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.
HLPUSD Announces Leadership Changes for the 2023-24 School Year
Hacienda La Puente Unified’s Board of Education and Superintendent Dr. Alfonso Jiménez introduced longtime educational leaders Elizabeth Kane and Samuel Yi as the new principals at Orange Grove and Sierra Vista middle schools, respectively, during a July 27 Board meeting. Additionally, the District appointed Lisa Mannino as the Interim Principal at Lassalette School. The District also announced two additional leadership changes, assigning Orange Grove Middle School principal Dr. David Nieto to take over as the principal at Sparks Middle School and Sierra Vista Middle School principal Ann Hanson to serve as the principal at Newton Middle School.
Fontana Unified Dance Program Receives $50,000 Grant
A.B. Miller High School dance students will receive an opportunity to expand their creative horizons while learning to choreograph, perform and film new work uniquely designed for a specific location, thanks to a $50,000 grant from Southern California-based nonprofit homeLA, which will be used to fund a master class held at the Maloof Foundation Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga. The project, called inSITE, is available to A.B. Miller Dance Level 1 and Conservatory of Dance Level 2 students and will combine dance and film, as students work with professional film and dance artists to develop choreography that is site-specific to Maloof Gardens, working towards producing a live performance and an accompanying video by the end of the semester.
LUSD and NBPA Host All-Girls Basketball Camp for Student Athletes
Dozens of female student-athletes from the Lynwood community received once-in-a-lifetime coaching and mentoring opportunities during the inaugural Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) all-girls basketball camp, held at Lynwood High School July 10-12. During the three-day program, the entire Lynwood High School girls basketball coaching staff served as camp coaches. The organization also donated basketballs to Lynwood High and provided 40 local girls with scholarships to participate in the camp for free. The program – which included a gaming lounge, financial literacy session and awards ceremony – aimed to support students as they develop into leaders on and off the court.
Smiling faces, colorful decorations and lively celebrations were plentiful across Fontana Unified School District’s campuses on Aug. 3, as students eagerly returned for the first day of the 2023-24 school year. Students walked across red carpets and under balloon arches, greeted by staff and peer leaders holding welcoming signs, and enjoyed music from a DJ and themed photo opportunities as they entered campuses. The first day of the 2023-24 school year continues a series of transformations in Fontana Unified that include the appointment of 15 dynamic new leaders, and the unveiling of the District’s highly anticipated Innovation Empire, which aims to educate and empower a new generation of STEM learners to push their creative boundaries and channel their entrepreneurial spirit.
Bonita Unified to Launch 2023-24 School Year Aug. 21
Bonita Unified School District will begin the 2023-24 school year on Monday, Aug. 21, welcoming students from transitional kindergarten to 12th grade back to campuses for another year of learning. Bonita Unified will seek to build on the growth and academic excellence it experienced in the previous year, which included a No. 1 ranking on the California Reading Report Card, a National Blue Ribbon School award and more. Bonita Unified School District’s 14 schools serve the communities of San Dimas, La Verne and part of Glendora.
Whittier Union to Kick Off New School Year with Freshmen First Day
Whittier Union High School District’s incoming freshmen will kick off the 2023-24 school year during Freshmen First Day (FFD), held Tuesday, Aug. 15 at each of the District’s comprehensive high schools. FFD is an annual tradition that aims to ease the transition into high school for new students. FFD also helps new students build connections with one another and familiarize themselves with their new campus, teachers and administrators, ensuring they are prepared to have an impactful high school experience.
