All Baldwin Park Unified students will receive free breakfast, lunch, and supper for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year. Families can also plan their meals ahead by visiting Nutrition Services’ weekly food menu. Students who take packed lunches to school will be eligible to take home three meals for free.
After only four years of teaching, Mountain View High School instructor John Mann has been named the 2021-22 Teacher of the Year by El Monte Union High School District. Mann’s enthusiasm, dedication and innovation have inspired students in the school’s VISTA Academy to go on to careers in digital communications. One of his achievements has been to provide seniors with access to professional-grade RED cameras and training with industry professionals, as well as access to a full-service production facility and working backlot, where they partner with Mountain View’s drama program to direct and film their own short movies.
Buena Park School District has expanded counseling services for its elementary schools, providing its youngest students with additional social-emotional support while teaching them about the importance of physical well-being. Each elementary school in the District now has a full-time dedicated counselor on campus; in addition, the District has contracted with Outreach Concern, a non-profit counseling agency, to have interns work as part-time counselors as they earn credits toward their degrees in social work and psychology.
Lynwood Unified has been awarded a $25,000 grant from the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture Advancement Arts Grant Program. LUSD is one of 41 school districts to receive the grant to expand access to instruction in dance, media arts, music, theater, and visual arts.
Baldwin Park High School’s Dual Language program hosted the school’s 10th annual Día de los Muertos Celebration on Oct. 21, an event that featured live music, face painting, family games, an art gallery, and an altar-decorating competition. Musical performances included special guests Erik Antonio and the Mariachi Lindas Mexicanas.
El Monte Union students, families and alumni displayed their ‘Viking Pride’ during Mountain View High School’s 50th anniversary celebration on Oct. 15, which brought the community together for an evening of activities and student performances that highlighted the school’s enduring culture of collaboration, inspiration, and achievement. Guy Richard, a member of Mountain View’s first graduating class in 1974, helped to set a tone of gratitude and celebration, reflecting on his Mountain View experience as one that provided a stepping stone to college and career and empowered him to fulfill his dreams.
Baldwin Park Unified will open a new COVID-19 vaccine clinic at Jones Middle School, located at 14250 Merced Ave., from 9 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 30. Students and staff will be able to receive either their first or second doses of the Pfizer vaccine or the booster shot. This opportunity is made possible through a long-standing partnership with the District and Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center.
In the span of two years, California High School senior Elizabeth “Lizzie” Guzman lost both of her parents as her mother succumbed to pancreatic cancer and her father was incarcerated. With help from her maternal grandparents and aunt – who became her caretakers – Guzman found the motivation to work through her grief and excel in school, becoming a star student at Cal High. Guzman has thrived academically, earning a 4.19 GPA, and challenging herself with Advanced Placement (AP) classes. To acknowledge her unwavering courage and perseverance, Guzman was honored with an Award of Merit by the Whittier Union Board of Trustees during an Oct. 12 board meeting.
Compton Health Bar founder Dani Solorio, who has been featured on the CBS show “Destination LA” and Telemundo for bringing organic remedies to her community, will virtually visit Lugo Elementary School to share a new recipe while inspiring students to make healthy choices and find success in entrepreneurship. Solorio will appear via Zoom as a part of a special Lugo parent meeting while demonstrating how to make a recipe for “Fire Cider,” a natural way to boost your immune system for the flu season.
Canyon Crest Elementary fifth-grader Matilda Vinuela and Fontana High School senior Miranda Ordoñez were recognized by San Bernardino County Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr. as District 5 Academic Trailblazers during the Oct. 6 Fontana Unified Board of Education meeting. The award, given in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage month, recognizes high-achieving students for their academic and civic achievements. Ordoñez, who serves as the District’s 2021-22 Board of Education student representative, balances Advanced Placement classes with a variety of campus clubs and activities. Vinuela came to Fontana Unified not speaking any English; despite being in unfamiliar surroundings, she immediately began to blend in as she listened, asked for help, and made friends quickly.