Lynwood Unified High Students Explore STEM at UCLA
Follow-up Story: Students from Lynwood High School spent five weeks this summer exploring computer science, biology and chemistry at UCLA as part of the Summer Math and Science Honors Academy (SMASH). Kelly Medina, Alan Lopez, Mariela Ceballos, Luis Carvajal and recent Lynwood High graduate Brand Salazar took part in the residential program over the course of three summers. SMASH is a free college preparatory program that places minority high school students on a university campus and introduces them to in-depth courses in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The Lynwood High students completed the program July 29 with a graduation and recognition ceremony.
Two Formerly Homeless Lynwood High School Grads Earn Scholarships
Recent Lynwood High School graduates Moises Topete and Brandon Salazar have each earned a California Gas Scholarship for thriving as students while living as homeless unaccompanied youths. The scholarship program is open to high school graduating seniors and transferring community college students who will attend a vocational/technical school, two-year or four-year college or university. Topete graduated with a 3.6 GPA and will pursue culinary arts at Los Angeles Trade Technical College. Salazar earned a 3.3 GPA and will attend UC Merced.
Follow-up Story: Sixty-five students were celebrated for completing Lynwood Unified’s summer school program and earning their high school diplomas during a commencement ceremony on July 20 at Firebaugh High School. Superintendent Gudiel R. Crosthwaite congratulated the students from Firebaugh, Lynwood and Vista high schools. Lynwood Unified’s credit recovery system provides students with the opportunity to take or retake courses over summer that are required for graduation. Photos are available
Lynwood Unified School District will reduce air pollution and save about $20,000 annually when it adds two all-electric school buses to its fleet this school year thanks to a pair of grants totaling nearly $800,000 from the South Coast Air Quality Management District and the Hybrid and Zero Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Project. The eLion Type C buses can travel 75 miles while fully charged. Photos are available
Follow-up Story: Six Lynwood Unified students put their athletic abilities to the test with sprints, long jump and shot put at the California State Games track and field competition on July 15 and 16. This is the first year Lynwood Unified has funded after-school track and field coaches and equipment as part of a mission to promote a healthy, active lifestyle. Last year, one elementary school had a track club and only one Lynwood student competed in the California State Games. Photos are available
Follow-up Story: Around 30 Lynwood Unified female students in grades four to eight experienced the joys of science at the weeklong Girls Pursuing Science (GPS) Camp. GPS founder Jacquelyn Thomas lead a Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM) curriculum that allows students to create cosmetic products and brand their own businesses. Photos are available
One hundred educators learned how to create lesson plans using Google Slides and implement collaborative testing with Kahoot! and Quizzizz on June 16 at the USC Institute for Creative Technologies for Lynwood Unified’s second annual Lynwood Educators’ Technology Summit (LETS), where LUSD instructors and representatives from global technology companies presented methods for integrating technology into the classroom. K-12 teachers from Lynwood Unified schools discussed how they have implemented Google Suite, Web 2.0 tools and coding in their classrooms, while education representatives from Edlio, Newsela, Google and Apple shared about creative test-taking platforms, Google Slides and using iPads to teach students the essences of block coding.
Follow-up Story: Lynwood Unified School District spread the joy of reading to 250 students and their parents during the District’s first Scholastic Literacy Event on June 28, when students also took home three books from a massive donated collection of 2,300 books. Clifford the Big Red Dog was also available to take pictures and excite students to grow their literary knowledge. Photos are available
Fifteen Abbott Elementary School students will soon be globally known for their playwriting talents when a Rwandan children’s group performs their play at the Ubumuntu Arts Festival on Friday, July 14. The play, called “The Wall,” is set 364 years in the future when neighboring families decide to end their prejudiced ideologies and tear down a wall commissioned by President Donald Trump. The play is one of 76 productions created by Lynwood Unified’s elementary and middle school students as part of the Building Relationships and Inspiring Dialogue through Global Exchange (BRIDGE) Theatre Project. Photos are available
More than 90 K-12 students received nearly $8,000 in scholarships May 31 at Bateman Hall during Lynwood Unified’s fourth annual District African American Advisory Parent Council (DAAAPC) Scholarship Celebration. African American students from all 18 Lynwood Unified schools were honored for their hard work and dedication to academics with medals, scholarships ranging from $25 to $600 depending on grade level, and prizes, such as graphic calculators, electronic phonetic spelling devices or drawing Magic Boards.
