Whittier Union Sends Off Class of 2020 with Cap and Gown Distribution, Virtual Recognitions

As Whittier Union seniors approach the final days of their high school career, the District’s high schools are finding ways to safely recognize 2,800 members of the Class the 2020, their accomplishments over the last four years and their ability to persevere under the most unexpected circumstances. Following social distancing guidelines and facial covering requirements, each school meticulously in May organized grab-and-go opportunities to provide seniors their graduation packages, which included caps and gowns, medals and yard signs, which were sponsored by the Whittier Union High School District Educational Foundation. Virtual awards shows were also held to celebrate students.

Fontana Unified Partners with Auto Club Speedway, Ontario International Airport to Hold Class of 2020 Graduations

Fontana Unified School District will partner with Auto Club Speedway and Ontario International Airport to provide the Class of 2020 with a remarkable sendoff – drive-up graduation ceremonies that will allow students to celebrate together while observing health safety guidelines. District festivities will take flight at Ontario International Airport, starting with Fontana Adult School, Eric Birch High School and Citrus High School’s commencement ceremonies on Thursday, May 28. The District will then switch gears to the Auto Club Speedway, where the comprehensive high schools will hold their graduations alongside victory lane. Summit and A.B. Miller high schools’ ceremonies will occur on Tuesday, June 2; Kaiser and Fontana high schools will take place on Wednesday, June 3, and Jurupa Hills High School will celebrate its graduates on Thursday, June 4.

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Río Hondo College Receives $15,000 Gift from Community Partners for CARE students

Río Hondo College has received $15,000 in gifts from community groups for its Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education (CARE) Program, which helps provide educational support services and activities for academically under-prepared, welfare-dependent, single parents. CARE students are part of EOP&S, which serves more than 1,600 students at Río Hondo College. The gifts, presented May 22 to Río Hondo College Superintendent/President Dr. Arturo Reyes, EOP&S/CARE Director Heba Griffiths, and CARE Specialist Laura Verdugo, include $5,000 from Soroptimist International of Whittier and $10,000 from Credit Union of Southern California.

Buena Park Junior High Recognizes Promotion with Drive-thru Celebrations

478 Buena Park Junior High students and their families cheered, fist-pumped and honked their car horns during two days of drive-thru promotion ceremonies, as they poured onto campus with vehicles adorned with balloons, colorful signs and creative decorations to commemorate the class of 2020. Guests toured the highly decorated grounds on May 20 and 21, when they were met with cheerful chalk messages, music and applauding teachers and administrators. Students and their families wore masks and followed social distancing rules to maintain safety.

Buena Park Junior High Teacher Named Orange County Teacher of the Year

Career Technical Educator Shelley Andros thrives on helping her students find their passions, saying that her profession is more of a calling in keeping with the maxim “Choose a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Her exemplary work ethic at Buena Park Junior High has earned her the title of 2021 Teacher of the Year award from the Orange County Department of Education. The award winners were announced virtually in May.

Fontana Unified TV Production Student Wins State Film Contest for Mental Health PSA

Summit High School senior Nicole Quinonez-Frias’ raw and emotional approach to highlighting cultural stigmas around depression and suicide, captured in a 60-second film, has earned statewide recognition as a category winner in the Directing Change Program and Film Contest. Quinonez-Frias’ film captured first place in the Through the Lens of Culture – Suicide Prevention category. As a statewide winner, she will receive a $1,000 prize. She is the first Summit High TV Production student to win an event in the competition.

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El Monte Promise Foundation Launches Fundraiser to Honor Class of 2020

The El Monte Promise Foundation in collaboration with El Monte Union High School District has launched a donation campaign to raise $10,000 for graduation banners and signs recognizing El Monte Union’s Class of 2020. EMPF and EMUHSD are working in partnership with local cities – including Rosemead, El Monte and South El Monte – to support the display of banners throughout our communities that will recognize approximately 1,800 individual graduates from Mountain View, Arroyo, Rosemead, El Monte, South El Monte, and Fernando R. Ledesma high schools.

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Río Hondo College Celebrates Graduates with Drive-through ‘Grad Care Package’ Pickup and Celebrations Webpage

Río Hondo College is celebrating its 2020 graduating class on Tuesday, May 26 and Wednesday, May 27 with a drive-through distribution of “Grad Care Packages” that include traditional graduation gear along with some surprises. The events are being held in lieu of the College’s traditional ceremonies because of COVID-19 concerns and are following the same safety guidelines used for the College’s drive-through food pantry. This is Río Hondo College’s 57th annual Commencement.

Río Hondo College Nursing Students Volunteer at El Monte City COVID-19 Testing Station

Throughout the spring, 16 students in their first year of Río Hondo College’s Associate Degree of Nursing (ADN) program volunteered at the El Monte City Drive-through COVID-19 testing station, lending a hand to efforts to combat the health crisis that immobilized much of the world. Students began volunteering in April and continued throughout May, rotating through stations to work with nurses from Greater El Monte Community Hospital to instruct community members on testing, distribute testing materials, collect samples and educate patients.

