State of the Arts
2018-19
|
|
Legacy Visual and Performing Arts High School
June 18, 2019
Dr. Edward A. Trimis, Principal
|
|
Legacy Visual and Performing Arts High School is a student-centered, creative learning community that engages students intellectually and artistically, instilling responsible citizenship and academic rigor for college and career preparedness.
|
|
Welcome to the "State of the Arts"
|
|
Welcome to our latest Legacy VAPA
State of the Arts
newsletter! As we continue look for creative and effective ways to recruit new students, we have been exploring everything from adding a magnet center (again) to becoming an LAUSD-Affiliated Charter School (working name is The Creative Sciences Charter School of the Arts), we are steadfast in our dedication and advocacy of the arts and their power to transform the lives of our students. We are all called to spread the good news of VAPA, grounded by our 4 pillars developed in the
Leader in Me
process (create, inspire, unify, educate), while being dedicated to change the perceptions of some that studying the arts and focusing on them in school somehow prepares our students less for college and career than focusing on math and science. Interestingly enough, there is a growing base of research that proves the 4-Cs of 21st century learning (collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity) are developed and nurtured through the study of music and the other art forms. So while we do want to explore new ways to bring in new students and families to VAPA, doing anything less in our work in the arts is simply not an option! #vapasmart #artsmart
Be sure to click the
hyperlinks in RED at
the bottom of each article to see more photos and enrich your experience!
-Dr. Edward Trimis, Principal
create. inspire. unify. educate.
Legacy VAPA VII:
VAPA Making A Difference
|
|
|
Legacy VAPA Concludes Another Amazing Year!
|
|
Wow. Just....wow. We did it. As Dr. Trimis concludes his 3rd Year as VAPA principal, there is so much to celebrate. It was a spectacular year. For sports, it was our first year in the powerful Eastern League and many Legacy teams were competitive. Softball, Boys Soccer, and Track and Field were all in the City Championships, defeating many of our large school rivals such as South Gate HS, South East HS and others. We triumphed through a successful WASC accreditation visit. We experienced success in the
Leader in Me
program, with our students and staff featured at a Local District East Principals December Professional Development Day and the Los Angeles
Leader in Me
Symposium. We increased outreach efforts and expanded of our signature programs including
Writing for Musical
s and the
Physical Trainer Program
. And we saw a jump in Smarter Balanced Assessments (math +8 % meets/exceeds and ELA +10 % meets/exceeds), the biggest jump ever made by Legacy VAPA! What a year it has been! And we have the video below to prove it....
|
|
VAPA SBA Scores Jump:
VAPA Rising!
|
Preliminary SBAC Scores show big gains for Legacy VAPA! THANK YOU to our entire community for supporting our efforts to raise the bar and ensure all students succeed. A BIG THANK YOU and CONGRATULATIONS to our juniors, the VAPA Class of 2020, and their teachers. MATH: UP 8% (meet/exceed) from 11% to 19%, ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS: Up 10% (meet/exceed) from 54% to 64% (ABOVE LAUSD average of 56%).
#vapasmart
|
|
|
Welcome, Legacy VAPA Class of 2023
|
|
Have you heard? Are you in? Are you one of the newest students at Legacy Visual and Performing Arts High School? Look for your welcome packet going out to our Class of 2023! LOTS is coming next! FREE tickets to VAPA events, Summer Bridge Program (5 weeks) with field trips, Freshman Orientation Day, the ACE Three-day experience, Freshman Tailgate at our opening home Football Game, Link Crew support, and so much more! You will be getting a packet in the mail, a phone call, and an e-mail! Welcome to VAPA! What, you are not on the list? You may still join us! Call the office today at 323-357-7531 to see how to enroll. We’re here for you!!
|
|
VAPA Commencement VII: Congrats, Class of 2019!
|
|
The 2019 Commencement Ceremonies for the Wonderful Legacy VAPA Class of 2019 were on June 6 at South Gate Municipal Auditorium. CONGRATS to all of our graduates! Special thanks to Class Sponsor, Bridgette Spencer, and our office support staff, school support staff, counseling team, and fantastic classroom teachers! Behind the scenes: what happens before the graduates enter the auditorium for graduation?
|
|
Our Commencement Ceremonies have their own special traditions. As the graduates are getting ready to start the procession, they are taking the last few selfies and group pictures, and checking out all of the cap decorations, I play the bagpipes for them. This is a special time for them and I really rarely play at school or events. We also try to have students involved throughout the ceremony. They sing the
Star Spangled Banner
, the band plays a feature and the procession, a choir comprised of seniors just for this event perform (Senior Choir), and, this year, our much-beloved mariachi ensemble played and led the procession out of the auditorium. I try to include as many students as possible in my speech and highlight experiences shared with the graduates over their time at VAPA before giving out a few bits of advice and a quote or two. On stage, I take as much time as needed to greet my students, sometimes quickly talking to them before they leave the stage after a photo, and afterwards, I stay as long as is needed to talk to as many of the graduates as possible and take as many pictures as they want to take with their families. I love graduations. This is the joyous time when we celebrate the growth and success of our students, and it is such a great affirmation of why we do the work we do. Good luck, VAPA Class of 2019. We love you and we'll miss you!
