To drive home the perils of operating a car while distracted or driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, Pioneer High School on April 4-5 hosted an “Every 15 Minutes” program, a two-day event featuring a simulated car crash, rescue efforts and the dramatized deaths of students, as well as a candlelight vigil and mock funeral.
Students at Paramount Unified’s Hollydale K-8 School will hold a Battle of the Books to boost literacy and foster a team spirit at 1 p.m. Friday, March 30 at the school, 5511 Century Blvd., South Gate. Student teams will be quizzed on their understanding of books selected for review. The winning team will advance to a districtwide battle among 12 schools in June.
Two Lynwood High School students traveled to South Korea as part of the Project Bridge intercultural youth leadership program, which aims to cultivate community leaders with an increased awareness of diverse cultures. Lynwood High School junior Andrea Gonzalez and senior Litzy Santoyo met with students and visited historical sites during the trip, which ran from March 28 through April 8.
Two El Monte Union High School District seniors are among 30 high school students from across the Southland to receive $40,000 STEM college scholarships from Edison International during surprise announcements. South El Monte High School senior Sandra Amezcua Rocha was surprised during her Spanish Literature class on March 26 and El Monte High School senior Connie Lee received the exciting news via Skype on March 19. The duo was selected from more than 2,000 applicants.
Lynwood Unified School District is launching a partnership with Compton College that will provide graduates with priority registration, guaranteed admission, financial aid assistance and programs to help with college readiness starting with the class of 2019. The College Promise Partnership between Lynwood Unified and Compton College, which was approved in August 2017, will be solidified at a signing ceremony in April, with representatives from the college and the District pledging their efforts to ensure student success.
Torch Middle School eighth-grader Emerson Melendez relies on a network of social workers for support since he grew up in the foster care system. Their professionalism and empathy inspired Melendez to become a social worker as well. “The social workers and therapists in the foster care system have worked so hard to change my life, I would like to become one myself so that I can be a positive influence to other foster kids,” Melendez said.
More than 15 Don Julian Elementary students applied geometry, engineering and computer science skills to program spherical robots to navigate through a maze on the classroom floor during the opening week of Makerspace, an extracurricular class that allows students to explore coding with hands-on creating and building. Students experiment among five stations, including the interactive iPad gaming system Osmo
Monrovia High School freshman Jordan Radnoti, who has been racing for less than a year, earned a first-place medal during a cross-country bike race at Bonelli Park in San Dimas on March 18. The talented Radnoti also drums for the MHS jazz ensemble and plays goalie for two Southern California youth ice hockey teams.
Monrovia High School held its annual Open House on March 21, giving middle school students and their parents their first chance to meet with teachers and student representatives as they consider the fields of study they may pursue in high school. The Open House featured a robotics demonstration, student art show, a performance by the MHS jazz ensemble and a full-dress rehearsal of the school’s upcoming production of “Tarzan the Musical.”
Del Mar High School student Sergio Landeros will advance to the National History Day California competition Saturday, May 5 and Sunday, May 6 at William Jessup University in Rocklin after earning top honors in the historical performance category at History Day LA. Landeros and his peers from Del Mar were the only continuation school students to compete in the regional competition.