When California High School Director of Bands Doug Nordquist came to Whittier Union as a music teacher in 1982, he was literally jumping for joy as he was in the midst of competing to win a spot as a high jumper on the 1984 U.S. Olympic team. With a parallel career as an Olympic-level athlete, Nordquist began striving for excellence in the classroom, teaching multiple subjects and eventually establishing Cal High’s Entertainment Unit, a music program that has enabled thousands of Whittier Union students to find their calling and achieve success at high levels. He has been named the District's 2020 Teacher of the Year.
• Baldwin Park Unified Opens Enrollment for the 2020-21 School Year
Baldwin Park Unified is accepting enrollment applications for transitional kindergarten to high school through online registration. With 14 Gold Ribbon schools, students in BPUSD pursue their passions in specialized science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics pathways, introducing students to an array of enrichment opportunities that lead to competitive fields in the workforce and higher education.
West Covina Unified Opens Virtual Enrollment for 2020-21 Year
Families interested in enrolling in West Covina Unified School District for the 2020-21 school year may do so online. West Covina Unified offers a cutting-edge remote learning platform to offer distance learning, as well as a 1:1 tech device program. Families may also enroll students in an array of robust learning opportunities, including Mandarin and Spanish dual-language immersion, a TK-12 International Baccalaureate continuum, Mt. SAC Early College Academy, career technical education pathways and more.
Lee will represent the graduating class as the Salutatorian. Tadeo is graduating with a 4.74 GPA and attending Columbia University in the fall where she will study neuroscience and behavior. Lee, graduating with a 4.56 GPA, will attend the UC Berkeley, where she will study environmental engineering.
El Monte Union Schools Find Creative Ways to Recognize Class of 2020
South El Monte High School will host a virtual Golden Eagle Award Show – which will be livestreamed on Instagram Live, YouTube Live and Facebook Live – at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 28. The program will honor the school’s high-achieving students, including its six valedictorians, who are heading to such universities as Stanford, UCLA and UC Berkeley. The event is the latest in a series of inventive solutions to honoring El Monte Union’s 1,800 graduating seniors while following the county’s social distancing guidelines and facial covering requirements. Over the last two weeks, the District's high schools held delivery programs, allowing students to pick up caps and gowns, medals and other graduation regalia from their cars. Staff and teachers also rallied together to deliver personalized Class of 2020 yard signs to families.
Fontana Unified Graduations Take Flight at Ontario International Airport
Fontana Unified School District kicked off commencement activities with three socially distant, drive-thru graduations at Ontario International Speedway on May 28. Students from Fontana Adult School, Eric Birch High School and Citrus High School donned commemorative masks, departed their vehicles and accepted their diploma onstage against a backdrop of commercial airplanes. The ceremonies were accompanied by a virtual presentation of speeches built into a livestream of the diploma conferral. The District will switch gears to Auto Club Speedway for its comprehensive high school graduations, held alongside victory lane. Summit and A.B. Miller high schools’ ceremonies will occur Tuesday, June 2; Kaiser and Fontana high schools will take place Wednesday, June 3 and Jurupa Hills High School will celebrate its graduates Thursday, June 4.
Two Buena Park School District student-made videos that encourage empathy and compassion toward people experiencing mental health issues received honorable mentions in the statewide Directing Change film contest. Winners were announced virtually in May. Whitaker School and Buena Park Junior High received the honors from the film contest sponsored by nonprofit Directing Change, a leader in statewide efforts to prevent suicide and reduce the stigma related to mental health awareness.
Rosemead High School senior Tristan Tanchanco sees his life as a series of challenges he’s had to overcome, whether it was learning English, editing the school newspaper, mastering the guitar or understanding the intricacies of molecular biology and biochemistry. Tanchanco’s outgoing personality and ability to weather those and other challenges have earned him a full-tuition Posse Foundation scholarship to Middlebury College, a private Vermont liberal arts and research university known as a “Little Ivy.” Tanchanco will pursue a medical degree and a career as a pediatrician.
Fontana Unified School District will partner with Auto Club Speedway and Ontario International Airport to provide the Class of 2020 with a remarkable sendoff – drive-up graduation ceremonies that will allow students to celebrate together while observing health safety guidelines. District festivities will take flight at Ontario International Airport, starting with Fontana Adult School, Eric Birch High School and Citrus High School’s commencement ceremonies on Thursday, May 28. The District will then switch gears to the Auto Club Speedway, where the comprehensive high schools will hold their graduations alongside victory lane. Summit and A.B. Miller high schools’ ceremonies will occur on Tuesday, June 2; Kaiser and Fontana high schools will take place on Wednesday, June 3, and Jurupa Hills High School will celebrate its graduates on Thursday, June 4.
La Serna High School Assistant Principal Griselda Castro – an educator in the Whittier Union High School District for the past 25 years – has been appointed to serve as the Lancer campus’ newest principal. Castro, a National Board Certified teacher, will replace longtime La Serna Principal Ann Fitzgerald, who will begin her new role as assistant superintendent of personnel services July 1.
