Pendleton Elementary School students can earn free books from popular series such as “Goosebumps,” “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” and “Clifford the Big Red Dog” though the school’s new book vending machine, which provides rewards for academic growth. Students can earn free tokens, each worth one free book, by accomplishing self-made academic goals to further their education. Principal Loriann Leota said the program is a perfect way to get students excited about learning and help improve literacy rates as they transition to becoming an International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme school.
Hacienda La Puente Unified schools were honored with the 2022 Civic Learning Award by Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond on April 27, recognizing programs and individuals for engaging students in civic education. Orange Grove Middle School was one of three schools in California presented with the Award of Distinction. Sparks Middle School and Sunset Elementary School were among 20 California schools to receive the Award of Merit. La Puente High School received an honorable mention.
Bonita Unified High School Students Learn Dangers of Impaired Driving
San Dimas High School students received a sobering look at the consequences of driving under the influence on April 26 and 27 during “Every 15 Minutes,” an emotionally charged event that included a simulated car crash, which resulted in the arrest of the driver and claimed the lives of their peers. Throughout the day, students were pulled from class by the Grim Reaper every 15 minutes to become part of the “living dead,” and participated in an overnight retreat without contact from their family and friends. The event concluded with a mock funeral for participating students the next day and was held in partnership with the county sheriff’s department and fire department.
Baldwin Park Unified Femineers Present Engineering Science Fair
Baldwin Park STEM Academy students enrolled in Femineers – an after-school program funded by a grant from Cal Poly Pomona’s College of Engineering – showcased their hard work and creative engineering projects on April 27 for a panel of Cal Poly judges. Students created scenes around their 3D motion-sensor projects, including Sailor Moon characters flying across a backdrop and a snake rattling its tail and flicking its tongue. To create the projects, the students used a range of disciplines including coding, mathematics and problem-solving. The Femineers program was created at BP STEM Academy, formerly Holland Middle School, in 2018.
Covina-Valley Unified School District Hosts Inaugural Career and Job Fair
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.
Margaret Heath Elementary School students are gaining life skills through Girls on the Run, a national program that focuses on emotional, mental and physical well-being. More than 20 third- through fifth-grade female students meet every Monday and Wednesday for 90-minute sessions, where they improve their running skills while learning life skills through dynamic and interactive lessons. The season will conclude with a Girls on the Run Los Angeles 5K at Whittier Narrows on May 7.
The Banning Unified School District Board of Trustees has selected Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Terrence Davis as the District’s next Superintendent, who brings nearly 23 years of experience in education to the role. The Board approved a contract during its April 27 Board Meeting. Davis will step into his new role on May 2. Davis has served in his current position at Banning Unified since 2020 and has acted as a leading figure in labor relations, recruitment and retention of staff. Davis excels in developing and fostering positive relationships to ultimately enhance student performance.
For the fourth year in a row, the College Board has recognized Whittier High School for expanding young women’s access to Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science classes, bestowing the school with its 2021 AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award. Whittier 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. The recognition reflects the increased interest in STEM classes among all Whittier High students, particularly incoming freshmen, led by strong recruiting efforts by teachers and counselors at Whittier Union’s partner elementary and middle schools.
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.
