Firebaugh High School students delivered more than 1,000 Thanksgiving packages full of food and supplies to Los Angeles homeless shelters on Nov. 22. Students collected food and personal hygiene items to prepare the packages as part of the school’s Helping Hands community service club. The items were taken to the Midnight Mission, 601 San Pedro St., Los Angeles, and handed out to homeless in the nearby Los Angeles area.
Lynwood Unified community members voted on Nov. 6 to re-elect Board of Education President Alfonso Morales and Vice President Alma-Delia Renteria.
The transition from middle to high school can be difficult for students who are having trouble acclimating to the intensified academic rigor. Sierra Vista High School, Whittier Union’s independent study campus, provides a bridge for these students through the Freshman Fresh Start program. Launched in 2013, Freshman Fresh Start is designed to support ninth-graders who are behind in credits, have poor attendance or need one-on-one teacher support. The result for many Sierra Vista freshmen is better social skills, better grades, a restoration of confidence and new friends.
Baldwin Park Unified Teacher to be Honored by Los Angeles Clippers
Sierra Vista High School English language arts teacher Nora Franco will be honored in February as part of the Los Angeles Clippers Teacher Appreciation Program, which recognizes exceptional educators for their stand-out work. Franco, who is known for cultivating a culture of high-achievement for her students and colleagues, will be recognized during an on-court presentation prior to the Clippers’ home game against the Phoenix Suns
San Gabriel Unified Students Raise Funds for Peer Battling Cancer
Roosevelt Elementary fourth-graders honed their business skills during a Start-Up Summit, in which students applied for business licenses and designed, created and sold products to their peers, parents and community members. Students donated all funds raised to a Roosevelt fifth-grader who is battling cancer.
El Monte Union High School District unveiled the Bobby Salcedo Student Union on Jan. 23 at Mountain View High School. The 30,000-square-foot facility – named for former Mountain View High student, teacher and administrator Agustin Roberto "Bobby" Salcedo – houses a cafeteria, ASB offices and a student store.
Monrovia Unified will host a Code to the Future Epic Build Showcase from 8:15 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 16 at Plymouth Elementary School, 1300 Boley St., Monrovia. Parents are invited to experience how Plymouth transforms learning through computer science. After a brief presentation, classrooms will be open for tours. Students will demonstrate coding projects and explain the process it took to complete each assignment.
Bonita Unified’s High School Presents “Guys and Dolls”
Bonita Unified’s Bonita High School will perform the popular musical “Guys and Dolls” from Thursday, Nov. 15 through Saturday, Nov. 17. Tickets are $15 for students with an ASB card, $17 for students without an ASB card and $20 for adults. For the first time, Bonita High School’s band will perform alongside the drama department for the musical production.
San Gabriel Unified’s Gabrielino High School held its second Mental Health Awareness Day of the year on Nov. 15, educating students and staff about anxiety and stress management. Students engaged in mindfulness activities and viewed “Angst,” a film and virtual reality experience exploring the causes of anxiety and highlighting options for handling the condition.
Columbia School seventh-grader Nohelia Vega is a natural tinkerer – she likes to build things and dreams of a career in engineering because she wants to use math and science to solve the world’s problems. When Vega learned that she could study engineering and coding through El Monte City School District’s new robotics program, she saw it as a perfect pathway to her career goals. The robotics program, which is part of the District’s Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program, was launched in January by GATE lead teacher Cynthia Diaz.
