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.
Baldwin Park Unified to Celebrate Opening of Peace and Pride Garden
Baldwin Park Unified will celebrate the opening of the Baldwin Park High School Peace and Pride Garden with a ceremony at 12:40 p.m. on Friday, May 20. The Peace and Pride Garden, a tranquil space for students to relax among beautiful flowers, herbs and greenery, was created through a joint partnership between the National Alliance on Mental Illness club and the Gay-Straight Alliance club. Baldwin Park High School is located at 3900 N. Puente Ave., Baldwin Park.
Fontana Unified to Honor Retired Coach, Hold Field Renaming Ceremony
A.B. Miller High School will hold a ceremony at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 7 to celebrate the renaming of its varsity baseball field as the Frank Martinez Field. The renaming honors the retired physical education teacher who served as A.B. Miller’s first baseball coach, leading the team to 11 league championships and guiding a generation of students to athletic and academic success. A.B. Miller High School is located at 6821 Oleander Ave., Fontana.
Río Hondo College Art Gallery will unveil its latest exhibition “Through the Empyrean,” which features the work of Ada Pullini Brown. The exhibit is curated by Gallery Director Robert Miller. The exhibition features a series of sky paintings that were created during the COVID-19 pandemic. Brown’s work is meant to depict the loss of freedom and enforced isolationism resulting from the last two years of COVID-prompted closures.
