Covina-Valley Unified Wrestlers Excel at CIF State Championship
Northview High School’s wrestling program continues strengthening its status as one of the top high school wrestling teams in the state, wrapping up another historic season at the CIF State Wrestling Championships. Under the leadership of National High School Wrestling Hall of Fame coach David Ochoa and Bobby Bellamy, the team had four athletes place at the CIF State Championships: senior Savannah Lewis, who placed second in the 150-pound weight class; junior Leilani Lazaro, who placed fifth in the 116-pound weight class; senior Adrian Limon, who placed fifth in the 120-pound weight class; and senior Julian Leon, who placed eighth in the 132-pound weight class.
Covina-Valley Unified School District has expanded its metal fabrication career technical education pathway by approving a new capstone course for the District’s high school welding program. The new course will be the third metal fabrication class in the District’s three-year course sequence and will be offered in the fall of 2022 – with an option to begin in the summer of 2022, depending on enrollment – to juniors and seniors at Covina-Valley Unified’s four high schools.
Lynwood Unified Joins Diversity and Leadership Fellowship Program
Lynwood Unified has partnered with Loyola Marymount University to bring additional administrative opportunities to Black and Latino educators in Los Angeles County through their Diversity and Leadership Institute Fellowship program. Inspired by the vision of Culturally Responsive School Leadership (CRSL), participants will explore their cultural identity and how it affects their leadership. The program will begin in the fall of 2022 and take place over 16 months through a combination of virtual and in-person sessions held in Los Angeles by local and national leaders in education. Directors of the program will select 20 participants across Los Angeles to join the program, five of which will be from Lynwood Unified.
South El Monte High School will host a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the launch of construction of its quad renovation project. The quad renovation will include the new addition of a concrete stage, seat walls, walkways, landscaping, electric and audio connections and outdoor furnishing. The event will take place at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 16 at South El Monte High School, located at 1001 Durfee Ave., South El Monte.
Río Hondo College will host the return of its popular and lively “A Taste of Río” event on Friday, June 17 from 6 to 9 p.m. (5 p.m. for VIPs) – inviting guests onto campus for an evening of delicious foods, fine wines, craft beers, live entertainment and a silent auction. Created by the Río Hondo College Foundation, “A Taste of Río” raises funds for scholarships to support students in achieving their educational goals. Presale tickets are $75 for general admission and $125 for VIP passes. Tickets are available now and can be purchased online at https://gorio.page/atasteofrio. Río Hondo College is located at 3600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier.
Rosemead High School will expand its college and career opportunities through the launch of the Advanced Placement (AP) Capstone Diploma program, which encourages students to develop skills for college and career readiness including critical thinking, research, collaboration and communication. Rosemead High School is among approximately 2,000 schools worldwide to implement the program, which consists of two year-long courses – AP Seminar and AP Research – taken in sequence. Rosemead High School will launch the program with its first cohort in the 2022-23 school year.
The Whittier Union Board of Trustees has announced that two longtime administrators will advance into new positions in the Superintendent’s Executive Cabinet. Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Kevin Jamero will also serve as Deputy Superintendent and Pioneer High School Principal Lilia Bozigian will become Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services. The Board of Trustees announced the advancements during its March 8 Board meeting. In February, the Board appointed Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Dr. Monica Oviedo to replace Superintendent Martin J. Plourde, who is retiring in June. Dr. Oviedo, Jamero and Bozigian will step into their new roles at the end of the school year.
Newton Middle School and Orange Grove Middle School have been named 2022 California Schools to Watch by the California Department of Education, recognizing their continued success in boosting student achievement, social equity and robust student support programs for all students. Newton and Orange Grove middle school are among 16 schools to be newly designated as Schools to Watch this year and were honored alongside 31 redesignated model schools at the California League of Schools Conference held May 3-5 in Monterey.
Motivational speaker and children’s author June Durr will address Fontana High School Bio Animatronic and Neuro Prosthetics students about receiving a prosthetic arm custom-made by Garner Holt Productions studio artists. In 2015, Garner Holt created a new prosthetic arm for Durr; dubbed ‘Lefty,’ the arm is made entirely out of proprietary silicone, is layered and textured to look realistic, has a rotating wrist, flesh tones and freckles, and can lock in 11 different positions. After her talk, Durr will conduct a Q&A with FOHI students.
Two Fontana Unified scholar-athletes will take their games to the next level after signing letters of intent to play college ball with Western Athletic Conference universities. Jurupa Hills High School senior Antonio Mayes signed with Dixie State University in St. George, Utah to play football; Mayes, a two-time All-League defensive back for the Spartan football team, is fulfilling a dream he has had since he began playing football at the age of five. Summit High School senior Mikayla O’Brien signed with Cal Baptist University in Riverside to play soccer, capping a prep career that saw her achieve All-League three times and lead her team to the quarterfinals of the CIF Division VI Southern Section playoffs during 2020-21.
