Covina-Valley Unified School District students will benefit from additional resources and support to help them achieve success in school and life, thanks to the expansion of its Elementary Comprehensive School Counseling Program. The District program has grown in its second year after C-VUSD increased its counseling staff for the 2022-23 school year. The program follows the American School Counselor Association National Model guidelines and offers elementary school students tier-level support that is data-driven and tailored to student needs in three domains: academics, social-emotional learning, and college and career readiness.
In partnership with the National College Resources Foundation and Black College Expo, Lynwood Unified School District will host the annual Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Caravan Fair, giving students the opportunity to meet with more than 22 HBCU college representatives. Students will also be eligible to receive on-the-spot acceptances and scholarships, all while learning about other college resources available to them. Attending schools will include Kentucky State University, Fisk University, Texas Southern University, Shaw University, Alabama State University and more.
Covina-Valley Unified School District will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Health and Wellness Center and Family Resource Room, which will provide a full-service location for students and families in the communities served by the District to access resources that help eliminate barriers to school success. The Center will serve as the hub for the District’s social workers and the entire Health and Student Services Department, including a team of registered and licensed vocational nurses. It will offer a variety of no-cost and low-cost programs and services to children, youth, and families who reside in the communities served by the Covina-Valley Unified School District.
The Kaiser High School Artistic and Theatrical Society (KATS) wowed judges and won numerous accolades for their repertory fall stage performances, earning a main stage invitation to the California Educational Theater Association (CETA) 2022-23 High School Theater Festival, to be held Jan. 13 to 15 at Los Osos High School. After staging two separate plays on alternate nights, the CETA judges rewarded the KATS actors and crew members for their hard work, selecting both plays to be performed in their entirety at the festival, with “Mojada, a Medea in Los Angeles” earning a second-place finish and a spot on the festival’s main stage. The second play, “Lazarus Rising,” earned a ninth-place finish and will perform on the festival’s second stage. Additionally, every KATS member who participated received a CETA certificate of merit, a first for Kaiser High School.
Baldwin Park Unified Middle School Hosts Inspirational Speaker
Baldwin Park Unified’s Olive Middle School hosted inspirational speaker Dee Hankins to share his message on resiliency and coping skills with students during a special assembly on Jan. 11. The event was designed to help families meet challenging experiences with a positive attitude. Hankins has traveled across the country to share his story with middle and high school students and their families.
Returning leaders of Lynwood Unified School District’s Board of Education took the Oath of Office during the Board reorganization meeting on Dec. 15. Alfonso Morales was re-elected as Board President, and Gary Hardy Jr. will now serve as the Vice-President. Additionally, Dr. Alma Carina Castro will serve as Clerk, with members Julian Del Real-Calleros and Maria Lopez completing the Board of Education. The ceremony also included a lively holiday performance from Firebaugh High School students.
The Rotary Club of La Verne presented Bonita Unified educators with a series of mini-grants, totaling more than $3,300 to support classroom projects and related expenses including supplies and books, during the Jan. 11 Board of Education meeting. Rotary Club president Craig Rubin awarded checks to nine teachers representing Bonita High School, Ramona Middle School and Grace Miller, Oak Mesa and Roynon elementary schools.
Covina-Valley Unified Business Students Gain Professional Skills
South Hills High School students are learning the unique skill sets they need to thrive in the world of business thanks to the school’s Business Management Career Technical Education pathway, which offers students the chance to learn and grow by operating as a real company. The pathway consists of four classes: Entrepreneurship, Sports Management, International Baccalaureate Business Management, and Virtual Enterprise. Virtual Enterprise, the most advanced class in the pathway, groups students into different functional departments -- including executive office, marketing, design, finance, and human resources -- and challenges them to design and develop a product of their own.
Baldwin Park Unified Elementary Students Receive New Shoes
Forty De Anza Elementary School students in kindergarten through fifth grade returned from the winter break on Jan. 10 to a special surprise of new pairs of shoes, socks and other goodies, thanks to Southern California Edison and the nonprofit program Shoes that Fit. After the distribution, students tried on their new shoes and then watched as Southern California Edison workers demonstrated how to operate the crane on their utility truck.
Baldwin Park Unified Robotics Teams Qualify for Championships
The middle school-level robotics program at Baldwin Park Unified’s BP STEM Academy qualified for the VEX Robotics State Championships, to be held in March. Two of the three qualifying teams, comprised of seventh-graders, earned spots in the State Championships as a result of their performance at a tournament in Orange County where they were awarded the Tournament Finalist Award.
