More than 25 Fontana High School (FOHI) students flashed joyful smiles as they huddled around a fire engine and helped deliver it into the school’s Fire Technology and Emergency Services classroom, McGinnis Station 815, during a traditional push-in ceremony on Jan. 10. Members of the Fontana Rotary Club and San Bernardino County Fire Department, who teamed up to donate the fire engine to Fontana High, joined students and staff in cheers and a round of applause during the ceremony. FOHI’s Fire Technology and Emergency Services CTE students will continue to perform hands-on activities with the retired San Bernardino County fire engine throughout the school year.
Bonita Unified Students Explore Career Options at General Atomics
Thirty Bonita Unified students gained insight into a variety of jobs available within a corporation – from assembly work to manufacturing engineering – during a Jan. 21 field trip to General Atomics in Poway, which develops advanced technology for government and commercial applications. Students toured the facility, experienced each stage of the development of unmanned aircrafts, and learned about paid internship opportunities. The field trip is one of many offered this year as part of Bonita Unified’s increased focus on expanding work-based learning opportunities for students.
El Monte Union Annual Open House Showcases Programs, Facilities
Mountain View High School (MVHS) students and families gathered for the school’s annual Open House on Jan. 18, which featured food and refreshments, classroom tours, department showcases, informational workshops and a raffle for MVHS merch, including a brand-new letterman jacket. Showcases included highlights of the school’s Visual and Performing Arts program, ASB and Link Crew, CTE pathways, AVID, Zoo Crew and Engineering and Robotics. Families learned about Advanced Placement options, college preparation, facilities changes and updates, campus clubs and athletics, and a Cash for College workshop. Visitors also took a tour of the school’s wellness center.
La Verne Heights Elementary School third-grade students spent a day learning the ABCs of finance and received valuable lessons in money management and entrepreneurship when the school hosted its Third Grade Business Day, held in December. With business names like “Mya and Esmay’s BFF Shop” nascent La Verne Heights business owners enthusiastically hawked their merchandise, which included stress balls, dog treats, lava lamps, snow globes, mini stuffed animals and mystery boxes. The event is designed to let students apply finance knowledge they have learned since the beginning of the school year and spend “play money” earned by completing assignments on time, scoring 100% on a test and helping others.
Whittier Union Students Improve Social-Emotional Wellbeing
Frontier High School students are improving their social-emotional wellbeing and engaging in physical exercise by participating in Feet First, a cardio boxing program that builds character, confidence, and coping skills. More than 20 Frontier High students meet weekly for a one-hour session that includes a cardio boxing workout session and a lesson on topics including managing stress, motivation, emotional intelligence, and healthy self-regulation, led by local Feet First boxing coaches. Frontier High launched the program in Dec. 2023 and will continue hosting the program through the remainder of the 2023-24 school year.
El Monte Union Senior Garners Acclaim for Debut Novel
South El Monte High School senior and student author Aaron Morales unveiled his debut book titled, "Legacy: After Effects, A Red America Novel" to the El Monte Union community and was acknowledged for this outstanding achievement by the District’s Board of Trustees during a meeting in December. Set against a backdrop of societal upheaval, the book delves into the complexities of a post-apocalyptic world and explores the aftermath of a world-changing event in the heart of a divided America. "Legacy: After Effects, A Red America Novel" is now available for purchase on Amazon.
Lynwood Unified School District students will benefit from a unique and immersive learning experience through the District’s recently expanded Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program, which fosters bilingualism and biliteracy among students using a two-way learning model. The program aims to help students achieve excellence through cross-cultural understanding, and will introduce one transitional kindergarten and two kindergarten classes to Mark Twain Elementary School beginning in the 2024-25 school year.
Arroyo High School alumnus and girls basketball coach Mike Gorball is celebrating multiple achievements during his 34th season at Arroyo High, after becoming the first girls basketball coach in San Gabriel Valley history and only the 12th coach in CIF Southern Section history to earn 500 victories. Gorball completed the milestone when Arroyo defeated Schurr High School 40-22 in December 2023. The El Monte Union Board of Trustees will honor Gorball during a meeting in February.
FUSD Theater Program Gears Up for Second Performance of Season
Fontana Unified’s career technical education program (CTE) is continuing its theater season with a second and final production for 2023-24, the Harry Potter satire “Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic” on Thursday, Feb. 1 and Friday, Feb. 2 at the historic California Theater for the Performing Arts in San Bernardino, under the guidance of A.B. Miller High School multimedia design and drama teacher Joseph Henson. The FUSD Theater Conservatory was established so that young students could discover the joys of theater and work as actors in a professional show, as well as get involved in CTE projects at an early age. The California Theater is located at 562 West 4th St., San Bernardino.
Southridge Tech Middle School seventh-grade math teacher Linh Nguyen-Carlyle draws upon her own life experiences and challenges to connect with her students, making an impact in the classroom that has earned her recognition as the California League of Educators (CLE) Region 10 Educator of the Year Runner-Up. Nguyen-Carlyle was one of 10 CLE finalists from across the Riverside, Inyo, Mono and San Bernardino counties honored at the Region 10 awards ceremony held last December at the Riverside Mariott.
