BELONG

Whale Watching!

2012-02-27T11:34:00.000-08:00

Earlier this month the San Marino Campus took a school-wide field trip to the Aquarium of the Pacific! These pictures are from the boat ride we took out to sea in hopes of seeing some whales!

At first, it didn't seem as though we would get to see any whales, although we did see many dolphins and a few seals.

As the boat ride was coming to an end, the boat captain received notice that there was a whale ahead!

We were lucky to have been able to see such a spectacular sea creature! The whale was huge! Unfortunately, we weren't able to spend too much time with the whale as we needed to head back to shore!

After the boat ride, we had a sunny lunch on the field in front of the aquarium. the students ended the day by touring the aquarium! All in all, a great day for the Southwestern family!

Start of the 2011-2012 School Year

2011-10-06T10:56:00.000-07:00

This year we welcomed new students to the San Marino Campus from Saudi Arabi, Vietnam, Angola, Turkey, China, Japan, Brazil, Korea, and more, as well as several new American students.

New and returning students arrived on campus on September 19th to check-in and be welcomed at our BBQ dinner.

Ms. Brunjes takes a photo of new student Amanda K. while Rebecca J. assists.

Ms. Brunjes photographed students, staff, and faculty for the school directory.

Students and parents create their burgers.

Families mingle together waiting in line to check-in.

Thank you all for a successful start of a new year at Southwestern Academy. We are happy to see the faces of returning students again and we are enjoying getting to know the new students this year! Thank you for choosing Southwestern Academy!

Summer Field Trip to The Getty

2011-08-29T09:44:00.000-07:00

Every Wednesday, Southwestern Academy students in our Summer Adventures Program go on a field trip. Last Wednesday, students from the San Marino Campus went to The Getty Museum. More pictures are available on our Facebook Page here.

Mr. Pulgencio Visits Alumni in South Korea

2011-08-22T10:14:00.000-07:00

Mr. Pulgencio took his first trip ever to South Korea this August to visit Southwestern Academy Alumni. On August 4, 2011, he held an alumni event hosted by the parents of Min Sung Kim at the Sky Valley Country Center. He was reunited with twenty-one alumni who graduated from between 1990-2009. The guests enjoyed sharing Southwestern stories, and they mentioned how the English skills Mr. Pulgencio taught them in high school was key to the success they have now.

Mr. Pulgencio enjoyed golfing with some graduates from 1997, who are now successful businessmen. He also was able to enjoy excellent dinners with alumni who couldn't make it to the event.

Mr. Pulgencio was in South Korea from August 4-11, and had a wonderful time catching up with "kids," some of which, he hadn't seen in fifteen years. Many of his previous students were married and he had the pleasure of meeting their children.

Mr. Pulgencio thanks everyone for their wonderful hospitality and for making the trip to come to see him!

A day at Medieval Times

2011-08-11T15:08:00.000-07:00

This last Wed. the students went to Medieval Times for lunch and a show. Afterwards, they all went to Golf and Stuff for miniature golf and arcade games.

Summer Students volunteer at L. A. Food Bank

2011-08-05T13:02:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday was a community service day here. The students worked all day at the L. A. Regional Food Bank. They all worked willingly and hard. Good Job!

Second Session of Summer School Starts Today

2011-08-01T09:18:00.000-07:00

Last week the first session ended after a couple days of exams with a full day trip to Disneyland on Friday. The students had a great time.
Returning students and new students start the second, six-week session today with placement testing. Welcome to all.

2011-07-18T14:29:00.000-07:00

Here's a message from Mr. Pulgencio about his trip and reunion in Seoul, Korea this August.

"I will be arriving in Seoul, South Korea, on August 4. I will be staying at the
Palace Hotel located in the heart of the city.

If you have not sent me an e-mail about attending the Southwestern party, please
send it to me as soon as possible. I need to make reservations for you.

You can e-mail me at LPulgencio@southwesternacademy.edu

I will then send you an e-mail with all of the information you will need. But
hurry, time is getting close. Get in contact with me as soon as you can!

