Paramount Unified celebrated a new cosmetology program during a ribbon-cutting event at the Paramount Adult School on Oct. 11. PUSD dedicated a new building for the program, which partners with Compton College to allow students to receive college credit toward Compton’s program and ultimately become licensed cosmetologists. Photos are available
Several students, staff members, community members and alumni gathered at Monrovia High School on Friday, Oct. 26 as the library was named in honor of a former English teacher, Frank Jansson. Remarks were given by former students, while a memorial display featured remembrances and photos from a number of his students and colleagues. Jansson, who taught at Monrovia High for more than 43 years, has been lauded for connecting students to literacy. He passed away in 2003.
Abbott Elementary School will launch its Turnaround Arts: California program with a showcase of a mural at 10 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 18. Nearly 100 students and staff will “activate” exterior campus walls using a photobooth truck, black-and-white portraits and wheatpaste. Abbott was accepted this summer into the Turnaround Arts national program, which will provide teacher training, a regional coach to facilitate Abbott’s strategic arts plan and coordinated support for public arts events. Abbott is at 5260 Clark St., Lynwood.
Rio Hondo College Hires Search Firm to Guide Selection of New President Rio Hondo College’s Board of Trustees on Oct. 10 hired education-focused search firm PPL, Inc. to conduct a search for a superintendent/president to succeed leader Teresa Dreyfuss, who is departing at the end of the 2018-19 academic year. The search is expected to take about six months and cost about $31,000. Dreyfuss gave the Board advance notice of her retirement plans in August. PPL has a long history of assisting California Community Colleges in finding campus and district leaders.
The College Board has recognized 11 Bonita Unified Class of 2018 graduates and a current senior as National Advanced Placement (AP) Scholars, highlighting a successful year for the District’s AP program as it continues to increase pass rates for AP exams and the number of students attending four-year universities. Bonita High School’s graduates named as National AP Scholars include: Stephen Brod, Rachel Cheung, Cynthia Dang, Garrett Palmer, Valerie Warner, Justin Woo and Monica Wu. San Dimas High School’s students include: Cameryn Baker, Aidan Ferguson, Ahmed Hasan and Jonathan Tsai.
Luke Melkesian from Bonita High School, Naomi Pearson from Chaparral High School and Erik Vargas from San Dimas High School are the newly appointed Board of Education student representatives for the 2018-19 academic year. Melkesian, a senior at Bonita High and Associated Student Body (ASB) president, has taken seven Advanced Placement (AP) courses over the last three years. He holds a 4.25 GPA.
Bassett High English teacher Tania Neri’s class formed a line dance to ask a series of “Would you rather?” questions each time they changed partners, learning personal details about their schoolmates on the first day of school on Aug. 6.
Monrovia Unified School District students continue to improve their performance in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics on the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP), according to state data released Oct. 2. The 2018 state test scores show that 56.9 percent of students districtwide met or exceeded state standards in ELA, up from nearly 3 percent from 2016, and 41.25 percent met or exceeded state standards in math, up 3 points from 2016.
Students from Monrovia Unified’s Mayflower Elementary School and Wild Rose School of Creative Arts, along with Monrovia Police Department, will join schools from across the country to celebrate National Walk to School Day at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, October 10. Students will walk and bike to school along with parents and teachers as Monrovia police deploy to neighborhoods near schools to enforce traffic laws and remind everyone of the importance of pedestrian and bicycle safety. Students will arrive at 8 a.m. at Mayflower Elementary School, 210 N. Mayflower Ave., Monrovia, and Wild Rose School of Creative Arts, 232 Jasmine Ave., Monrovia.
The Lynwood Unified School District Board of Education has committed to better prepare students for higher education through college partnerships, improve community engagement by establishing a parent center at each school and increase access to technology for the 2018-19 school year. Board members defined their priorities as part of Lynwood’s Promise 2020 Vision during a retreat that kicked off the school year.
