Bonita Unified Alum, Grammy Winner to Perform with BUSD Students
Bonita High School alumnus and Grammy Award-winning jazz composer Gordon Goodwin will return to support his high school music program – which helped launch his prolific music career – when he performs with his Big Phat Band at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 16 at the Bonita Center for the Arts. During the concert – which will benefit the San Dimas and La Verne Band Boosters – Goodwin will perform a set as a guest artist with Bonita Unified’s All-District Jazz Ensemble, featuring performers from Bonita and San Dimas high schools, before he takes the stage for a full concert with his band. The concert will also feature a tribute to the late Robin Snyder, the former Bonita High band director credited with introducing jazz into high school music education and inspiring Gordon to pursue a career in music. To purchase tickets, visit bonitacenterforthearts.com. The Bonita Center for the Arts is located at 822 W. Covina Blvd., San Dimas.
After months of planning, Fontana Unified has launched esports teams at Fontana and Summit high schools for the 2024 seasons operating under the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Esports Initiative. The CIF Esports Initiative aims to connect video gameplay and competition to educational opportunities to make high school esports a place where students prepare for global career opportunities as well as competition. Esports is also creating stronger connections at each school site in Fontana Unified, with 33 students currently rostered on Fontana Unified’s two esports teams.
Students, staff, families, community members, and dignitaries gathered at Covina High School on Feb. 26 to celebrate the groundbreaking of the school’s new Aquatics Center – a project multiple years in the making. The project will replace the current 1950s-era pool and upgrade the aquatics facilities, ensuring students have access to modern amenities for physical education classes, water polo and swim team practices and competitions, and more.
El Monte Union High School District celebrated a milestone in its commitment to clean mobility awareness with a dynamic ribbon-cutting ceremony on Feb. 23, which marked the completion of an eye-catching 80-foot-long mural, visible to tens of thousands of commuters on the 60 freeway, and electric vehicle car wraps that encourage the use of clean transportation. The projects marked the culmination of the District’s Clean Mobility in Schools Pilot Project. Students, administrators, project partners, parents, and representatives of local elected officials were also treated to a screening of the District’s new “Clean Energy Careers” animation created by renowned artist Lalo Alcaraz. The new animation aims to inspire the next generation of students to explore career opportunities that can positively impact air quality.
Colleges and universities are seeing an increasing number of learners from diverse backgrounds on their campuses, making it crucial for the institutions to establish cultures that welcome these students and set them up for success.One recognized and respected way to achieve this is Guided Pathways, a framework of structural and policy changes that help higher education institutions redesign the college experience, giving all students the support they need to feel welcomed and thrive on campus. The Institute for Evidence-Based Change’s (IEBC) Caring Campus builds on Guided Pathways by introducing cultural and behavioral practices, providing a holistic framework aimed to propel higher education toward a future where students seamlessly achieve their academic and career goals.
Three teams of students in Fontana High School’s Bio-Animatronic and Neuroprosthetic career technical education pathway earned special recognition in the International Technology and Engineering Educators’ (ITEEA) REACH Challenge. The REACH Challenge is a nationwide design thinking project that tasks students with creating a viable technological solution to help members of their community thrive. Two Fontana High teams secured semifinalist honors in the REACH Challenge, while a third earned special recognition. All three Fontana High teams were offered discounted registration to ITEAA’s 86th Annual Conference, held on March 6-9 in Memphis.
Santa Fe High School seniors Zulema Gamboa and Nevaeh Esteves-Parker have much in common. Friends since middle school, they have both become top scholars at Santa Fe High and aspire to pursue their higher education in locations where their learning experiences will be embellished by seasonal weather and traditions not common in Southern California. Gamboa and Esteves-Parker, who share identical 4.3 GPAs, will soon start packing their bags to travel to prestigious colleges across the country after being named 2024 Posse Foundation scholars, earning full-ride scholarships to attend Hobart and William Smith Colleges in upstate New York and Dickinson College in Pennsylvania, respectively.
Firebaugh High School’s boys’ basketball team has had a record-breaking season, earning the most wins in Falcon history and, after its 76-31 victory over Big Bear High School on Feb. 24, the team added another monumental title to their belt – CIF Southern Section Division 5A Champions. The team now advances to the State Championships – which consists of five games – with the first round of the Division 5 State Championships against Coalinga High School taking place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 27 at Firebaugh High School.
Fontana Unified School District honored the rich contributions of African and African American heritage and fostered a spirit of excellence in a series of classroom and community activities celebrating Black History Month in February. The District’s second annual Black History Month celebration kicked off on Feb. 3 with a “Harmony in Heritage and Knowledge” event, and concluded on Feb. 28 with a Black History Month Elementary Excellence Awards ceremony. Both events showcased the talents of District students through live performances and displays of their artistic and academic creations. The District also honored its Black scholars during each event, bringing them on stage to receive awards for their academic or artistic excellence.
Over 300 Lynwood Unified School District students from Lynwood, Firebaugh and Vista high schools celebrated Black excellence, participated in workshops and heard from inspiring speakers during the District’s Teen Summit on February 22. The annual event – organized by the District’s Equity, Access and Instructional Services Department – is one of Lynwood Unified’s many efforts to bring together the rich cultures within the school community and encourages students to embrace their passions, break through barriers and become high achievers.
