where we go moving forward because the actual only way to say something like this will never happen again is to close the campus, for good.
Has this event changed your opinion about American Canyon?
No.
What services are available for students affected by this?
So we have counseling services available in the Wellness Center, and for the students that were affected, there, we're going to continue to follow-up with them, with those services, and any other students, who just feel scared, can drop in there and see a counselor at anytime. And we're also had, for the time being, some increase to the American Canyon police, just around the parking lot and around the school - before school, after school, and things like that.
Has this event affected you as someone with your position?
Well, it's just really scary, in terms of - you can do anything that you can do to control things on-campus, and our teachers do what they're supposed to do, and our campus supervisors and administrators do what they're supposed to do - it's really scary when you factor in the unknown of when the kids go off-campus, and then, you're not in control of anything that can happen there. That's the biggest thing for being in this position is weighing not being able to know if students are safe off-campus or closing the campus and being able to know that we can have things within our control to keep kids safe.
Anything else you'd like to mention...
I think regarding this incident - the teachers, the staff, the students - everybody did what they were supposed to do in an emergency, and because they did that, I think - if because we didn't have a bunch of kids running over to see what was going on - that kids followed the instructions of their teachers, and came and lockdown the classrooms - the police were able to find those people right away - who did this. And if kids and teachers didn't follow the protocol that we're practiced - we've practiced just the week before, and we practice every year - if that didn't happen, it would have been much more dangerous, and the perpetrators of this attack - they could have gotten away. And so because everybody did what they were supposed to do, we're really lucky that it wasn't worse than it was. So, that's credit to all the staff and all the students who took it seriously and did what they were supposed to do.
By: Nikki Convento & Monica Soto
For more details about the attack: napavalleyregister: ACHS briefly locked down after robbed of phones, shoes off campus
WolfPrints reporters, Nikki Convento and Monica Soto, were able to interview Ms. Lopez regarding the incident:
What do you want students to know about what happened?
Well, I want students to know that we had students that are victims of a crime and that kids are safe on-campus, but we can't control what happens off campus. So, that's really what we have to sort out now, regarding allowing kids to be able to go off-campus, because none of our kids did anything that they weren't supposed to do. Right? So now, it's a matter of how do we factor for other things that are outside of our campus and keeping students safe.
What steps are being taken to ensure the safety of our students?
So far now, the campus is closed. We're going to gather some input from some parents to see where we go moving forward because the actual only way to say something like this will never happen again is to close the campus, for good.
Has this event changed your opinion about American Canyon?
No.
What services are available for students affected by this?
So we have counseling services available in the Wellness Center, and for the students that were affected, there, we're going to continue to follow-up with them, with those services, and any other students, who just feel scared, can drop in there and see a counselor at anytime. And we're also had, for the time being, some increase to the American Canyon police, just around the parking lot and around the school - before school, after school, and things like that.
Has this event affected you as someone with your position?
Well, it's just really scary, in terms of - you can do anything that you can do to control things on-campus, and our teachers do what they're supposed to do, and our campus supervisors and administrators do what they're supposed to do - it's really scary when you factor in the unknown of when the kids go off-campus, and then, you're not in control of anything that can happen there. That's the biggest thing for being in this position is weighing not being able to know if students are safe off-campus or closing the campus and being able to know that we can have things within our control to keep kids safe.
Anything else you'd like to mention...
I think regarding this incident - the teachers, the staff, the students - everybody did what they were supposed to do in an emergency, and because they did that, I think - if because we didn't have a bunch of kids running over to see what was going on - that kids followed the instructions of their teachers, and came and lockdown the classrooms - the police were able to find those people right away - who did this. And if kids and teachers didn't follow the protocol that we're practiced - we've practiced just the week before, and we practice every year - if that didn't happen, it would have been much more dangerous, and the perpetrators of this attack - they could have gotten away. And so because everybody did what they were supposed to do, we're really lucky that it wasn't worse than it was. So, that's credit to all the staff and all the students who took it seriously and did what they were supposed to do.
By: Nikki Convento & Monica Soto
Principal Lopez
This year, American Canyon High School has a new head principal. A native to the area, Principal Lopez has lived in neighboring town Vallejo throughout her life. She is acquainted with the area and has worked in close school districts as a teacher and educator for over 15 years. She has shared that she is excited for the school year and was overly impressed with ACHS.
When Principal Lopez first saw the ACHS campus, her first impression was that it is such a beautiful campus. Something that caught her attention was that this school has nice facilities, you don’t see that everywhere. Since Principal Lopez has experiences with other schools, she knows that our facilities were amazing. We keep the campus very clean and beautiful.
We wanted to know her first impressions of the ACHS community and we received positive feedback. She remarked that our school was overly welcoming and the students very respectful. She appreciated the emphasis on academics and a well rounded education that ACHS focuses on. As for PBL (project based learning), she says that it is a useful tool that she believes is why our students test better and are able to explore their student voice. She said that PBL is a great tool to deliver instruction, work together, and you need that to be successful in college and work.
We asked Principal Lopez what her vision for the future was and she said that she would like to work with students, keep the traditions we have at this school, and she wishes that the students continue to work academically. Students here at ACHS have high test scores and Principal Lopez wishes that they keep doing the sports they love. One of the greatest challenges she thinks students have is that they are involved with something outside of class and sometimes you need some time so you won’t feel overwhelmed. She says, “You won’t always have a guide, sometimes you will have things thrown at you”. You won’t always have those communication skills.