- Dr. Edward Trimis, Principal
|
|
Senior Awards: Class of 2019 Success!
|
Congratulations to the wonderful Class of 2019! This year’s
Senior Awards Gala
was on Thursday, May 30, and gave VAPA teachers and staff an opportunity to celebrate their success. The evening included several special awards and scholarship presentations, awarding of many honor cords and stoles, and some special honors performances. Thank you to our counseling and office staff for putting the evening together and our teachers for all they have done for our seniors! Special congrats to Esmeralda Perez (Salutatorian) and Dulce Abarca (Valedictorian), both wonderful examples of #vapasmart and #artsmart, how you can be a gifted and creztive artist and performer, while being a top scholar and academician (and athlete).
|
|
|
Congrats to all Class of 2019 performers who participated in this year’s Senior Recital on June 3, 2019! This year there were 53 students who performed or presented and defended professional portfolios for a panel of experts from the field. The Class of 2020 will be required to participate in the recital or portfolio defense process next year!
|
|
|
|
|
South Gate 2019
Student of the Year
|
Congratulations, Maria Hernandez (VAPA, ‘19), honored May 21 as a nominee for Student of the Year by the Commission for South Gate Youth. Maria was also awarded a scholarship by the Commission. Special thanks to the Commission, South Gate Police Chief Davis, City Council Member Davila and other dignitaries, and Maria’s family who were in attendance for their support.
|
|
VAPA Student Celebrated
for 12 + years
of Perfect Attendance
|
Congrats, Jacqueline Banuelos (VAPA, ‘19) recognized Wednesday (6/12/19) for 12 years of Perfect Attendance. That’s 2160 days, not counting Kindergarten, Preschool, college classes or summer school! Special thanks to Jackie’s parents (her mom accepted the award because she had a college class and did not want to be absent), to Mr. Jose Huerta (LDE Superintendent), Jackie Goldberg and Monica Garcia (LAUSD School Board), and the Local District East Support Team and staff.
|
|
|
|
|
Senior Prom 2019,
Legacy Style
|
May 26 was the Legacy HS Senior Prom including the Legacy Schools, VAPA, ISLC, and STEAM HS! It was a fantastic event, everything a Senior Prom can and should be. It was also an example of how all three of the schools at Legacy can work together to achieve a common goal. The seniors looked amazing, there were no issues whatsoever, food was great, music was awesome. We took lots of pictures and really enjoyed celebrating with our graduates. About half of our VAPA staff were in attendance, which is fantastic. Special thanks to our senior sponsor, Ms. Spencer, and the advisors, administrators, faculty and staff from all three schools, the DJ and Photo Booth staff (who were awesome), and the Grand Hotel staff in Long Beach, where the event was held.
|
|
Senior Breakfast: Class of 2019 Rewarded!
|
The Legacy VAPA Class of 2019 Senior Breakfast was on June 5 at Southgate Park. Thank you so much to our sponsor, Educare and LAUSD’s Beyond the Bell. A wonderful time was had by all!
|
|
Senior Game Night for the Legacy VAPA Class of 2019 was May 3! Thank you, Ms. Spencer and Ms. Solis for organizing the event and all you did for our seniors!
|
|
|
|
|
VAPA Students Go the Extra Mile
|
The Legacy VAPA Extra Mile Awards were on May 29! Congrats to all of the awardees who went the “extra mile” in their classes!
|
|
Headline-It's a Horror Show at VAPA! Little Shop of Horrors: VAPA's Spring Musical
|
|
Congratulations to the cast and crew of
Little Shop of Horrors
, the Legacy Visual and Performing Arts 2019 Spring Musical, which closed April 6 at the Legacy Performing Arts Center. April 3 was Legacy VAPA’s Annual Spring Musical Preview for Tweedy Elementary School as 290 students from Tweedy joined another 200 VAPA students in the Legacy Performing Arts Center for Act I! The cast and crew put on a wonderful performance and our young, future VAPA Tiger Scholar-Artists loved it! Thank you, Angie Ines (Tweedy principal), and her teachers and staff who brought their students, Ms. Grinner, Ms. Dadrass, and our VAPA student greeters who welcomed our guests. Special thanks to all of our families, friends, and supporters, to Kevin Patterson (Musical Director), Juan Cuevas (Assistant Musical Director), Miguel Delgado (Technical Director), and Stacie Craig (Director). Thanks also to our student leaders, Sahira Romero (Student Director, VAPA, ‘19) and Ashley Arambula (Stage Manager, VAPA, ‘19). We’re super proud of the work our theatre department is doing! Supporting our community schools and K-12 arts education in South East Los Angeles area is part of VAPA’s Strategic Plan.
|
|
|
|
VAPA Groups Tour
San Diego
|
Congratulations, Legacy Visual and Performing Arts High School Jazz Ensemble,
Aurora Showchoir
, and
Girl Talk Jazz Singers
returning Monday evening, April 15, from a 4-day concert tour to San Diego. The groups performed in a
Music in the Parks
Festival in Placentia, at the Oceanside Jazz Festival at Mira Costa College, and at Rady Childrens Hospital/Ronald McDonald House in San Diego. Other highlights of the trip included at visit to the world famous San Diego Zoo, a behind-the-scenes tour of the La Jolla Playhouse, and a campus tour of UC San Diego. The group included 30 students, three chaperones, and three directors. Thank you so much to our hosts in San Diego including staff from
Music in the Parks
, Mira Costa College, Ronald McDonald House at Rady Children's Hospital, the La Jolla Playhouse, UC San Diego, and Maureen Roadman. A huge thank you to our parent chaperones, Ms. Rios, Mr. Zarate, and Ms. Ortiz, and to our directors, Mr. Cuevas, and Mr. Olvera. And thank you to our wonderful students who exhibited model behavior and dedication to their art as they navigated through several concerts and events over the 4 days. As we continue to develop our programs at Legacy VAPA, continuing our efforts to grow into one of the top high school arts schools in the nation among the likes of LACHSA and OCSA, we will be providing these kinds of opportunities to our students on a regular basis.
