Hollenbeck Middle School

Class of 2019.  Congratulations Jr. Riders

HMS Debate Team Wins Bronze

Representing the LA County in the State Debate and Speech Competition, the HMS Debate Team, composed of Karol Hernandez, Esmeralda Perez, and Natalie Jeronimo, won the 3rd Place in the Middle School English Debate.  The event was held in Ventura, CA on Saturday, May 4, 2019.  These HMS Debaters were coached by Ms. Maria Olvera-Guillen.

Congratulations Jr. Riders.  Let's get the gold next year.

Scholastic Book Fair at HMS

Aimed at sustaining the reading levels over the summer for Junior Riders, the Spring edition of the Scholastic Book Fair will run from April 2 to April 9.  The book fair offers a "buy one get one free" incentive for students who will purchase books that they like.

Debate Champions

Three (3) Junior Riders, Karol Hernandez, Esmeralda Perez, and Natalie Jeronimo, competed in the Regional Speech and Debate Tournament  last March 23, 2019.  With the help and guidance of their coach, Ms. Olvera-Guillen, they won convincingly the first (1st) place award. They will represent the LA County and compete in the State Competition in May.  Congratulations and good luck Jr. Riders.

Superior Rating for the HMS  Junior Rough Rider Band

Once again the Junior Rough Rider Band earned a  unanimous Superior rating at LAUSD's music ensemble festival at Garfield High School.  Our band has won superior ratings at festivals over the past 3 years. Way to go Junior Riders!

College Awareness Week

We celebrated College Awareness Week March 11-15 at Hollenbeck Middle School. Students participated in a week-long event that was geared towards getting them thinking about going to college. We kicked it off on Monday with an activity where our teachers shared their college experience with their students. We used their college going biographies to challenge all students to complete a Teacher College Biography Scavenger Hunt.  The Winners were Joanna Vasquez from Ms. Herrera's class, Christine Ecliserio and Abraham Aguilar from Mr. Quintrell's class.

Then we had two days of college presentations Where Roosevelt High School students presented an introduction to all things college.  Students got to hear about different aspects of college life.  They too were able to complete an "I Am going to College" pledge on  Thursday.

Finally, we concluded the week with a college fair in the Girls' gym where students were able to visit college booths and ;learn more about college application process and life at that college.  It was a great week supported by our community partners and HMS staff.

HMS Celebrates Pi Day

Pi Day falls every 14th of March in which the date coincides with the first 3 digits of the value of Pi (3.14).

In observance of this day, the Math Department, spearheaded by Ms. Sheline, celebrates Pi Day by challenging the students to memorize the first 50 digits of the value of Pi.  Students who successfully memorized and recited the 50 digits were awarded the chance to pi(e) a teacher or staff.

See pictures below.

The Road to Playoffs

Undefeated so far, the HMS Beyond the Bell YS Plus basketball team earned a spot in the playoffs this season by defeating all the teams in their division. 

With the help of their main coach, Anthony Ruiz, and with hard practice, the team got enough motivation to make it all the way to the playoffs.  The players, Anthony Rojas, Kenneth Espino, Steven Hernandez, Gustavo Ortega, Monquell Rainey, Hendrix Sampson, Benlli Torres, Eric Vasquez, Jacob Villalobos, Joshua De La Rosa, Ahmad Criego, Wilfredo Rodriguez, Bryan Rodriguez, And Anthony Sanchez have all worked collaboratively as a team and have shown great effort.

They dethroned the defending champions King Middle School in a close fight with a score of 32 to 31; beat Belvedere Middle School 46 to 20; defeated Virgil Middle School 41 to 19; and crushed Griffith Middle School 42 to 19.  

Anthony Sanchez was named "Defensive Player of the Season" as he held the other teams to low shooting percentages.  The team is grateful to Ms. Bolado, the principal, for her support and presence during the games.

Congrats Jr. Riders!

UCSB Field Trip

As part of providing the students with relevant, rigorous, and career & college ready curriculum, the Hollenbeck Science Technology Engineering Math and Medical (STEMM) Magnet conducted a field trip to UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) with the members of the College and Career Club who are completing a final project. 

The event includes the tour of UCSB and some helpful tips and advice about getting to college and succeeding in it from some university students.  A showcase of the amazing benefits of being a UCSB student, a tour of the dorms and a chance to explore the beach were also provided to the group.

The day did not end for these students without tasting the college pizza.

Reflecting on a Powerful Moment in LA History

"University Night" at HMS

This year's Family Night at Hollenbeck MS has the theme "University Night" as part of the 'Go to College' campaign of the school.

The event was participated in by the entire Hollenbeck family as parent, students, and teachers were interacting with games showcasing different college themes.  It was also organized by the joint effort of Ms. Delgado, Ms. Flores, the Parent Center, City Year, and CIS.

Lucky participants went home with prizes from winning in the raffle event. 

Getting high GPA, excellent work habits and cooperation, and outstanding class performance are the reasons why these 548 students were awarded and recognized as academic champions.  Of these 548 junior riders, 56 were recognized as "Rising Stars" for good behavior and trying their best as per nomination by their respective teachers, 50 got the "Principal's Award" for obtaining a GPA of 4.0 and a grade of E in work habits and cooperation. "Gold Award" was given to 216 students for obtaining a GPA of 3.5 — 3.9 and "Silver Award" was given to 226 students for obtaining a GPA of 3.0 — 3.49.

The awarding ceremony was witnessed by parents, family members, classmates,and friends of these academic champions.  We thank and applaud the Culture Committee for organizing this event. Congratulations Jr. Riders!

Breakfast with Dad (Desayuno Con Papa)

Aimed at examining the impact of positive male role models on our children's literacy development, the Family Action Team (FAT) organized a family workshop to involve fathers and other positive role models in the students education.  The event was held at the HMS Cafeteria on Wednesday, January 30, 2019.

The FAT believes that students who bond with fathers and father figures often possess sharper cognitive skills, are better problem-solvers, have a more positive self image and perform more strongly in school.  Positive male role model can simply be a consistent, caring presence who takes delight in being part of students' life.

Former Junior Riders at Rose Parade