So far 25 people have responded. I'm looking for more people who have attended
Southwestern. I hope you are passing the word to others. It would be great to
have as many people as possible at this event.

I am looking forward to seeing you all!!!!!!!

Mr. Pulgencio (Mr. "P")"

2011-07-14T13:58:00.000-07:00

This week's Summer School field trip to Raging Waters – a water park (obviously) in L. A.

Weekly Field Trip

2011-07-08T13:40:00.000-07:00

Students faculty spent the day at Universal Studios last Wed.

Field Trip to El Pueblo de Los Angeles

2011-06-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

The summer school students went to El Pueblo de Los Angeles and Olvera St. yesterday. The Pueblo is the original Spanish settlement that eventually gave rise to LA. The students spent the afternoon touring El Pueblo and then going to Olvera Street. Visit our Facebook page for more photos.

Last Wed. field trip to USC

2011-06-29T10:42:00.000-07:00

The summer school students went to USC last Wed. This summer, like every summer, they take a field trip every Wednesday. Keep an eye out for postings on future trips.

The Graduation video is available on YouTube

2011-06-14T08:10:00.000-07:00

Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeRIBBP3QQ4

Summer School

2011-06-13T15:46:00.000-07:00

International summer school's ESL programs have started. Summer Adventures at Beaver Creek begin on the 20th.

2011-06-09T17:13:00.000-07:00

Seniors from both campuses graduated today. Photos from the Beaver Creek Campus Senior Ceremony are up on our Facebook page. Go take a look.

The Prom

2011-06-08T13:04:00.000-07:00

The Prom was a huge success. The students went on a harbor cruise last Sunday evening and had a blast. See more photos on our Facebook page.

Prom Alert!

2011-06-03T11:31:00.000-07:00

The Prom is this Sunday. Have fun. Guys - if you haven't ordered your tuxes, it's too late. Go find a penguin and steal its feathers.

A Day at the Beach

2011-06-01T14:16:00.000-07:00

The team that won the year-long competition, the Jokers, get a day at the beach tomorrow. I am sure that they will bring along their books to get in some quality study time. (Right?)

The End Is Near!

2011-06-01T13:17:00.000-07:00

We are on the last leg! Review week has started. Exams start on Friday, June 3 and end on Wednesday the 8th. Graduation follows on the next day, the 9th. Summer vacation is almost here.

Good luck to all on your exams - study hard.

Seniors: enjoy your last week at Southwestern Academy and.... Good Luck.

Mr. Pulgencio to Host Event in South Korea

2011-05-16T13:02:00.000-07:00

On August 6, 2011, Lou Pulgencio, Director of International Studies and teacher at Southwestern for over 20 years, will co-host, a "Welcome Back to Southwestern Academy" event in Yeoju, South Korea. It will be held at the Sky Valley Country Club.

Min Sung Kim and family will be hosting the event with Mr. P

Among the many students who plan to attend are: Yunji Choi, Jeff Seo, Jamie Baek, Ji Eun (June) Kwon, Stephanie Yoon, and Sandy Lee. Many more are expected to be there.

Send your personal e-mail to LPulgencio@southwesternacademy.edu if you wish to attend. Mr. "P" will be contacting you with all of the information.

Remember, you'll always be part of Southwestern Academy!

Congrats to our New Student Government Leaders

2011-05-12T08:41:00.000-07:00

The results of the May 10th elections for Student Government:

President: Wendy Wang
Vice President for Activities: Andre Mangkuningrat
Vice President for Student Relations: Anderson Tsai
Secretary: Christopher Yeh
Treasurer: Aiko Miyase

Congratulations to next year's student government!

