Lugo Elementary School students will explore the wonders of dinosaurs and the moon landing through a presentation of the Google Expeditions Augmented Reality Pioneer Program at 9 a.m. Wednesday, March 21 at the school, 4345 Pendleton Ave., Lynwood. A Google representative will train teachers in the program, allowing them to share with their classrooms. The program also will be showcased at Abbott Elementary on Monday, March 26.
Santa Fe High School English language arts teacher Isela Garcia-Valencia was beloved on campus for the empathy she offered all students, particularly those struggling with language barriers and economic hardships – challenges she was all too familiar with. Garcia-Valencia died on Jan. 30 after a four-year battle with cancer. She was 41. Garcia-Valencia joined Whittier Union's Santa Fe High School in 2005, passionate about working with first-generation English learners and advocating for mental health services for students. First diagnose with breast cancer in 2014, Garcia-Valencia continued to work while undergoing treatment, defying the odds before falling ill again late in 2017.
Students at Baldwin Park Unified elementary schools will be judged Thursday, April 12 on their construction of Rube Goldberg devices – complicated machines that do simple tasks – as part of the District’s 21st Century Challenge, a science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) contest. Student teams worked on the devices for more than three months and recorded videos of the machines in action.
Paramount High School Unity Day to Provide Resources to LGBT Students
More than 500 Paramount High School students and community members are expected to come together at 8 a.m. Saturday, March 30 for the District’s ninth annual Unity Day, which provides resources for LGBT students while discussing suicide prevention and anti-bullying. Attendees can enjoy music, food, short films and yoga at the school, 14429 Downey Ave., Paramount.
Paramount Unified has received the 2016-17 Risk Management Pays Award and an $8,000 grant from the Alliance of Schools for Cooperative Insurance Programs for the District’s efforts to minimize safety risks through faculty training. Funds will go to improve the identification system of visitors on school campuses and for safety devices that automatically lock doors at schools and facilities in emergencies.
Recent graduates of Baldwin Park Unified credit Jones Junior High School counselor Sergio Barragan with helping them achieve academically, collaborate with teachers and inspire them to pursue their college dreams. Barragan founded College 411 in 2011, a program that connects students with Jones alumni like Caballero to learn about higher education. This school year, Barragan expanded College 411 to include college visits, with eighth-graders touring the University of La Verne, UC Riverside and California State University, Long Beach. Students were given an overview of academic and social life with opportunities to see lecture halls, classrooms and dorm-living.
Bassett High School will host the two-day “Every 15 Minutes” program using a trio of techniques to bring home the dangers of drinking and driving: a graphic staging of a deadly drunk-driving crash, students randomly pulled from classes to represent lives lost to intoxicated driving and a mock funeral service. The crash scene will take place at 10:40 a.m. Tuesday, March 20 at Bassett High School, 755 Ardilla Ave., La Puente. A mock funeral and assembly will be held the following day at 11 a.m.
Driven by a four-year effort to refine and develop the English Language Development (ELD) program, Gabrielino High School has boosted English learner graduation rates by removing barriers to classes that fulfill college requirements. Through the targeted program, the ELD team was able to substantially reduce the percentage of non-graduate English learner students.
The Whittier Union High School District held a safety review meeting for dozens of District administrators, safety personnel and partner elementary school districts to review the District’s security practices and mental health services, as well as learn about the psychology of attackers from noted expert Dr. Manny Tau, incident responses from the Whittier Police Department and the Sheriff’s Department as well as the post-incident response. The District is constantly reviewing school and district safety plans and held the meeting in response to the recent school shooting in Florida.
Torch Middle School’s Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) and Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) students returned to their alma maters at Sunkist and Van Wig elementary schools on March 2 to conclude the annual Read Across America celebration by reading childhood classics to the younger students. Torch Middle students also brought in books, socks and toothbrushes to donate to a local women’s and family shelter.
