Baldwin Park High School’s orchestra department staged a musical project to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent move to distance learning. Student musicians performed heartfelt pieces which included written commentaries to express their thoughts, feelings, and experiences from the past year.
Baldwin Park Unified School District’s Adult and Community Education (BPACE) program is offering free testing for the high school equivalency exam (HiSET). Interested participants only need to enroll in a test preparation class at BPACE and complete a 12-hour course, during which student will create a HiSET exam account and take the pretests. The HiSET exam helps adult learners earn a high school equivalency certificate.
Baldwin Park Unified is accepting enrollment applications for the 2021-22 school year beginning on Monday, March 8. Baldwin Park Unified School District provides comprehensive learning opportunities that span transitional kindergarten through adult school. The District’s signature programs include the award-winning Dual Language program, career technical education pathways and hands-on STEM opportunities. Families may begin the enrollment process online at www.bpusd.net.
As a sophomore at Baldwin Park High School, Veronica Sanchez always pushed herself to succeed, taking AP and college prep courses and serving her community as a member of the BPHS Leo Club. To honor Sanchez’s memory after her sudden death in March 2020, the BPHS Leo Club created the Veronica Sanchez Memorial Scholarship and organized an online fundraiser to support seniors continuing their post-secondary education.
Baldwin Park Unified will partner with TeenLine, a teen-to-teen hotline that provides 24-hour personalized, inclusive support and resources for adolescents as part of its commitment to promote the healthy development of students and their families. The Board of Education approved the partnership for the nonprofit, community-based organization funded by Cedars-Sinai Hospital, to provide emotional support for its students through peer-based education, community outreach and online support.
The Baldwin Park Unified Board of Education urged Gov. Gavin Newsom to direct the State Board of Education to request a waiver for standardized testing in spring 2021 amid the recent COVID-19 spike during a Feb. 9 board meeting. The District stated that using standardized testing this spring will not provide an equal comparison from prior years, impacting the reliability of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress. The U.S. Department of Education waived requirements for the 2019-20 testing during the school closures in spring 2020.
Sierra Vista High School Class of 2001 graduate Silvia Cervantes-Juarez addressed more than 100 students at her alma mater about mental wellness issues on Jan. 22, advising students that self-awareness, positive messaging, regular exercise and setting a schedule are the keys to staying mentally fit during COVID-19. Cervantes-Juarez, who works as a high school psychologist, dispensed words of wisdom and support to students during a Flex Friday intervention class presentation, held in coordination with Sierra Vista’s National Alliance of Mental Health Club.
Sierra Vista High School will continue to serve as a COVID-19 testing site through the end of February, through a partnership between Baldwin Park Unified, the City of Baldwin Park and Transcend Health. Testing will be conducted from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays, at Sierra Vista, 3600 Frazier St., Baldwin Park.
Baldwin Park Unified’s Kenmore Elementary, Santa Fe School, Sierra Vista Junior High, Baldwin Park High School and Sierra Vista High School earned spots on the Educational Results Partnership (ERP) 2019-20 Honor Roll and were named Star Schools for narrowing the achievement gap through college and career readiness programs. ERP compiles the Honor Roll for Campaign for Business and Education Excellence, a national organization committed to identifying higher-performing schools.
continued its end-of-the-year tradition with a virtual holiday performance in December, despite choir members having to record their parts at home without hearing vocal accompaniment from fellow ensemble members. The individual tracks, recorded on smart phones, were edited together as a full-length performance video and posted on YouTube. Among the holiday carols performed was “Silent Night.”