The El Monte Union Board of Trustees will continue discussion on and narrow the number of draft trustee area maps for final consideration during a public hearing at the next Board meeting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 5. As the District’s process to create by-trustee areas moves forward, the public is urged to participate in-person or virtually to share their feedback on the maps. Visit https://emuhsd-by-area-trustees.com/ to view the maps and submit comments.
Lynwood Unified School District leaders, board members, elected officials and students gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 7 to recognize the upgrades and renovations to Lynwood High School after transitioning to its original Bullis Road campus. Superintendent Dr. Gudiel R. Crosthwaite and Principal Ana Gonzalez welcomed more than 30 dignitaries and community leaders to see the changes to the campus. The modernized site features new portable classrooms and enhanced labs, a new outdoor eating area and quad, and three art murals that celebrate the Lynwood Knights’ spirit.
Baldwin Park Unified to Host the Promising Learners Project Academy
Baldwin Park Unified is hosting a special, one-day event for visual and performing arts and social-emotional learning through the Promising Learners Project (PLP) Academy that will provide participants the opportunity to experience the arts through the lens of a student. The PLP Academy will run from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 7 at the Performing Arts Center, located at 4640 Maine Ave., Baldwin Park. This is the second year of the three-year grant project with PLP Academy, and the project is supported by the Los Angeles County Office of Education’s Center for Distance and Online Learning.
Fontana Unified’s Adult School Opens Enrollment for January Courses
Fontana Adult School will open enrollment for its January courses at 8 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 6, providing adult learners with opportunities to pursue new educational and professional pathways in the new year. Fontana Unified’s adult school provides students the opportunity to expand their education with an array of free and affordable courses aimed at developing new skills, earning high school diplomas and career technical education certificates, and more. Upcoming courses include post-pandemic assistance – such as a computer skills program to help students apply for jobs online and attend virtual interviews – and are accessible via in-person instruction as well as online and hybrid options. To register, visit the Fontana Adult School campus, located at 10755 Oleander Ave., Fontana.
Buena Park School District kindergartners are learning about compassion and togetherness through the District’s Kinder Kindness program, which recently awarded students medals for creating artwork that reflected the theme of being kind to one another. Some 335 kindergarten students received medals and cheers of praise from classmates, teachers and administrators for creating colorful depictions of goodwill during a series of award ceremonies across District elementary schools on Nov. 30.
The California High School music program is receiving accolades throughout California and beyond, with four Cal High choir members being recognized for their exceptional singing talents and being named to prestigious state and regional honor choirs. Cal High senior Calvin Monsivais has been named to the Southern California Vocal Association High School Honor Choir, while seniors Randall Pineda and Deanne Fonseca, along with sophomore Roxie Navarro, have been named to the American Choral Directors Association Western Region Honor Choir.
Buena Park School District’s Pendleton Elementary School has been named a candidate school for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme, which creates a foundation to nurture and develop young students into lifelong scholars. The IB Primary Years Programme offers an inquiry-based, transdisciplinary curriculum framework that promotes advanced learning opportunities in students ages three to 12. Pendleton School began its candidacy period on Nov. 16, and is pursuing authorization as an IB World School, offering challenging academic curriculum that will develop students' conceptual understanding, agency, and international mindedness.
Truman Middle School eighth-graders Iris Tovar and Keila Molina Hernandez have been recognized 2021 Houghton Mifflin Houghton (HMH) 180 Award winners – an honor given to just 30 students across the country – for their perseverance in overcoming past struggles with math and displaying academic progress. Tovar and Molina Hernandez were lauded for exhibiting engagement, consistency, and perseverance in class, where Truman Middle School math intervention teacher Sahar Yahya uses the HMH Math 180 curriculum to help students learn and grow through a digital framework that provides daily goals and instant assessments.
Pioneer High School senior Samantha Araujo was a freshman when she was summoned to her counselor’s office and told her father – the man who inspired her to be a scholar – had just died. Araujo spent weeks grieving, lacking the motivation to get out of bed. One day, Araujo began rereading her father’s encouraging text messages and returned to school with renewed enthusiasm. Araujo found an extended family in the Pioneer High Spirit and Dance team and a mentor in Dance Team Director Christine Avila. Araujo, who was honored as Pioneer High’s 2021-22 standout student, was recognized by the Whittier Union Board of Trustees with an Award of Merit during its Nov. 9 board meeting, honoring her resilience and determination in the face of adversity.
Fontana Adult School will open enrollment for its January courses at 8 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 6, providing adult learners with opportunities to pursue new educational and professional pathways in the new year. As part of the Fontana Unified School District, Fontana Adult School provides adult students at all stages of life the opportunity to expand their education with an array of free and affordable courses aimed at developing new skills, earning high school diplomas and career technical education certificates and more.