Upcoming Events

2011-04-27T09:57:00.000-07:00

April 27: Report Cards Mailed Home
April 28:
-Free Dress Day
-Evening Dance
-Baseball HOME Game vs. Webb School at 2:45 p.m.
-Boys' Volleyball HOME Game vs. Mesrobian at 3:45 p.m.
April 29: Field Trip for art students to LA County Museum of Art
First Week of May:
-Field Trip to Beaver Creek Campus for ESL I & III students
May 13:
-City-Wide Talent Show at Huntington Middle School at 7:oo p.m.
-YouTube auditions can be sent via email to dwadsworth@smusd.us

Arts Fest Photos Available for Purchase

2011-04-14T09:10:00.000-07:00

Our professional Arts Fest photos are ready for viewing and purchase at Pictage.com. Click here to view the album. Sign the "Guest Book" to view the photos, if you do not already have a Pictage account.

2 for 1 Prints available for a limited time! Digital downloads are also available. Enjoy!

Upcoming Events

2011-04-11T09:54:00.000-07:00

April 11-15: EXAM WEEK

April 12: Baseball Game vs. Calvary Baptist @ 2:45 HOME
April 13: Seder Dinner @ 6:00
April 14: Boys' Volleyball Game vs. Waverly @ 2:45 HOME

April 15: Spring Break begins after exams at 4:30
April 18-25: SPRING BREAK
Residents return to campus before 8 p.m. Monday.
April 26: Fourth Quarter begins. Teacher/Student Review of Report Cards.

ARTS FEST 2011 Review

2011-04-01T16:03:00.000-07:00

Thursday, March 31st, was Southwestern Academy’s annual ARTS FEST presented by the visual and performing arts department. Every student was involved in some way with this major production, whether playing a part in “My Girl,” or selling cups of our home-squeezed orange juice. The Beaver Creek Campus participated as well by sending their artwork to us, which was displayed all around at ARTS FEST.

Student MCs, Zak Fennie and Rebecca Jones, started the night off introducing each performance in Act 1. The students played several musical numbers, including beautiful piano solos by Chris Yeh. Risa Yamanaka read a haiku and addressed the audience about the devastation in Japan. Act 1 ended with the hit song, “My Girl,” led by Richard Avery and his talented band members.

For dinner, delicious pizza was served—courtesy of Southwestern Academy’s cooks. They also passed out cookies as Act 2 began, led by student MCs, Perry Woo and Annie Yang. Act 2 was filled with a poetry reading and several great songs—notably “Change the World,” sung by Perry Woo, “What to Do,” sung by Daisy Barrios, and “Taking Chances,” sung by Rebecca Jones.

Act 3, 4, & 5 continued, starting with our younger MCs, Jacob Orosco & Isaiah Glenn. The last three acts showcased excellent student performances, including a drama performance in Act 4 from “The Mad Tea Party” scene from Alice in Wonderland. The full production of Alice in Wonderland will be Saturday, May 14 at 7pm. Annie Yang will star as Alice.

In addition to the performances of the night, student skateboard design, artwork, photography pieces, and face-painting pictures were all displayed and admired on campus. The fabulous main stage mural and t-shirt logos were designed by the talented Chelsea Han.

Chelsea Han with ARTS FEST logo

Thank you to all the students for participating, and all the family, friends, and community members who came and enjoyed the show! See you next year!

Upcoming Events

2011-03-24T08:56:00.000-07:00

March 29:

JV Volleyball Game vs. Rio Hondo at 2:30 p.m. HOME
Varsity Volleyball vs. Rio Hondo at 5:30 p.m. HOME
I-Club Ethnic Dinner (off-campus by sign-up)

March 31: ARTS FEST 3:30-7:30 p.m.

ARTS FEST at Southwestern Academy is FREE and open to ALL -- the community, prospective students, current families, and alumni -- and will showcase student artwork, music, poetry, drama, and more! Dinner will be served. See you there!

