Banning High School Key Club students are devoting their time to the community by participating in Clean-Up Day, a monthly beautification of the city of Banning that allows students to work together and develop their leadership skills. Key Club is a campus group dedicated to acts of service. On clean-up days, members are seen sweeping the streets, collecting trash, pulling weeds, and removing shrubs, as well as volunteering at local community kitchens.Key Club is a campus group dedicated to acts of service. On clean-up days, members are seen sweeping the streets, collecting trash, pulling weeds and removing shrubs.
Los Altos Elementary School Principal Rosalie Sinapi was recognized as a 2022 Distinguished Woman of the Year Honoree, one of 14 women selected by California State Assemblymember Lisa Calderon. The recipients were celebrated during a Woman of the Year Awards ceremony on April 11, honoring Women’s History Month. Calderon recognizes women for exhibiting strength, courage and vision within their community while living, working or volunteering in the 57th Assembly District.
Bonita Unified School District recognized its Classified, Certificated and Management Employees of the Year during the Board of Education meeting on April 6, honoring them for their dedication and hard work in helping District students live their purpose. Bonita Unified named La Verne Heights Elementary School secretary Tanya Bartholomew as the District’s Classified Employee of the Year, Grace Miller Elementary School preschool teacher Tony Garza as Certificated Employee of the Year and Director of Student Services Mark Rodgers as Management Employee of the Year.
El Monte Union High School District received a $5,000 grant from the City of Hope, helping to fund the District’s Burger Swap Project, held Feb. 28 to March 11. Partnering with Impossible Burger, school cafeterias from Rosemead, South El Monte and Mountain View high schools offered the plant-based burger as a lunchtime option, opening the minds and taste buds of students with a goal of promoting healthier living habits and sustainable living.
Covina-Valley Unified has been awarded more than $1 million in funding through the A-G Completion Improvement Grant, advancing the District’s efforts to develop comprehensive programs to increase the number of students who have completed their A-G requirements by graduation. The grant funding, delivered through the California Education Budget Trailer Bill, will support Covina-Valley Unified’s goals of creating a comprehensive college roadmap and calendar for middle- and high-school students, expand the number of tutoring opportunities and summer school A-G course offerings, and ensure low-income students and students of color have equitable access to the District’s most academically rigorous high school programs.
San Dimas High School students Vanessa Sandoval and Eva Yassine were selected to serve on the California Association of Student Leadership (CASL) Board in 2022-23, through which they will work to foster positive and nurturing school environments across the state and empower students to help shape their school communities. The two were selected at the annual CASL leadership conference, held April 2 to 4, where they networked with student leaders from across California and discussed leadership projects.
El Monte High School senior Chau Trinh will pursue her dreams of becoming an architect and supporting the El Monte community through the construction of safe and affordable housing after receiving an $80,000 scholarship to attend Cornell University. Trinh, a campus leader with a 4.1 GPA, will major in architecture, with a goal of providing all families access to comfortable living accommodations. Trinh has established herself as an El Monte High campus leader, serving as varsity tennis captain and debate club president, while furthering her love of learning and community outreach through an internship with El Monte Promise.
Students from Santa Fe High School witnessed the real-life consequences of driving under the influence during the school’s “Every 15 Minutes” program, which featured a simulated car crash that claimed the lives of their peers, an overnight retreat, and a mock funeral. The event, held April 6-7, included a pre-recorded 9-1-1 call that triggered an emergency response by local law enforcement agencies, firefighters and paramedics. “Every 15 Minutes” is a national campaign which focuses on high school junior and seniors, with a goal of challenging students to consider the dangers of drunk driving. The two-day program was held in partnership with the City of Santa Fe Springs; participants included the Whittier Police Department, Santa Fe Springs Fire Rescue, Mercy Air and the California Highway Patrol.
San Dimas High School seniors took part in the City of San Dimas’s Students in Government Day on March 23, which provided students with a real-world look at the challenges and rewards of running a city. Fifteen San Dimas High students had the opportunity to tour City departments, run the March 22 City Council meeting and discuss the pros and cons of a fictitious housing development.
Baldwin Park Unified Students Awarded $500 Music Scholarships
Four Baldwin Park Unified student musicians earned $500 scholarships after competing in the San Gabriel Valley District Music Scholarship competition on March 11, with Sierra Vista High School students winning all four categories. Sierra Vista High’s Carol Contreras won the classical vocalist category; Deidre Barragan won the classical instrumentalist category; Litzy Taborda won the pop vocalist category; and Wilson Le won the pop instrumentalist category. The winning students also earned $200 music scholarships from the Baldwin Park Women’s Club in February, qualifying them for the March event.
