BALDWIN PARK – Baldwin Park Unified middle school students “Bravely” met their futures as they discovered ways to expand their creativity through performing arts, and build strong community relations as well as plan careers during the inaugural Braves on Tour, held Jan. 23- 24.

BPHS students visited Olive and Jones middle schools on Jan. 23, and Sierra Vista Middle School and BP STEM Academy on Jan. 24 before concluding with a joint pep rally on Feb. 2 at the BPHS Ted K. Gorrell football stadium.

Braves on Tour allowed eighth-graders from BP STEM Academy and Jones, Olive and Sierra Vista middle schools to learn about programs available to them when they become freshmen at Baldwin Park High School in 2023-24.

“I think it not only helped promote what BPHS has to offer but also to start building a connection with older students,” said Jeffrey Warden, Career Tech Department Head at BPHS. “As future Braves, these eighth-graders will be part of our tribe with many traditions and we want them to be excited about it. We want them to know from the first day they walk on campus to the day they graduate that they will always be family.”

During the event, students learned the ins and outs of various pathways, clubs, sports, and more, directly from high school participants and leaders of the programs. Such programs included band, computer science, color guard, cheer squads, automotive, architectural design, medical and sports medicine.

“I think Braves on Tour was really important because it got a lot of students thinking about what programs they want to participate in when they come to BPHS,” BPHS sophomore and architectural design program member Joaquin Duran said. “I saw a lot of interest in architectural design – many of them asked a lot of questions, and it was one of the more popular clubs to visit.”

It was the first time the school hosted a tour of this magnitude. In previous years, only the band, led by BPHS Band Director Peter Huerta, visited the middle schools.

This year, Assistant Principal of Student Services Dr. Josefina Steinmetz and her support team spearheaded the initiative to showcase more school programs.

“Braves on Tour was an incredible success at our middle schools and we are proud of our BPHS students for being such amazing leaders and role models,” Superintendent Dr. Froilan N. Mendoza said. “We look forward to these students becoming the next generation of Braves and seeing all their future accomplishments at BPHS through our performing arts, academics and career pathway programs.”

PHOTOS

BPUSD_BRAVES1: Two Baldwin Park High School cheerleaders and an array of other high school students representing band, computer science, automotive, architectural design and more, visit four middle schools in the Baldwin Park Unified School District to welcome incoming freshmen into the BPHS community.

BPUSD_BRAVES2: A Baldwin Park High School cheerleader meets with future Braves and outlines the learning opportunities available to them when they enter high school in 2023-24.