Foster Elementary School students from transitional kindergarten through second grade danced, dressed up with silly masks and hats, and practiced their beatboxing skills on Nov. 9 alongside YouTuber and youth motivational speaker Josh Drean, who urged them to create a positive environment to eliminate bullying at school and on social media. Foster Elementary was stop No. 14 on Drean’s tour of Baldwin Park Unified campuses.
Columbia School seventh-grader Nohelia Vega is a natural tinkerer – she likes to build things and dreams of a career in engineering because she wants to use math and science to solve the world’s problems. When Vega learned that she could study engineering and coding through El Monte City School District’s new robotics program, she saw it as a perfect pathway to her career goals. The robotics program, which is part of the District’s Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program, was launched in January by GATE lead teacher Cynthia Diaz.
Monrovia Unified’s Mayflower Elementary School showcased its Code to the Future program on Nov. 7 during an Epic Build Showcase featuring student coding projects and classroom tours. Students, teachers and parents were invited to the event, which celebrated Mayflower’s focus on incorporating coding as a second language. Students showed examples that include writing in code, building video games and combining coding concepts with an integrated story.
San Gabriel Unified’s Gabrielino High School held its second Mental Health Awareness Day of the year on Nov. 15, educating students and staff about anxiety and stress management. Students engaged in mindfulness activities and viewed “Angst,” a film and virtual reality experience exploring the causes of anxiety and highlighting options for handling the condition.
Lynwood Unified parents and guardians received curbside coffee, video tributes and were treated to student performances on Nov. 15 when the District celebrated National Parent Involvement Day. Schools across the District engaged parents with various activities and workshops that offered tips on involvement.
El Monte Union hosted a Mad City Money event on Nov. 2 at El Monte High School, providing students with the opportunity to understand business and finance through a hands-on simulation. The event allowed students to make financial mistakes as a way of helping them learn what not to do in real life. Students had a career, salary, spouse, student loan debt, credit card debt and medical insurance premiums. Students experienced unexpected windfalls and unplanned expenses, just like real life.
Fontana Unified School District on Nov. 14 was honored by the American Heart Association with a Bronze Workplace Health Solutions Award, which recognizes district efforts to cultivate a workplace culture of wellness. Fontana Unified’s wellness program includes a series of smaller health challenges and an annual wellness fair, which provides staff with health and wellness information, medical, dental and vision screenings, raffle prizes, and more.