Baldwin Park and Sierra Vista high schools will host an annual District Band Night at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15 to showcase the exceptional talent and skills acquired over the course of the year. The event will be held at Baldwin Park High School’s Ted K. Gorell Football Stadium, 3900 Puente Ave., Baldwin Park.
El Monte City School District students assembled colorful creations, tested touch sensors and programmed light-up emojis on battery packs during a series of Lego Spike Prime robot demonstrations on Nov. 7 and 8. District teachers and students were among the first in the nation to test the unreleased Lego Spike Prime robot kits as part of a partnership with Lego that provides regular training and support for El Monte City teachers and students on new robotics technology.
Plymouth Elementary School students will show off their coding projects during a Code to the Future Epic Build Showcase. Visitors are invited to tour classrooms to learn about coding and celebrate the school’s focus on incorporating coding as a second language. For Plymouth’s Mandarin students, coding can become a third language.
Río Hondo College’s Extended Opportunity Programs & Services (EOP&S) will hold a 50th anniversary celebration from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14 at the Campus Inn for the program that helps historically underrepresented college students achieve their educational goals. EOP&S, launched by Senate Bill 164 in 1969 as part of the Civil Rights Movement, is considered the original equity program of the California Community Colleges. It provides academic, financial and personal support for low-income students whose educational and socio-economic situations might otherwise prevent them from achieving their higher education goals.
Rio Hondo Elementary students presented veterans with letters of thanks and hand-drawn posters, performed a swing-dance routine and recited poetry during a special celebratory assembly on Nov. 8. Veterans from World War II and the Vietnam War, and veterans representing the Coast Guard, Navy, Army and Air Force gave speeches and shared their gratitude with the El Monte City School District and Rio Hondo Elementary for hosting the celebration.
Southridge Tech Middle School science teacher Pamela Matea has earned recognition as a UC Davis C-STEM Teacher of the Year for smoothly integrating computer coding into science, technology, engineering and mathematics (C-STEM) subjects. Matea received the honor at the ninth annual Conference on Integrated Computing and STEM Education, held in November at UC Davis.
El Monte City School District families raced around a bike track, played carnival games and roamed a lush, green field during the opening of Jeff Seymour Family Center’s outdoor recreation area on Oct. 26. The Jeff Seymour Family Center celebrated the unveiling of its new pump track, which is a bike trail populated with wooden ramps and dirt hills, and recreation area with an afternoon of games, music and food for guests.
Students at the Chaparral Academy of Technology, one of Fontana Unified’s two Code to the Future schools, showcased their coding and robotics prowess during an Epic Build Showcase on Nov. 7. Chaparral became a Code to the Future School in fall 2018, providing K-5 students with immersive computer science curriculum that teaches block coding, robotics and scripted coding skills.
The Credit Union of Southern California, a longtime supporter of La Serna High School’s life-changing intervention program, OASIS, has launched a $50,000 endowment to ensure students in the program find enduring success after graduation. CEO Dave Gunderson and Executive Vice President Eric Day have provided thousands of dollars in scholarships over the years to students in La Serna’s Organized Academic Support in School (OASIS) program, which motivates students who are underperforming to earn higher GPAs and graduate high school. They will regularly contribute to the endowment, with the funds going toward scholarships as well as tools to ensure OASIS students have the support necessary for successful futures.
Inglewood Unified introduced new cabinet members Hedieh Khajavi, chief human resources officer, and Dr. Bernadette C. Lucas, chief academic officer, at its Nov. 6 Board of Trustees meeting. Khajavi brings 18 years of experience in K-12 human resources. Lucas brings more than 28 years of experience in education and most recently served as the director of technology for Beverly Hills Unified.