Whittier Union High School District students are receiving expanded Social Emotional Learning (SEL) services during the 2022-23 school year, an initiative that aligns with Whittier Union’s commitment to supporting the development and well-being of students. Guided by the District’s multi-tiered SEL Pyramid, Whittier Union aims to have services available for all students, whether they need someone to talk to or need crisis intervention and referral services. Students are supported by an SEL Collaborative of student well-being liaisons, student well-being interns, counselors, psychologists and school social workers. Every Whittier Union school has one full-time social worker on staff to assist with the day-to-day concerns of students. At the District office, two full-time social workers are available to work with students who have more pressing social emotional needs and offer a lifeline of support to keep them in school. Calming rooms with comfortable furniture and amenities have also been created at every school, providing students a safe space where they can ease their stress and anxiety.
Fontana Unified School District will partner with Chaffey Joint Union High School District and Rialto Unified School District to host the Inland Empire College and Career Fair from 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 22 at the Ontario Convention Center. The free event will feature representatives from more than 50 colleges and universities from across the country, including USC, UCLA, UC Berkeley, California State University, Los Angeles, Scripps College, University of La Verne, University of Arizona, Maryville University, New Mexico State University, and Loma Linda University. The Ontario Convention Center is located at 2000 E. Convention Center Way, Ontario.
Fontana Unified School District has named Monica E. Young as Sequoia Middle School’s new principal, promoting the veteran administrator from her current position as Henry J. Kaiser High School assistant principal, where she has worked since 2017. During her time at Kaiser High, Young led the professional development for teachers, supervised and evaluated the science, math and world languages departments, worked with stakeholders to identify school needs, and conferred with students, parents and teachers to resolve academic and behavioral issues and concerns.
Río Hondo College and the Board of Trustees will host an installation and welcome reception for Dr. Marilyn Flores, the 11th Superintendent/President of the Río Hondo Community College District. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 14 at the upper quad and breezeway at Río Hondo College, 3600 Workman Mill Rd., Whittier. Please RSVP by Oct. 7 at https://www.riohondo.edu/president/reception/.
Banning Unified Senior Completes Summer Student Leader Internship
Banning High School senior Abraham Sanchez was one of four Inland Empire students who recently completed the 2022 Bank of America Student Leaders summer internship program. The internship opportunity recognized Sanchez’s passion and commitment to improving growth and stability in local neighborhoods. The eight-week paid internship connects students to a nonprofit organization in their community, providing them with firsthand leadership experiences and collaborative teaching methods that will prepare them for the workforce.
Buena Park School District Preschool Program Expands Services
At Corey Elementary School, students as young as two years old are building social skills, learning to read, expanding their language skills and readying themselves for academic success thanks to a revamped preschool program. Buena Park School District’s preschool program, including the program at Corey School, was expanded for the start of the 2022-23 school year and now offers part- and full-day options, parent participation opportunities and accommodations for younger students.
Fontana Unified to Co-Host Annual Regional College and Career Fair
Fontana Unified School District will join forces with Chaffey Joint Union High School District to host the annual Regional College and Career Fair from 4 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 20 at the Ontario Convention Center. The free event will introduce more than 60,000 students from the two school districts to representatives from dozens of colleges and universities across the country. Students can also explore potential career pathways, trade schools and more. The Ontario Convention Center is located at 2000 E. Convention Center Way, Ontario.
Bonita Unified Football Teams to Face Off in 50th Smudge Pot Rivalry
San Dimas and Bonita high schools are warming up for the 50th annual Smudge Pot football game, set for 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10 at Citrus College Stadium, 1000 W. Foothill Blvd., Glendora. The friendly rivalry – a beloved District tradition that aims to foster school spirit and unite the community – started in 1972, with both high schools competing for an iconic silver Smudge Pot, an oil-burning tool used to shield fruit trees from frost and a symbol of the two cities’ roots in the region’s citrus industry.
Representatives of Lynwood Unified School District’s Board of Education, Superintendent Gudiel R. Crosthwaite, and elected officials will gather to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new state-of-the-art STEM lab at Firebaugh High School. Firebaugh High School students and key leaders will grab their hard hats and shovels to commemorate the new facility, made possible by a grant of $225,000 from the W. M. Keck Foundation, which will inspire young learners to pursue success in the District’s College and Career Technical Education (CTE) Pathway program. The lab will allow Firebaugh to double enrollment in its biomedical science and nursing program, along with its advanced manufacturing and engineering program. Those programs currently share a space that limits activities and projects.
Baldwin Park Unified students and employees are benefiting from new air conditioning systems, safer infrastructure and improved safety and security thanks to Measure K, a bond approved by voters in 2006, and Measure AE, a bond approved in 2018. The most recent project to be completed using funding from Measure K was the renovation of the athletic fields at Olive Middle School. Renovations to the fields began in 2019 and culminated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 20.
