El Monte Union High School District twins Brianna and Emilie Gonzalez have gained national recognition after competing and bringing home gold medals from the 2021 Pan American Wrestling Championship tournament, held this month in Oaxtepec, Mexico. The EMUHSD Board of Trustees honored Brianna and Emilie during the June 16 meeting, celebrating them for their success and dedication to the sport with certificates of recognition and words of appreciation from Arroyo High School’s girls wrestling Coach Can Tran.
Lynwood Unified School District is set to submit a new three-year Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) that leaned heavily on community collaboration with the goal of providing every student with a well-rounded, culturally inclusive education while also focusing on English Language Arts and mathematics. After an extensive months-long process that included community surveys and inclusive input from teachers and other school personnel, parents, and students through a variety of mediums, the LCAP will be brought before the Board of Education at the June 24 meeting.
El Monte Union Board of Trustees Honors 21 District Retirees
El Monte Union High School District honored 21 teachers, classified and certificated staff who are retiring after contributing a combined 540 years of service to the District, during the June 16 Board of Trustees meeting. EMUHSD employees were recognized and thanked for their years of service and dedication to students.
Bonita Unified Honors Girls Basketball Coach on 300th Career Win
Bonita Unified School District honored San Dimas High School girls basketball coach Gary Jackson on his 300th career win, which came during a thrilling season that saw the San Dimas team reach the 2021 CIF Southern California Girls Basketball Championship tournament. Jackson has been head coach for 21 years, as well as San Dimas’ head track and field coach and assistant volleyball coach. BUSD honored Jackson with a certificate of recognition and Challenge Coin.
Lynwood Unified Honors Class of 2021 with In-Person Ceremonies With passionate student speeches and rousing alma mater renditions, Lynwood Unified School District honored the Class of 2021 from Firebaugh, Lynwood, Vista, and Pathway high schools with long-anticipated in-person commencement ceremonies, held June 14 to 16. Nearly 750 seniors and their families gathered on Lynwood Unified District Field, following safety protocols that included social distancing and the use of face masks. Each ceremony was livestreamed to ensure the entire community could participate in the celebrations.
Río Hondo College will conduct online auditions via Zoom for its production of “Working,” a Broadway musical, which features two songs written by “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. The auditions will be held Monday, June 21 and Tuesday, June 22 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Based on the Studs Terkel oral history, “Working” profiles the lives of dozens of working Americans. The Zoom code for the auditions is 969388885253. For further information, please contact Prof. William Korf at wkorf@riohodo.edu.
A.B. Miller High School’s varsity baseball field will be renamed Frank Martinez Field to honor the retired physical education teacher who served as A.B. Miller’s first baseball coach, leading the team to 11 league championships, and guiding a generation of students to athletic and academic success. The renaming, approved by the Fontana Unified Board of Education on June 2, was initiated by former A.B. Miller players, including Samuel Lopez, a Class of 2001 graduate who teaches and coaches baseball at Summit High School, and Azusa High School Principal Dr. Martin Gomez. Lopez and Gomez helped collect nearly 300 letters of recommendation from former students and players in a single weekend.
Eileen Miranda Jimenez, Dr. Rose Lopez, and Juanita Cruz, trustees of the West Covina Unified School District, have demonstrated exceptional commitment to professional development in the service of students through their recent completion of the California School Boards Association’s (CSBA) Masters in Governance program. This accomplishment signifies mastery of the roles and responsibilities of school boards, and a strong understanding of the knowledge and skills needed to build and support an effective governance structure that helps produce better outcomes for students.
Two Henry J. Kaiser High School Class of 2021 graduates, who were enrolled in the school’s college-prep elective Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), have received $1,500 scholarships to ease their transition into higher education, thanks to the Riverside Inyo Mono San Bernardino (RIMS) AVID Scholarship Program. Tim Rodriguez and Fatima Mejia are both first-generation college students who joined AVID as freshmen, developing study skills, learning about the college application process, accessing scholarship opportunities, and immersing themselves in a college-going culture. Rodriguez will attend Cal State San Bernardino and study computer science; Mejia will attend Cal Poly Pomona.
Fontana Unified’s Class of 2021 graduates turned their tassels as families cheered and colorful streamers cascaded through the air, marking their milestone achievement during dynamic commencement ceremonies at San Manuel Stadium, held June 8 to 10. The District honored graduates from its five comprehensive high schools, two continuation schools and adult school with outdoor, in-person ceremonies, featuring emotional speeches from standout students, tearful renditions of the schools’ alma maters, and marquee lights spelling “Class of 2021” adorning the field. The ceremonies, which implemented limited capacity and fixed seating in compliance with county health and safety guidelines, were also livestreamed via YouTube.
