Graduate
of the Month, January of 2005
 |
Don Juan Murrieta was only 18 when he arrived
in California from Spain in 1863, settling with
two brothers in the San Joaquin Valley where they
took up sheep ranching. He saw vast open spaces
set in the midst of an expansive valley. Greened
by the grasses that covered the area, the valley
was dotted with oak trees, and sycamores lined the
creeks. Such natural beauty, he thought, and such
a practical choice. So, he bought 52,000 acres of
ranch land for $52,000.
When Don Juan died in 1936 at the age of 91, the
valley that came to bear his name, Murrieta had
already experienced its first boom and its first
bust. The railroad came, and a town was built up
around it. By 1890, some 800 people populated the
area. In 1935, trains stopped running this route
and the boom went bust. Not much was to change until
1987, when a period of explosive growth began. Sleepy
little Murrieta, totaling only 542 residents in
1970 and little more than 2,250 a decade later,
grew up almost overnight.
When it became a city officially
on July 1, 1991, it was home to some 29,000 folks,
many of them drawn to the area by the same virtues
young Don Juan Murrieta found so attractive more than
100 years earlier. Today, the population of Murrieta
exceeds 65,000 with natural beauty and so practical
a choice, a real "gem of the valley."
Another gem in this valley is Ms.
Stephanie Large. Stephanie graduated from Citizens’
High School last August with a 4.0 GPA! Stephanie
did this in the comfort and safety of her own home.
She chose Citizens’ High School because she
wanted to concentrate on acting and make her own academic
schedule. Citizens’ was able to meet all of
her needs.
Stephanie had attended public and
private schools prior to attending Citizens’.
She was active in student government, sports, and
theater. She was unable to shake the feeling of being
confined and restrained by the curriculum. With the
Citizens' homeschool program she had access to much
greater freedom.
Stephanie comes from a family of
creative, artistic individuals. Her older sister and
younger brother are current Citizens’ students.
As a family, they love theater and film. Her family
has inspired her to pursue a Bachelor’s degree
in theater or possibly political science. With the
success Stephanie enjoyed while a Citizens’
High School student we are quite confident she will
make an outstanding college student and a “gem”
in the Murrieta community.
Citizens’ High School is honored
to have been able to provide for Stephanie and her
siblings’ academic needs. We are proud of her
accomplishments. We bestow on her the coveted Graduate
of the Month for January 2005. |
