It seems like he just graduated from Charter Oak (which he did), but Manuel Porras just landed a graphic design job with Western Graphics.  Manuel was a BETA honor cord recipient  last year and also took a graphic design class (specializing in the fashion design industry) at the Fairplex in Pomona.  Even though he's very new to his job, Manuel just completed his first logo project for a construction client.  This job will hopefully lead to Manuel's eventual dream of designing his own clothing brand.  We are proud of you Manuel and who knows, maybe we'll see you at an upcoming Panel of Professionals Day!

Congratulations to the following Digital Arts students who have met the requirements for their honor cord in BETA.  These students will be presented with their honor cords at their Senior Awards Night on Monday, May 18th at St. Louise Parrish Hall:

• Acero, Brandon
• Avila, Roger
• Boyer, Christopher
• Enriquez, Corbin

• Hass, Morgan
• Hurtado, Vincent
• Love, Morgan
• Luster, Jeffery
• Ortiz, Kadin
• Porras, Manuel
• Sample, Devante
• Santos, Ezekiel
• Tapia, Abraham
• Tirtasamudra, Joshua
• Vest, Louis

Mr. Parslow is so very proud of your accomplishments these past two years in BETA.  Please join us in congratulating these students.

Earlier this spring, three more students took the Mobile Apps Certification Exam in which all three passed!  Christian Bejec, Kadin Ortiz, and Jacob Wagner join the list of the other eight students that are now mobile apps industry certified (adding to the list of the first high school students in California to have this industry certification)!  This spring, all eleven students were presented with their certificates from webprofessionals.org.  Also beginning this year, a banner will be hung in Mr. Parslow's classroom listing the names of these students that passed the exam (see the picture to the left).  Congratulations again to this special group!  

On Thursday, April 23rd, BETA had its annual Panel of Professionals Day in the school library.  This year, five professionals came out to discuss their careers in a variety of fields including banking, marketing, graphic design, and human resources. After a session where our student moderators asked a variety of questions to our panel members, students in our audience where given a chance to ask their own questions regarding internships, daily challenges in their activities, and how well college prepared them for where they are today.  The final part of the day was a "working lunch" where students got to eat their lunch with a panel member to gain further knowledge on their careers and their company.  A big thank you goes out to the following professionals that took time out of their busy schedules to come out and share their experiences with our students:

• Kyle Prough (eGood)
• Roy Rivas (Wells Fargo Bank)
• Mia Anderson (Hardcore Swim)
• Gwen Lehigh (Armstrong Garden Centers)
• Richard Mathews (Christian Credit Union)

Below is the brochure that was passed out to students for the event (including bios of each of our professionals). 

As a participant in the BETA program various career related opportunities are made available to the students.  Some acticitives include:

• University of La Verne Program REACH: a three week business camp sponsored by ULV. Students dorm for 3 weeks while working with peers from various school sites, learning from college professors and competing in a business plan competition
• Digigirlz: A summer program offered from Microsoft to girls interested in career in technology
• National Youth Leadership Forum for Business Innovation: Located at various college campuses, students visit leading corporations and engage in hands on business activities in preparation for college and beyond. 
• Girls Who Code: a free seven week program for girls interested in technology with a desire to learn more about hte industry. Includes visits to major companies and mentorships focused on mobile app development, robotics, and web design.

Participants in the BETA program are offered two field trips per year to assist with Career Development and Exploration. Students have a chance to network with industry professionals and see the reality of working in various careers.  So far our field trips have taken us to:

• Microsoft (Los Angeles and Irvine)
• Deutsch Inc.: A full servie advertising agency in Los Angeles
• Anaheim Angels (Anaheim)
• Taco Bell Inc. (Irvine)
• KPMG: a big four accounting firm in Los Angeles
• Foote, Cone, & Belding: a full service ad agency in Irvine, CA
• Dailey: a full service ad agency in Irvine, CA

In September of 2014, the Charter Oak Education Foundation (formerly Charter Oak Partners in Education...aka COPE) asked BETA to help create a new look. Mrs. Strycula and Mr. Parslow invited various academy students to take on the project. Several students attended a foundation board meeting to ask questions and get an idea of what the Foundation had in mind. The Foundation board members explained to the students that they wanted their ideas and opinions on the new name and logo since it is their education foundation and they wanted them to have ownership in the foundation as they are our future board of directors! The students came back with the name ‘Charter Oak Education Foundation’ with the idea that they should ‘tell it like it is’. Then, several students set about the task of designing logos which were then submitted to the board of directors. After much deliberation, and appreciation for the talent of these creative students, the directors chose the design created by Alyssa Fuentes, a senior in BETA who is currently in Mrs. Strycula's Capstone class (and a former student in Mr. Parslow's digital arts classes).