Six members of the Henry J. Kaiser High School Catamount Pride Band and Color Guard, a member of the Jurupa Hills High School Marching Spartans Band, a Wayne Ruble Middle School student and three Southridge Tech Middle School students have been selected to perform at the San Bernardino Basin Honor Band Concert at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1 at the University of Redlands Memorial Chapel, 1220 E. Colton Ave., Redlands.
Fontana Unified will conclude its 22nd annual Fontana Santas Toy Drive with the District’s third annual holiday breakfast and community event on Saturday, Dec. 21 at Henry J. Kaiser High School, 11155 Almond Ave., Fontana. Families will enjoy a pancake breakfast, family-friendly games and pictures with Santa. Fontana Santas is an effort by Fontana Unified, Fontana School police and community partners to provide gifts to FUSD families in need.
Lynwood Unified has increased its District graduation rate by more than 6 percentage points through programs that focus on college and career success and build on the achievement culture of the District. Lynwood Unified’s graduation rate has surged to 90.8 percent for the 2018-19 school year, up from 84.6 the previous year, according to recently released California data.
Pioneer High School students cheered loudly during a recent math competition that pitted Pioneer calculus students against Whittier College math majors, a contest that saw the high school math whizzes triumph over their collegiate peers. The academic competition, dubbed the Derivative Bee, is now in its second year and was created by Dallas DeHart, a Whittier College senior and 2016 Pioneer High graduate. DeHart – who is the daughter of Pioneer math teacher and Whittier Union 2019-20 Teacher of the Year Carolina DeHart – is also president of the college’s math club.
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, and the first Jurupa Hills student in four years to be selected for the honor.
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 (ELA) scores to Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), which bring teachers together to track the academic and social-emotional progress of students.
El Monte Union and the City of El Monte are inviting the community to celebrate El Monte High School’s historic CIF State Division 5-AA Football Championship victory with a parade and rally honoring the team. This is El Monte High’s second CIF championship since 1930 when it won its first state title. El Monte High School’s football traveled over 700 miles to take on Crescent City’s Del Norte High School on Dec. 14, delivering a resounding 32-7 win to finish their season 16-0. El Monte High’s amazing season includes winning the 2019 Mission Valley League Football, CIF-SS Division 12 and CIF State Regional championships.
Eight Whittier Union students have been selected to join the Pasadena City College Honor Band and perform in the 131st Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year’s Day 2020. Marching in every Rose Parade since 1930, the band consists of PCC Lancer Marching Band members and exceptional high school musicians auditioned from throughout Southern California. Over 600 high school students audition each year for the 200-plus spots in the band, pageantry and Herald Trumpets.
For 30 years, Shirpser School third-grade teacher Jose Espinoza has inspired his 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 social-emotional support. Those years of persistent excellence have earned him a Bobby Salcedo Esperanza Award, an honor given to outstanding educators who exemplify tireless commitment to education, including mentoring students and inspiring them to pursue a college education.
Bonita Unified’s Board of Education held its annual reorganization meeting Dec. 11, selecting new leaders for the coming year. The board chose Glenn Creiman as president, Matthew Lyons as vice president and Chuck Coyne as clerk. Derek Bahmanou and Diane Koach round out the board.