|
|
Thank you to Mr. Frank Turner, VAPA Social Studies Dept., who photographed VAPA students modeling for banners which will be posted on VAPA buildings and used for recruitment ads.
|
|
VAPA and Musicals: Like Cake and Ice Cream!
|
|
They go together, like cake and ice cream and peanut butter and jelly. Legacy VAPA and musicals! We love musicals! We see them, we perform and direct them, and we write them! VAPA students went to the last show of the year on May 31,
Beauty and the Beast
at the La Mirada Theatre. Students attending included VAPA dancers, singers, actors, triple-threats, and musical theatre writers. Thank you to the wonderful cast and crew of the show and to our chaperones, Ms. Craig, Mr. Delgado, and Ms. Dadrass. Shows VAPA has attended this year include
Dear Evan Hanson,
Wicked
,
Be More Chill
, and
Witness Uganda
, amongst others.
|
|
|
|
|
Class of 2020: Service Learning Project-Check!
|
Congrats to all of our awesome Class of 2020 students and who completed their Service Learning Projects on Friday, May 31. Presentations showed what a difference you can make in the world with vision, a plan, and the persistence to carry it out. Thank you to Ms. Holland who prepared her students for the presentations.
|
|
VAPA Filmmakers Debut at Warner Brothers
|
Congrats, Legacy VAPA filmmakers celebrated at the second annual
Warner Brothers First Cut Film Festival
on May 28. The student film was created by Mr. Adolfo’s students as part of the special Warner Brothers program with support and guidelines from Ghetto Film School. The program is a collaboration between LAUSD, Ghetto Film School, and Warner Brothers.
|
|
|
|
Spring Fest Finale: Dance
|
Congrats, to VAPA’s amazing dancers for an awesome Town Hall Spring Fest Preview performance on May 22 and their performance Friday night, May 24, closing out
Spring Fest 2019
with their dance show. Our hard-working scholar-artists have been preparing for months for the event. The program is directed by Mr. Sanna-Pickett and supported by Educare instructor, Manny Hernandez. Check out the great photos on SmugMug.
|
|
Corazón Hispano Hosts 1st Annual VAPA Mariachi Festival
|
Congratulations to Legacy VAPA’s Corazón Hispano and Director Juan Cuevas for hosting the 1st Annual Mariachi Festival at Legacy on May 16! The event featured several groups from all over Los Angeles including a middle school in Palmdale, Middleton ES, Marquez HS and more. A Fun Fact: the Director of the Palmdale group was a student of Mr. Cuevas when he directed the mariachi program at Middleton ES for 10 years! Fun Fact 2: Both Mr. Cuevas and the director from Marquez, Mr. Almader, were Dr. Trimis’ music students at Huntington Park HS in the 90’s (and worked as TA’s in the Music Dept. after graduating). Mr. Almader taught music at HP following Trimis when he became an administrator. Fun Fact 3: a VIP guest in the audience was Mercedes Felix, a math/choir teacher from San Pedro HS. The connection? Yep, she was also Dr. Trimis’ student at HP!
|
|
|
Legacy Sports Finish Strong
|
|
This school year, the Legacy High School Complex sports teams played in the competitive and elite Eastern League against large high schools including South Gate, South East, Bell, Huntington Park, Garfield, and Roosevelt High Schools. Many Legacy teams were competitive and went far in to play-offs including three teams who represented Local District East and the Eastern League in the City Championships! We are super proud of all of our athletes and their coaches and thank our families and supporters for coming out to games and being there for the teams!
|
|
Congratulations, Legacy Softball Team, who ended their season May 18 at Cal State University Dominguez Hills in the CIF City Championships, as runner up in D2! We are super proud of our softball team, Coach Vince, Coach Juan, and their staff for an amazing season and all their hard work. We have one more banner to put on the walls at Legacy. Congratulations ladies, outstanding job this season! We are so proud of our girls. VAPA students playing on varsity were Angie Perez, Lindsey Cruz, Briana Cortes, Emelly Nunez, and Kayla Organista.
|
|
|
|
|
VAPA Student at CIF Track City Finals
|
Congratulations Legacy VAPA scholar/athlete Ulysses Flores (VAPA, '20), who competed in the CIF City Section Championships May 17, the first time in history of Legacy our Track and Field Team competed in the championships! Ulysses placed 2nd overall with a high jump of 6’2”! Congrats also to Evangeline Lopez (VAPA, '21) seen below competing in shot put at the League Finals.
|
|
Congrats Legacy Cheer who ended their 2018-19 season at the Eastern Regional Championship on Saturday, 4/13/19, placing 4th in close competition against world class cheer teams in the CIF-LA Eastern Division. We are super proud of the team who exceeded expectations of many and had a stellar season which included earning a slot at USA Nationals and competing there with zero deductions.