April 1:

April Fools Day
Baseball vs. Pacific at 3:30 p.m. HOME

April 2: Island Camping Trip

April 4-8: Review Week

Southwestern Students Excel at Magic Mountain Physics Day Competition

2011-03-22T14:39:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, March 19th, seventy-one students went to Six Flags Magic Mountain for the annual Physics Day event. Thirty-six of these students participated in the Physics Olympics sponsored each year by Six Flags. There were 5 different competitions in which 1^st and 2^nd place were awarded in each. We are very happy to report that our students placed in each event. We won a total of 5 out of the 10 awards. Congratulations go to:

Benjamin Wu – 2^nd Place, Paper Airplane Contest for Accuracy

Henry Lopez – 1^st Place, Paper Airplane Contest for Distance

Nick Broihier, Henry Lopez, and Manu Kern – 2^nd Place Paper Tower (130 cm)

Masamichi Makino -- 2^nd Place Projectile Motion

Nick Chung -- 1^st Place Constant Acceleration

An estimated 100 students participated in each competition. Congratulations to our winners and to all who participated!

JAPAN UPDATE from Students, Families, and Alumni

2011-03-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

Photograph by Mainichi Shimbun, Reuters

Our current students from Japan have all reported that their families are safe, however, we have not heard back from all of our alumni in Japan. Please contact Lou Pulgencio ASAP if you are an alum who we haven't heard from yet. We care, and we want to know if you are okay. Mr. Pulgencio can be reached at:
lpulgencio@southwesternacademy.edu.

All of the alumni we have heard from so far are physically alright, although the earthquake and tsunami has emotionally devastated all. The following are some of the responses we are hearing from Japan:

"It was very terrifying not to have been able to talk to my family for two whole days. Phone lines were cut due to the earthquake. Not even email would go through. I cannot believe how cruel the force of nature is..."

"Transportation stopped. Not easy for any contact by phone. Hard to get fuel. Black out. Getting short of food..."

"I have never felt how small Japan is. One thing happens, and there is nowhere to run..."

"About 10,000 people died..."

"[Our family hotel] is receiving evacuees from the ocean side and supplying food...we are preparing for even more evacuees..."

Our hearts, thoughts, and prayers are with you. Please let us know if you need anything, and again, please contact us if we haven't heard from you already.

Upcoming Events

2011-03-08T15:31:00.000-08:00

March 8:

Cup Cake Day by Student Government
3:45 Boys’ Volleyball, HOME v. Mesrobian

March 10:

2:45 Baseball, HOME v. St. Monica
I-Club Foods
3:30 Boys’ Volleyball, HOME v. Emerson

March 11:

3:00 Boys’ Volleyball at Pilibos
SAT TESTING

March 15:

6:30 Baseball at Calvary Baptist
Cookie Sale by I-Club

March 17: St. Patrick’s Day – Wear Green!

6:00-9:00 Irish Food and Dance

March 19: PHYSICS DAY at Magic Mountain

Warner Bros. Studios Field Trip

2011-03-08T15:16:00.000-08:00

Through an invitation by Ron Jones, who works on the music for the TV show Family Guy, Southwestern Academy students were able to tour the Warner Bros. Studios.

The students were able to watch a voice recording for the show, see how they synced the music to the animation, see their advanced sound equipment, and meet the sound engineers. It was a wonderful opportunity, especially for our students preparing to pursue film in college, to see first-hand how this facet of the entertainment industry works.

Sunspot News: Episode 14

2011-03-08T10:08:00.000-08:00

The Sunspot News is a student-lead news broadcast about current events at Southwestern Academy. Students gain valuable communication skills, as well as, video editing experience in a fun, engaging, and creative way through the Sunspot News. New videos are posted weekly on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/user/SUNSPOTNEWS.

Beaver Creek at the NAAA Basketball Championship

2011-02-22T13:41:00.000-08:00

The Ranch Campus Sun hoops team officially concluded its season Friday, losing, 70-25, to a much stronger squad from Tri-City Prep in the preliminary round of the NAAA Basketball Championship tournament; and then, with just twenty minutes' rest, the Sun pulled off an unlikely victory over Prescott Valley Charter School, winning the consolation game, 53-52, in overtime!

