Margaret Heath Elementary School students are gaining life skills through Girls on the Run, a national program that focuses on emotional, mental and physical well-being. More than 20 third- through fifth-grade female students meet every Monday and Wednesday for 90-minute sessions, where they improve their running skills while learning life skills through dynamic and interactive lessons. The season will conclude with a Girls on the Run Los Angeles 5K at Whittier Narrows on May 7.
The Banning Unified School District Board of Trustees has selected Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Terrence Davis as the District’s next Superintendent, who brings nearly 23 years of experience in education to the role. The Board approved a contract during its April 27 Board Meeting. Davis will step into his new role on May 2. Davis has served in his current position at Banning Unified since 2020 and has acted as a leading figure in labor relations, recruitment and retention of staff. Davis excels in developing and fostering positive relationships to ultimately enhance student performance.
For the fourth year in a row, the College Board has recognized Whittier High School for expanding young women’s access to Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science classes, bestowing the school with its 2021 AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award. Whittier High received the award for fostering equal gender representation in AP Computer Science Principles during the 2020-21 school year and is among 1,200 high schools across the United States honored by the College Board. The recognition reflects the increased interest in STEM classes among all Whittier High students, particularly incoming freshmen, led by strong recruiting efforts by teachers and counselors at Whittier Union’s partner elementary and middle schools.
Wielding a set of bolt cutters and cheered on by District officials and community members, Fontana High School senior Miranda Ordoñez cut through a chain stretched across a campus hallway, marking the grand opening of the world’s first Bio Animakerspace on April 25. Created through a partnership with Garner Holt Education Through Imagination, the Bio Animakerspace provides an environment where students can explore how medical science, engineering, robotics, manufacturing and automation work together to create solutions to medical and public health challenges.
Whittier Union High School District’s Puente Program students celebrated the birthday and legacy of Cesar Chavez by creating community service and awareness art projects, studying activism and learning about the fight for justice from Paul Chavez, son of Cesar Chavez, who joined students for a keynote presentation during an awards ceremony on April 21. The awards ceremony served as the culmination event to celebrate Puente students and their service projects. Paul, who is president of the Cesar Chavez Foundation, shared his experience of growing up within the Farmworkers’ Movement founded by his father, and told stories of how the foundation has helped transform communities from rural to urban areas.
Río Hondo College’s Mesoamerican Clay-Figurine Project has received a $157,000 grant from the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), which will improve classroom facilities, provide more learning materials and boost interest in arts and humanities. The grant was awarded by ACLS through the Sustaining Public Engagement Grant Program, which is part of the Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan (SHARP) initiative. The SHARP initiative was enacted to help the U.S. recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hundreds of parents and students attended the inaugural Covina-Valley Unified School District Career and Job Fair on April 19, where students received guidance on educational and employment opportunities to plan for their futures beyond graduation. Visitors from 46 institutions, including Mt. San Antonio College, the United States Army and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, provided high school students with enrollment information and numerous employment opportunities at the event.
Jurupa Hills High School TV Production students received the red-carpet treatment at the San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC) International Film Festival, taking star turns and garnering accolades after screening more than a dozen videos representing the best work from their Television Production III (TV3) class in the 2021-22 year. The SBVC Film Festival, held March 31 to April 2, recognized three videos – “Impractical Spartan Tie Breaker,” “JHHS Killer,” and “Spartan TV Intro” – as official film festival selections, rewarding months of hard work put in by students in Jurupa Hills’ TV/Film career technical education pathway.
An inspired team of seven Fontana High School carpentry students amazed judges and competitors alike after capturing second place in the Construction Industry Education Foundation’s 37th annual Design Build competition, held April 6 and 7 at the Orange County Fair & Event Center. The FOHI students, with only five months of carpentry instruction to guide them, outpaced more experienced teams with twice the number of builders, gaining many admirers in the field of 17 high schools and community colleges from across Southern California.
El Monte Union High School District Honors First Clean Energy Fellow
The El Monte Union Board of Trustees honored El Monte High School alum Wendy Sanchez with a certificate of recognition for her contributions as the District’s first Clean Energy Fellow under the Clean Mobility in Schools Pilot Project. The fellowship is part of El Monte Union’s educational commitment to the community. Sanchez was recognized by the Board during an April 6 meeting, during which she highlighted her hands-on experience in the program, including working with project partners to assist with the deployment of the District’s clean energy fleet. The Clean Mobility in Schools Pilot Project is made possible by the California Air Resources Board. To learn more, watch the Clean Energy Fellowship video.
