Superintendent Charles “Chuck” Hinman, who has guided West Covina Unified School District through a pandemic, the related shift to distance learning, a school realignment, and a massive facilities improvement effort, announced he will retire effective July 31, 2021. Dr. Hinman, who began his tenure with WCUSD in 2015, thanked teachers and staff for their “talents and dedication,” creating success in classrooms across the District.
When Jurupa Hills High School Class of 2021 graduate Jennifer Ibarra was young, she used to play teacher with her mom and stuffed animals, dreaming of someday having her own classroom. Ibarra’s love for teaching continued to develop as she grew into an academic leader at school and a Class of 2021 International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma candidate. Ibarra’s path to her dream career has become more financially secure thanks to a $10,000 scholarship from the James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund, which will help fund her studies at UC Riverside. The fund awards scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 to high school seniors who plan to attend a four-year college or university and are the children or financial dependents of Teamster members.
Río Hondo College alumnus Joel Ramirez loves learning – a passion he hopes to spark in others by becoming a full-time professor and mentoring eager students, providing valuable research to the study of human movement, and improving his community. Ramirez’s determination has carried him through family problems, financial burdens and personal ailments – earning the first-generation college student a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and a master’s in kinesiology from Cal State University Los Angeles (CSULA). Now, the 36-year-old is setting his sights on Harvard University, where he will pursue a Ph.D. in human evolutionary biology in fall 2021.
Buena Park School District students are mastering public speaking, expanding their acting skills and learning how to improvise as part of the District’s speech and debate summer program. The summer program is a two-week course that will prepare 51 students – from grades four to eight – for success in the District’s main speech and debate program, as well as tournaments. While in the course, students are either placed in a writing workshop or learn to deliver specific speech topics, which include informative, original orator, declamation, interpretation and impromptu.
Nearly 2,800 Whittier Union High School District students made their way across the graduation stage during in-person graduation ceremonies held June 1-3, marking their milestone achievement through an unprecedented school year with emotional speeches, musical performances and tears of joy. The socially distanced ceremonies looked vastly different than years past, but provided a sense of normalcy to students, families and staff. Students maintained their distance from each other as they were escorted onto the field and seated six feet apart. Families remained socially distanced in the stands through fixed seating, implemented to ensure compliance with county and state regulations.
A.B. Miller High School Class of 2021 graduate Luzmila Munoz has been named a Dell Scholar by the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, an honor that comes with a $20,000 scholarship to support her dream of higher education. Munoz is a first-generation, college-bound Latina student who has a 4.46 GPA and has completed eight Advanced Placement classes, six Honors classes and eight dual-enrollment college classes. She plans to attend UC San Diego and major in computer science and engineering.
El Monte Union High School District honored the Class of 2021 with in-person graduation ceremonies for El Monte, South El Monte, Rosemead, Arroyo, Mountain View and Fernando R. Ledesma high schools, inviting graduates, family members and staff to celebrate together after a year in remote learning. The ceremonies, held June 3 and 4, brought students and families back to the schools’ outdoor stadiums and courtyards, where they followed safety protocols that included masks and social distancing.
Longtime Monrovia Unified educator Susan Hirsch dedicated her career to championing student wellness and equipping students with the skills and support for success. Hirsch, who died in December 2020, worked in Monrovia Unified for more than 30 years, building a legacy of compassion and connection. On June 3, the Board of Education dedicated Monrovia High School’s Wellness Center – of which Hirsch was the architect – in her memory, renaming it the Susan Hirsch Wellness Center.
More than 100 El Monte Union parent leaders, representing all five District comprehensive schools, were recognized for their volunteer spirit, guidance, and support during a Parent Leader Appreciation drive-thru celebration, held May 27. Superintendent Dr. Edward Zuniga greeted the parents, thanking them for their support and presenting them with certificates of recognition and a commemorative El Monte Union ‘Parent Leader’ T-shirt. Parents also received gift bags filled with personal protective equipment from their school’s principal and community liaison.
Lynwood Middle School history teacher Dr. Dawndria Cox received a William Sanders Scarborough Fellowship for 2021-22 and admission into the 2021 Summer Program at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens. The Scarborough Fellowship is worth $10,000 and will cover all expenses related to the experience, such as airfare, lodging, museum entrance fees and tuition to the prestigious six-week summer program.