Pioneer High School - Torch Yearbook (Whittier, CA)

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Era Of Excellence Amidst the banners, the media, and roaring cheers. Pio- neer basked in triumph as President Ronald Reagan person- ally presented Principal Bob Eicholtz and Superintendent Ndrman Eisen the first of 72 High School Awards for Excel- lence in Education. In the packed auditorium, honor stu- dents wearing distinctive red Omega T-shirts, administra- tors, and teachers beamed proudly when Pioneer was commended with the prototype of the Excellence in Edu- cation flag and a bronze scroll plaque. In the early part of the assembly, held June 30, 1983, Mr. Eicholtz enjoyed the honor of a standing ovation as grand as though he were the president. The key to Pioneer ' s success has been the contributing efforts of the faculty, students, and parents, as well as the leadership of Mr. Eicholtz. Mr. Eicholtz once commented, Parent involvement is incredible. We wanted to build a chain link fence around the school; instead, the parents voluntarily put up a beautiful wrought iron fence. Dedica- tion, patience and concern are all blended into the Pioneer atmosphere. As quoted in the Whittier Daily News. We give them very strict policies with loads of love, and the students love it, social science teacher Mrs. Sandy Thor- stenson said. Those policies don ' t cost money, and love doesn ' t cost money. in perspective, the overall goal of Mr. Eicholtz and the faculty is for all students to leave Pioneer literate, responsi- ble and self-confident. Developing interpersonal skills and sportsmanship, which may be achieved through extra-cur- ricular activities, is also essential. In addition, counseling and career education guides students into making decisions and helps them to compete in the working world. As stated in the Whittier Daily News. Reagan heaped praise on Pioneer High School, recently named one of the outstanding secondary schools in the country. What I like about Pioneer is its pride. Teachers are proud of students, students are proud ' tpf teachers, both are proud of the principal and everyttijjjw is proud of the school itself. This pride creates a posiMfettitude for learning. After speaking to thlB||e crowd, Reagan took the time to visit with some studerflWfe spoke to Mr. Dan Garcia and his summer reading class. ib. ' . , The president was on a crosKountry campaign to draw attention to the need of maki%changes in the nation ' s education programs. ' ■%, ' Pioneer, because of its exemplcffy istotus, was selected by the Department of Education as the site for the Second Regional forum on the recommendation of the National Commission on Excellence in Education. . The day ended with a mutual feeling of accomplishment.