Hacienda La Puente Unified School District will hold two community input meetings on Thursday, Jan. 6 and Tuesday, Jan. 18 to discuss the 2020 Census Evaluation and Trustee Area Boundary Adjustments. Two proposed maps have been shared with the community on our District website and will be addressed through a series of in-person and virtual community meetings, public hearings and Board meetings. District administration and the demographers will discuss the drafted scenarios during the community meetings from 6 to 7 p.m. on Jan. 6 and Jan. 18 at the District Office, La Puente Conference Room, 15959 Gale Ave., City of Industry. The public is encouraged to submit comments to District Administration, which will be presented to the Board for their consideration. To submit a comment, please email cvra@hlpusd.k12.ca.us.
Orange Grove Middle School and Cedarlane Academy math teachers Samantha Higbee and Marissa Blessum have been named Computing, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (C-STEM) Teachers of the Year by the UC Davis C-STEM Center for 2021. Higbee and Blessum are joined by Rosalie Sinapi, principal at Los Altos Elementary School and Joanne Chan, District coordinator of instruction at Hacienda La Puente Unified School District who were recognized as C-STEM Administrators of the Year. The UC Davis C-STEM Center's Educator Awards recognize C-STEM instructors, county administrators, volunteers and superintendents from K-12 schools for their success in teaching and integrating computing into STEM subjects.
The spirit of the Renaissance came to life for Susan B. Coombs Alternative Education students when New Horizons High School transformed its campus courtyard into a colorfully bedecked Renaissance Faire on April 14. The event served as a form of project-based learning for New Horizons High School students, who were inspired to study history and early English, as well as foundational concepts in mathematics, to create an authentic experience for all of the alternative education schools and students in Banning Unified School District.
Whittier High School senior and math enthusiast Joaquin Perkins is a retired National Chess Master, a title he received in 2018 after years of hard work and multiple national champion titles – the first of which he earned at age six. Perkins is also a high-achieving scholar with a 4.3 GPA and will graduate with a total of 389 credits – far exceeding the required 220 credits. For his academic excellence, passion and determination, Perkins received an Award of Merit from the Whittier Union Board of Trustees during its April 12 Board meeting. In the fall, Joaquin will attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he will continue his remarkable academic journey as he majors in mathematics with an emphasis in number theory.
Buena Park School District’s students sang about the power of friendship and danced the night away during the fourth annual Choir Festival, which brought the community together for a celebration of melodies on April 12. The District’s Choir Festival featured 237 student performers from elementary and middle school campuses, who sang songs that centered around the theme of friendship. The event was held at Thanksgiving Church in Buena Park and featured songs such as “I’ll Be There for You” from the television show “Friends,” Cole Porter’s “Friendship” and “We’re All in this Together” from “High School Musical.”
Buena Park Middle School welcomed U.S. Representative Young Kim to campus, greeting her with the tastes and aromas of culinary arts, the tech and machinery of robotics and the flora and fauna of horticulture, thanks to the school’s rigorous career technical education programs. Kim, who represents California’s 39th Congressional District, was invited to tour Buena Park School District with its administrators on April 13 and see how state and federal funding can provide more support for academic success and stronger career pathways.
Lynwood Unified Partners with City to Provide Broadband to Families
Lynwood Unified and the City of Lynwood are partnering with SiFi Networks to bring free and low-cost broadband to the community in an effort to reduce digital inequity. All Lynwood residents, businesses and government buildings will be included in the plan. Lynwood Unified will also provide students with devices and technical support. The City Council and Lynwood Unified’s Board of Education approved the resolution in February and hope to make the broadband services available within six months to a year.
Bonita Unified School District celebrated achievements in academics, athletics, arts and activities – and honored the students, staff and community partners who have supported these successes – during the 2022 State of the District luncheon, held April 12 at the Sheraton Fairplex Hotel and Conference Center. During the event, Superintendent Carl Coles reflected on the District’s successes over the last year and outlined goals for the coming years, which include the launch of a universal transitional kindergarten program in 2022-23, as well as a recommitment to closing achievement gaps and pursuing proficiency levels in excess of 80 percent in English language arts and 70 percent in math.
Fontana Unified High School Seniors Receive $20,000 Dell Scholarships
Jose Martinez and Jimmy Salvador Contreras – two Fontana High School seniors with a passion for serving others and bettering their community – will further their education with the help of a $20,000 scholarship from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. Martinez and Salvador Contreras are among 500 students nationwide to be named 2022 Dell Scholars. From the moment they set foot on Fontana High School’s campus, both students embraced the learning opportunities and resources available to them, including AVID, athletics and Advanced Placement courses. Martinez will head to UC Berkeley in the fall to study political science, and Salvador Contreras will attend UCLA, where he intends to major in applied mathematics and minor in computer science.
Baldwin Park Unified, City to Host Second Annual Mental Health Fair
Baldwin Park Unified, in partnership with the City of Baldwin Park, will host the second annual Mental Health Awareness Walk, Fair and Car Show from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 7. The one-mile walk will begin at 11 a.m. at City Hall and conclude at Morgan Park, which will be the site of a classic car show and vendor’s fair, featuring community resources from local organizations, refreshments and live music. All funds raised from the event will be donated to the Baldwin Park High School Braves Entertainment Corps and Sierra Vista High School Band. City Hall is located at 14403 Pacific Ave.; Morgan Park is located at 4100 Baldwin Park Blvd.
