La Serna High School English and Puente Program teacher Shelly DeSimone dreamed of a career in education as early as second grade, when a teacher asked her to help a struggling English learner. For DeSimone’s efforts in preparing La Serna English learners for college, she was named Whittier Union High School District’s 2017-18 Teacher of the Year. Over her 34-year career, DeSimone has helped hundreds of students to speak, read and write English, guided La Serna’s Puente Program since its inception and established herself as an author of teen fiction written for English learners.
Baldwin Park Unified Senior Wins 32nd Congressional District Art Contest
Rafael Mondragon, a senior at Baldwin Park Unified’s Sierra Vista High School, won first place in U.S. Rep. Grace Napolitano’s 32nd Congressional District Art Competition. Mondragon submitted a photo titled "Awaiting a Home," taken at La Plaza at Olvera Street in Los Angeles. He received a free trip to Washington, D.C., where his artwork will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol for a year.
Five Lynwood Unified high schoolers have been recognized for outstanding artwork, highlighting the strengths of the District’s visual and performing arts program. Lynwood High School senior Evelyn Granados earned the top prize in the 44th District Congressional Art Competition for her work, “Love is Love.” Honorable mentions for the contest went to Lynwood High seniors Emily Medrano, Miguel Sanchez and Malaysia West. Katherine Espinoza, a visual art student from Vista High School, was awarded an Otis College of Art and Design scholarship to attend the college’s Summer of Art program.
Nearly 1,000 Paramount High School seniors accepted their diplomas during an evening ceremony on June 7. The celebration featured speeches by salutatorian Armando Alexis Torres, valedictorian Fernanda Corona and Superintendent Dr. Ruth Pérez. The school’s band and choir performed during the ceremony, held in Paramount’s 6,000-seat stadium.
Roosevelt Elementary Students to Learn Future Possibilities at Career Day
Local leaders and professionals will give Roosevelt Elementary School students a glimpse into potential career paths during the annual Career Day at 9 a.m. Thursday, May 31 on campus, 10835 Mallison Ave., Lynwood. Roosevelt students will hear from professionals in the medical field, as well as public servicemen and women while taking part in demonstrations that simulate careers.
Baldwin Park Unified High Schools Celebrate Memorable Commencements
More than 950 seniors from Baldwin Park Unified’s two comprehensive high schools and one continuation school celebrated their commencements on May 30 and 31 in memorable ceremonies. North Park Continuation High School on May 30 graduated 135 seniors, celebrating a 98 percent graduation rate that is one of the best in the state. Sierra Vista High School commemorated 429 graduates and Baldwin Park High School honored 400 on May 31.
Monrovia Unified Showcase to Highlight Student Art
Students at Monrovia Unified’s Monroe Elementary School will showcase artwork they created during the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s eight-week enrichment program, After School at the Museum, from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 30. The art show will highlight Monrovia Unified’s commitment to arts education. The school is at 303 W. Colorado Blvd., 91016.
Roosevelt Elementary sixth-grader Stephanie Reyes’ eyes lit up when she described the famous alumni of Princeton University – from former First Lady Michelle Obama to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and President James Madison. Reyes joined classmates Estevan Sandoval and Kianna Jimenez as representatives of Princeton for their school’s fourth annual College Fair on May 22. Nearly 650 Roosevelt students in preschool through sixth grade were taught college options by their peers, detailing school colors, mascots and programs of more than two dozen universities.
Lynwood Unified School District students experimented with static electricity, observed models of city landscapes and reviewed book reports during the annual Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) Fair where students explored the work of their peers across the District. Each of Lynwood Unified’s 18 schools contributed projects that were publicly displayed on May 16 in the city’s Bateman Hall, where the community could take the educational tour. Elementary schools visited the showcase in shifts throughout the day, while some children brought their parents for demonstrations of engineering, science, history and world geography.
Six San Gabriel Unified schools – Coolidge, McKinley, Washington and Wilson elementary schools, Jefferson Middle School and Gabrielino High School – were named to the 2017-18 California Honor Roll for narrowing the achievement gap and performing well on state standardized tests. All six schools were honored as Star Schools, a category for high-performing schools with substantial populations of socioeconomically disadvantaged students.
