California High School Health Academy coordinator and science teacher Laurie Thomas has devoted four decades of her life to inspiring students through hands-on learning, critical thinking, and unwavering support – earning her the title of Whittier Union High School District’s (WUHSD) 2025 Teacher of the Year. Thomas has taught at WUHSD for 25 years, beginning her journey at California High as a physics teacher. Motivated by a desire to help a friend in need, she briefly stepped away from the classroom to attend nursing school, becoming a registered nurse in 2006. When she returned to Whittier Union, Thomas was invited to lead the school’s Health Academy.
From her childhood days of teaching Cabbage Patch Kids to more than two decades of inspiring students in English and theatre at Marco Antonio Firebaugh High School, Kathleen Thomas Butiu has always been driven by a love for education. Lynwood Unified School District named Thomas Butiu its 2024-25 Teacher of the Year on May 8, recognizing her exceptional teaching, community involvement and dedication to student-centered learning.
Seventy-five Summit High School students are headed to New York for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase their musical talents on the iconic Carnegie Hall stage, after the school’s Fortepiano String Orchestra earned an invitation to perform at the prestigious National Band and Orchestra Festival in April 2026. Summit High is one of nine high schools or colleges nationwide selected to perform at the festival. The invitation-only event is coordinated by WorldStrides, an educational travel and experience provider that offers immersive learning opportunities. This will mark Summit High’s second appearance at the event after first qualifying in 2019.
Upland Unified School District is hosting its 15th annual Fusion Fest, a celebration of student creativity, learning, and achievement across all grade levels. The event will showcase the talents of students from the District’s ten elementary schools, two junior highs, and both comprehensive and continuation high schools. Attendees will enjoy a wide array of student work spanning visual and performing arts, career technical education programs, and, for the first time, engaging science demonstrations – all led by students.
Covina High School senior Titilola (Lola) Opanubi is preparing to take the next step in her academic journey this fall at the University of Pennsylvania (UPENN), paved by her deep commitment to academic excellence, social impact, and student leadership. Opanubi’s acceptance to UPENN continues a tradition of Ivy League success at Covina High School – a legacy of academic excellence that has spanned the past three years. Driven by a desire to uplift her community, Opanubi has spent her high school years leading and giving back. Through a voluntary Social Impact Project with Close the Gap Foundation, she worked to increase awareness of college access programs, such as “fly-in” opportunities and internships. Opanubi also serves as finance director for IgniteHER, a nonprofit focused on empowering the next generation of young female leaders.
Led by Chaparral Academy of Technology (CHAT) Principal Tim McCaffrey and buoyed by chants of “Show Us CHAT,” the school officially revealed its Epic Campus makeover, which has transformed the elementary school’s culture and climate, on May 13. Standing atop the school’s rooftop, Fontana Unified School District (FUSD) maintenance workers dramatically pulled away plastic tarps to unveil a series of newly-rebranded teal and purple Roadrunner mascots casting watchful eyes over the school and surrounding neighborhood, while faculty, staff, scholars, and parents cheered. Earlier this school year, Jostens Renaissance named Chaparral Academy the grand-prize winner of its second annual Epic School Revamp Contest. The win came with a $150,000 prize package that included a full campus rebrand.
Upland High School concluded its spring sports season with the unveiling of a new, state-of-the-art multi-sports athletic complex, a transformative addition designed to elevate the school’s athletic programs, support the performing arts, and foster greater school spirit and community pride. The newly completed space features artificial turf baseball and football fields, a high-tech scoreboard and sound system, and lighted batting cages. It will directly serve student-athletes in baseball, golf, and flag football, while also supporting practices for other sports and accommodating color guard and percussion rehearsals. Physical education classes will also benefit from use of the modernized facilities.
Upland Junior High School has been honored as a Recognized American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Model Program (RAMP) by ASCA – an achievement that reflects the school’s unwavering commitment to ensuring every student has access to the resources, guidance, and support needed to thrive. This national recognition is the culmination of a rigorous three-year process in which Upland Junior High demonstrated the strength of its comprehensive, data-driven counseling program and its positive impact on student outcomes. This school year, only 190 schools across 29 states received the prestigious RAMP designation.
El Monte Union High School District will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the grand opening of El Monte High School’s newly renovated track and field facility. The upgraded space features a new synthetic track and field, a new scoreboard, and additional site improvements.
Five colleges and universities have become the first in the nation to earn Caring Campus Certification, a recognition that highlights their efforts to foster a campus culture centered on connection, compassion, and support for all students. Caring Campus Certification honors institutions that go beyond simple implementation, taking intentional steps to embed Caring Campus practices into the fabric of their campus operations and culture. Data shows that when students feel cared for and connected, they persevere and succeed at higher rates. Hartnell College in Salinas, Calif., Ranger College in Ranger, Texas, and Mission College in Santa Clara, Calif., each earned silver certification, while Texas A&M University - Kingsville in Kingsville, Texas, and Los Angeles Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., were awarded bronze certification.