Tri-City, who went on to win the Championship, was simply too big, too fast, and too skilled for us. They dominated every aspect of the game. Showing flashes of brilliance that had been evident all season long, the Sun looked good at times and fought hard throughout, but in the end the Panthers left us sprawling in defeat. Leading scorers for Southwestern were Jimmy Mai with eight points and Tony Zhu with six.

The game for third place was another story! After two regular season thrashings at the hands of Prescott Valley, who would have thought we'd ever be in the game? Consider, too, that PVCS had nearly two hours of rest before the contest. Our boys, tired and demoralized, started slowly and trailed by five points at the half. A great defensive third period brought us even at 41-all.

By the middle of the fourth quarter, three of our boys had suffered leg cramps. Tony literally had to be carried off the court - George Zheng, our powerful senior, doing the service all by himself! With 38 seconds remaining in regulation, Kevin Yu, far behind the arc, sank a three-pointer to tie the game. The Tri-City gym, packed with onlookers, most of whom were rooting for us, erupted. It was the loudest noise I'd heard in a game since my schoolboy days in the perfervid bandbox gyms of northern New York!

With 28 seconds left in the four-minute overtime period, PVCS had made a free throw and we were down by one. Kevin drove the baseline, flipping the ball off the glass, the ball hanging agonizingly on the rim before falling off. Foul: Shooting foul on PVCS, Kevin on the line shooting two. Kevin, in obvious pain, looked at me, glanced down at his right calf muscle, then looked back. I came from the bench, and the referee told me, "Whoever you substitute has to shoot the free throws."

I looked back at the bench, at three enervated boys, none nearly as skilled as Kevin. "Kev," I said, "you gotta shoot these free throws." Still in pain, Kevin nodded and took the ball from the referee. He stamped his right foot hard three times, like a willful colt, as though to drive out the spasm from his leg. Settling into his well-practiced routine, he made the first foul shot. Tie game. The gym went crazy again! Then, in relative peace and quiet, Kevin Yu sank the free throw that won the game.

Officially, the Sun finished the season, 11-6 (not counting a resounding win over the faculty!), in third place in our league - a league with schools with enrollments of over two-hundred. We total eighteen. Of course, two more exhibition games remain to be played in California, and we look forward to those and our time visiting in San Marino!

-Coach Huber

Current News & Upcoming Events

2011-02-17T14:39:00.000-08:00

On February 16th, the girls basketball team played against the women faculty and staff. The faculty won 39-21 (although the refs were faculty, as well...) and it was a fun time for both sides.

The boys basketball team lost their first playoff game against Midland Oaks School, 76-34, ending the boys basketball season this year. Our team played well, and was tied in the first quarter, but then Midlands Oaks School got fired up and never lost their drive. Congratulations to all the boys for a season well played.

Upcoming Events

February 18th: Post-exam Break NO CLASSES

Ski Trip to Mountain High Ski Resort leaving at 6:00 a.m.

February 21st: President's Day NO CLASSES
February 22nd:

2nd Semester Begins

Practice starts for Baseball and Boys’ Volleyball 3:00 p.m.

February 23rd: African & African-American Show and Dinner
February 24th:

Student / Teacher Reviews
School Dance
Four-way Speech Contest
International Club Foods

February 25th:

Beaver Creek vs. San Marino Boys Basketball Game 3:30 p.m.
Report Cards Mailed Home

February 26th:

Boys' Basketball vs. Faculty Game 11:30 a.m.

Sunspot News 13

2011-02-14T13:36:00.000-08:00

Beaver Creek Basketball Season Ends

2011-02-11T12:49:00.000-08:00

The Beaver Creek Sun basketball squad finished the regular season with a disappointing, 64-47 loss to Prescott Valley Charter School. PVCS, with pressure defense and impressive shooting, surged to a 23-6 lead after one period. The Sun played their fellow-playoff-bound rivals evenly (41-41) the rest of the way, but never got closer than thirteen points following the first quarter onslaught.