Cheer also competed at Sharp International on April 6. They won 1st place and most enthusiastic squad! The team also won 2 & 3rd place in the stunt-off and 1st place in the jump competition! Special thanks to Head Coach Brenda, Coach Adolfo, families and supporters. Way to go, ladies! We’re proud of you!
|
|
|
Legacy Baseball's Great Season
|
Congrats to the Legacy Baseball Team for a fantastic season! The team played well into the play-off bracket in post-season. Special thanks to our coaches, families, and supporters, and our wonderful athletes!
|
|
|
|
|
VAPA's Writing for Musicals Program Grows
|
We are so proud of our
Writing For Musicals
Program at VAPA!. One of the few programs of its kind in the nation, the innovative course teaches students how to write music and lyrics, book and scripts, for musical theater for the stage and screen. Students had the opportunity to see several live musicals this year as they were studying and planning their final projects. The
Original Musicals Showcase
featured four all original short musicals, two all original plays, plus a longer version of
Grandma’s Keeper
, the
Show Search 2017
first prize winner, on Friday, May 17. A true theatre practicum, the shows all featured student actors and were directed by student directors. A huge thank you to Stacie Craig (Theatre Chair) who teaches the class and Miguel Delgado (Tech Theatre) and his students who directed and ran tech for the shows. Thanks also to our professional panel who reviewed the shows and gave feedback to the writers: Perviz Sawoski (Santa Monica College Theatre Department Chair), Deirdre Marlow (Musical Writer Educator/
Foundation for New American Musicals
), and Mina Bloom (Professional Musical Author/Composer). After the musicals are submitted the Foundation for New American Musicals'
Show Search
competition in October, we will post the videos! They are worth the wait!
|
|
Congratulations , Legacy VAPA, film-makers!
To Each Their Own
, a short film by Kennia Pineda, Destiney Ramirez, Montserrat Perez, Yadarleeth Alvarez, Jonathan Quijas, Nancy Centeno, Emily Lopez, Emelin Palos, and Jazmin Pedraza was submitted this year to the Directing Change Film Contest (2019), and the Directing Change Team, after completing a preliminary review of all submissions, informed VAPA that their film was chosen as one of 17 films from our region and moved on to the first round of regional judging in their category! This means the film made it past pre-screening and was viewed by a panel of Regional Judges who decided on which films will move on to the second round of judging by the Statewide Judges.
There was a gala screening event for Directing Change on May 21.
|
|
Congratulations to Dr. Jeina Dadrass, Legacy VAPA Coordinator and Instructional Lead Teacher, who graduated yesterday from USC and is the newest member of the Trojan Family. Dr. Dadrass joins fellow Trojan Dr. Trimis, as the newest EdD/PhD on the faculty. She graduated May 9 alongside an impressive list of LAUSD current and former senior staff and site administrators including Dr. Christopher Downing, Dr. Salvador Torres, Dr. Keith Abrahams, Dr. Vivian Eckchian, Dr. Cheryl Hildreth, and Dr. Bernadette Lucas.
|
|
|
Congratulations to all of our performers who were featured in the Spring Fest Music event on May 10. The celebration of music was the first of five nights of the event this year which continued the following week with our mariachi, film, and dance nights. Special thanks to musical director Juan Cuevas and special congratulations to our to all of our seniors, some who performed on the stage at Legacy for the last time. A huge thanks to our supportive parents, families, and friends who packed the house. Special thanks to Mr. Adolfo and his video crew and Mr. Delgado and his stage tech crew. We are super proud of all of our students. They are doing an amazing job.
|
|
|
|
|
Cinco de Mayo came early this year for Legacy VAPA students, Friday, May 3!! Thank you to our mariachi ensemble for entertaining our students at lunch!
|
|
Legacy VAPA's Got the Spirit
|
Congrats to our ASB group and all students who put together our Spirit Assembly April 26, supporting Winter and Spring Sports Teams! Special kudos to performers including Drumline, Marching Band, the MCs, and Ruby Barriga who opened the Assembly singing the Star Spangled Banner. The assembly featured the Royal Steppers Dance Team led by Adan Rubio (VAPA, '19) and coached by Mr. Marcelo Sanna-Pickett and Mr. Manny Hernandez. The Legacy VAPA dance program is one of our stand-out programs with several classes offered during the day and after school including ballet, choreography, dance company, modern dance, tap, and more including 2 dance teams. At VAPA, we love to dance!
|
|
|
|
|
Congratulations, Esmeralda Perez (VAPA, ‘19) selected to be a mentee of Mayor Maria Bernal of the City of South Gate. Perez attended her first event with the mayor on Nov. 29, the City of Southgate Tree Lighting Ceremony at City Hall, and attended several other events and meetings with the mayor later in the year. At VAPA, Perez is an ASB (student body) officer, is on the Senior Cabinet, is a member of the
Leader in Me
LEAD/ Lighthouse Team, is in the Environmental Club, and plays in the Jazz Band. Esmeralda played piano and sang a solo for her senior recital. Esmeralda was also the Salutatorian for the Class of 2019!
|
|
|
|
Legacy Swim Team: Year 3 and Going Strong
|
Congratulations to the one and only Legacy Swim Team! They completed their regular season on Wednesday, April 10, in their last home meet at South Gate pool. The team will continued in post-season with League Finals on April 26 and City Finals on May 2. This was the Senior Night Meet! Special congrats to Legacy VAPA Seniors including Adan Rubio, Abi Aguirre, and Rebecca Bernal plus all the other camera shy VAPA Seniors including Maria Hernandez, Jessica Nava, Dulce Abarca, Evelyn Martinez, amongst others! Fun Fact: did you know a large majority of the Legacy Swim Team are VAPA Students? Huge thanks to Coach Eva, families, and supporters!
|
|
|
|
Aurora Show Choir: 1st Place in Placencia
|
Congrats to Aurora, Legacy VAPA’s Showchoir, who won 1st Place at the Music in the Parks Festival in Placentia on Friday, April 12, defeating a 30+ year veteran showchoir from Bear Valley HS. This is the first year of the VAPA show choir who competed in several competitions, festivals, and concerts. This year‘s show,
You Will Be Found
, featured music from
Rent
,
The Lightning Thief
,
Heathers
,
Anastasia
, and
Dear Evan Hansen
.The group is directed by Dr. Trimis with choreography by Andy Olvera, Noreen Flowers, and showchoir members.
