El Monte High School special education teacher Raelene Felix was recently recognized with the Exceptional Special Education Teacher Award by the West San Gabriel Valley Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) consortium for her tireless advocacy on behalf of special education and for her dedication to her students’ academic and socioemotional success. Felix works with students in the Career Skills Prep Academy (CSPA), established in 2014 at El Monte High School to assist students with mild to moderate disabilities who are not on track to earn a diploma and are not meeting core standards.
Whittier Union Lauds National Merit Scholarship Commended Students
Whittier Union High School District is celebrating several students who were named Commended Students in the National Merit Scholarship Program. They are Cole Acedo, Ian Brennan, Kelvin Chong and Katelyn Nye from La Serna High School and Julia Casas from Whittier High School. National Merit Scholarship participants are selected based on how they score on their Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) scores, taken in junior year. Of the 1.6 million students who took the exam for a chance to win the prestigious $2,500 scholarship, 34,000 top scorers received a commendation and 16,000 were selected as semifinalists.
Whittier Union High School District has been selected as one of three “Bright Spot” honorees – along with Pasadena City College and Chula Vista Elementary School – by Education Trust-West for advancing equity and strengthening the pipeline to college. Bright Spot districts and college campuses demonstrate a commitment to excellence and implement strategies and practices that have led to positive outcomes for students of color, low-income students and English learners.
El Monte Union hosted a Mad City Money event on Nov. 2 at El Monte High School, providing students with the opportunity to understand business and finance through a hands-on simulation. The event allowed students to make financial mistakes as a way of helping them learn what not to do in real life. Students had a career, salary, spouse, student loan debt, credit card debt and medical insurance premiums. Students experienced unexpected windfalls and unplanned expenses, just like real life.
Bonita Unified Announces 2018-19 Student Board Representatives
Luke Melkesian from Bonita High School, Naomi Pearson from Chaparral High School and Erik Vargas from San Dimas High School are the newly appointed student board representatives for the 2018-19 academic year. All three students were sworn in at the Board of Education meeting on Oct. 3. The three seniors are active in campus clubs and sports, including the Associated Student Body.
Lynwood Unified Parents Learn to Build Bridges to Children’s Success
Lynwood Unified will help parents build bridges for their child’s success during a Family Engagement Workshop Series. The sessions will help families define their role in the growth and success of students. The series, which launched Oct. 9, will conclude at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30 at Lugo Elementary School, 4345 Pendleton Ave., Lynwood.
Monrovia High School Celebrated its 125th Anniversary at the Homecoming Football Game on October 12th. Students, alumni and community members cheered on the Wildcats as they faced off against La Canada. Clad in pink to recognize Breast Cancer Awareness month, the crowd enjoyed popular sing-along songs performed by the Monrovia High School band and joined in a chorus of “Happy Birthday” during half-time. The half-time festivities also featured a presentation of the Homecoming Court and the crowing of Homecoming King and Queen, seniors Anthony Tyus and Jessica Mejia, before culminating in a fireworks show. The Wildcats won 42-0.
Bonita Unified School District students improved their performance in English language arts (ELA) and math on the California Standards for ELA and math, according to state data released Oct. 2. The 2018 state test scores show that 70.99 percent of students Districtwide met or exceeded state standards in ELA, up 3 percentage points from 2017, and 56.19 percent met or exceeded standards in math, up 2 percentage points.
Lynwood Unified’s College Fair Inspires Students to Succeed
Lynwood Unified alumni joined college representatives to inspire students to pursue their college and career dreams during the District’s annual Alumni College Conference on Sept. 22. Keynote speaker and alumnus Rene Lozano discussed emigrating from Mexico City and becoming the first person in his family to attend college. Workshop topics included the admission process, the first-year college experience, choosing a major and career, and financial aid.
Baldwin Park Unified School District partnered with Bike San Gabriel Valley and the City of Baldwin Park to teach eighth-graders at Holland Middle and Jones Junior High schools about the importance of bike safety. Through bike safety classes held Sept. 24-25 and Sept. 26-27, students learned about traffic rules and the benefits of using active transportation, such as being physically active and reducing pollution.
