Pioneer High School senior Idaly Iturralde has been recognized as a 2021 Dell Scholar by the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, receiving a $20,000 scholarship spread over four years as she pursues her college and career goals. As a Dell Scholar, Iturralde will also receive a laptop and access to Dell Scholars Connect, a mentoring program which offers support from other Dell Scholars.
Baldwin Park Unified senior Adam Martinez was awarded the 2020-21 Margaret Heath Day Scholarship during the school’s virtual assembly on March 24. Martinez will apply the $500 scholarship to his post-secondary educational goals at Citrus College, where he plans to earn a degree to become an auto mechanic.
Fontana Unified educator Jorge Arauz has been named principal of Redwood Elementary School, bringing 21 years of experience to the role. Arauz takes the helm at Redwood Elementary School after serving as an assistant principal in the District for nearly five years. He was instrumental in bringing new educational opportunities to Southridge Tech Middle School, aiding in its transformation into a Microsoft Showcase School and furthering the school’s candidacy to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme. Arauz’s efforts to engage students in a globally focused education and celebrate multiculturalism and diversity will continue at Redwood Elementary, which offers a Spanish Dual-Language Immersion program.
Sierra Vista High School has partnered with the Center for Engagement with Communities at Whittier College to provide online tutoring opportunities for students. Through the partnership, students will have access to four Whittier College mentors who will support them during online tutoring sessions in all subject areas. One tutor will focus primarily on assisting Learning Pods, a Quarter 4 intervention program at Sierra Vista designed to help students with good attendance but low credit production, and increasing credit production for the final grading period of the school year.
Twenty Sierra Vista High School students were recognized with certificates of completion during a virtual ceremony on March 17 for the Intergenerational Pilot Project (IPP), a multi-agency partnership between Kaiser Permanente EOP, La Posada Senior Housing Program, El Centro De Ayuda and Baldwin Park Unified. IPP was designed to provide comfort and open lines of communication with older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Student interns were paired with adults from La Posada, making weekly phone calls of encouragement during Sierra Vista’s Flex Friday intervention class.
Bonita Unified School District will welcome middle and high school students back to campus for in-person instruction on Monday, April 12. The students will be taught in a hybrid model, designed to meet state and county health and safety protocols. Bonita Unified students will have the option to remain in distance learning for the remainder of the year. The District opened its doors to elementary school students on April 5.
Almond Elementary School showed appreciation to students and families on March 31, presenting them with therapy dolls designed to provide comfort and reestablish much-needed personal connections. Every Almond student received a Mimbleball, a five-inch round polyester doll with button eyes and long acrylic hair, that helps relieve stress and anxiety and can be enjoyed by all age groups. The Mimbleballs were distributed during the school’s weekly meal distribution, with principal Tim McCaffrey greeting students dressed as a giant Mimbleball.
Canyon Crest Elementary School fifth-grader Noah Walker wanted to do more to help families facing hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Initiating a community fundraiser, Walker raised approximately $650 and used it to purchase a variety of gift cards – including McDonald’s, Target, and other food-related cards – for families in need. The gift cards will be distributed to families beginning Monday, March 29 and continue throughout the week. Canyon Crest Elementary is at 11851 Cherry Ave., Fontana.
Monrovia Unified School District secondary students will return to campus for in-person instruction on Monday, April 19, using a Secondary Hybrid Instructional Model approved by the Board of Education in March. The approved schedule will divide students into three separate cohorts, with Cohort A and B attending school Monday and Tuesday, and Thursday and Friday, respectively. Cohort C will continue with 100% distance learning.
Río Hondo College’s Board of Trustees welcomed Anais Medina Diaz as the Area 1 Trustee following a swearing-in ceremony during a March 24 board meeting. Medina Diaz was sworn into office by her husband, El Monte Union High School District Board of Trustee Clerk David Diaz, during a virtual Zoom meeting. In attendance were Congresswoman Grace Napolitano and a representative for Assemblymember Blanca E. Rubio.
