FOHI’s theatre program was recognized for its excellence in its performance and production of “She Kills Monsters” at the 2024-25 California Educational Theatre Association (CETA) High School Festival. As a group, FOHI placed fourth in CETA’s Area 2, took second in the Festival’s Second Stage Competition, and won its third Artistic Merit Award at the event. Individually, four Fontana High students: Belen Cruz Flores, Hayley Shelly King, Cielo Tule, and Susanna Medina received Adjudicator Awards at the CETA Festival, while Lillian Flanagan and Brandon Nunez came away with Director’s Awards.
Texas A&M University – Central Texas (TAMUCT) and Temple College are forging a groundbreaking partnership that will allow students to earn an associate’s and bachelor’s degree from Temple College and TAMUCT while remaining on Temple College’s campus. This initiative strengthens the bond between the two institutions and supports Caring Campus Regions, a new effort designed to connect community colleges and universities in Texas to enhance student success. Funded by the Greater Texas Foundation (GTF), this regional approach aims to link and unify institutions across the state. Texas A&M universities and feeder community colleges in the three designated regions – Central, Kingsville, and San Antonio – will support the work, ensuring students experience a seamless transition between community colleges and universities.
Now in her 12th year, Ramona Middle School music teacher Caitlin Shaw has provided the crucial link between elementary school novice singers and Bonita High School’s prestigious Concert Choir and Chamber Singers. With more than 270 students in her program, Shaw teaches singers how to harmonize, read music, and prepare for auditions and live performances. Channeling Shaw’s mentorship and guidance, 11 Ramona music students, along with three Bonita High School freshmen, have been selected to join the Southern California Vocal Association’s (SCVA) 2025 Junior High Honor Choir, underscoring the hard work and dedication that epitomize Bonita Unified’s successful and award-winning Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) programs. Ramona placed more students in the honor choir than any other Southern California school. The SCVA Junior High Honor Choir 2025 spring performance will be held at 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 3 at Portola High School in Irvine.
Willie Allen Jr., a dedicated educator and coach at Glen A. Wilson High School, was recently honored with a Community Spotlight Award by Assemblymember Lisa Calderon for his lasting contributions to the community. With 25 years of experience as a math teacher and coach, Allen Jr. has spent his career giving back to the district that shaped him – running the Wilsons Kids Summer Camp for 23 years and serving as athletic director for 15 years.
With a new principal at the helm, Chaparral Academy of Technology has embraced its "Level Up Your A-Game" theme, helping students find renewed excitement and passion for learning, and setting the stage for a dynamic school year. Chaparral Academy’s schoolwide call to level up your A-game or the five characteristic traits that start with A: altruistic, aspiring, artistic, adaptable, and achieving has not only inspired Roadrunner students but faculty and staff – or “staffulty” a term Principal Tim McCaffrey calls them.
Pioneer High School students received an opportunity to see how the real-life consequences of driving drunk, distracted, or impaired can have devastating and tragic results for their friends, family, and community during an “Every 15 Minutes” demonstration held in front of the school on March 18. The staged simulation for Pioneer High juniors and seniors – featuring the participation of the California Highway Patrol (CHP), Los Angeles County Sheriff, City of Whittier Police Dept., Los Angeles County Fire Dept., first responders, and Funeraria de Angel Pico Rivera mortuary – took the students through an entire DUI car crash scenario – the initial 911 call, the rescue of victims, a sobriety test, and the subsequent arrest of the driver.
Clad in personalized, royal blue aprons and chef hats, three Lassalette Elementary School Lunch Divas faced off against a trio of ambitious culinary teams from Mesa Robles Middle School in their quest for the tastiest entrées at the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District’s third annual Student Chef Recipe and Cookoff, held March 14 at the Willow Adult School culinary kitchen. The four teams sliced, stirred, and sautéed their way through the TV cooking show-inspired competition, racing against the clock to diligently plate at least 25 servings. The Lunch Divas came out victorious with their birria tacos, winning over the taste buds of the judges.
The Ramona Middle School Drama Society is celebrating another season of outstanding performances, earning awards and accolades at prestigious theater festivals across California in February, then returning home to stage its showstopping annual musical, “Shrek Jr.” for three performances, including a sold-out, standing-room-only show on the final night. A touring group of 24 Ramona Drama Society students traveled to Sacramento for the 2025 Junior Theatre Festival – the world’s biggest theatre festival – featuring drama programs from across the United States, as well as Canada, New Zealand, South Korea, China, and Australia. Ramona Drama Society members performed a 15-minute section from their 2024 production of “Annie, Jr.,” earning an exclusive Excellence in Ensemble award, presented to only five groups in the 55-team field. Not to be outdone, a group of 11 Ramona Drama Society students attended the Junior Thespian Festival at the Orange County School of the Arts, with seven students competing in the Solo Musical or Duet Musical categories. Ramona eighth-graders Lillian Krane and Tia Kaldas received “Superior” rankings and Judges Choice Awards in the Duet Musical category, while eighth-grader Peyton Lokar received a “Superior” ranking in the Solo Musical category.
The California League of Middle Schools (CLMS) recognized four Hacienda La Puente Unified School District schools for their exceptional contributions to academic excellence, social and emotional support, and hands-on programs that prepare students for future success. Grandview College Preparatory Academy and Sparks Middle School are among 46 California schools to be newly designated as Schools to Watch, with Newton and Orange Grove middle schools being among 44 others to be redesignated. All schools were honored during the National Schools to Watch conference from March 6 to 7.
Covina-Valley Unified School District’s Northview High School is inviting students, families, and the community to VikingFest 2025, an annual celebration highlighting the school’s exceptional programs, student achievements, and Viking pride.
