Emery School fourth-grader Apollo Meneses was the picture of determination as he orated the Greek legend of Adonis, complete with sound effects, to a cheering crowd during Buena Park School District’s inaugural Speech Tournament, held Nov. 16 at Whitaker School. Meneses said he practiced in front of his mother, in front of the mirror and even while he was supposed to be focusing on other work.
After reviewing feedback from more than 400 community members during townhall sessions, Buena Park School District will adjust enrollment boundaries and reconfigure two schools in an effort to balance attendance, strengthen TK-8 pathways and boost program offerings. The unanimous decision, made Dec. 2, will add sixth grade to Buena Park Junior High, turning the campus into a middle school in fall 2020. In addition, Beatty Elementary will be restored to its originally intended use as a middle school, providing greater program depth for students in grades six through eight across the District.
Río Hondo College is now enrolling students for its Homeland Security Program, a cutting-edge discipline that will teach students the latest skills and techniques for preparing themselves, their families and their community to respond to natural hazards and acts of terrorism. Rio Hondo College offers a Certificate of Achievement and Associate of Science in the discipline. Spring semester begins Saturday, Jan. 25.
Randall Pepper Elementary School’s international robotics success will be celebrated community wide on Dec. 14, when robotics students, coaches and administrators serve as the grand marshals in the 2019 Fontana Christmas Parade. Randall Pepper Elementary students Heydi Pena, Mariah Torres-Osborne-Lewis, Daisy Santiago and Anthony Cuamatzi will lead the parade of floats and community groups, joined by coaches Alice Strout and Jeff Rich, Principal Dr. Annette Beasley and Assistant Principal Theresa Gomez.
By the time California High senior Denisse Palominos arrives to campus for zero period at 7:20 a.m., she has already prepared her three younger siblings for school while her mother departs for work in Downtown Los Angeles at 6 a.m. For Palominos – who maintains a 4.1 GPA and is captain the Cal High volleyball team – taking responsibility for the care of others while balancing a full schedule of classes and extracurricular activities comes naturally, earning her respect from classmates, teachers and administrators alike for her cheerful demeanor and leadership skills.
Nearly 180 El Monte City School District students in grades three through eight achieved the highest possible scores on state standardized tests for English language arts (ELA) or math taken in spring 2019, according to recently released state data. They were honored at the District’s Board of Education meeting on Nov. 12.
Rosa Parks Elementary School parent Erica Rodarte remembers how her busy parents were sometimes unable to attend school events and has vowed to participate in the school functions of her three children – including the District’s celebration on Nov. 21 of National Parent Involvement Day. Hundreds of Lynwood Unified parents and guardians received curbside coffee and were treated to student presentations and performances across the District on the special day, which presented a variety of involvement opportunities.
Corey School students are learning to sing, dance and appreciate symphonic music with aid from Disney dance and vocal coaches through a Disney Musicals in Schools grant and from professional symphonic musicians through the Frieda Belinfante Class Act Program. These new offerings are part of the school's revamped visual and performing arts program.
Thurgood Marshall Elementary School fourth- and fifth-grade students shared stories of struggle, hope and triumph during two emotionally charged dramatic performances staged Nov. 15 as part of Lynwood Unified’s Building Relationships and Inspiring Dialogue through Global Exchange (BRIDGE) Theatre Project. The two student-written plays – “Career Day” and “Lemonade Powder” – were received with ovations by parents and fellow students. The plays were followed by a community dance performance that celebrated multiculturalism.
Students at Whitaker School are acting out voice over dialogue, editing video and audio files and writing scripts to prepare themselves for digital media careers thanks to the school’s Story Maker academic initiative. Story Maker, which was introduced at the start of the 2019-20 school year, is an element of the school’s development into a Communications and Media Arts Academy. Story Maker teaches fourth- and fifth-graders to use digital media equipment and applications such as Vimeo and Audacity for video hosting and audio editing.
