Gabrielino High School will host its annual Speech and Debate Showcase from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, May 4 and Saturday, May 5, highlighting the verbal talents of its state championship winners and national tournament qualifiers. The high school is at 1327 S. San Gabriel Blvd., San Gabriel.
The Lynwood Partners Educational Foundation will welcome comedian Paul Rodriguez at its inaugural comedy showcase fundraiser at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 3 at Lynwood Middle School, 12124 Bullis Road, Lynwood. Rodriguez will be joined by comedians Jesus Sepulveda, Jerry Garcia, Paul Reyes and Christian Zaragoza for the age 18-and-up event. Tickets are $20 for general admission and $30 for preferred seating.
Lynwood Unified will put its artistic talent on display as it showcases original works, music and film at the Fifth Annual Arts Festival from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 28 at Firebaugh High School, 5246 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Lynwood. Lynwood students will present visual art pieces and performances, while the city of Lynwood, the Lynwood Union Gallery and other community organizations will host informational booths.
Lynwood Unified and the National College Resources Foundation (NCRF) will host a two-day Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Combine, where unsigned Lynwood and Firebaugh high seniors, underclassmen and junior college athletes will have the chance to be recruited onto college football teams.
Zamboni Middle School will hire a full-time dance instructor and expand its performing arts program as part of a partnership with Turnaround Arts: California, co-founded by renowned architect Frank Gehry, which will provide up to $10,000 in annual financial support, helping to ensure arts education for every Zamboni student.
Paramount Unified’s Keppel Elementary students rallied behind three classmates who are battling cancer by raising $3,062 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Pennies for Patients research program. “Through the fundraiser, we wanted students to see that they can make a difference right now where they are, and that they do not have to wait until they are older to make a positive impact on people,” Keppel Principal Darrenn Platt said. “It is rewarding for the students to know that the money raised is going to help kids like them, and it teaches our students to be leaders and to use their voices.” During the month of March, a challenge was held with classrooms competing to see who could raise the most money. Water bottles were placed outside of each classroom, with classes gaining points for pennies added and losing points for silver change and dollars.
Rio Hondo College will hold the world premiere of “Enemy/Flint,” a play that combines an exploration of the impact of water issues in Flint, Michigan, with the themes of Henrick Ibsen’s classic “An Enemy of the People.” Written by Long Beach-based playwright, actor and teaching artist Diana Burbano, the play will be directed by Julianna Stephanie Ojeda, a theater artist and former Rio Hondo College student. Some 32 students will act and serve as crew for the production. Performances are at 8 p.m. Thursday, April 26, Friday, April 27 and Saturday, April 28; and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 29 at Rio Hondo College’s Wray Theater, 3600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier.
More than 75 student athletes, coaches and family members from Baldwin Park Unified’s Foster and Pleasant View elementary schools will take part in the fourth annual Ruth Gaskin Memorial 5K Walk staged by the East San Gabriel Valley Special Olympics from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 28 at Baldwin Park High School, 3900 Puente Ave., Baldwin Park. The run is held in memory of Ruth Gaskin, the late area director of the East San Gabriel Valley Special Olympics. All entry fees and donations pledged will benefit Special Olympics athletes from the East San Gabriel Valley, including Baldwin Park.
More than 20 Washington Elementary fifth-graders laughed and cheered in jubilation as the robots they programmed launched a ball into a cup, an exercise of the computer science and critical thinking skills learned during the school’s coding and robotics club. Running every Thursday since December, the after-school club is part of Washington’s effort to expand coding and robotics lessons to reach more students.
Santa Fe High School senior Analyse Garcia has developed an unparalleled drive and profound focus for success. A quiet leader, Garcia’s concentration on academics, community service, athletics and extracurricular activities have earned her respect, recognition and admiration from her peers, school and District. Garcia, who carries a 4.12 GPA and places in the top 5 percent of Santa Fe’s senior class, was recognized by the Whittier Union High School District Board of Trustees with a Certificate of Merit on April 10.
