Río Hondo College’s Board of Trustees on May 13 redoubled its commitment to vulnerable communities facing challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including undocumented residents, individuals of Asian/Pacific Islander heritage and those who struggle with food insecurity, housing and access to internet and mental health resources. Trustees unanimously adopted three resolutions to assert their support for these communities.
Buena Park Junior High broke ground May 12 on a $3.1 million, nearly 3,200-square-foot performing arts center that will provide space for the school’s growing theater, choir and band programs as well as District-wide events. The center will include a performance space with an acoustical suspended ceiling system, four practice rooms, a teacher’s office and storage rooms.
El Monte High School seniors Juan Saucedo and Kermina Samaan took different paths to the United States, learn a second language and acclimate to a new home. The challenges both faced bolstered their drive to graduate high school and attend a four-year university. Saucedo, who arrived from Mexico in 2017, and Samaan, who arrived from Egypt in 2015, advanced quickly through El Monte High’s English language development (ELD) program, doubling up on English classes and taking summer school classes to complete their college entrance requirements. After challenging themselves to accelerate their education, Saucedo has been accepted to UC Riverside, where he will pursue mathematics, and Samaan was accepted to Cal State Los Angeles, where she will major in chemistry.
The Bonita Unified culinary arts program is truly a family affair. Led by the husband-and-wife team of Nick and Laurie Brandler – instructors at San Dimas High and Bonita High, respectively – the pair are preparing their students for highly competitive food service jobs through a rigorous curriculum that encompasses all aspects of running a restaurant. The Brandlers and their students found the recipe for success during the 2020 Virtual ProStart Cup held in April, winning several major awards including California ProStart Student of the Year and California ProStart Instructor of the Year, with first-place finishes in the Innovation Cup and Management Cup competitions.
Buena Park School District received a donation of 115 Chromebooks from a consortium of local nonprofits that will help special education students with lessons during distance learning. The Chromebooks were donated by the Anekant Community Center (ACC) in partnership with Sarva Mangal Family Trust, part of a campaign that brought hundreds of Chromebooks to Southern California school districts.
West Covina Unified Board of Education members and administrators kicked off the process of filling the Olympic-size pool in the District’s new sports complex on May 11, celebrating the project’s construction progress. The pool will be the centerpiece of the state-of-the-art complex, housed at Edgewood High School. The $18 million project, funded by the voter-approved Measure ES, is expected to be completed by July 1. The complex will also include four locker rooms, two digital scoreboards capable of video playback, and a high-quality sound system.
Santa Fe High School senior Angel Moreno Gallegos has traveled a long road to become the first member of his family to graduate from an American high school and attend a four-year university. Born in the United States but raised in Mexico, Moreno Gallegos came to Santa Fe as a freshman with almost no English language skills. Four years later, he will graduate as a student leader with a 4.12 GPA, with plans to attend Cal Poly Pomona and study chemical engineering. For his ability to rise to numerous challenges and stay focused on his goal of academic achievement, Moreno Gallegos was honored with an Award of Merit by the Whittier Union Board of Trustees during its virtual board meeting on May 12.
Community members are noticing how El Monte City School District campuses – despite the absence of students during the extended dismissal – continue to beautify their neighborhoods with well-groomed fields, tidy exteriors and clean facilities. That’s because with students learning remotely, District maintenance crews have jumped at the chance to intensify their cleaning, groundskeeping and repair work often delayed until summer. The team also is assisting with grab-and-go meal distribution and even delivering meals to select students whose medical challenges make it difficult for them to pick up meals.
El Monte City School District is launching online enrollment for the 2020-21 school year, providing a simple and accessible registration process to families interested in the District’s robust TK-8 learning opportunities. Parents may begin enrollment by visiting www.emcsd.org/enrollment and clicking on one of three links – transitional kindergarten, kindergarten or grades 1-8 (for new students only) – to access and fill out registration forms.
El Monte City School District’s Nutrition Services team will be wearing 3-D printed face shields as they feed about 5,100 children each day thanks to a donation from a team at Cal State Dominguez Hills. The District received 50 of the shields after Central Kitchen and Catering Manager Liz Estavillo Valdez heard Center for Innovation in STEM Education (CISE) Director Kamal Hamdan on an April 15 radio show describing his team’s efforts to provide shields to frontline workers.
