Fontana Unified School District students and staff from Summit and A.B. Miller high schools will partner with students in Baldwin Park High School’s sports media club to share best practices and mentorship in preparation for BPHS’ launch of a news broadcast, the Braves Sports Network. Summit and A.B. Miller students will share filming and editing techniques they have learned through their schools’ career technical education pathways in TV/film and video production.
LUSD Board Reorganizes, Celebrates School Board Recognition Month
Lynwood Unified School District welcomed Board of Education members to new leadership positions at its annual reorganization meeting on Dec. 14, setting the stage for another year of exemplary leadership. Maria G. Lopez was selected to serve as Board president, succeeding Alfonso Morales; Alma Carina Castro was selected as vice president and Julian Del Real-Calleros as clerk. Morales and Gary Hardie, Jr. will continue as Board members. Throughout January, the District will continue to celebrate Board members for their dedicated service and commitment as part of School Board Recognition Month.
Hacienda La Puente Highlights Community During State of the District
Hacienda La Puente Unified will showcase a year of growth, success, and the importance of community during its 9th Annual State of the District at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 18 at the Hacienda Heights Community Center. Hosted by HLPUSD Superintendent Dr. Alfonso Jiménez, the State of the District will highlight the past year’s accomplishments with a comprehensive presentation and high-spirited showcase video. The Hacienda Heights Community Center is located at 1234 Valencia Ave., Hacienda Heights.
Arroyo High School sophomore Richard Cobian will showcase his talents in saber fencing – and seek to inspire others in his community to develop a love for the sport – when he competes against elite fencers from across the country at the 2024 USA Fencing Junior Olympics in February. Cobian earned his spot at the Junior Olympics after winning a gold medal during the qualifier in December. Cobian started fencing when he was a fifth-grader at Río Hondo Elementary School, which was close to his studio, the West Coast Fencing Academy. Cobian specializes in the saber category – one of three disciplines in modern fencing, which are saber, foil and épée, with each specialty using a different kind of blade and set of rules.
Summit High School senior Imran Chaudhery’s passion for robotics has not only taught him important life skills, lessons and shaped his goals for the future, but taken him around the world – with his latest stop coming at the 2023 World Robotics Olympiad in Panama. Chaudhery joined a robotics team outside of school and began earning team victories at numerous competitions. He previously earned a spot in the World Robotics Olympiad Friendship Tournament in Denmark in 2019. Chaudhery and his teammates represented America again at the 2023 World Robotics Olympiad, which was held in November.
Seven graduates from El Monte Union High School District’s Adult Transition Program were celebrated with joy and applause for their academic accomplishments and successes during a winter commencement ceremony held on Dec. 21. In the presence of families, friends, the Board of Trustees, and District administrators and staff, the ceremony showcased heartfelt moments as graduates Jolin Duong, Gabriel Escobar, Edgar Valdez, Edwin Huaracha-Campos, Andrea Montano, Dominiak Morrow, and Fatima Santellan walked across the stage to receive their certificates of completion.
A.B. Miller High School Class of 2023 graduate Nathan Aguilar was named one of 50th District Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes’ 2023 “30 Under 30” recipients, honoring the initiative he displayed in becoming A.B. Miller’s first aviation student to earn his private pilot’s license. The recognition honors 30 residents under the age of 30 from California’s 50th District – which includes Fontana – for their dedication, innovation and service. Aguilar was recognized along with his peers at the seventh annual “30 Under 30” ceremony, which was hosted by Reyes at the Esri campus in Redlands.
When Bonita High School senior Randy Gershman received an email inviting him to perform in the London New Year’s Day Parade, he doubted its legitimacy. His skepticism turned to surprise, then joy, upon learning this rare opportunity was real, earned after his success at the California State Drum Major Championships earlier this year. Gershman will march in the parade through the West End of London on Jan. 1, 2024, performing a routine with four other drum majors.
Members from across the Fontana Unified community, including staff, students and elected dignitaries, gathered at Randall Pepper Elementary on Dec. 15 for the dedication of the O’Day Short Family Unity Garden that will serve as a living symbol of the District’s ongoing commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. The O’Day Short Family Unity Garden commemorates the lives of O’Day, Helen, Carol Ann and Barry Short. The family is remembered for breaking Fontana’s color barrier in 1945. All four members of the African American family died after their house burst into flames on Dec. 16, 1945, and Randall Pepper Elementary was later built on the site in 1950.
Fontana Unified students, staff and community members loaded up cars with gifts of toys, food and information on community resources during the District’s annual Fontana Santas event on Dec. 16. Fontana Santas began in 1997 when the Fontana School Police Department learned a Fontana boy ran away from home after Christmas because he did not receive any presents. Since then, the Fontana School Police Department and Fontana Unified employees have collected toys and donations from local organizations and delivered them to families in need during the holidays, creating a treasured tradition that has provided toys to thousands of Fontana Unified students over the last 26 years.
