Southridge Tech Middle School has been redesignated as a Microsoft Showcase School, reaffirming the school’s commitment to providing its students with access to digital platforms and bridging the technology gap. Southridge Tech was first designated in 2018. Southridge Tech is one of just three schools in California and 30 schools across the United States to receive the designation in 2023, joining a global network of schools from Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America, and Australia.
Río Hondo College secured high rankings in the Hispanic Outlook on Education Magazine’s Top 100 Colleges and Universities for Hispanics list. Based on the latest data from the federal NCES Integrated Post-Secondary Education System, Río Hondo College ranked 25th among both two-year and four-year institutions with a total enrollment of 17,677 Hispanic/Latinx students, which was the ninth most among two-year schools in the 2021-22 school year. Río Hondo College also ranked 17th with 1,885 total associate degrees granted to Hispanic/Latinx students. Additionally, the College’s family and consumer sciences/human sciences degrees major ranked fifth among two-year and four-year institutions with 141 total degrees granted to Hispanic/Latinx students.
Before Frontier High School senior David Arias could pursue an academic journey of self-realization and dedication, he had to confront his biggest nemesis – procrastination. Failure to follow through on his class assignments at his home school put Arias a full year behind his peers, jeopardizing his chances to graduate. Transferring to Frontier as a sophomore, Arias found that the school’s smaller class sizes inspired him to work harder and more efficiently, and he earned more credits in his first semester at Frontier than he had in his first three semesters at his home school. Establishing a positive connection with teachers, Arias found a love for writing and storytelling. In his junior year, Arias submitted an essay to the statewide California Continuation Education Association (CCEA) conference, earning second place in the state. Reading his essay before family, Frontier staff and educators from across California at the conference, Arias received a standing ovation.
The Río Hondo College men’s and women’s soccer teams have qualified for the California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A) Southern California Regional and will open the state tournament on the road with first-round matchups. The Roadrunner women’s team enter as the 12th seed in the SoCal Regional and will face fifth-seeded Santa Barbara City College, while the men’s team qualified as the No. 13 seed and will face fourth-seeded Santa Monica College.
Middle school students from across Covina-Valley Unified School District came together for an enriching session on etiquette principles and table manners on Nov. 4. The event culminated in a wonderful family brunch, where students showcased their new skills. The etiquette workshop provided students with essential skills for excelling in various social situations. Thirty-eight students from Traweek, Sierra Vista, and Las Palmas middle schools participated, gaining a thorough understanding of key dining etiquette practices.
Shortly after returning to the Tournament of Roses Parade following a 30-year hiatus, Bonita Unified band director Kelly Leyva will march in another iconic holiday parade when she joins the Band Directors Marching Band in New York to perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade® on Thursday, Nov. 23. With a theme of “America’s band directors, we teach music, we teach life,” the Band Directors Marching Band follows up its inaugural appearance in the 2022 Tournament of Roses Parade with an expanded lineup that includes 400 band directors from across the country, representing every state in the union. Leyva will once again play mellophone with the band, as she did in the Tournament of Roses Parade. Now in her 15th year at Bonita Unified, Leyva serves as band director at Lone Hill Middle School and teaches introductory band at four elementary schools.
Lynwood Unified Launches Intramural Sports Program
Lynwood Unified's elementary and middle school students will not have to wait until high school to play team sports. In partnership with Think Together, the District is launching an intramural sports program, which will allow elementary and middle school students in grades four to eight to play such sports as flag football, basketball, volleyball and more in league and tournament competitions.
La Serna High School students received a crash course in money management during “Bite of Reality,” an event held on Nov. 8 as part of the school’s Financial Wellness Program that saw nearly 250 La Serna students participate in an interactive financial education simulation designed to teach them how to budget their money as adults. Using the Bite of Reality phone app, students were randomly assigned virtual personas, which provided them jobs, salaries and families, as well as debts from sources such as student loans and credit cards. Students then went “shopping” to find out how much various necessities – like housing, clothing, food and daycare – would cost them annually. The goal for students was to finish their assignment with zero debt. Bite of Reality is a service provided by CU SoCal’s Business and Community Development department.
Río Hondo College Volleyball Wins Conference, Set for Playoff Run
Río Hondo College women’s volleyball team is celebrating its 2023 South Coast Conference (SCC) championship, which secured the College’s first conference title since 1995 with a dominant performance that spanned the entire regular season. The Roadrunners, who saw seven individuals earn All-SCC honors, ended the regular season with a 20-4 overall record and 15-1 run through the SCC. The team will play its first playoff game at home at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 21 against Moorpark College in the California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A) Southern California Regional. Río Hondo College is located at 3600 Workman Mill Rd., Whittier.
Río Hondo College Soccer Teams Set to Open State Tournament
Both Río Hondo College men’s and women’s soccer teams have qualified for the California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A) Southern California Regional and will open the state tournament on the road with first-round matchups on Saturday, Nov. 18. The Roadrunner women will face fifth-seeded Santa Barbara City College at La Playa Stadium at 1 p.m., and Río Hondo College’s men will take on fourth-seeded Santa Monica College in Corsair Stadium at 4 p.m. La Playa Stadium is located at 721 Cliff Dr., Santa Barbara, and Corsair Stadium is located at 1900 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica.