|
|
Legacy VAPA at the Eastside Arts Festival, 2019
|
Legacy VAPA, once again, was in the house at this years Eastside Arts Festival, the Arts Event sponsored by LAUSD’s Local District East, on Saturday, March 23, 2019. VAPA had the most groups next to the host school, our partner school, East LA Performing Arts Magnet, including our Mariachi group (
Corazón Hispano
),
Aurora Show Choir
, VAPA Theatre Company,
Girl Talk
(VAPA Jazz Singers), and VAPA Dance Company. VAPA performers did a remarkable job and did us all proud! Special thanks to parents, families, and friends, many who attended the festival! Special thanks also to Karen Ibarra (VAPA, ‘20), who represented VAPA in meeting the several senior staff and VIPs who were in attendance supporting the event including Monica Garcia (LAUSD School Board President), Dr. Frances Gipson (LAUSD Chief Executive Officer), Frances Baez (LAUSD LDE Administrator of Instruction), Diane Cordingly (LAUSD LDE Arts Specialist) and Dr. Al Webb (LAUSD Innovation). Special thanks also to Carolyn McKnight (ELAPAM principal) for organizing the event with Ms. Cordingly and for her ongoing support. Thanks to the ELAPAM Upscale Showchoir (Ms. Melissa Rios, Director) for their hospitality hosting the VAPA Showchoir, and to VAPA Artist-Educators who direct the VAPA ensembles: Mr. Marcello Sanna-Pickett (Dance Company), Mr. Juan Cuevas (Mariachi Ensemble), Ms. Stacie Craig (Theatre Company), and Mr. Miguel Delgado (Tech Theatre).
|
|
|
|
VAPA is excited to continue our journey as a Leader in Me School. On Saturday, May 4, VAPA participated in a g
reat
Leader in Me
training, “Culture @ the Speed of Trust”. Thank you, Franklin-Covey, our coach, Charles Fontuna, and our participating faculty members.
|
|
VAPA Presents at Leader in Me LA Symposium
|
Thank you, Franklin-Covey, Sean Covey, Meredith Somers and everyone who put together the
Leader in Me
Los Angeles Symposium yesterday. Congratulations to our awesome VAPA Lighthouse Team members who were in attendance: Willow Gramlich (VAPA Science Educator), Pam Flaherty (VAPA, ‘21) who introduced Mr. Covey, Mia Gordon (VAPA, ‘21) who presented a speech on leadership, and Gabby Gonzalez (VAPA, ‘21) and Erika Alvarez (VAPA English educator) who spoke on a student/practitioner panel.
|
|
|
|
|
Monday Memo Reaches Out to the Community
|
What was once simply a memo for staff each week is now going out to all of the VAPA community. The new
Monday
Memo
using the Adobe Spark Platform will continue to be published each week this Fall!
|
|
|
|
Tap Dance Comes to Legacy to VAPA
|
Yes, it’s true. Tap dance has come to Legacy VAPA! Thank you to Artist-Educator and Dance Dept. Chair, Marcello Sanna-Pickett, and our wonderful student scholar-dancers! VAPA’s Dance Department includes all levels and types of dance classes and groups including ballet, Intro to Dance, 9th Grade Dance, Choreography, Dance Company, two dance teams, and an after-school dance program 5 days a week. A huge thank you to LAUSD and the Arts Education Branch for the supplemental arts funding which funded our new tap floor!
|
|
"
Our students are artists, intellectuals, athletes, leaders, college bound. We are VAPA."
|
|
You hear people talk a lot about tolerance. At Legacy VAPA, we don’t just tolerate diversity, we celebrate it. Diversity is our strength. Go to
www.vapalegacy.com
for more info on our wonderful school.Thank you to our awesome ELD teacher, Mr. Tamborino, and the great work he is doing with our newcomers!
|
|
Winter Fest Preview Rocks
|
Congratulations to all the performers who did an awesome job on November 29 at the Winter Fest Preview featuring our musicians and dancers. Winter Fest was on November 30 and December 7.
Winter Fest Videos are now available at the Tiger TV site! Thank you to our awesome media arts program for recording the events and editing and posting the videos.
|
|
|
|
|
VAPA Student-Led Parent Conferences Return
|
Fantastic Student-Led Parent Conferences were held March 21 at Legacy VAPA! The conferences are one way we are continuing to develop leadership and accountability in our students and reinforce the
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
, pillars of the
Leader in Me
transformation, and implementation of our Strategic Plan/WASC Action Plan. Thank to all parents and student who participated, teachers who facilitated the conferences, and staff who set up and prepared for the event.
|
|
Pro Swimmer Visits Swim Team
|
Thank you, Coach Eva, for the great work you are doing coaching our Legacy Swim Team this year! Special thanks to our special guest March 26 at practice, two-time record holder, Katia Alyabyeva, from SIberia.
|
|
|
|
|
Congrats Legacy Boys Volleyball defeating HP on Thursday, March 7, 3-0! Shout-out to VAPA students, Sergio Zarate and David Becerra!
|
|
VAPA Students Going to College
|
Congrats Legacy VAPA Class of 2019 students accepted into major universities and conservatories from all over the nation and beyond. We are super proud of our VAPA seniors! College Signing Day was May 1. College acceptances and college-going rates are another indication of the high academic achievement of VAPA students! Colleges and universities receiving VAPA students include: AMDA, CSULB, CSULA, CSUF, CSUDH, CSUCI, CSUB, CSUN, CSUF, SFSU, Cal Poly Pamona, MSMU, SMC, PCC, LBCC, Whittier College, and more!
