El Monte High School students interested in Japanese language and culture are saying “konnichiwa” to the school’s new Japanese 101 dual enrollment college course. The afterschool class, which debuted in January, allows students to earn 4.5 units of transferable college credit through a partnership with Río Hondo College, which provides instruction at the high school. Sixteen El Monte High students were enrolled in the class this spring, which stresses oral and written proficiency of the Japanese language. Students learn the basics of Hiragana and Katakana script and are introduced to Kanji characters, while studying Japanese history, culture and civilization. Students will need to complete at least 27 hours of intensive individualized oral-aural practice to earn full credit.
El Monte High School has received the 2021 AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award from the College Board, recognizing the school for expanding women’s access to Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science classes. El Monte High received the award for fostering equal gender representation in AP Computer Science Principles during the 2020-21 school year and is among 1,200 high schools across the United States honored by the College Board.
With the majestic presence of the San Gabriel Mountains as a backdrop, Bonita Unified School District celebrated its Class of 2022 graduates with commencement ceremonies that honored the academic achievements, camaraderie and resilience of more than 800 students from Chaparral, San Dimas and Bonita high schools. The ceremonies, held June 7 and 9, highlighted the myriad accomplishments of the Class of 2022 and put the spotlight on the graduates who will continue their education at institutions such as UCLA, USC, Duke University, Purdue University and Otis College of Art and Design, as well as those who have enlisted in U.S. Armed Forces or will enter the professional world.
Lynwood Unified celebrated the Class of 2022 from Firebaugh, Lynwood, and Vista and Pathway high schools during commencement ceremonies from June 13 to 15, honoring nearly 900 seniors for their years of hard work and perseverance. Vista and Pathway students earned several scholarships and awards for their achievements, including four Dr. Madison Memorial Science Award winners. This year, Lynwood High graduates earned more than $600,000 in scholarships during the 2021-22 school year, as well as Advanced Placement Scholar Awards and the Golden State Seal of Merit. Firebaugh High’s top 10 seniors earned more than $145,000 in scholarships this year and are matriculating to prestigious educational institutions including UCLA, New York University, Stanford University and USC.
Mountain View High School VISTA Academy students wowed the judges at the Streets, Art, SAFE Film Competition, earning five trophies for their safe driving public service announcements (PSA) – including the Best PSA Gold Award for “Missing My Butterfly,” which also won awards for Best Script and Best Texting and Driving PSA. Additionally, VISTA Academy videos were honored with Best Acting and Best Safe Driving PSA awards. Created by the non-profit organization Streets Are For Everyone (SAFE), the competition, held in May, challenges teams to create PSAs about the importance of safe driving.
Gordon H. Beatty Middle School sixth-graders won 21 medals and swept the overall individual rankings during the recent Orange County Academic Pentathlon events, showcasing their knowledge and resourcefulness over the course of three days of quizzes. Gordon H. Beatty Middle School sent 20 sixth-graders, under the tutelage of Pentathlon Coaches Michael McDonald and Kirstin Kim, to participate in the latest OC Academic Pentathlon events, held April 27, April 30 and May 7, where they competed against 19 other area schools and hundreds of students.
Fontana Unified’s five comprehensive high schools have been recognized among the top-performing public high schools in the state and country for their academic success and college readiness efforts, earning inclusion in the 2022 Best High Schools rankings by U.S. News & World Report. A.B. Miller, Fontana, Henry J. Kaiser, Jurupa Hills and Summit high schools earned high rankings among approximately 1,603 high schools in California – placing among the top 30 percent of schools. Each high school celebrated a graduation rate of 94 percent or higher.
Two robotics teams from Baldwin Park Unified’s BP STEM Academy closed out their season by delivering standout performances at the VEX World Championships, held May 3 to 12 in Dallas, Texas. BP STEM Academy’s robotics teams will be recognized for their achievements during the next Baldwin Park City Council meeting on Wednesday, June 15. The teams, coaches and Academy administrators were celebrated by the BPUSD Board of Education during a regular board meeting on May 24. More than 500 teams qualified for the VEX World Championship Middle School category, with each team divided into seven divisions, creating an average of 73 teams per division.
A select group of Ramona Middle School eighth-grade students have demonstrated their leadership capabilities while helping their sixth-grade classmates acclimate to a new school through the Where Everybody Belongs (WEB) program, an elective that eases the transition from elementary school to middle school. Whether leading a Friday lunchtime dance party, organizing a game of Knockout, or posting inspirational messages around campus such as “Be Kind” and “Be the Light,” Ramona WEB mentors dedicate themselves to ensuring that incoming students receive the support and resources they need to navigate their way through a new school system with more teachers, classes, students, and academic and social responsibilities.
A.B. Miller High School Class of 2022 graduate Carolina Gonzalez Ceja is no longer a Fontana Unified student, but she will continue to represent her alma mater in the halls of Congress after her artwork was voted as the California 35th Congressional District’s winning entry in the 2022 Congressional Art Competition. Gonzalez Ceja’s oil painting, “The Mirror That Stings,” will be included in an exhibit housed at the U.S. Capitol building, along with artwork from every congressional district in the United States, for the next year.
