La Puente High School's dynamic running group, LP Runs LA, showcased their grit and determination at the 39th Annual Los Angeles Marathon on March 17, which saw 19 student-athletes and four teachers put their year-long training to the test as they tackled the grueling 26.2-mile course among a crowd of approximately 25,000 racers. La Puente High School educators, club advisors, and avid runners Ana Benitez and Wesley Perez said they started LP Runs LA in 2015 aiming to bring the many health and socio-emotional benefits of running to the students and staff of La Puente. This year marked LP Runs LA's seventh race, with three runners earning an LA Loyal pin for completing the journey around some of the city’s most notable landmarks for the second time.
California High School’s acclaimed Chamber Choir offers a safe space for its singers, with the inclusive environment in Cal High Choir Director Dan Hawkins’ classroom encouraging students to showcase their talents without prejudice and find their voice as performers who are prepared to take their vocal gifts to the next level. This year, four Cal High Chamber Choir members have been recognized for their excellence by being named to prestigious regional honor choirs. Seniors Roxie Navarro and Larissa Ortega and junior Allison Orellana-Mejia were selected to the Western American Choral Directors Association’s (WACDA) High School Honor Choir. The three singers performed together at the 2024 WACDA Pasadena Conference Honor Choir concert, held March 9. Ortega was also selected, along with sophomore David Gutierrez, for the Southern California Vocal Association (SCVA) Honor Choir, with both students performing at the SCVA Honor Choir concert at Redlands University in November 2023.
Summit High School senior Nicole Bell aspires to reshape the landscape of the film and television industry one day and pursue a career where she can champion Black representation and contribute to fostering positive diversity and inclusion in the industry. Bell's leadership qualities and goal to blaze trails for the Black community led to her being recognized and receiving a $1,000 grant during a virtual Celebrating Black Success event on Feb. 24. She currently serves as co-director of SkyHawk Productions, Summit High’s TV Production program, where she is exploring potential career pathways where she can make an impact in film and television.
Los Angeles Pierce College is strengthening its culture of belonging for both students and staff by successfully implementing Caring Campus, a program that teaches principles, tactics, and habits to create a more welcoming, connected environment, thereby improving student retention and success. Data from the Institute for Evidence-Based Change shows that students who feel more connected to their college are more likely to be retained, persist from semester to semester, and complete their academic goals. Caring Campus’s work to increase connectedness aims to help ensure students achieve all that they can from their college experience.
Río Hondo College will host its second annual Invention Camp Río program for adults 18 years and older and high school students. In partnership with Lemelson-MIT, Río Hondo College faculty members in the disciplines of business, engineering and architecture will collaboratively lead the Invention Camp Río. Participants will learn the invention process, prototyping, how to generate a business plan and a pitch for a product that can later become patented. A makerspace lab will be available to help design their product. The Invention Camp Río program aims to help participants think creatively and learn to work independently and in teams to solve problems in the community.
Whittier High School senior Fabiola Ramirez stands as a testament to resilience, facing and conquering challenges that few encounter in a lifetime. From the moment she was born with severe hearing loss in both ears and labeled medically hard of hearing, Ramirez has defied stereotypes and refused to let her unique journey be defined by her hearing loss. Ramirez, a lifelong Whittier resident, has worn hearing aids since childhood, enduring the isolating experience of being the only student in her class with such devices. Amid instances of bullying, she transferred elementary schools twice. However, her journey took a positive turn when she enrolled at Katherine Edwards Middle School, where she began to find her stride. For her ability to overcome challenges and excel in her academic and personal pursuits, Ramirez was recognized with an Award of Merit by the Whittier Union Board of Trustees during a March 12 meeting.
San Dimas High School senior Peter Fang has won the California Art Education Association’s (CAEA) Banner and Flag program contest for his artistic depiction of California, and will represent the state with his banner on display at the National Art Education Association’s (NAEA) Youth Art Month convention in April. Fang created his banner with a mix of markers and fine liners, drawing his inspiration from what has made California into the state we know today. Fang discovered his passion for art at an early age, when he found himself drawing as a way to express himself and let his creativity flow. He is currently in the school’s Advanced Art class, with plans to enroll in Advanced Placement Studio Art in his senior year.
Bonita High School was recognized for providing Advanced Placement (AP) computer science courses to a large range of students and increasing the percentage of female students in the course, earning the school the College Board AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award. Bonita High is one of 834 schools nationwide honored in the category of AP Computer Science Principles (AP CSP) for reaching a high percentage of female student representation in the course during the 2022-23 school year. Both of Bonita Unified’s comprehensive high schools have been honored for boosting enrollment of female students in their computer science courses; San Dimas High School received the recognition from College Board for the 2021-22 school year.
C-VUSD Senior Receives Full-Ride Scholarship to Northwestern
South Hills High School senior Aiden Cordova will bring his people-centered mindset and passion for helping others to a new city in the fall after matching with Northwestern University through QuestBridge’s Match Scholarship. Match Scholarship recipients are granted admission to one of QuestBridge’s college partners with a full four-year scholarship.
Arroyo High School has been recognized as a 2024 California Distinguished School, one of just four schools in the San Gabriel Valley to receive the honor from the California Department of Education (CDE), for its outstanding efforts in closing the achievement gap for students and producing exceptional scholars. Arroyo was one of 293 schools across California recognized by the CDE. Arroyo High's achievement follows its recent six-year accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) in 2023. The school provides rigorous programs and high-quality services catering to the needs of its students.
