Gabrielino High School and Del Mar High School seniors donned their caps and gowns and joined Coolidge Elementary’s promoted fifth-graders for the school’s Senior Walk on June 6. The grads walked through the halls of Coolidge to thank their former teachers and inspire current students to excel.
Henry J. Kaiser High School graduate Amandeep Heyer will study computer science at Yale University this fall after receiving a 2018 Gates Scholarship, an all-expense-paid award given to just 300 students across the country. After college, Heyer – one of Kaiser’s four Class of 2018 co-valedictorians – dreams of working for a startup company, where he feels he can make a big difference in a smaller, hands-on work environment.
Amid cheering from parents, the blaring of horns and even the occasional firework blast, Sierra Vista High School celebrated the commencement of 429 graduates during an evening ceremony on May 31. Of the 429 graduates, more than 350 will pursue higher education at seven University of California campuses, 12 California State University campuses, California community colleges and such nationally known private schools as USC, Mount St. Mary’s, University of La Verne, Carnegie Mellon and Azusa Pacific University.
Baldwin Park High School will celebrate the graduation of 400 students – including 110 who were accepted to one or more four-year universities – during a commencement ceremony set for 7 p.m. Thursday, May 31. Students will matriculate to such world-class institutions as USC, Pomona College, UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Irvine, Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount. Students will also attend area community colleges, trade colleges and technical schools, and enlist in all branches of the U.S. armed forces. Thirty-two students will receive the state Seal of Biliteracy. The ceremony will be held at the school’s Ted K. Gorrell Stadium, 3900 N. Puente Ave., Baldwin Park.
North Park Continuation High School will celebrate the graduation of 135 seniors at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 30 – a stellar 98 percent graduation rate that is among the best in the state. The high school – recognized as a Model Continuation High School by the state – has developed multiple pathways into vocational and academic fields that drive a consistently strong graduation rate. Many of the graduates have already earned college credits, enrolled in local colleges or trade schools, or have enlisted in the military.
Clad in their graduation regalia, seniors from Baldwin Park and Sierra Vista high school hugged siblings and former teachers, and cried a little, as they visited their elementary schools for a triumphant Senior Walk in the days before their commencement ceremonies. The events – the first for Baldwin Park High and the second for Sierra Vista High – were intended to inspire younger students to strive for college and career dreams and to give the students a chance to thank the teachers who helped guide them on their first steps of their educational journey. Some 93 students from Baldwin Park and 177 from Sierra Vista were scheduled to visit each of the District’s 13 elementary schools on May 24 and 25, but numbers topped even those expectations.
Fontana Unified’s Class of 2018 celebrated 12 valedictorians and salutatorians from five comprehensive high schools, many of whom will pursue higher education and careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) fields.
California state Assembly Majority Leader Ian Calderon congratulated graduates at Rio Hondo College’s 55th annual Commencement Ceremony on May 24 and urged them to “make a difference.” The ceremony recognized 1,399 students who earned an estimated 2,001 academic degrees, including 653 degrees for transfer, which guarantee admission to the California State University system. Both figures top the College’s numbers for 2016-17. Also honored were three outstanding students who overcame challenges en route to earning their degrees – Brenda Coronel, Yarisma Rocha and Jason Hoang. All three have been accepted to UC Berkeley.
Five Fontana Unified High School graduates who have juggled personal challenges with academic excellence were named 2018 Dell Scholars, earning a collective $100,000 in scholarships for higher education costs. Kaiser High School’s Syeda Arif will attend UC Berkeley to study nutrition and public health; Fontana High School’s Victor Iribe will major in mechanical engineering at Cal State L.A.; Summit High School’s Mary Ambriz will study political science and women’s studies at Occidental College; Summit’s Melissa Cruz will attend UC Irvine to study biological sciences; and Summit’s Maria Medina will major in political science at UC Berkeley.
Bassett High senior Huong Nguyen celebrated with her peers at the Kaiser Permanente Health Academy’s Recognition Ceremony, where she was awarded a $1,000 scholarship. Nguyen was one of more than 30 students recognized for completing the three-year program.
