The Weekly Update #4

The second semester is moving quickly, and this is an important time for all of our students to stay focused, engaged, and finish strong.

We are excited to share that our talented Aztecs will take the stage this weekend as our Spring Musical, Legally Blonde opens! Our students and staff have been working incredibly hard to bring this production to life, and we encourage our community to come out and support them. It’s always a highlight of the year and a wonderful showcase of our students’ creativity and dedication. It will also be bitter sweet grand finale for our beloved theater teacher, Mrs. Page Phillips, as she ends her career at Mark Keppel and enters retirement.

Testing season is also around the corner. State testing will begin soon, followed by AP testing for our Advanced Placement students. These assessments are important opportunities for our students to demonstrate their learning and growth. We appreciate your support in ensuring students are well-rested, present, and prepared during those weeks.

Our seniors are entering an exciting and meaningful season as they prepare for graduation. There are many milestones ahead, and we look forward to celebrating the Class of 2026 in true Aztec fashion. At the same time, our underclassmen are nearly finished registering for next year’s classes, making thoughtful decisions about their academic pathways and goals.

Information about summer school opportunities will be shared soon. We encourage families to review those details carefully once they are released, especially if your student may benefit from credit recovery or enrichment.

As always, we remind families to regularly check the Parent Portal for updates on attendance and grades. Staying informed helps us work together to support student success during this critical stretch of the school year.

Thank you for your continued partnership and for supporting our students as we move toward a strong finish to the 2025–2026 school year

3rd Quarter End on Friday, Mar 13, 2026- We encourage families to monitor students’ academic progress on the AUSD Family Portal.

Attention Seniors! The time to purchase your graduation cap and gowns are here. Graduation Caps and Gowns and other Senior 2026 memorabilia can be purchased through Academic Apparel. Click on the link to place your order today! https://www.academicapparel.com/product/mark-keppel/

Thanks to our Food and Nutritional Services and Cafeteria Staff for our new MKHS Lunch Cart. With the new Lunch cart we are able to provide lunch faster and allow students to pick up food in a separate location.

Please note that students with more than 10 tardies to any class will be assigned to Academic Make-Up Time on collaboration Mondays.

Morning drop-offs and afternoon pickups can be especially busy at MKHS. Please follow all posted traffic rules, drive slowly, ensure students use designated crosswalks and remain patient to ensure the safety of all students, staff, and families. Thank you for helping us maintain a safe and orderly environment for our school community.

For the month of March, we encourage all AZTECS to focus on demonstrating ACCOUNTABILITY:

• The obligation to own actions, decisions, and outcomes—both positive and negative—without shifting blame.

• It builds trust, fosters high performance, and ensures transparency, while a lack of it leads to broken trust, lower morale, and poor results.

• Key principles include transparency, ownership, and clear communication.

Dear Friends and Supporters,

We are honored and excited to share that Olympic Gold Medalist John Naber will be our special guest speaker at the:

Save Barnes Pool Swim Award & Appreciation Event
Saturday, March 28, 2026
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Barnes Park Amphitheater

This is truly a rare — perhaps once-in-a-lifetime — opportunity for our community to hear directly from one of America’s most accomplished Olympians.

John Naber, a 3× Olympic Gold Medalist and Olympic Ambassador, continues to inspire generations through his message of discipline, perseverance, and leadership.

We are also proud to recognize:

• Coach Ish, whose leadership at Mark Keppel High School has led to an extraordinary legacy — over 90 championships, including 9 CIF titles — setting a standard of excellence that reflects the strength and dedication of Monterey Park youth.
• Deliang Li, Olympic Medalist and Head Coach of Arrow Dive, whose students have earned national-level titles, international medals, and collegiate placements — developing athletes who compete and succeed at the highest levels of the sport.

Together, these leaders represent excellence, discipline, and the transformative power of aquatics in shaping young lives.

Please RSVP as soon as possible to assist with planning and certificate preparation: https://forms.gle/vc1MfG9pkjLDjB8d7

Your early RSVP helps us finalize seating, awards, and program coordination.

General Public: $20 - Donations are welcome and greatly appreciated.

This event celebrates youth achievement, community leadership, and our shared commitment to restoring Barnes Park Pool — a historic cornerstone of Monterey Park and a future home for continued athletic excellence.

Please help forward this invitation to swim families, alumni, and community supporters. We look forward to gathering for what promises to be a meaningful and inspiring morning.

With gratitude,

Margaret Leung
Chair, SGV Power Up Beacon

Registered 501.(c).(3) non-profit organization

860-625-1287

The MKHS Spring Production is here! Performances will be on March 6 & 13 with showtime at 7:00 pm. There will be matinee performances on March 7 & 14 at 2:00 pm

Scholarship Program Overview

In 1997, the Alhambra Latino Association developed a scholarship program that would award one deserving senior from each of the schools in the Alhambra School District (Alhambra High School, Century High School, Mark Keppel High School and San Gabriel High School) with a scholarship towards their higher education. With the generous donations of members, donors and supporters, throughout all these years ALA has helped many talented Latinx youth on their way to college. The application process is easy!
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Dora S. Padilla Memorial Arts Scholarship
ALA is proud to offer an additional scholarship for students interested in the arts. This scholarship defines the arts broadly as performance (music, dance, theater), literary efforts (writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, podcasts) and the visual (painting, sculpture, video, film). Applicants do not have to have plans to pursue careers in the arts, but can include in their application essay how being involved in the arts has helped to shape them.

Brian N. Tatsuno Memorial Career Tech Scholarship
ALA is proud to offer a Career Tech Scholarship for students interested in a technical career. This scholarship defines technical career trades as (including but not limited to) mechanical, electrical, plumbing, welding and carpentry. Applicants are required to have plans to pursue a technical trades career, and should include that in their application essay.

EmpowerHER STEM Scholarship
ALA is also proud to offer a STEM Scholarship. This scholarship encourages females to explore, excel, and lead as innovators and changemakers in their communities and beyond. Applicants are required to have plans to pursue a career in a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) field, and should include that in their application essay.

How to apply

Important dates

MKHS Alliance's Fear the Spear 5K Run/Walk is Sat., April 11, at Keppel's track. Early Bird registration is $15/student & $20/adult. Those who register early, now - March 13, are guaranteed a free 5K t-shirt. Register with Ms. Phillips in room A114. Make checks payable to MKHS Alliance. View the route at plotaroute.com/route/3229196

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