By Diane Zhang

Special to the Alpine Mountaineer

It was an eventful evening full of academic bars and letters on Sept. 27, when Rim of the World High School held their annual academic awards night. Students were awarded for their exemplary GPAs and outstanding academic performance as proud parents and community members applauded from their seats at Rim High’s Performing Arts Center (PAC).

At Rim High, two semesters are equivalent to one school year. Students are awarded an academic letter if they maintain a 3.5 or above grade point average (GPA) for two consecutive semesters, a gold bar if they do so for four consecutive semesters, and their second gold bar once they complete six consecutive semesters.

These awards are cumulative; a 12^th-grade student who has earned a 3.5 or above GPA for their first six semesters (first three school years) of high school can attain all three of these awards.

Following the academic awards night, Rim High School hosted their yearly College and Career Fair on Sept. 28. Various colleges and employers gathered and set up booths in Rim High’s new gym, as interested students gained the valuable opportunity to connect and network with different agencies and organizations. Some college and career organizations that showed up include: the Lake Arrowhead Community Services District (LACSD), University of California, Riverside (UCR) and California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB).

As the beginnings of the fall season start to settle in, Rim of the World High School students are nearing the first quarter mark of the school year. For the 2023-2024 school year, Rim High School has expanded course offerings. New or reestablished academic courses at Rim High include AP Chemistry, AP Spanish, AP Precalculus, Sports Medicine, CTE Construction Trades and French.

AP courses allow high school students to take rigorous and academically challenging undergraduate university-level classes. Every May, near the end of the school year, students from across the globe will take AP exams that align with their AP classes’ curriculum. Many colleges offer credit for passing AP scores, which gives students a chance to save both time and money.

With the addition of so many new classes, Rim High School has also welcomed several new teachers.

In an interview with the new French teacher at Rim High School, Ms. Delfolie states that she moved to the mountain community six years ago. Before she started teaching at Rim High, Ms. Delfolie taught all levels of French class for 22 years in Orange County, with her classes ranging from beginning French to AP French. Her favorite part about teaching at Rim High School, Ms. Delfolie notes, is “how incredibly invested people are in this school. The teachers, the staff – they are so passionate and invested in making this place very welcoming and open to everybody. They give you a sense of community, and you don’t find that everywhere.”

Ms. Zamanis

Ms. Zamanis, the new English teacher at Rim High, has taught at Cal State Fullerton as well as at the high school level for English. As a mountain resident of 12 years, Ms. Zamanis feels that “all of the students here are so vibrant, and what I mean by that is that all of the students have so much personality. Everybody is involved in either an after-school activity or a club, and I really appreciate how much individuality there is everywhere.”

Ms. Mazochia

Another mountain resident teacher new to Rim High School is Ms. Mazochia, who teaches history. Prior to teaching at Rim High, she taught at Mary Putnam Henck Intermediate (MPH) for five years, as well as in Apple Valley. As a Rim graduate, Ms. Mazochia began nurturing her love for history from a young age: “I had so many great history teachers here growing up, and they made me love history.” Ms. Mazochia added that her favorite part about teaching at Rim High is “definitely the students, and the atmosphere. I hope I can have my students love history the way I love it.”

As Rim High students complete their first quarter of the school year, 12^th-grade students are anxiously preparing for their college applications. In particular, the popular University of California (UC) applications are already open for viewing and are due on Nov. 30. A primary component of the UC application is four short essay questions, dubbed the Personal Insight Questions. These short essay questions provide colleges a holistic view of student applicants and allow students to showcase their personal stories and experiences.

Homecoming dance tickets are currently on sale! The Homecoming dance will be held on Saturday, Oct. 14 at Rim High School. Don’t miss out on the fun!