More than 400 families left the Covina-Valley Unified School District Health and Wellness Center with huge smiles and backpacks brimming with free school supplies, thanks to the District’s first-ever “Back to School Extravaganza” held Aug. 10. The event – a resource fair aimed at preparing District families for the first day of school on Monday, Aug. 21 – included a complimentary pancake breakfast, free haircuts, health screenings, and mental health resources from the District’s Student Services team of counselors, social workers, and nurses.
Fontana Adult School (FAS) has received the Promising Practices Award from the California Department of Education (CDE) for its efficiency in conducting exit interviews with graduates and alumni. These interviews, which are required for all adult schools that receive funding from the state, ask the students if they have found work, how much money they are earning, and whether they are pursuing higher education. Fontana Adult School reaches out to students directly to conduct the survey, either through emails, phone calls, or text messages. The personal approach has proven successful, making former students feel comfortable and allowing FAS to gather additional information on how to improve the school, which offers a wide range of both free and fee-based courses across various career pathways.
Fontana Unified Board’s Student Rep Takes Oath of Office
Cheered on by her family and loved ones, Summit High School senior Julieta Gutierrez Martin took the oath of office during the Aug. 9 Board meeting, thereby beginning her term as the District’s Board of Education student representative for the 2023-24 school year. Over the next year, Gutierrez Martin will serve as the voice for all Fontana Unified students and provide their insight and perspective to the Board of Education. She is the first student from Summit High to serve in the role, which is filled after a school-blind application and interview process.
Demolition of Lynwood High Building Expected to Start in October
Construction plans for the new 150,000-square-foot classroom building at Lynwood High School’s Imperial campus and the reconfiguration and upgrade of its athletic fields continue to move forward, with demolition expected to start in October 2023. During a July 23 Board of Education study session representatives from the Huckabee construction firm reviewed the planned phases of the project, which include the construction of the new 70-classroom building, the rerouting of a fire lane and the upgrading of the baseball and softball fields.
Baldwin Park Unified Reaches Milestone with Braves Gym Project
Baldwin Park High School alumni, administrators, future Braves students, District leaders, Board of Education members, and city and local officials made a lasting mark on the school’s new gymnasium when attendees signed the final structural beam during a special ceremony on Aug. 3. The Baldwin Park High School gymnasium project, expected to be completed in fall 2024, is one of the first projects funded by Measure AE. Bond Measure AE was approved by voters in 2018 and will support the enhancement of learning facilities and the expansion of school safety and security.
Two Whittier Union high schools have been recognized for their success in guiding students toward completing rigorous coursework required to attend a California four-year university, significantly narrowing the achievement and equity gap, and providing students an opportunity to have greater success in higher education and pursue their dream career. Santa Fe and Pioneer high school students are completing their A-G coursework at rates far above the California average, and across numerous demographic subgroups, including socioeconomically disadvantaged, Latinx, Black and English Learner. Schoolwide A-G completion rates are 76% for Pioneer High and 65% for Santa Fe High. The California completion rate average is just over 40%.
The energy was electric as Hacienda La Puente Unified students were ushered onto campus with friendly cheers from teachers and staff, motivational speeches, musical performances and lively welcome rallies to celebrate the first day of school on Aug. 9. Across the District, each high school campus varied its celebrations to match their school spirit. The District’s elementary and middle schools greeted families onto campus to help students find their classes, meet their new principals and teachers, and get acclimated to their surroundings.
Baldwin Park Unified Opens New Year with Enhanced Learning Programs
Baldwin Park Unified School District will kick off the 2023-24 school year on Thursday, Aug. 17, welcoming students from Early Childhood Education to Adult School with new administrators to lead campuses, enhanced academic programs and enrichment opportunities. BPUSD students will also receive additional support through the District’s bolstered mental health services, including onsite wellness rooms, therapists and guidance counselors.
Students from Río Hondo College and local high schools created innovative solutions to modern problems, such as using drones for campus security to report suspicious activity or adapting smart textiles to chairs to fix poor posture, during the College’s inaugural Bridge to Invention Río program. The program, which ran from July 17 to 28, was created in partnership with Lemelson-MIT to guide students through the disciplines of business and engineering to create and present a product, web app or service.
Río Hondo College’s lower quad played host to royal family members, a powerful sorceress and ethereal goddesses, all brought to life in the Performing Arts Department’s open-air rendition of William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.” The production, which ran from July 21 to 26 with near capacity audiences each night, was directed by Anneliese Euler and William Korf and designed by Matt Schleicher.
