Issue link: http://fairmont.uberflip.com/i/1511157
The Cougars made their presence known at the California Science & Engineering Fair. All told, they captured 21 awards across 11 categories, including the state's top-ranked project for Alternative Energy. They also qualified two students for the Thermo-Fisher Junior Innovators Challenge, open to only the top 10% of projects in the nation. Anaheim Hills was also a force to be reckoned with on the debate stage. The school fielded the first place team and the top 7th and top 8th grade speakers in OCDL's fall tournament and earned the overall school award (total number of wins) in the spring competition. The season culminated at the Modified Parliamentary Debate National Championship with the 7th place team, three distinguished teams, and two speakers in the top 20. As a school that prioritizes the whole child, the arts continued to be an important part of the educational experience last year. This was seen in the reintroduction of a concert series in which P-5 students performed before large, appreciative audiences. Our students joined a 300-strong choir to perform the National Anthem at two Angels games, including one Cougar who had the honor of conducting the choir. Anaheim Hills' robust visual arts program celebrated eight students whose pieces were chosen for display at the renowned Laguna Festival of the Arts. Athletes left it all on the courts last year, demonstrating both passion and skill. The girls basketball team celebrated an undefeated run, clinching the league championship for the second time in the school's history. The boys basketball and girls volleyball teams also seized their respective league championship titles. One of the defining characteristics of Anaheim Hills is its care for others. We saw this play out in many ways last year, as students participated in a host of efforts to benefit others. They also saw role models, their teachers, do the same through "Cougar Companions," where faculty and staff performed random acts of kindness for a colleague they had been matched with for the year.