Leading the way for the Sun were senior forwards, Tony Zhu and Kevin Yu, with 14 and 11 points, respectively, and sophomore guard, Michael Du, with 10 points and a strong floor game.

-Coach Huber

Upcoming Events for Exam Week

2011-02-11T12:45:00.000-08:00

February 14th: Semester Exams (Period 1)

Valentines Day! <3

Decorations by Jenny Chen

February 15th: Semester Exams (Period 2 & 4)
February 16th: Semester Exams (Period 3)

Boys’ Basketball 1st Round Playoffs at Midland 7:00 p.m.
Girls' Basketball vs. Faculty Game 4:00 p.m.

February 17th: Semester Exams (Period 3 & 6)

Girls’ Basketball 1st Round CIF, TBA

February 18th: Post-exam Break NO CLASSES

Ski Trip to Mountain High Ski Resort

Science Fair Winners Announced

2011-02-09T12:28:00.000-08:00

We had 43 projects at the 2011 Science Fair which represented 86 students. Of the 43 projects, 32 were Experiment Based while 11 were Rube Goldberg projects. Everyone did a great job, but there were some projects that stood out among the rest. Ultimately, it came down to the day of the fair and the interaction with the judges.

For Rube Goldberg, the students had to create a machine that would turn off an alarm clock using a series of 20 simple machines. They were judged on how well they followed the rules, the types and number of machines used, their creativity and originality in the approach they took, their verbal presentation of their machine, their interview with the judges and most importantly, on whether or not the machine worked.

For the Experimental projects, the students were judged on scientific thought and the use of the scientific method, originality of their idea, creativity of their approach, development and practicality of the idea, their display, their presentation and the interview with the judges.

In the end, we hope the students learned from their projects, apply that knowledge, present it and understand it. All of these things are what determined the winners. And they are:

1^st Place Rube Goldberg
Nicholas Broihier and Henry Lopez

2^nd Place Rube Goldberg
Annie Yang and Jenny Chen

3^rd Place Rube Goldberg

Rainer Duve and Jim Kim

1^st Place Experimental - (Battle of the Bats)

Jacob Orosco, Deborah Kaufeldt-Boardman, and Albert Lopez

2^nd Place Experimental - (Air Quality Testing)

Annais Rojas and Alexandra Brouke

3^rd Place Experimental - (Are You Smarter Than the Stroop Effect?)

Amii Young and Chaya Stewart

Congratulations to all the students for a job well done.

-Lauren Brunjes

Whale Watching and Aquarium Field Trip

2011-02-08T11:18:00.000-08:00

On January 28th, the students of Southwestern Academy went on a Whale Watching trip. We left in the morning and reached Long Beach at around 10 a.m. to leave for the trip. We spent a couple of hours cruising in search of whales, which unfortunately, we didn't see. However we did see many dolphins that followed the boat. Afterwards, we went to the Aquarium of the Pacific where the students got the opportunity to see different kinds of marine animals varying from jellyfish to sharks. Overall, the students seemed to be pleased with the trip.

-Vlad Ibragimov
Southwestern Environmental Associates Club President

Beaver Creek Basketball Team Wins 41-33

2011-02-04T08:16:00.000-08:00

The Beaver Creek Sun hoops team won for the ninth time February 2nd, defeating a game squad from Rimrock High, 41-33. Taking a 31-10 lead into the second half, the Sun relaxed a bit too much, allowing Rimrock to climb to within eight points with a couple minutes left in regulation. Fortunately, with starters, Tony Zhu, Kevin Yu, Jay-Z An, Eric Huang, and Jimmy Mai reinserted following a time out, Rimrock was shut out the rest of the way!

Jimmy led the team with twenty points -- the fourth consecutive game in which he'd scored twenty or more points. Tony, coming back from a badly sprained ankle, and Jay-Z pitched in with six points apiece. The victory pushed our record to 9-4.

Monday afternoon, Prescott Valley Charter School will visit us for a second time. They beat us fairly easily in our first meeting, so we'll hope to pull an upset.

