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 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.
Bonita Unified School District celebrated the Class of 2021 with spirited and emotional in-person graduation ceremonies for San Dimas, Bonita and Chaparral high schools, held June 8-10, that featured laughs and tears, inspirational music, and fireworks. Family members cheered as the graduates received their diplomas, turned their tassels and sang their alma mater for the last time. San Dimas High graduate Molly Gonzales played guitar and sang “Somewhere Only We Know” while the Bonita High Chamber Singers sang the Bill Withers classic, “Lean on Me.” Chaparral High graduates wrote personalized notes about their high school journey, which were read aloud when they received their diplomas.
Whittier Union High School District will return to full-time, in-person instruction for the 2021-22 school year, which begins Thursday, Aug. 12. All students have been automatically enrolled for in-person learning, which consists of six-hour days, five days a week. Families who are not yet ready to return full-time have the option to enroll in the District’s Independent Study Program.