MHS freshman Eunice Lee qualifies for U.S. National Jump Rope Team, forms MHS Trojan Ropers club2/25/2025
Milpitas High School freshman jump rope phenom Eunice Lee is back at it, as the 5-time National Champion qualified to be on the U.S. National Jump Rope Team and compete in the 2025 World Championship in Kawasaki, Japan in July.
Earlier this month en route to the 2025 U.S. National Team Trials in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Lee’s flight was delayed due to snow in Chicago and she did not arrive to her destination until 1 a.m., which left her only four hours of rest before the competition. “Jump rope is a battle of mental strength, so I pushed myself to ignore the exhaustion and focus on the task ahead,” shared Lee, who won the 3-minute speed endurance competition with 481 jumps counting only the right foot and was qualified to compete for that event as well as the 4x30 second speed sprint relay and 2x30 second double unders relay with other National Team members in the 2025 World Championships. Click to support Lee in her journey Sharing her passion with others, Lee formed the first jump rope club at Milpitas HS last month, called MHS Trojan Ropers. It is a recreational jump rope club that also trains for performances at school with 20 students. Five Milpitas Unified School District scholars crowned champions at IAC academic competitions2/25/2025
Five Milpitas Unified School District students–two from Sinnott Elementary School and three from Rancho Milpitas Middle School–were crowned champions at the International Academic Competitions (IAC) Geography, History, and Science Northern California Regional Bees.
Competing against one of the largest in-person regional competition fields in IAC history, Sinnott 5th grader Tara Karadi won the Geography and Science Bees, and fellow 5th grader Adhya Dangaria took first place in the History Bee. Meanwhile, Rancho 8th grader Tejus Karadi finished first in the Geography Bee, and 8th grader Parth Baheti and 7th grader Shreya Ram each won their respective grade level Science Bees. The competition, held January 18th in Fremont, was the first of three in-person opportunities for students to qualify for the Elementary-Middle School (EMS) National Bees, scheduled for May 22-26, 2025, in Orlando, FL. Students are challenged to decode questions and master quick buzzing techniques. Tara Karadi added a third-place finish in the History Bee; Dangaria also placed second in the Science Bee; and Tejus Karadi was second in the History Bee and fourth in the Science Bee. “This competition provided students with valuable experience in academic challenges, helping them refine their ability to decode complex questions and respond quickly under pressure,” shared coach Padma Subbaraya. “Their success reflects their dedication, preparation, and academic excellence. …These results not only bring pride to their schools but also secure their spots at the upcoming Bees Nationals in Orlando, FL.” Click for Middle & Elementary School Regional Results – IAC – US Division ![]() Milpitas High School’s Technology Student Association (TSA) club scored two first, one second and two third-place marks in recent STEM and Leadership competitions at Mountain House High School in a field of nearly 200 students from Harker, Saratoga, Evergreen Valley, and other participating schools. The MHS team claimed first place in video game design for the second year in a row and first place for the drone/UAV challenge, where they built a custom drone from scratch with a camera and a claw. Additionally, the club placed second in the coding test, third in digital video production, and third in video game design. The MHS team, which started in the 2023-24 school year by TSA founder and president Vasista Ramachandruni, qualified for the National TSA Conference this summer in Nashville, TN, and will represent Milpitas on a national level. Team members include Vasista, Eshan Gupta, Toshan Gupta, Shashank Chamarty, Shivcharanraju Anga, Jeremiah de Guzman, Jericho de Guzman, Rushil Wadhwani, Nihal Kadamba, Amogh Nagre, Harish Manukonda, Swayam Shukla, Oliver Ma, Spencer Tran, Ethan Hui, and Sriram Sivakumar. In a previous 70-team statewide competition, the MHS team finished third in the state for the build challenge of the Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics, and Science. ![]() A Milpitas Unified School District mother-daughter tandem teamed up to write and illustrate a children’s book, titled ‘Jacques and Bok,’ to help young readers find ways to take care of themselves and others without the use of electronic devices. “The characters spend a lot of time in nature and in creating things together, which I believe are wonderful ways to connect and stay healthy,” shared Sinnott Elementary School educator Adrienne Barber of her second published book. Barber has taught first and second grade at Sinnott for 25 years. Adrienne’s daughter, MUSD Middle College High School junior Rose Barber, created the illustrations for the book, which was recently published on January 20, 2025. The 16-year-old illustrator attended Sinnott, Rancho MS and Milpitas HS before enrolling at MMCHS. She was inspired by the works of Mo Willems and Charles Shulz. “I wanted to give a light and whimsical yet humorous atmosphere to the book,” explained Rose. “The purpose of the book is to promote a healthy lifestyle to students, encouraging self-care through things such as spending time in nature, exercising, and making art. It also encourages positive interpersonal relationships by showing the characters collaborating, spending time together and sharing” Jacques and Bok, now available on Amazon, follows the unlikely and comical daily adventures of a man and his bird friend. It is meant as an early reader or story to be read and shared between parent and child. Bok, the bird, lives on Adrienne’s classroom whiteboard and provides daily messages to her students, and Jacques is a combination of a few people, Rose’s father, chef Jacques Pepin and some friends of ours, Adrienne explained. A portion of book sales will go to the Jacques Pepin Foundation, a charity that provides education and training to people in need. “Rose’s illustrations have always inspired me, and she created one of the characters about a year ago. What children respond to and enjoy is always central to the creation of my books,” Adrienne said. “I’m really lucky because Rose is a very patient and talented collaborator. ….Rose did all of the illustrations, edits and formatting. I’m really inspired by her dedication.” A months-long project, the mother-daughter team spent up to 14 hours a day developing the characters and storyline, as well as matching the illustrations and photographs in the book. “Conceptually, the book took a year, but collaborating with Rose on a book is something I’ve wanted to do for as long as I can remember,” Adrienne said. “The character of Bok was originally drawn as a quick sketch I made for fun on a whiteboard in my mom's classroom for her second-grade students to see,” Rose added. “At first, I didn't expect to develop the character further, but I began to feel more attached to the funny bird, and my mom thought it would be a great character if we ever made a book.” Artwork in the book combines character drawings and photos taken in France, Italy, Ireland, the Barber home, and in Milpitas’ Ed Levin park. “It was really important to us that Milpitas be included,” Rose said. “The repetition of sentence structure and colors creates a pattern that children enjoy, and they especially like commenting on backgrounds and saying the bird’s line: “Bok!” |
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING:
The governing board of Milpitas Unified School District will hold a Public Hearing on Tuesday, June 28, 2022. Media ResourcesArchives
March 2025
Categories |