El Monte City School District to Stream Student Promotions

El Monte City School District will celebrate the promotion of 975 eighth-graders in the Class of 2020 through a mix of lawn signs, banners and virtual ceremonies that will be streamed via YouTube from Tuesday, June 2 through Friday, June 5. In addition, the District will celebrate advancing sixth-graders through montage videos and kindergarteners through Google Class presentations

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Buena Park School District to Offer Optional Online Learning Academy for 2020-21 School Year

Buena Park School District will offer a special program of online instructional materials, supplies and support to families who want their children to continue distance learning in 2020-21 even after schools are allowed to reopen. The Board of Education unanimously voted to create the Academy for Accelerated Learning at the Buena Park Learning Center on May 11. The academy has a July 1 launch date and was created to add an additional level of safety for the community in regard to COVID-19.

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Baldwin Park Unified Scholarship Winners Greeted by District Caravan

Ten Baldwin Park Unified Class of 2020 seniors gave shouts of joy and even shed a few tears as a District caravan of well-wishers, equipped with balloons and flowers, traveled through the city on May 15 to personally deliver the news that the students had received scholarships totaling $11,000. District leaders – including Superintendent Dr. Froilan N. Mendoza, Board of Education and Cabinet members, administrators and community leaders – wore masks and practiced social distancing as they surprised students at their homes, placing the decorations and a certificate on the lawns and porches of recipients.

Río Hondo College Provides $882,400 in Grants for Students Whose Studies Have Been Disrupted by COVID-19

Río Hondo College has awarded $882,400 in grants to 2,205 students as part of a federal act designed to assist those whose studies have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The grants are funded by $3.1 million in federal CARES Act funding received by the College for direct student grants. The money is divided among a Río Cares Student Relief Fund, support for students with federal Work Study jobs and an Emergency Grant program.

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Monrovia High School Celebrates Class of 2020 with Socially Distanced Drive-thru Graduation Ceremony

Monrovia High School seniors will turn their tassels and celebrate their many achievements during a drive-thru graduation ceremony at Monrovia High on June 3. The graduation plan, approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, and the City of Monrovia, adheres to all of social distancing and public health guidelines established for Los Angeles County.

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Calendar Items

Tuesday, June 2

Fontana Unified Graduations Take Flight at Ontario International Airport: Fontana Unified School District kicked off commencement activities with three socially distant, drive-thru graduations at Ontario International Speedway on May 28. Students from Fontana Adult School, Eric Birch High School and Citrus High School donned commemorative masks, departed their vehicles and accepted their diploma onstage against a backdrop of commercial airplanes. The ceremonies were accompanied by a virtual presentation of speeches built into a livestream of the diploma conferral. The District will switch gears to Auto Club Speedway for its comprehensive high school graduations, held alongside victory lane. Summit and A.B. Miller high schools’ ceremonies will occur Tuesday, June 2; Kaiser and Fontana high schools will take place Wednesday, June 3 and Jurupa Hills High School will celebrate its graduates Thursday, June 4.

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Monrovia Unified to Host Drive-Thru Commencement Ceremonies: Monrovia Unified School District will celebrate the Class of 2020 during two days of commencement drive-thru events. Canyon Oaks High School and Mountain Park Independent Study School will celebrate seniors at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 2 at Monrovia High School, 845 W, Colorado Blvd., Monrovia. Monrovia High School will host its ceremony at 3 p.m. Wednesday, June 3 at Monrovia High School. Every student will be allowed to attend in one car, and only the student will exit the vehicle to walk the stage and receive his or her diploma. The graduates will then take their graduation photos, make their way back to the cars and drive through to the exit point. The plan put forth by Monrovia Unified adheres to all social distancing requirements and public health guidelines established for Los Angeles County.

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El Monte City School District to Stream Student Promotions on YouTube: El Monte City School District will celebrate the promotion of 975 eighth-graders in the Class of 2020 through a mix of lawn signs, banners and virtual ceremonies that will be streamed via YouTube from Tuesday, June 2 through Friday, June 5. In addition, the District will celebrate advancing sixth-graders through montage videos and kindergarteners through Google Class presentations.

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Thursday, June 4

El Monte Union to Distribute Diplomas to 1,800 Seniors During Car Parades: El Monte Union’s six high schools will host Car Parade Diploma Celebrations for approximately 1,800 graduates on Thursday, June 4, during which families will drive up at their designated appointment time, students will exit their decorated vehicles, take photos and collect their diplomas. To ensure social distancing and face masks requirements are followed across all schools during the individual diploma ceremonies, the District has released specific guidelines that are in line with county rules. Distribution times will vary across schools but may take up to seven hours. The streaming of a virtual celebration program for each school will follow at 7:30 p.m. The District plans to hold traditional commencement ceremonies in November, or as soon as it is safe to do so.

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Wednesday, June 10

El Monte Union, Partners Launch Class of 2020 Banner Fundraiser: The El Monte Promise Foundation, in collaboration with El Monte Union High School District, has launched a donation campaign to raise $10,000 for graduation banners and signs recognizing El Monte Union’s Class of 2020. EMPF and EMUHSD are working in partnership with local cities – including Rosemead, El Monte and South El Monte – to support the display of banners throughout the El Monte Union community that will recognize approximately 1,800 individual graduates from six high schools. The deadline to donate is Wednesday, June 10.

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Sunday, June 14

Fontana Unified Students Advance to National History Day Competition: Summit High School students Leslie Madrigal and Brian Garay and Almeria Middle School student Alyha Madrigal are headed to nationals after being named National History Day California champions. All three students competed in the virtual contest, earning top scores for their exhibits in the senior and junior divisions, respectively. They will compete in the National History Day contest, held virtually from Sunday, June 14 to Saturday, June 20. This year, four FUSD students qualified for the state competition after their success at the San Bernardino County History Day.

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