The El Monte Union High School District (EMUHSD) will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of South El Monte High School’s (SEMHS) Modernization Project, which features renovations to the entire campus including redesigned landscaping and outdoor seating, upgraded classrooms, library, and administration building, and state-of-the-art technology. The ribbon-cutting ceremony will feature speeches from SEMHS principal Dr. Jorge Morales, Associated Student Body President Gabriela Garcia, EMUHSD Superintendent Dr. Edward Zuniga, and Board of Trustees President Ricardo Padilla, and a taco celebration, with local dignitaries, school officials, students, and community members in attendance.
Hacienda La Puente Unified School District (HLPUSD), in partnership with Assemblymember Lisa Calderon, hosted the Annual 56th Assembly District College and Career Fair on Sept. 14, drawing hundreds of high school and middle school students eager to explore future academic path and career options. Held at La Puente High School, the event featured more than 60 college and career booths designed to provide valuable resources and guidance for students planning their next steps. Among the highlights was a dedicated room showcasing career technical education (CTE) pathways, where high school CTE student volunteers from all four HLPUSD comprehensive high schools, HLPLUSD CTE Coordinator Dr. Lawrence Fitz, and HLPUSD CTE educators, offered middle school families interactive demonstrations, engaging displays, and detailed information about the exciting career options available through CTE programs.
Glen A. Wilson High School science teacher Jungsoo Han has a knack for getting the best out of his students. As coach of the school’s successful Science Olympiad and Future Health Professionals (HOSA) teams, Han has established each unit as perennial tournament favorites, while inspiring his students to challenge themselves and work towards careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.
Zahra Razi has always had the heart of a teacher and can trace her passion for computer science back to her high school years in Iran, where she was born and raised. Those two characteristics helped bring her to Wayne Ruble Middle School, where she has taught for more than a decade. Over the past five years, Razi has used the Amazon Future Engineer program to share her enthusiasm for computer science with her students. Now, she’s one of 50 educators nationwide selected for a two-year, paid fellowship as a teacher ambassador for the program, aiming to expand science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and tech opportunities for students.
Mountain View High School (MVHS) students packed the school’s cafetorium to hear three-time Golden Globe and seven-time Primetime Emmy nominee Jane Kaczmarek share her expertise and experiences in the entertainment industry during a recording of the school’s “The Art of Talking” podcast on Sept. 4. Kaczmarek, best known for her role as the sharp-witted mother on "Malcolm in the Middle," brought her on-screen passion and intensity to “The Art of Talking’s” first episode of the 2024-25 season. The podcast is produced entirely by Mountain View students in the Viking Informational Systems Technology Academy (VISTA) and was recorded in front of a live audience of eager Mountain View High yearbook and journalism course students, along with fans spanning generations.
Twelve Covina-Valley Unified School District schools have been granted 2024 ENERGY STAR Certification by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the second year in a row, marking the District’s dedication to environmental stewardship and operational efficiency. Twelve of the District’s elementary, middle, and high schools performed in the top 25% nationwide for energy efficiency and met strict ventilation standards to receive 2024 ENERGY STAR Certification. These schools have not only excelled in reducing energy consumption but also set an example for educational institutions nationwide. These certifications not only recognize the District’s efforts in energy conservation but also signify potential cost savings and improved learning environments for students and staff. Schools that earn the ENERGY STAR Certification are recognized for their superior energy performance, contributing to a healthier planet and a more sustainable future.
Students in Fontana Unified School District’s Future Shapers Academy (FSA) will present its contributions and input to the city of Fontana’s Downtown Core Project, a proposal to develop downtown Fontana into a local and regional destination. Fontana Unified launched the Future Shapers Academy in 2023-24, with FSA students spending the inaugural school year collaborating with leaders from the city of Fontana on designing an entertainment center in downtown Fontana. Students tackled a series of smaller design challenges that contributed to the larger project.
Longtime Whittier resident Yoshio Nakamura, whose engaging personality and gentle encouragement transformed the highly-decorated World War II combat veteran into a much beloved and influential art teacher for multiple generations of Whittier students, returned to Whittier High School on Sept. 7, when the District officially dedicated the school’s art building in his honor. The Whittier community, which included the Whittier Union Board of Trustees, Congressional representatives, City Council members, former students, and veterans from the U.S Armed Forces, gathered to honor the 98-year-old Nakamura, known to everyone as “Yosh,” for his longtime career in education, which included 10 years as an art teacher at Whittier High School and nearly 30 years as an art teacher, dean, and vice president at Río Hondo College.
As a member of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles’ (NHM) teacher advisory council, San Dimas High School art teacher Dominic Black has created art projects and curriculum designed to give students of all ages access to museum exhibits – both in-person and online – and inspire them to learn more about the art process and natural history while creating their own original work. In the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Black’s ideas on curriculum allowed art students from across L.A. County and beyond to continue their education virtually, through books like “Art Inside and Out” and personal story projects, including a cultural self-portrait assignment where students reimagined a mural by L.A.-based artist Barbara Carrasco.