-Coach Bill Huber

Upcoming Events

2011-02-03T14:50:00.000-08:00

February 3rd:

HOME Girls' Basketball vs. New Harvest at 3:30 p.m. This is their last HOME game of the season!
HOME Boys' Basketball vs. New Harvest at 5:oo p.m.
International Club Bake Sale at 4:oo p.m.

February 4th: UCLA visits campus at 1:15 p.m. to speak with juniors interested in applying there next year.

February 6th: Weekend Trip to the Pasadena City College Flea Market

February 7-11th: REVIEW WEEK

February 8th:

Middle School "Amazing Animals" Show at 1-2pm
Boys’ Basketball at Delphi at 3:30 p.m.

February 9th: "The Most Dangerous Game" Play in Chapel at 3:30 p.m.

February 10th:

Girls' Basketball at Calvary at 5:30 p.m.
Boys' Basketball at Calvary at 7:00 p.m.
Student Government Bake Sale

February 11th:

BLAZER DAY
Candy Grams Sale

Gene Autry Museum Field Trip

2011-01-26T13:19:00.000-08:00

On January 25th, Mr. Pulgencio lead a group of ten Advanced ESL students on a field trip to the Gene Autry Museum. The ESL students had been learning American History vocabulary words, recently focusing on the Gold Rush. The Gene Autry Museum focuses on that time period, allowing the students to see first-hand what they had been learning.

Beaver Creek Boys Basketball Team Wins 61-51

2011-01-25T14:16:00.000-08:00

The Beaver Creek basketball team, led by senior tri-captains, Jimmy Mai and Kevin Yu, won its 8th game Monday afternoon at Trinity Christian Academy, defeating the home team, 61-51.

Attacking with a full-court press, Trinity took a quick 5-2 lead. Then Jimmy sank a 3-pointer from the top of the key, and the Sun were off and running. It was the beginning of a 12-0 run, giving the Sun a lead we never relinquished. The game was close throughout, with Trinity twice trimming our lead to four points in the fourth quarter. In the end, with several of our boys battling upset stomachs, we literally gutted out the win!

Jimmy, following a 24-point performance last week against a strong Prescott Valley team, led the way with a career-high 28 points and a nearly flawless floor game. He sank four 3-pointers, each seeming to come at pivotal moments in the game. Kevin, driving to the hoop again and again, pitched in with 18 points. Forwards George Zheng, Eric Huang, and Jay-Z An did all the dirty work that victory requires--playing good interior defense and boxing out for rebounds and scoring when the opportunity availed itself. Sophomore Michael Du, despite feeling under the weather, played a strong game at one guard position, scoring five points, and Julian (Julz) Jenny, our "Secret Weapon of Mass Destruction," hounded Trinity's star player from one baseline to the other!

With three regular season games left to play and having already qualified for our Northern Arizona Athletic Association championship tournament next month, the Sun will look to build momentum as senior tri-captain, Tony Zhu's, badly sprained ankle continues to mend. Tony was leading the team in scoring and rebounding when he went down a couple weeks ago. Of course, we're all hoping he'll be able to play again this season.

-Bill Huber

Norton Simon Museum Field Trip

2011-01-24T15:24:00.000-08:00

By: Wendy Wang

Upcoming Events

2011-01-21T14:57:00.000-08:00

January 21st: Boys and girls teams will play against Waverly School of Pasadena. The girls start at 3:45 p.m., the boys start at 5:30 p.m.
January 22nd: Students will be going on an 8-mile hike to Chantry Flats.
Jan. 25th:
-ESL students will be going on a field trip to the Gene Autry Museum.
-HOME Girls' Basketball vs. Calvary at 3:30 p.m.
-HOME Boys' Basketball vs. Calvary at 5:00 p.m.

Jan. 26th:

-HOME Girls' Basketball vs. Mesrobian at 3:30 p.m.