By: Kristy Preciado, Tatiana Boyd & Barbara Taylor
Don't Get Swept Up
There’s always that one student who’s late to class or on our campus. 1 out of every 30 students are late to class - tardiness is a problem that is addressed every year. On our campus, the majority of students are tardy during 1st period and 5th period. With this being the case, our campus staff took matter into their own hands and implemented a Tardy Sweep that takes place at the beginning of 1st and 5th period. In order to find out more about these sweeps, we talked to one of our assistant principals, a teacher who has to enforce this tactic, and a student who got caught during a Tardy Sweep.
To start with, assistant principal Mrs. Flohr shared why Tardy Sweeps take place before 1st and 5th period. “I think that there are a number of different reasons for being tardy during these periods. Students could be late coming back from lunch, they could encounter traffic in the mornings, maybe there’s an accident on the road during these times.” When asked how the staff is attempting to curb these tardies, she responded, “Right now we’re using the Tardy Sweeps to try to curb the number of students late to class.” Teachers also think having a tardy sweep is a good idea to help decrease the number of tardy students, Government/Economics teacher Jordan Kieschnick says, “Tardy Sweeps are good for enforcing rules, teaching responsibility and teaching students that certain actions have consequences.” On the other hand there are students who have different opinions on the tardy policy. Lance Nguyen, a senior, stated, “Of course the tardy sweeps sucks, being tardy in general sucks. I got caught up wednesday and I was mad about it because I didn’t want to got to detention. I guess on the bright side seeing freshmen run to class is funny.”
Finally, Mrs. Flohr shared her thoughts on how our tardies affect our students education. “I do believe it is impactful. I believe it’s difficult for students to come in late and miss half of the class, because they may not be able to grasp the objective. I think it’s important for students to be ready to listen and learn when the class period starts.” Knowing this, we hope to see a decline in tardies this school year.
By: Angelina Dominguez & Tyler Sims
New Wolves on Campus
With this fall’s wave of freshman came a wave of new staff and new ideas to improve campus life. Among the changes were Tardy Sweeps, and among the new staff came Ms. Lopez - our principal. Thoughts on these changes (improvements, really) are spread quickly and often through the student body. How do the returning staff feel about these changes, though? That’s harder to find out.
To find out, I asked a few of the the returning teachers on campus. Ms. Hull, one of the art instructors, said she felt confident about the new school year with its changes. “It’s a bit early in the year to tell,” Ms. Hull continues, “and change is never easy. It will be a lot of trial and error, but I think the year will go well.” Mr. Kieschnick, who teaches History, Gov/Econ, and in the past, Humanities, had similar sentiments. “The new staff came in with fresh energy and good ideas. They’ve addressed problems efficiently, and lend their expertise when needed. I think we just have to remember that everyone wants what’s best for the school.”
While these changes and good developments for the school, there’s one thing: American Canyon High School has had three different principals in the last 7 years. First was Mr. Brewer, than Mr. Wright, and now we have Ms. Lopez. If the new staff have ideas and changes every time, can this much change be good for us? Mr. Kieschnick shared his thoughts on the matter: “It’s tough, because each principal has a vision for the school. Each one has brought in good and new ideas, but it’s hard to build off of those ideas when they’re constantly changing.”
All the same, we wish the new staff well, and welcome our new Wolves on campus.
By: Angelina Dominguez
To find out, I asked a few of the the returning teachers on campus. Ms. Hull, one of the art instructors, said she felt confident about the new school year with its changes. “It’s a bit early in the year to tell,” Ms. Hull continues, “and change is never easy. It will be a lot of trial and error, but I think the year will go well.” Mr. Kieschnick, who teaches History, Gov/Econ, and in the past, Humanities, had similar sentiments. “The new staff came in with fresh energy and good ideas. They’ve addressed problems efficiently, and lend their expertise when needed. I think we just have to remember that everyone wants what’s best for the school.”
While these changes and good developments for the school, there’s one thing: American Canyon High School has had three different principals in the last 7 years. First was Mr. Brewer, than Mr. Wright, and now we have Ms. Lopez. If the new staff have ideas and changes every time, can this much change be good for us? Mr. Kieschnick shared his thoughts on the matter: “It’s tough, because each principal has a vision for the school. Each one has brought in good and new ideas, but it’s hard to build off of those ideas when they’re constantly changing.”
All the same, we wish the new staff well, and welcome our new Wolves on campus.
By: Angelina Dominguez
ACHS Introduces New Yearbook Payment Plan
Starting this year, ACHS students will be able to purchase their yearbooks through a payment plan. The idea was introduced by Mr. Hayburn, the school’s yearbook advisor in effort to make the yearbook more affordable. This will allow students to pay the yearbook fees without having to pay the full cost at once, which can be pricy. The payment plan is also expected to increase yearbook sales across all grades.
The manner in which the payment plan works is the students will need to submit payments totaling the cost of the yearbook. The yearbook department will accept payments through cash or checks, which can be written out to ACHS Yearbook. The first payment is due October 20 for $28 and is non refundable. After this date you continue to pay but if you later decide you no longer want a yearbook, the money paid after the initial $28 will be refunded. The second payment of $28 is due November 15. Future payment dates are January 15 and the final payment of $26 February 15.
By: Angelina Dominguez
The manner in which the payment plan works is the students will need to submit payments totaling the cost of the yearbook. The yearbook department will accept payments through cash or checks, which can be written out to ACHS Yearbook. The first payment is due October 20 for $28 and is non refundable. After this date you continue to pay but if you later decide you no longer want a yearbook, the money paid after the initial $28 will be refunded. The second payment of $28 is due November 15. Future payment dates are January 15 and the final payment of $26 February 15.
By: Angelina Dominguez