|
|
|
|
|
National Honor Society Grows
|
Congrats , newest members of the VAPA Chapter of the
National Honor Society
who were inducted Feb. 28. Students are recommended by their teachers who exemplify the four NHS pillars: scholarship, leadership, service, and character. We are super proud of our students. Our NHS chapter is growing and is it a perfect example of the high academic level that you find at Legacy VAPA! New NHS Members include Carina Ramirez, Ana Fernandez, Adriana Urbano, Abi Aguirre, Gabby Gonzalez, Evelyn Rodriguez, Evangeline Lopez, Ashley Alvarado!
|
|
Congrats to the wonderful performers featured in the VAPA Talent Show on Thursday, March 7. They were a great example of the level of artistic performance we see on a daily basis at Legacy VAPA.
|
|
|
|
|
Three generations of music teachers met at the South Gate Parade on Dec. 9! Dr. Edward Trimis (Right/Teacher at Huntington Park HS in the 1990’s, Current Principal at Legacy VAPA HS), Juan Cuevas (Left/Student of Dr. Trimis, graduated HPHS in 1996, Current Music Teacher at Legacy VAPA HS), Stacy Lopez (Center/Student of Mr. Cuevas in Mariachi at Middleton ES in early 2000s, Current Music Teacher at Palmdale School District). All three educators also received bachelor degrees from California State University, Los Angeles.
|
|
VAPA Faculty Holiday Luncheon
|
The VAPA family celebrated the holidays and a fantastic semester at their annual Holiday Staff Luncheon on Friday, Dec. 14. Thank you Laura Suarez and Erika Farias for organizing the Secret Santa Event and to all of the staff who participated, to Ines Melendez for setting up for the Luncheon and helping with staff gifts, to Ms. Gramlich for organizing the potluck and taking photos at the event, and to the VAPA Voices Show Choir,
Aurora
, for providing the entertainment. Our VAPA faculty and staff, and our students and community, enjoyed a restful 3-week Winter Break which began after the event!
|
|
|
|
|
Holiday Door Decorating Contest
|
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Holiday Door Decorating Contest on Dec. 16! Everyone did an awesome job! Congrats to reigning champ, Ms. Craig for taking first place again and to Ms. Alvarez for honorable mention!
|
|
VAPA students’ perfect attendance pays off! Congrats to the VAPA students with perfect attendance at the end of the semester who were awarded a pair of tickets to a Clippers game for their success! Thank you to LAUSD and the Clippers for supporting student attendance and success with the program. You have to play to win and you have to be in the game to be successful! Congratulations, again!
|
|
|
|
|
Congratulations to the Cast and Crew of
Wicked
, who played at the Pantages Hollywood in December. The show was attended by VAPA students for our first annual Senior Musical Theatre Night on December 18 including Adan Rubio, Genesis Perez, Maria Hernandez, Jessica Nava, Norene Flowers, and Abi Rodriguez. All of the students are super talented singers, dancers, and musical writers. Thank you to the staff and families who also attended the show including Stacie Craig, Terri Grinner, and Dr. Trimis.
|
|
VAPA Represents at All City Marching Band
|
Congratulations, students in the LAUSD All City Marching Band featuring several Legacy VAPA High School students who performed on Dec. 21 for Friends and Family Day at the Contreras Learning Center. Special thanks to the All City Director and staff including Tony White, Darnella Davidson, Vicky Lopez, and Ariel Legaspi. The event was a great opportunity for a family and friends to connect, support the homeless students in the district (donations were collected), and support the band. Special congrats to participating VAPA students, who have been rehearsing every day with the band and will perform in Band Fest at Pasadena City College and the Tournament of Roses Parade on January 1st, and their family and friends who have supported them: Rosa Victoriano, Sergio Zarate, Oliver Fuentes, Ruby Frausto, Evelyn Rodriguez, GianCarlo Spiru, and Jenipher Alvarez.
VAPA students recognized by the South Gate City Council for their work in the LAUSD All City Marching Band on Feb. 12, 2019.
|
|
|
The Legacy VAPA Showchoir (
Aurora
) and additional VAPA Theatre Arts and Music Majors had the opportunity to see
Dear Evan Hansen
at the Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts January 3 in Costa Mesa. The
Dear Evan Hansen Project
included pre-show and post-show discussions facilitated by Legacy VAPA’s Psychiatric Social Worker, Dr. Irene Lara (who also attended the show), a personal reflection by each participating student, and a question and answer session with the cast after the show.
The critically acclaimed Broadway musical won 6 Tony Awards including the Tony for Best Musical in 2017 (
Hamilton
won the Best Musical Tony in 2016). VAPA’s
Aurora Showchoir
sang two of the show’s songs in their competition season this Spring and the show is studied in depth as part of VAPA’s
Writing for Musicals Program
. Congrats to the cast and crew for an amazing performance and to
Dear Evan Hansen
creators, thank you for the question and answer session afterwards, and thank you to attending chaperones, Ms. Stacie Craig (Theatre Arts Chair) and Mr. Andy Olvera (Showchoir/Theatre Arts choreographer and Colorguard Director).
Dear Evan Hansen
addresses issues which are prevalent in the lives of young people today including social anxiety, suicide, and the impact of social media). Songs are by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (who also wrote songs for
La La Land
and
The World’s Greatest Showman
) and the
book is by Steven Levenson.
|
|
C
ongratulations to our Legacy Visual and Performing Arts High School Academic Decathlon Team (ACADECA) for a fantastic final HIPP Workshop January 26 at Roybal Learning Center (High Intellectual Preparedness Program). The HIPP workshops prepare ACADECA teams for the annual competition which concluded Saturday Feb. 3 with the Super Quiz at Roybal.
