Parent volunteers are helping keep Lynwood Unified schools safe through the Burning Calories and Crime program. Volunteers walk campuses in groups to ensure safety while promoting health and fitness. For more information, or to volunteer, contact the District’s Student Services department.
State test scores at two El Monte City School District campuses have soared by as much as 20 percentage points after educators devised innovative ways to share student performance data and refine lesson plans. Cherrylee and Wright School administrators attribute the four-year growth in standardized math and English language arts scores to Professional Learning Communities, which bring teachers together to track the academic and social-emotional progress of students.
Jurupa Hills High School senior Maya Martinez will pursue her dream of attending an elite Ivy League college thanks to a four-year QuestBridge National College Match scholarship to Brown University, where she will study mathematics. Martinez, who has a 4.4 GPA, was one of 1,127 students nationwide to receive a full-ride QuestBridge scholarship. She is the first Jurupa Hills student in four years to be selected for the honor.
Early Childhood Education hosted a literacy event on Dec. 20 in all ECE classrooms that sent each child home for the holiday break with a new book. Parents and students made crafts and sang seasonal songs before each child selected a book of their choice to develop their home library.
Seventy-five Bonita Unified School District students received new pairs of brand-name shoes as the centerpiece of a holiday gift basket created by the District in partnership with Sempra Energy and Claremont nonprofit Shoes That Fit. The baskets are filled with toys donated through the District’s annual toy drive, led by Lone Hill Middle School campus supervisor Cyndy Starkey.
Shirpser School third-grade teacher Jose Espinoza has received a Bobby Salcedo Esperanza Award from the El Monte Promise Foundation for inspiring students to be their best selves, providing in-depth assistance to struggling students, relaying the importance of higher education and offering a friendly face for students in need of support.
Baldwin Park Unified is adding five electric buses to its school bus fleet – with the first three arriving Dec. 20 – thanks to a $1.8 million California Energy Commission grant. The grant will cover the cost of charging stations and the vehicles, which replace five diesel-powered buses. These upgrades will help to improve air quality and increase the use of renewable fuels in the community.
Inglewood High School alum Daniel ‘D Smoke’ Farris is making major waves in the music industry and inspiring the community around him. The champion of Netflix’s “Rhythm + Flow,” Farris has recently released a project titled The “Inglewood High EP” and will make a guest appearance at Inglewood High’s Winter Concert in January.
Charles G. Emery School has been named a California Distinguished School, joining the ranks of 323 elementary schools that received the award on Dec. 18. Emery School was recognized for its Balanced Literacy program, which encourages students to develop a love of reading. The effort has boosted English language arts state test scores.
A record-setting five El Monte City School District schools have been named California Distinguished Schools, celebrating the District’s overall excellence and superb growth in academics, state test scores and community outreach initiatives. El Monte City School District is one of just nine school districts to receive more than five awards in 2019 – and by far the smallest District to secure the achievement.