Wallace State Community College in Hanceville, AL is deepening its commitment to student success by sending 10 employees to the Caring Campus Academy (CCA), ensuring they have the tools and strategies to create a supportive environment where students thrive. Designed by the Institute for Evidence-Based Change, the CCA bolsters Caring Campus through a series of sessions that guide faculty and staff in developing and institutionalizing behaviors that foster student connectedness and success. By participating in the next CCA cohort at the end of February, Wallace State ensures that all employees are aligned in their dedication to students, strengthening the college’s culture of care and support.
Wendy Carcamo is praised as a community leader and visionary as a senior on Whittier High School’s campus. A first-generation Latina who is the youngest of five siblings, Carcamo has faced personal challenges with remarkable resilience as she actively seeks out environments that foster her growth and align with her core values. As a member of Whittier High’s Puente Program, Carcamo has demonstrated deep-rooted values and a steadfast desire to make a positive impact on society. As a second-year academic mentor, she is known for supporting and uplifting her peers. Additionally, as president of the Cardinal Academy of Technology (CAT), Carcamo is laying the groundwork for a career of technological advancement and innovation.
Elementary, middle, and high school students across Fontana Unified School District made history as they performed in one of the first student, theatrical productions of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child High School Edition” in the A.B. Miller High School and District Theater Conservatory. With wands at the ready, 39 students from Canyon Crest Elementary, Wayne Ruble and Southridge Tech middle schools, and A.B. Miller High School took the stage for eight performances of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” at the historic California Theatre of the Performing Arts between Jan. 27 and Feb. 2. A.B. Miller High School and Fontana Unified’s professionally produced show, supported by the Theatrical Arts International Foundation, gave students the opportunity to perform in a high-caliber production and brought the magic of the wizarding world to life. As part of the District’s career and technical education programming, FUSD’s Theater Conservatory gives students a taste of life on a professional stage, helping them build their portfolios and take their first steps toward a career in the performing arts.
Fontana Unified’s Beech Avenue Elementary School has earned national recognition from the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) for its effective implementation of the Teaching for Effective Learning (TEL) program, highlighting the school’s success in enhancing teaching practices and fostering collaboration among educators to advance student academic growth. Principal Michele Mower launched TEL, a research-based program that equips teachers with tools and strategies rooted in the science of learning, at Beech Avenue Elementary in 2021 to help mitigate learning loss caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and bridge achievement gaps, with positive impacts found among all student groups.
Whittier Union High School District’s Frontier and Sierra Vista high schools have both earned a six-year accreditation from the Accrediting Commission of Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS-WASC), reaffirming their commitment to fostering supportive learning environments and ensuring student success both academically and personally. ACS-WASC accreditation guarantees that a school’s credits and diplomas are recognized by colleges and universities. It also drives school improvement through a rigorous self-study and the development of an action plan focused on student achievement. While all public high schools in California are required to be ACS-WASC accredited, earning a six-year accreditation with a half-way progress report is known as the highest distinction a school can receive.
Students in Fontana High School’s (FOHI) Bio-Animatronic and Neuroprosthetic career technical education (CTE) pathway earned special recognition in the International Technology and Engineering Educators’ (ITEEA) REACH Challenge for their work designing adaptive and assistive living devices. The REACH Challenge is a national competition where students create innovative technological solutions to improve people’s lives in their community. This year, four teams of FOHI students earned special recognition for their REACH Challenge projects. The honor comes with a REACH banner and discounted registration for the 2025 ITEEA Conference on April 2-5, 2025 in St. Louis.
As curtains rose on the 19th annual Bonita Unified Spelling Bee, 53 elementary and middle school students stepped into the Bonita Center for the Arts, ready to battle it out in a war of words on Feb. 3. With vowels and consonants at the ready, students went up one by one, with a cash prize and yearlong bragging rights on the line. The competition unfolded over several rounds and students showcased their skills under pressure as the field narrowed with each passing word. In the end, Gladstone Elementary fifth-grader Iresh Oswal claimed first place, securing a $250 cash prize for himself and an additional $250 for his school’s library. Alex Yang of Shull Elementary finished in second place, followed by Kamsiyochukwu Aniwigbo of Grace Miller Elementary in third.
Hacienda La Puente Unified’s community came together for the 10th annual State of the District event on Feb. 6, which highlighted the District’s commitment to engaging students to become lifelong learners while celebrating key milestones achieved in the past year. The theme of the night was “Transformative Learning, Pathways for Student Success,” with Superintendent Dr. Alfonso Jiménez sharing how the District continues to evolve and invest in rigorous academic curricula and technological advancements to prepare students for future opportunities in rewarding, in-demand careers.
Lynwood Unified Deputy Superintendent of Educational Services Shawna Dinkins, Ed.D., has been recognized as the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Region 14 Curriculum and Instruction Administrator of the Year, an award that honors exceptional leadership across 24 school districts, college districts and universities in Los Angeles County.
San Dimas High School senior Jazmine Cardenas is no stranger to advocacy. Through her involvement as a member of the UNICEF National Youth Council, the YWCA San Gabriel Valley and the Harvard Youth Corps, Cardenas has fought for children’s rights and victims of domestic violence, and helped to unite students from different cultural backgrounds. Cardenas, who has a 4.17 GPA and has taken six Advanced Placement courses and nine dual enrollment college courses, will take her love for policy-making to New York City after being accepted into Columbia University’s exclusive Barnard College, which has an acceptance rate of less than 9%. Cardenas plans to major in political science with a concentration on international relations and a minor in public policy.