VAPA thanks Mr. Bill Cathers and
Cathers Consulting
who lead the workshops. The inspiring pep talk Mr. Cathers gave the students before they presented their speeches and interviews included stories and quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Serena Williams, Manny Moda,and John Wooden who was a mentor of Cathers. Some of the reminders and quotes presented include:
“At the end of your prepared speech, you should look forward to the impromptu and think ‘Time to seal the deal or tone to save the deal'.”
“Fail while daring greatly. Failure is your greatest teacher.”
“High energy, low anxiety.”
“This is a process.”
“Beware the blue devils.”
“You can do it.” (Manny Moda)
“It is more important to be compassionate than be competitive.” (John Wooden)
Our ACADECA team took their essay the last week in January, including the intense all-day content exam, and Saturday, Feb. 3 competed in the speech, interview, and Super Quiz competitions. We are super thankful for all the work Coach Alex Avalos has done with them, and are super proud of our entire ACADECA team!
|
|
VAPA Spreads Holiday Cheer:
The Tradition Continues
|
|
Dr. Trimis' first full-time position was as a teacher at Berendo Middle School teaching math and music. He began the tradition of singing carols for neighboring schools just before the holidays. He brought the tradition with him and he became the music teacher at Huntington Park High School in 1991 when each year his students sang and played for several schools that fed into the high school including Middleton ES, Miles ES, and more. When he became an administrator, he continued the tradition working with his music teachers going on caroling trips at Polytechnic HS, Manual Arts HS, City of Angels School, and Verdugo Hills HS.
And for the last three years, that tradition has continued at Legacy Visual and Performing Arts HS. VAPA focused on our elementary schools visiting and performing for literally thousands of students at Tweedy ES, Bryson ES, San Miguel ES, Willow ES, Victoria ES, Stanford ES, and Park Ave. ES. The day this year was not unlike so many days the other years. It was December 13, the day before the last day of school for the holiday break, after finals were done and grades submitted. Where he used to travel by foot in the late 80's at Berendo, students now have a bus. Where is there were no smart phones to take photos and videos in those days, today that technology exists so a designated social media photographer is a must. Several things have not changed since 1985 when every one of the current students were not born, yet. The group still sang and played the same traditional songs which never go out of style,
Jingle Bells
,
Santa Claus Coming to Town
,
Feliz Navidad
and the rest. Trimis still plays the bagpipes and there are still smiles all around. This year, the trip was especially cheerful. Nearly every group of elementary students sang along, some even performed their own music for the VAPA students (there were many holiday programs at schools on the same day), and there were many reunions between elementary school teachers and their students whom they had not seen in several years.
Thank you so much to our local district for supporting the trip, to the hard-working school principals and teachers at the schools that hosted us, to to the staff that went on the trip, especially Juan Cuevas (VAPA Music Teacher) who experienced the caroling trip as a student at Huntington Park HS, Jessica Gonzalez (TA and an alumna of VAPA). And, of course, thank you to our wonderful student performers who realize that making a difference matters, it counts, and it is what we should be teaching and the work we should be doing in our schools. And that the arts move us all in different and wonderful ways and one of the best ways to communicate with one another and connect us all.
|
|
Legacy Marching Band Stepping Out
|
|
Congratulations to the Legacy Tigers Marching Band and Color Guard who performed in the Huntington Park Holiday Parade on Saturday, December 8th, and the South Gate Christmas Parade on Sunday, December 9. The Color Guard includes our cheer and Short Flags units. Special congrats and thank you to the Dominguez Prep High School Marching Band and Color Guard who marched with Legacy.
Legacy Marching Band for a fantastic performance at this year‘s Chinese New Year Parade in Chinatown on Feb. 9 marking the end of marching band season for the Tigers.
|
|
|
|
Congrats to the many wonderful VAPA artist-scholars who performed in our annual Black History Month Celebration
Feb. 27! A big thank you to Ms. Spencer, Ms. Craig, Ms. Dadrass, Ms. Grinner, and the leadership students who organized the event and to our amazing artist-educators who prepared their students!
|
|
Our VAPA Theatre Company and Writing for Musicals class had the opportunity to see
Witness Uganda
, a musical, at the Wallis Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday, Feb. 21. The show was amazing, the Wallis staff and cast and crew super friendly, and our students had a wonderful time. Thank you to the Wallis, the cast and crew, and Mark Slavkin!
|
|
|
|
|
The VAPA community suffered a tragic loss when one of our teachers, Nick Adolfo, passed away at the end of the school year. This has been an especially difficult and emotional time for those who knew the teacher and our prayers and thoughts continue to go out to Mrs. Adolfo and the Adolfo family.This loss affects all of us at Legacy VAPA. VAPA dedicated the Senior Recital on June 3 to Mr. Adolfo and held a school-wide memorial service on June 7 which Mrs. Adolfo attended including several tributes and videos. VAPA is working on developing a new video production studio in Mr. Adolfo's name. If you have questions or need support, please contact the school at 323-357-7501.
|
|
Girls Soccer, Legacy Style
|
We are super proud of our Girls Soccer Team, many of whom are VAPA students,
Varsity and JV Legacy Girls Soccer, defeating Diego Rivera HS on Friday (11/16), JV 3-0 and Varsity 2-0! Legacy Lady Tigers Soccer (D3) tied Southeast HS Girls Soccer (D1) Jan. 30, 1-1. Though the Jaguars secured the new Tweedy Cup, Legacy will win it back! We’re super proud of all of our girls.
