Le Cordon Bleu Visits Alta Vista

The world famous Le Cordon Bleu College Of Culinary Arts visited Alta Vista High School today.
Chef D.A. Reid provided a wealth of information on the different programs available and the possibilities that come with this industry.
Our students were great hosts, asked great questions and sampled couscous for the first time.
We appreciate institutions such as Le Cordon Bleu coming to Alta Vista High School and exposing the possibilities that are availible to those who wish to pursue their passion.
For those who wish to make the Couscous here is the recipe courtesy of Chef D.A. Reid
COUSCOUS WITH LEMON AND PINE NUTS
Yield: 4 -6 servings


QTY UNIT INGREDIENTS
1 ½ cups Couscous
2 cups Chicken stock, hot
2 each Scallions, sliced thin, greens only
1 each Lemon, zested
2 tbsp Olive oil
½ each Red bell pepper, diced
¼ cup Toasted pine nuts



1. Put couscous in medium bowl. Pour hot stock over it and stir to combine. Cover and let sit for 15 minutes
2. Place pine nuts in pan over low heat to toast
3. Zest lemon into small bowl, set to side
4. Dice ½ bell pepper add to bowl
5. Slice the green halves of the scallions and add to bowl
6. Cut lemon in half and squeeze the juice of one half to mixture in bowl. Be sure no seeds are included with the juice
7. Uncover couscous and fluff with a fork
8. Add couscous to mixture in bowl and toss gently
9. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper

Zing Go The Strings! Lobos Win 55-23!!!

Congratulations to the Alta Vista High School Lobo Basketball program for their 55-23 victory over Greenfields Country Day High School. The long layoff between games did not affect the performance of the Lobo squad.
Alta Vista was paced by Angel Martinez's 21 point effort. Juan Pablo De La Rosa contributed 11 points. Tre Lewis added 6 points along with Carlos Carreon's 5.
Every Lobo contributed to the victory with tenacious defense and playing together on offense.
Other scorers were:
Shaheed Clemens 4 points
Miguel Maldonado 2 points
Glenn Brockman 2 points
Frank Leon 2 points
Fausto Fimbres 2 points

A loud shout out to Coach Garrett for taking care of the finer details as Athletic Director. Valeria Romero ran the score-board flawlessly and Frankie Romero took care of the game book.
Another loud shout out to Mr. Harris for filming the game and all of the Lobo fans who attended the game and cheered us on to victory!
We appreciate all of the support!

The Lobos return to action next week at Greenfields High School on Wednesday and then travel to Immaculate Heart High School on Thursday.

Go Lobos!
Coach Rod

DeVry University Visit to Alta Vista High School

Valerie Power came to our class to present the opportunities at DeVry University. Here are some photos of our students making 'avatars' of themselves on a PDA provided by the presentation. The students were fantastic. They asked great questions, were good participants, and gained valuable information. Here are some photos of the Lobos making their avatars.

Block 3 Government/History Class Project: America and Americans

My Block 3 students were presented with the task of describing what America is along with describing what an American is. Their answers were diverse and interesting. This task was asking for honest answers to real questions. Here are some photos of my students working and presenting on their subject matter.

Block 3 2010!

Good Morning classes. I can't tell you how excited I am to be your teacher at Alta Vista High School. I have many great lessons planned for the next 10 weeks. There are a few things that we must cover first before we begin this fantastic journey.

1. We will get to know one another both individually and collectively. I need to know what your limits are so that I can push you beyond what you think you are capable of.

2. My expectations of you are what are know as the 'Big 5'.
1. Be Here Every Day.
2. Be Here On Time.
3. Come Prepared.
4. Be Ready To Learn.
5. Have A Great Attitude.
If you can do the following 5 things on a daily basis, I guarantee you you will have success in everything you choose to do.

3. We work daily. There are no days off in our class. You will have assignments to do on a daily basis. Some are worth more than others, but they all count. Choose to do your work daily.

4. I will teach you the root of the problem in every aspect. Many of the ills that fall on us as a society have ancient roots. In order to solve a problem, you must seek out the root or you will exacerbate (make worse) the problem.

5. We have 4 themes that will run throughout the course. These themes are present in everything we learn about in history:

- Control: Systems of control have changed throughout time. However, controlling one another has been an aim of every government since the dawn of man. How we go about controlling sets up the other themes.

- Conflict: When one side cannot agree with the other side, we have tension which eventually leads to conflict. Since 2001 the United States has been engaged in a conflict in Afghanistan and since 2003 in Iraq. Conflict is a lucrative business today.

- Religion: Some of the greatest conflicts in human history have been caused by those beloning to organized Religion. The big 5 (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism) have been in perpetual conflict between themselves and others since the dawn of man.

- Spread of Culture: When one culture becomes popular and spreads to another culture, there is a level of assimilation that takes place. There is also a seed of domination that gets planted at the same time. Language, Sport, Food, Music, technology, etc. are all ways that a culture spreads from one to the other. We truly live in the fastest spread of information and culture today with our ever shrinking yet ever powerful hand held devices. We will touch on an idea called 'The Singularity' that will dominate the landscape of ideology and sociology in the very near futre.

2010!!!! Believe it!

Good Morning and welcome to the year 2010. I hope your winter break was one of relaxation and rejuvenation. Mine was spent healing from an injury (more on that later).
As we begin a new block, a few things are needed to successfully navigate our new waters. My schedule will be the following:
1st United States Government
2nd American History
3rd United States Government
4th American History

I will not be teaching the fitness strategies class this block. I had a fantastic time daily with the students and was able to get myself into basic shape. However, over the break, I injured my left knee in a freak accident on my new 'land paddle'. Just like Ralphie in A Christmas Story, I was so excited for my land paddle gear to arrive. I was giddy like a little kid the entire day it was supposed to arrive. When it did, I tore the box open and went into my neighborhood. I was having an epic time. I was land surfing just like the guys on YouTube were. I came inside, took a short break and then went back outside for another session. As I came to the cul-de-sac of my neighborhood, I began a simple left turn to head back home. As I leaned back, I felt the board take off from under my feet. I used the big stick (the paddle) to turn and balance and then used my left leg to brace. At this instant I felt a 'pop' and an instant rush of pain to my left knee.
I hadn't had the new get up for more than an hour and I was already hurt. I had 'shot my eye out'! I was so angry at myself as I lay in the street like a sack of potatoes writhing in pain. I happened to make it to a neighbor's house and called my wife to come get me. Not only had I hurt myself, but I also put an end to our Christmas vacation plans as we knew it. I've been bed ridden ever since.
Had an MRI done and it confirmed that I had ruptured the patellar tendon in my left knee. The tendon was ripped from the bottom of my knee cap but was still attached to my shin. Dr. Ty Endean (the man!) was able to get me into surgery a week later and according to him, it was a routine operation.
I will have a scar to remind me that I'm no longer 18 (I turn 40 at the end of the month). I will also have a long rehabilitation ahead of me. There is no getting around it. It also differs for everyone who has this type of surgery. Some have long drawn out rehabs, where others are back at mostly full range of motion after 2-3 weeks. I believe mine will be a good one but it will not be as swift as others. However, I still think 18 and have the energy of someone younger than I. I just have to be patient and let my rehab routine take its course and pray for a healed body. Guess I have to start wearing shirts that say 'Old Guys Rule'.