Gabrielino High School

tongva times
VOLUME XVII | ISSUE VIII

April 30
30, 2015

Steele retires, bids Gabrielino adis

Vincent
Lugo Park
turns 50
By Joanna Wong
Staff Writer
On May 16, the City of San Gabriel and Friends of La Laguna
(FoLL) will celebrate Vincent
Lugo Park's 50th birthday by
hosting a playdate. The event
will take place at the park, specifically at the La Laguna playground, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
During the celebration, there
will be a ribbon cutting, face
painting, and balloon artists.
In the 1960s, San Gabriel Municipal Park, renamed Vincent
Lugo Park in 1988, was transformed from the city's landfill
into a park. The construction
was under the supervision of
Vincent Lugo, San Gabriel's
park supervisor at that time.
The park included a play area,
picnic shelters, a Little League
diamond, and a Scout House.
In 1965, the last part of the
park, the Laguna de San Gabriel play area was built. Artist
Benjamin Dominguez sculpted
the "lagoon" of sea creatures,
which includes an octopus, sea
serpent, and whale. In October
2006, FoLL was formed to preserve Dominguez's work and in
2009, La Laguna was listed in
the California Register of Historical Places.
Eloy Zarate, board member of
FoLL, stated that the La Laguna
Playground is special because "it
is not only a piece of history, it
is an artistic treasure. The playground is reminiscent of a different time in California history
and a unique vision for community parks and children's play."
Junior board members Alina
Zarate and Ciannah Correa will
also show a video displaying the
history of the park to fourth and
fifth graders and invite them to
join the fun of celebrating the
park's birthday.
See Vincent Lugo, Page 10

By Samantha Kwok
Editor in Chief
When Linda Steele, Spanish
teacher, leaves Gabrielino, she
will not only be leaving behind
the most decorated room in
school, but also a legacy of compassion and unwavering devotion to all students.
Steele first heard of Gabrielino
when she was teaching at Arcadia High School and was immediately interested in joining the
new school that had fought so
hard to open amidst much opposition. Citing that the qualifications for teaching at the new
school were specific and different, Steele noted that Gabrielino
was looking for teachers that
loved kids, cared, and wanted to
teach in new ways.
I thought to myself, Wow,
thats the kind of school I want
to teach at, Steele stated. I was
hired on the spot.
Having worked full-time for
50 years, and as a teacher at Gabrielino for 19, Steele is looking
at her retirement in an optimistic light, excited for all the opportunities she will have.
I want to have fun for the next
couple years. I want to make sure
that Im still happy, said Steele.
Steele has already planned her
next move after retiring, planning to spend more time with
her four grandchildren in her
new home in Castaic. She also
intends to spend more time gardening, remodeling her home,

Taylor Thames|Tongva Times

END OF AN ERA After 19 years at Gabrielino, Spanish teacher

Linda Steele leaves behind a legacy of kindness and fun.
and having monthly parties.
With a new yard spanning two
acres, Steele is eager to have her
grandchildren spend time at her

home. Its a dream for me.

Steele also wants to set up her
home as a retreat center for other families which allows them

a place to relax, and also gives

Steele a chance to pursue her
other passion: cooking.
I love to cook. Im a good Italian! stated Steele.
In her many years at Gabrielino,
Steele has garnered a reputation
as very fun-loving, in addition
to building strong relationships
with much of the staff as well as
developing lifelong friendships
with her students.
Im so excited for her, but
we are going to miss her, said
Angela Lucio, Spanish teacher.
Shes always happy and vivacious and its nice to have someone like that.
From her Whats Good About
Me books, which allow students
to write positive and self-affirming messages to themselves
messages that many students
still keep, noted Steeleto Fabulous Friday Faculty Feasts, Steele
has always ensured that those
around her have a place to relax
or talk. Steele is remembered for
being an active participant in
many of the schools events, including Wacky Wednesday and
Pie-in-the-Face, as well as her
passion for teaching Spanish to
many students.
Shes taught [me] a lot of life
skills through her experiences,
stated Nicholas Tchan, senior.
Tchan will also miss Steeles kind
and caring nature.
Her own daughter having attended Gabrielino, Steele sees
herself as a grandma on campus,
See Steele retires, Page 10

CAASPP combines testing and technology

By Hattie Xu
Entertainment Editor
This month, juniors at Gabrielino High School and across
California took the California
Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP)
for the first time. CAASPP measures student aptitude using the
new Common Core, which began statewide implementation in
2012, and replaces the California
Standards Test (CST). CAASPP
is created by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium,

an organization of member
states that seeks to standardize
testing across the country.
Students were tested in English and mathematics, and each
test consists of two parts: a computer-adaptive section that involves multiple choice and short
answer questions, and a performance task, which is usually a
long-form essay.
These questions are measuring the ability to think critically
and show communication and
collaboration, stated assistant
principal Jonathan Lyons, who

oversaw CAASPP implementation at Gabrielino.

Although students were tested
in just two subjects, questions
from the test can draw knowledge from multiple areas of
study. For example, in a practice
test administered in March by
both Eric Hoenigmann, math
teacher, and Philip Zamora,
English teacher, the English performance task focused on government ordinances.
Within the [math] department, weve implemented performance tasks and were in the

process of aligning our curriculum to Common Core standards, Hoenigmann said.

To administer the testing, the
San Gabriel Unified District
bought over 300 new Chromebooks for use at Gabrielino, utilizing money from a one-time
technology grant from the state,
as well as money from the Local
Control and accountability Plan,
which is a way for schools to
receive state funding. CAASPP
is entirely computer-based, and
students are equipped with a
See CAASPP, Page 10

In this issue...
As prom approaches,
arguments are made
whether the event still
has any significance.
See Opinions, Page 3

In a historical move, the

NFL welcomes its first
female official.
See Sports, Page 9

Cartoon Networks
Steven Universe
boasts skillful artistry
and captivating
characters.
See Entertainment,
Page 10

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