Rio Hondo College Superintendent/President Teresa Dreyfuss has been named a 2019 Distinguished Woman of the Year for the 57th Assembly District in recognition of her contributions to the community. Assembly Majority Leader Ian C. Calderon, who represents the 57th District, honored 10 distinguished women during a March 28 event at The Clarke Estate in Santa Fe Springs.
Angelica De La Rosa, who had enrolled in Rio Hondo College after high school only to be declared academically ineligible due to poor grades, returned with a plan.
Baldwin Park High School students who are undecided on what path to take after graduation received information and advice from dozens of college recruiters and potential employers during the school’s annual College and Career Fair on March 28.
Santa Fe High School hosted a two-day “Every 15 Minutes” program using a trio of techniques to bring home the dangers of drinking and driving: a graphic staging of a deadly drunk-driving crash, students randomly pulled from classes to represent lives lost to drunk driving and a mock funeral service on April 3 and 4.
Two Whittier Union schools have been designated as AVID Schoolwide Sites of Distinction. Pioneer and Santa Fe high schools – both of which are National AVID Demonstration Schools ¬– were recognized for demonstrating outstanding commitment to their students by ensuring equity and opportunity for all students, providing rigorous academic opportunities and implementing superb instructional practices across both schools.
Fontana Unified students with special needs raced to the finish line, launched softballs across the field and cooled off with a water balloon toss on May 13 during the seventh annual Splash and Dash at Henry J. Kaiser High School. Splash and Dash – one of the largest district special education events in California – brought together students from Kaiser’s general education program and FUSD’s middle and high school special education programs for a day of friendly competition and healthy activities.
San Gabriel Unified’s Del Mar High School will advance seven students to the History Day California competition, to be held Friday, May 10 to Sunday, May 12, after earning top scores at History Day L.A. on March 9. Del Mar – the only continuation school to compete in the regional competition – swept four categories with projects highlighting redlining, a process of injustice and discrimination that prevented people of color from buying houses.
Several Whittier Union High School District schools have been honored for achieving high academic growth, with students consistently making academic gains faster than similar students at similar schools. Pioneer High School was honored with the CORE Districts' Academic Growth Award for achieving three years of success in math. California, Santa Fe and Whittier high schools were honored with High Impact Badges for their success in English language arts (Cal) and math (Santa Fe, Whittier).
Orangewood Elementary School students showcased their science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills to parents and community members during a coding and robotics expo on April 4. After a coding demonstration for families, students squared off in a friendly robotics competition. Orangewood Elementary prepares students for lifelong success through the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme, which includes weekly STEM instruction.
San Gabriel Unified’s Gabrielino High School will advance 31 students to the California High School Speech Association state tournament, held Friday, May 3 to Sunday, May 5 at Cal State Long Beach. The program is among the school’s winningest and recently captured its 22nd consecutive league championship.