Two West Covina High School yearbook students will advance to the state Journalism Education Association media contest on Saturday, March 14 at Fullerton College. Emily De La Torre and Alexis Alvarado earned their place in the state contest after capturing fourth place in the editorial cartoon and feature writing categories, respectively, at the regional competition on Feb. 29.
Fontana Unified School District will hold virtual information meetings for its Spanish Dual-Language Immersion (DLI) program on Tuesday, April 6 and Thursday, April 8. The District is accepting 2021-22 enrollment applications for the program, which begins in kindergarten and is offered at Redwood Elementary School and Dolores Huerta International Academy, and will hold a lottery on Thursday, April 29. The DLI program aims to foster bilingualism and biliteracy, sociocultural competency and high levels of academic achievement. For meeting times, language options and links, visit the FUSD website.
West Covina High School’s National English Honor Society will culminate Read Across America Week with a Dr. Seuss Day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 7. The family-friendly event, also open to WCUSD elementary schools, will feature games, arts and crafts, and lots of reading. West Covina High School is at 1609 E. Cameron Ave., West Covina.
Santa Fe High School senior Roman Vargas entered middle school without any expectation of ever attending college, but six years of Achievement Via Individual Determination (AVID) classes and rigorous academic opportunities taught him to set goals, collaborate with classmates and work toward achieving post-secondary success. Vargas – a first-generation college student with a 4.2 GPA – is on his way toward making his dreams happen after winning a full-tuition Posse Foundation scholarship to attend Hobart and William Smith Colleges (HWS), a private liberal arts college in Geneva, New York, where he will major in history.
Gidley School’s Science Olympiad team won a whopping seven medals and placed sixth overall at the 2020 Los Angeles Regional Tournament, exemplifying the scientific acumen to earn a spot at the Science Olympiad State Tournament in April. The Science Olympiad team earned awards by completing tasks such as investigating viral outbreaks, using math to measure density levels and answering questions about genetics.
Lynwood Unified students will receive surprise appearances from LA Galaxy players, authors, and community leaders when the District celebrates Read Across America Week, the annual reading awareness program. Superintendent Gudiel R. Crosthwaite and Lynwood Unified Board President Gary Hardie Jr. will make appearances, as will author Eric Ramos who is set to release his new book “Super Torta!” The guest readers will read classic tales like Dr. Seuss classics “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish” and “There’s a Wocket in My Pocket” to classrooms across the District as they encourage children to explore books.
Río Hondo College will launch a series of Community Education Forums at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 4 to showcase its stellar instructional programs, student support services, transfer-focused curriculum and award-winning career pathways in fields such as automotive, police, fire safety and nursing. Faculty and deans from an array of academic and career programs will make presentations and spotlight the Río Promise, which provides two years of free tuition to new, full-time students.
Bonita Unified School District shared student success stories, celebrated achievements in academics, athletics, arts and activities, and presented awards to students and community partners at the 2020 State of the District luncheon on Feb. 25 at the Hillcrest Meeting House. Superintendent Carl J. Coles shared stories of students who have discovered their purpose at Bonita Unified – like Chaparral Vista High School senior and student board representative Justine Plowman, who is working to become a sheriff’s deputy, and Ekstrand Elementary second-grader Jordan Mulgado, who is looking at colleges that will teach him to design race cars.
Monroe Elementary School Principal Lily Jarvis has been selected from among 200 applicants for a seat on the Instructional Quality Commission (IQC), which advises the State Board of Education on curriculum and instructional matters. She started her term in January. The IQC develops and recommends curriculum frameworks, evaluate instructional materials and make educational recommendations.
West Covina High School provided artistically inclined prospective students with a sneak peek of its exclusive fine arts education – available through the new West Covina High School Performing Arts Academy – during a spring preview night on Feb. 27. Incoming freshmen and their families learned about the Academy’s academic offerings, met Academy coordinators and gained insight into the application. Launching in fall 2020, the Academy will provide a rigorous fine arts education in a free, public school setting. Its first freshman cohort will be capped at 50 students; students from Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange counties are eligible to apply. The District is now accepting applications.