We are so grateful for all they have done for the program, the work put in, and how they helped the younger players. We are super proud of them! VAPA Seniors included Aimee Andrade, Marisol Corona, Cassandra Garcia, Sahira Romero, Nathalie Zavala.
|
|
|
|
|
Boys Soccer at City Championships
|
Congrats to Legacy Boys Soccer ending their season at Valley College Feb. 23 in the CIF City Championships! We are so proud of our players who are the runner-up team in the city! Special thanks to Coach Magana, his staff, AD Sanchez, and all of the families and supporters.
|
|
Legacy Boys Basketball:
A Slam-Dunk Season
|
Congrats, Legacy Boys Basketball, ending their season Friday, Feb. 8, at their second play-off game to a tough Roybal LC team. We’re proud of our boys and the awesome season they had! Thanks Coach Guevara and his staff, and families, friends, and supporters. Looking forward to next year!
|
|
|
Legacy Girls Basketball: A Tradition of Success
|
|
Their success is legendary. The team that everyone wants to beat and every team strives to be like: the Legacy Tigers Girls Basketball Team! Congrats to Legacy Girls Basketball for an amazing season. They played a strong game against a tough Granada Hills team Saturday, Feb. 9. The 1st seeded Open Division Granada team won this one.
Congrats Legacy Girls Basketball for an amazing win Feb. 13 against Eagle Rock High School in OT, 51-49, at their CIF Open Division Consolation Play-Off. Congrats Legacy Girls Basketball ending their CIFLA season Feb. 21 in the Championships at Hamilton HS. Our Lady Tigers continued on to the CIF California State Play-Offs defeating Orange Lutheran HS, 40-28! Huge thanks to Coach E and staff and to family and supporters. Great work, ladies. We’re proud of you!
Thank you Coach E, his staff, and families, friends, and supporters!
|
|
VAPA Videos
Did you know there are MANY videos of VAPA events on our YouTube channel (Tiger TV). Check them out! Thank you, Mr. Adolfo!
|
|
Informational Materials at VAPA
|
Have you checked out our flier, brochure, and website at
www.vapalegacy.com
?
On the website all of our social media platforms are also linked (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, PodBean, YouTube).
|
|
|
|
|
Congrats 2019-20 VAPA Vocal Group Members
|
Congrats to the new members who have been accepted into the 2019-20 vocal groups after the first round of auditions. Round 2 auditions will be the first week of school (Aug. 20-24).
Aurora
Show Choir/Jazz Singers will be participating in the Long Beach Vocal Jazz Academy at Cal State Long Beach on Aug. 3, 2019, with several concerts, festivals, and competitions planned for the year.
|
|
Sports Day at Legacy High School
|
|
June 8, 2019 was SPORTS DAY at Legacy! Most of our coaches and hundreds of students and parents were in attendance, getting a head start on completing athletics packets, reserving slots for free site-based physicals, and getting info on summer practices and the importance of grade eligibility, time management, and communication with parents and coaches. Thank you, AD Sanchez, AAD Estrada, and our talented coaches! It’s going to be another banner year for Legacy Athletics!
|
|
Legacy VAPA VII: Making a Difference
|
|
Legacy Visual and Performing Arts High School is excited to continue offer a service for our students who see or learn about dangerous or concerning issues at VAPA and/or the Legacy High School Complex. Tips are anonymous and will be investigated by VAPA and LAUSD staff as soon as possible after being reported. Though the line accepts calls, texts are more effective. Please note another option is to report any concerns directly to Legacy VAPA teachers and staff by dropping into the office, calling 323-357-7531 or e-mailing Dr. Trimis at etrimis@lausd.net.
|
|
Legacy VAPA Rising:
Arts Events for 2019-20
|
|
As we move into Year 8 of Legacy VAPA, we look forward to our traditional events and new events, experiences, and projects! Our Senior Recitals/Portfolio Defense program will expand to feature
all
graduating seniors and we have added a new night to Spring Fest (Band Fest) featuring the best in student bands with an emphasis on rock, blues, latin, pop, reggae, and everything in between! Mark your personal calendars now, it will be a great year!
2019-20 VAPA Rising: Beyond Expectations
. #wearevapa
|
|
VAPA Rising-Beyond Expectations
|
The Legacy VAPA VIII (2019-20) theme is "VAPA Rising: Beyond Expectations". You will see this theme throughout our programs, classroom instruction, and events!
|
|
|
|
|
We are music. We are art. We are dance. We are media. We are theater. We are VAPA.
#wearevapa
|
|
Legacy Visual and Performing Arts High School
Dr. Edward Trimis, Principal
Ms. Terri Grinner, Assistant Principal
Ms. Jeina Dadrass, TSP Coordinator/Leadership Advisor
Ines Melendez, SAA
Local District East
Mr. Jose Huerta, LDE Superintendent
Dr. Guillermina Jauregui, Director
LAUSD
Mr. Austin Beutner, Superintendent
|
|
Contact
Legacy Visual and Performing Arts High School
www.vapalegacy.com
5225 Tweedy Bl.
South Gate, CA
323-357-7531 etrimis@lausd.net
|
|
July 24 Last Day Summer School
Aug. 12-14 Showchoir Camp
Aug. 13 Registration Days: 10th/11th Grade
Aug. 14 Registration Days: 12th Grade
Aug. 15 Freshman Orientation
Aug. 19 Teachers Return
Aug. 20 First Day of School
Aug. 23 Opening Football Game/Freshman Tailgate
|
|
We have space at VAPA! Join us! Coming soon: School for Advanced Studies @ Legacy VAPA!
|
|
We thank all of our partners, some which are listed below. Thank you!
|
|
|
Legacy Visual and Performing Arts HS:
Preparing students for college, career, and life through the arts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
