Rio Hondo Elementary School fifth-grader Nicole Orozco said playing the sassy marionette Pinocchio in her school’s production of “Shrek Jr.” boosted her confidence in public speaking and allowed her to make new friends across several grade levels. El Monte City School District’s musical theater showcase features 11 of its schools putting on performances of popular works such as “Hairspray,” “Mary Poppins” and “Beauty and the Beast.”
West Covina Unified Names 2018-19 District Teacher of the Year
West Covina Unified administrators surprised Orangewood Elementary teacher Karla Toledo with flowers and balloons on April 30 to announce her selection as the WCUSD 2018-19 Teacher of the Year. Toledo teaches kindergarten in Orangewood’s highly popular Spanish Dual Language Immersion program.
Sierra Vista High School senior Abrahan Vasquez will study biology at Claremont McKenna College this fall after earning a 2019 Gates Scholarship, an all-expense paid award given to just 300 students across the country. Vasquez, president of the school’s National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) club, was accepted to 11 universities, including USC and UCLA.
Fontana Unified School District showcased student excellence, touted award-winning schools and programs and announced two major projects at the 2019 State of the District scholarship breakfast on April 23 at Center Stage Theater. During a keynote address, Superintendent Randal S. Bassett announced the District’s two newest projects to propel the District forward: an innovative secondary school that will feature a museum and community science center; and a 1:1 tech device initiative that ensures every student has access to a laptop or tech device in the classroom.
Roosevelt Elementary transformed the San Gabriel Library into a music festival on April 27 with dance routines to “Footloose” and “Thriller,” a raucous Mariachi performance of “La Bamba” and a rock band rendition of “Earth Angel” during the fourth annual Music Immersion Experience (MIE) Unity Fest. Unity Fest was created by MIE coordinator Samantha Theisen and staff as a way to highlight the impact of music to the community and showcase MIE elective courses, which include handbell choir, ukulele, Orff percussion, camerata, drumline, Mariachi band and folkloric dance.
Buena Park School District’s Gordon H. Beatty School has been named a candidate school for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme, which lays a foundation to nurture and develop young students into caring, active participants for a lifelong journey of learning.
Washington Elementary students delighted parents and community members with vibrant self-portraits, lively musical performances and art demonstrations during the 10th annual ArtFest on April 26. ArtFest, a PTA-supported celebration of student talent and creative expression, transformed the school’s cafeteria into an art gallery showcasing still life paintings and multimedia projects alongside family-friendly art activities led by professional artists and Washington teachers.
Jurupa Hills High School senior Kaitlyn Dodgen – an International Baccalaureate Class of 2019 Diploma Candidate – has been recognized as a 2019 Gates Scholar by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, one of just 300 students across the United States to receive the honor. Dodgen, who has a 4.6 GPA, was accepted into more than a dozen colleges, including two Ivy League schools, and will attend the University of Chicago to study statistics. The university has an acceptance rate of less than 10 percent.
Bonita Unified culinary arts students cooked up a recipe for success during the 2019 California ProStart Cup, with four student teams earning accolades and scholarships ranging from $3,000 to $6,000 for their kitchen, management and innovation skills. The ProStart Cup, held March 15-16 at the Sheraton Fairplex Hotel & Conference Center, brought more than 200 students from across California to compete in three contests: the Wurstkuche Innovation Cup, the BJ’s Restaurant Culinary Cup and the BJ’s Restaurant Management Cup.
Buena Park Junior High School seventh-grader Ricardo Estrada said he loved learning about the life cycles of insects and their effect on local flora and fauna as a result of working on his school’s student-run native habitat garden. The school’s garden was installed in December 2017 and has been maintained by horticulture students, as they learn about the various plants that thrive in California and how they benefit the environment. The upkeep is done by seventh and eighth grade students in the horticulture program, overseen by electives teacher Shelley Andros.
