Rio Hondo College will host a Cash 4 College financial aid overview and workshop on Saturday, Feb. 3 for students and their families, offering assistance with the 2018-19 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and California Dream Act application. The overview will begin at 9 a.m.; the workshop will run from 9:30 to 1 p.m. Both will be held in the Rio Hondo College Rio Café, 3600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier.
Forty-six firefighters from across California are hewing their way through structures and carving up cars today through Friday, Feb. 2 during Rio Hondo College’s annual Regional Truck Academy at the Rio Hondo Fire Training Center, 11400 Greenstone Ave., Santa Fe Springs. The program runs for 88 hours over 11 days. Firefighters are training for forcible entry into burning structures, high-rise operations, elevator rescues, rope rescues, thermal imaging, auto extraction and rapid intervention tactics.
Rio Hondo College will host about 160 high school counselors from three area school districts as well as officials from other local high schools for its fifth annual Regional Counselor Breakfast at 8 a.m. Friday, Jan. 19. The event, which runs through 11:30 a.m., will be held in the Rio Café at the Rio Hondo College campus, 3600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier. This year’s breakfast focuses on the College’s effort to support student success, including an effort to guide students along the pathway from high school through college and into careers. Counselors will also receive an update on the Rio Promise, an initiative launched in spring 2017 that covers first-year tuition costs for local high school graduates, as well as presentations about the College’s transfer, honors and STEM programs.
IRS-certified students from Rio Hondo College will offer income tax return aid for people who earned $54,000 or less in 2017. The program runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, April 13 at the Rio Hondo Administration of Justice Building, 3600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier.
Follow-up Story: Rio Hondo College’s Board of Trustees named Madeline Shapiro as president for 2018, Vicky Santana as vice president and Mary Ann Pacheco as clerk during the group’s annual reorganization meeting on Dec. 13. Trustee Pacheco will also serve as the board representative for the L.A. County School District Organization and the L.A. County Schools Trustee Association. The board includes outgoing president Norma Edith Garcia and Gary Mendez.
Follow-up Story: Sixteen cadets from the Rio Hondo College Wildfire Academy are helping to battle the Creek Fire and 24 former graduates have joined efforts this week to quell the massive Thomas Fire burning near Santa Barbara. The firefighters were activated on Dec. 18. The 24 firefighters assigned to the Thomas Fire include Rio Hondo College Wildland Fire Academy graduates who worked the fire season in Oregon, California and Washington, and a group of firefighters who graduated from the Rio Hondo College Fire Academy in November.
Rio Hondo College performing arts students and local school children will present “Juan Diego & the Beautiful Lady,” a free, bilingual outdoor play at Rose Hills Memorial Park from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 3. The play commemorates Our Lady of Guadalupe. After the performance, Mariachi Trompetas de Mexico and dancers from Pacifico Dance Co. will lead a procession with an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Rose Hills Memorial Park is at 3888 Workman Mill Road, Whittier. For more information, visit www.ourladyofguadaluperosehills.com or call 323-887-4837
The Rio Hondo Dance Collective will stage a contemporary version of “The Nutcracker” at 2 and 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10 with 26 dancers from Rio Hondo College and more than 80 dancers from area schools and the Rio Hondo College Child Development Center. The production is streamlined to one hour to create a more enjoyable experience for young children. The event will be at Rio Hondo College's Wray Theater, 3600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier
Follow-up Story: Rio Hondo College educators have developed plans to offer a cybersecurity certificate and degree program in fall 2018 to help meet rapidly growing demand for technical experts capable of shielding sensitive electronic data. The program spans 26 courses in information technology, math, accounting and business law; it includes certificates earned for completing several sequences of the classes, including one for “ethical hacking.” The College plans to offer Associate of Science degrees in cybersecurity and information technology.
Rio Hondo College will honor veterans at a 1 p.m. ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 8 at the College’s Veterans Memorial. The event will feature comments by Superintendent/President Teresa Dreyfuss and faculty member Josh Gallegos, and recognition of alumni veteran Mark Tavera. Campus community members who served are providing photos for a “Wall of Courage.” The College is at 3600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier.
