Roynon Elementary School students crowded around the garden bed with rakes, shovels and hoes, breaking up dirt clods, pulling up weeds and roots, and expelling invasive species like grubs. Meeting every Tuesday after school, the students are proudly upholding a grand tradition at the school: the ongoing and successful Roynon Beautification Project. With nine garden beds to work with, Roynon student volunteers – nearly always accompanied by peers from Oak Mesa and La Verne Heights elementary schools, as well as Ramona Middle School – tend to crops such as tomatoes, zucchini, strawberries, peppers, sage, oregano and green beans. When ripe, the produce is distributed to students, staff and local residents.
Chaparral Academy of Technology’s excellence in implementing innovative programming to close achievement gaps in the world of Computers, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (C-STEM) has earned the school three C-STEM Awards, presented at the 13th annual C-STEM Conference at UC Davis on Oct. 20. This marks the fifth year in a row Fontana Unified School District educators have been honored by the UC Davis C-STEM Center. Chaparral Academy was honored as a C-STEM Distinguished School, while Principal Dr. Andrea McClain and teacher Alexandra Cruz were named the C-STEM Administrator and Teacher of the Year, respectively. All three awards reflect Chaparral Academy’s exceptional contributions to providing students with equitable access to integrated computing and STEM education, preparing and inspiring students to pursue further studies and careers in C-STEM fields.
Approximately 20 Río Hondo College students recently dove into the world of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) – working in labs, conducting research projects and presenting their findings – through the College’s first-year partnership with Cal Poly Pomona’s Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Program. The SURE Program has provided more than 100 community college students with the opportunity to participate in high-level, faculty-mentored research projects at Cal Poly Pomona. The program, which first began in 2014, spans eight weeks in June and August and introduces students to the world of scientific research in an immersive, supportive learning environment.
Río Hondo College Board of Trustees Member Oscar Valladares has been reappointed to the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) Board of Directors, in which he will continue the vital work to close the student achievement gap on a national level. Valladares was first appointed to the ACCT Board of Directors in June 2023, and was elected to return to the Board during the ACCT’s Annual Leadership Congress Conference, held Oct. 7-12 in Las Vegas. He will continue to represent the ACCT’s Pacific region, which is made up of Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington.
Lynwood Unified School District is among 37 local government agencies to receive a grant from the California Department of Justice Tobacco Grant Program as part of the state’s widespread efforts to reduce the illegal sale of tobacco products to minors. The $201,285 in funds – authorized under the California Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016 (Prop. 56) – will go toward establishing a set of goals and timelines centered on enhancing resources for students via student-led awareness campaigns, youth outreach, prevention programs and more.
Fontana Unified School District will hold a grand opening of its one-of-a-kind Innovation Empire, a creative learning environment equipped with tools and technology to inspire curiosity, experimentation and entrepreneurship for students. The Innovation Empire two-building complex includes a Makerspace and collaborative space that are designed to serve as a hub for students to get hands-on experience and training in machine and design software, robotics, programming and entrepreneurship. The Makerspace is stocked with a fleet of state-of-the-art 3D, laser and ultra-violet printers, high-powered industrial drills, water cutters and CNC mills, while the collaborative space serves as a think tank for student groups using project-based learning to spur creativity.
Baldwin Park Unified Schools Recognized for Positive Campus Culture
Baldwin Park Unified honored seven District schools during a regular Board of Education meeting on Oct. 24 for earning Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) Awards for creating and nurturing positive campus cultures. This is the first time a Baldwin Park Unified school has earned a Platinum Award. Two schools also ranked up, with De Anza advancing from Gold to Platinum and North Park moving from Silver to Gold. Charles Bursch, Margaret Heath, Tracy and Vineland elementary schools earned Gold Awards, and Sierra Vista Middle School earned Silver.
The Lynwood Unified School District community is invited to celebrate a milestone event and observe the demolition of the Lynwood High School Imperial Campus at 9 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 6, the first step toward construction of a 175,000-square-foot state-of-the-art educational facility to replace the fallen structures and the eventual return of the District’s flagship high school in fall 2027. The demolition is funded primarily by a $250 million grant from the State Legislature, allocated in July 2022. Lynwood High School Imperial Campus is located at 4050 E. Imperial Hwy., Lynwood.
Lone Hill Middle School students are learning the joy of developing their craft skills in wood shop, an elective class that allows them the freedom to create intricate works of art and discover that woodworking is a pursuit that can bring the whole family together. In his 27 years as Lone Hill’s wood shop teacher, Mitch Jacobs has seen modern technology transform the class by making the wood-cutting process safer for students, who are fashioning projects well beyond the bookshelves and bird feeders of wood shops past. The elective has also experienced an influx of female students; the inclusivity is evident in the scope of projects created by students, which range from simple wood carvings of animals to elaborately designed and etched plaques.
Kenmore Elementary School students in Baldwin Park Unified’s Think Together program crafted giant piñatas, three-dimensional stars and picture frames with puzzle pieces during the annual Lights On Afterschool event on Oct. 25. Kenmore administrators and Think Together teachers incorporated Halloween festivities, with students dressing up as characters from their favorite movies, TV shows and video games. Lights On Afterschool is a nationwide celebration that highlights the importance of afterschool programs in students’ personal and academic development.