-HOME Boys' Basketball vs. Mesrobian at 5:00 p.m.

Jan. 27th: SCIENCE FAIR 1-4 p.m.

Jan. 28th: School-wide trip to Aquarium and Whale Watching at Sea from 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

Southeast Asian Dinner & Show

2011-01-21T12:49:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, the 19th, the International Club hosted "Southeast Asia Night." Southwestern's Southeast Asian students performed for the school a show of music, dramas, and dancing, and cooked an authentic Southeast Asian meal. International Dinners occur monthly at Southwestern Academy. They provide Southwestern students the opportunity to share their diverse cultural backgrounds with other students, and allow other students to learn about countries all over the world in an entertaining, personal, and memorable way.

Introducing Southeast Asia Night

Drama of a Traditional Story (with a twist)

Drama

Dance by Mark Song

Closing bow from the group!

Basketball: Southwestern vs. St. Monica on Jan. 18th

2011-01-20T11:11:00.000-08:00

Southwestern's boys basketball team lost a close game last night: 36-42 to crosstown St. Monica. This was our first game back from break, so our players were understandably rusty. We were down 10-26 at the half, but we made some adjustments, most notably on defense. Instead of trying to block every shot and getting out of position as a result, we simply closed out on each shot with a hand in front of the shooter's face.

The added defensive intensity worked, as St. Monica scored just 5 points in the third quarter. We were able to get some fast break points by Andy Wang (who scored 12 points and made two late back-to-back threes!) and Jim Kim, who also made a late three with just two minutes left! But a Southwestern win was not to be. The momentum shifted back to the opponent's side, and their free-throw shooters kept them ahead at the end of the game.
- A.J. Cabalu

Southwestern's girls basketball team had a harsh loss against St. Monica, with an ending score of 10-46.

National Portfolio Day

2011-01-18T09:54:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday, January 16^th, Southwestern Academy art students, lead by Mr. Kohn, went to National Portfolio Day at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles.

This annual event gives students the opportunity to meet representatives from art schools, such as: Rhode Island School of Design, Cleveland Institute of Art, California Institute of the Arts, School of the Museum of Fine Arts and, of course, Otis College of Art and Design. The students have the opportunity to show their portfolios and get feedback on their work.

The students that went this year are:

-Juan Pesquera (Senior) – Film

-Chelsea Han (Junior) – Graphic Design

-Tara Heidari (Junior) – Fashion

-Min Sung Kim (Sophomore) – Architecture

-Zach Egan-Popecka (Sophomore) – Game Design

-Nancy Lopez (Sophomore) – Creative Writing

-Tianna Gonzalez (Freshman) – Illustration

View last year's Portfolio Day video here.

Upcoming Events

2011-01-14T09:35:00.000-08:00

The students are back! Classes resumed on Tuesday the 11th at Southwestern Academy, and there are many events coming up in the next couple weeks.

Today: Our girls basketball team is playing against Amino Leadership Charter at 3:30 p.m in a home game.

Jan. 17th: Martin Luther King Jr. Day! This will be honored with a "Blazer Day."

Jan. 18th: Both boys and girls basketball teams will play against St. Monica. The girls game starts at 3:30 p.m. and the boys game starts at 5:00 p.m. Both are home games.

Jan. 19th: The International Show and Dinner will be held on Wednesday, featuring food and music from Southeast Asia.

Jan. 20th: The boys basketball team will play at Emerson, starting at 4:00 P.M.

Jan. 21st: Boys and girls teams will play against Waverly School of Pasadena. The girls start at 3:45p.m., the boys start at 5:30p.m.

Welcome to Southwestern Academy's Blog

2011-01-13T15:12:00.000-08:00

Thank you for your interest in Southwestern Academy. This blog was designed for prospective students, families, and alumni who would like to get a closer look at the Southwestern experience. We will be posting student events, news videos, pictures, classroom activities, and more to give you an insider view of what it's really like to be a student at Southwestern Academy. Stay tuned, and thank you for joining us!