GUHSDschools

Celebrating Student Creativity at Santana High School!

Santana High School visual arts students recently put the finishing touches on a stunning new campus mural and held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate their accomplishment.

Over the past two months, students worked alongside to transform a high-traffic area of campus into a vibrant work of art. Every image in the mural was conceptualized and painted by our students, making this project a true reflection of their creativity, dedication, and vision.

We are so proud of our artists for their hard work and commitment throughout the project. Their efforts have left a lasting impact on the campus and created a beautiful space for the entire school community to enjoy.

Congratulations to all the students, educators, and community partners who made this project possible!

This month, Superintendent Vital Brulte celebrates our District’s superpower – our people. From Teachers of the Year Tim Cook and Dr. Mark Jeffers to Classified Employee of the Year Maggie Ransdell, Counselor of the Year Adriana Bush, and Core Values Award recipient Christine Whitney, this message highlights the dedication, innovation, and care that help more than 15,000 GUHSD students succeed.

Watch the full message here:

May 2026 - GUHSD Monthly Message - Honoring Excellence Dr. Kirsten Vital Brulte discusses the great work being done by GUH...

Congratulations to Mount Miguel High School's own Dr. Mark Jeffers on being named one of San Diego County's 2026 Teachers of the Year!

Dr. Jeffers was surprised with the award on campus in front of students, colleagues, and supporters.

His journey is as inspiring as the impact he has made on students. Dr. Jeffers served in the Marines, pursued higher education, earned a bachelor's degree, two master's degrees, and a Ph.D., and dedicated his career to helping students achieve their dreams.

At Mount Miguel, Dr. Jeffers helped create opportunities for students to earn college credits and even associate degrees while still in high school, changing so many lives along the way.

"When you work for your students and your community, that's what matters," Dr. Jeffers shared after receiving the honor.

📺 Read and watch the full 10 News San Diego story here: https://tinyurl.com/u9n9kwmu

Huge congratulations to our AVID scholarship recipients!

AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) empowers students with the skills, support, and opportunities needed for college, career, and life success — and we are proud to offer AVID programs on every Grossmont Union High School District campus!

These outstanding students earned recognition for their hard work, leadership, and academic excellence:

✨ Sarah Mousa – Santana HS
✨ Nancy Nuno – Monte Vista HS
✨ Maryam Qaqos – El Cajon Valley HS
✨ Chanelle Amitaf Hertz – Granite Hills HS
✨ Patricia Shebo – Santana HS
✨ Lyan Alskooti – Valhalla HS

We are so proud of your achievements and bright futures ahead!

Check out the latest GUHSD News!

Monthly Video Message: Superintendent Dr. Kirsten Vital Brulte shared an update on GUHSD’s Portrait of a Graduate initiative — a community-driven effort focused on shaping a shared vision for student success across East County.

Foothillers Reach for the Stars: ABC 10 News spotlighted Grossmont High School’s legacy of space exploration during coverage of NASA’s Artemis mission splashdown. The story featured GHS’s astronaut mural honoring alumni Bill Anders, Ellen Ochoa, and Rick Sturckow.

Champion of Champions: GUHSD celebrated outstanding Career Technical Education students and partners at the 44th Annual Champion of Champions Event. Santana High School student Aiden Cunningham was recognized for excellence in Manufacturing and leadership in promoting CTE opportunities.

Sportsmanship Awards: Congratulations to all GUHSD Sportsmanship Award recipients recognized for exemplifying integrity, leadership, teamwork, and the CIF principles of “Pursuing Victory with Honor.”

SkillsUSA Success: Students from Santana and Monte Vista High Schools earned top honors at the 59th Annual SkillsUSA California State Championships. Santana’s Collision Repair team captured both 1st and 2nd place in California for the second straight year.

Sunrise Awards: Grossmont High School hosted the ACSA Sunrise Awards, honoring students who demonstrate resilience.

Congratulations to GUHSD honorees Alex Molina of El Cajon Valley High School and Colin McCrae of Monte Vista High School.
Stay connected and celebrate all the great things happening across GUHSD!

Read it here: https://tinyurl.com/5yabm2w7

Upcoming Governing Board Meeting

The next Regular Governing Board Meeting will be this Thursday, May 28, 2026, at the Grossmont High School Event Theatre.

Closed Session: 4:00 PM
Open Session: 6:00 PM

Videos of the Open Session portion of the meeting will be available on our Vimeo page in 2-3 business days.

🔗 Agenda: https://tinyurl.com/jachubp5

🎓✨ A new era for Matadors is HERE! ✨🎓
At the annual Matador Early College Banquet, we celebrated the launch of Mount Miguel Early College High School!
This historic transition expands dual enrollment opportunities for ALL students — giving more Matadors access to college courses, college credit, and pathways to future success while still in high school.
“This milestone allows all students to take college courses in high school thanks to Mount Miguel’s staff and Dr. Mark Jeffers’ steadfast visionary leadership,” shared GUHSD Board President Dr. Gary C. Woods.
Since 2014, the MEC program has partnered with Cuyamaca College and Grossmont College to help students complete 585 college courses with an incredible 97% pass rate — with students even earning Associate Degrees before graduating high school! 🌟
The night featured MEC alum Abagail Wojnowski, the program’s first graduate, who earned her Associate Degree from Cuyamaca College at 17 and later graduated from UC Berkeley at just 19 years old.
“The doors that opened through this program allowed me to rise above expectations, lead in my academic journey, and thrive in a way I hadn’t imagined,” Abagail shared.
This is more than a name change — it’s a transformational opportunity for our students, families, and community.

✨ GUHSD Induction Program Showcase ✨

This year, more than 60 first- and second-year teachers participated in GUHSD’s state-accredited Induction Program, which provides coaching, mentoring, professional learning, and ongoing support to help new teachers grow and succeed in the classroom.

We are proud to recognize 32 educators who successfully completed the Induction journey this year and are now on their way to becoming fully credentialed teachers.

Led by Lead Mentor Chamane Shellstrom and supported by mentors and educational leaders across the district, the program reflects GUHSD’s commitment to investing in our teachers so they can provide students with the best educational opportunities possible.

Thank you to all of our mentors for the guidance, encouragement, and support you provide to our newest educators, and congratulations to these teachers on this important milestone and the bright future ahead!

Reminder: GUHSD schools and offices are closed today in honor of the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. We wish our entire community a meaningful Memorial Day weekend as we take time to remember and reflect on their sacrifice.
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The Grossmont Union High School District proudly recognizes Classified School Employee Week! We celebrate and thank all of our classified staff for their extraordinary service and unwavering dedication to our students and schools.

From creating safe campuses to supporting transportation, nutrition services, technology, operations, translation services, and front offices, our classified employees play an essential role in the success and well-being of our students.

Our schools simply could not function without their expertise, dedication, and commitment. We honor our classified employees for the meaningful difference they make in the lives of our students each day.