North Park Continuation High School will celebrate the graduation of 135 seniors at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 30 – a stellar 98 percent graduation rate that is among the best in the state. The high school – recognized as a Model Continuation High School by the state – has developed multiple pathways into vocational and academic fields that drive a consistently strong graduation rate. Many of the graduates have already earned college credits, enrolled in local colleges or trade schools, or have enlisted in the military.
Clad in their graduation regalia, seniors from Baldwin Park and Sierra Vista high school hugged siblings and former teachers, and cried a little, as they visited their elementary schools for a triumphant Senior Walk in the days before their commencement ceremonies. The events – the first for Baldwin Park High and the second for Sierra Vista High – were intended to inspire younger students to strive for college and career dreams and to give the students a chance to thank the teachers who helped guide them on their first steps of their educational journey. Some 93 students from Baldwin Park and 177 from Sierra Vista were scheduled to visit each of the District’s 13 elementary schools on May 24 and 25, but numbers topped even those expectations.
Baldwin Park Unified Senior Wins 32nd Congressional District Art Contest
Rafael Mondragon, a senior at Baldwin Park Unified’s Sierra Vista High School, won first place in U.S. Rep. Grace Napolitano’s 32nd Congressional District Art Competition. Mondragon submitted a photo titled "Awaiting a Home," taken at La Plaza at Olvera Street in Los Angeles. He received a free trip to Washington, D.C., where his artwork will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol for a year.
Baldwin Park Unified High Schools Celebrate Memorable Commencements
More than 950 seniors from Baldwin Park Unified’s two comprehensive high schools and one continuation school celebrated their commencements on May 30 and 31 in memorable ceremonies. North Park Continuation High School on May 30 graduated 135 seniors, celebrating a 98 percent graduation rate that is one of the best in the state. Sierra Vista High School commemorated 429 graduates and Baldwin Park High School honored 400 on May 31.
More than 250 seniors from Baldwin Park Unified’s Baldwin Park and Sierra Vista high schools visited their elementary schools on May 24 and 25 to thank teachers for guiding them on their educational journeys and to inspire younger pupils to pursue their dreams. At the events, seniors received high-fives, posters and leis from the schools. Seniors, often tearfully, urged the younger students to treasure their time at Baldwin Park’s schools.
Baldwin Park Unified’s Jones Junior High School has launched a pair of classes emphasizing science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) topics along with a new lab that allows seventh- and eighth-graders to bring their ideas to life. Seventh-graders in the new Design and Modeling class are translating two-dimensional ideas into three-dimensional designs using specialized software and dedicated laptops while eighth-graders are constructing cars that demonstrate how kinetic energy can be transferred. Both courses are designed by Project Lead The Way, the national leader in STEM curriculum. Jones is the second of Baldwin Park Unified’s middle/junior high schools to emphasize a STEM pathway. The lab, which can accommodate more than 30 students, features state-of-the art electrical systems, upgraded storage and lighting, and reconfigurable work areas so students can collaborate.
Silence Jackson, a seventh-grader at Baldwin Park Unified’s Jones Junior High School, has qualified for the National History Day competition set for Sunday, June 10 to Thursday, June 14 at the University of Maryland after taking top honors in May for a California History Day project examining the lives of sharecroppers. Jackson is one of two champions selected in the Junior Individual Exhibit Division.
Baldwin Park Unified Seniors Visit Elementary Schools to Inspire Pupils
Students from Baldwin Park Unified’s Sierra Vista and Baldwin Park high schools will visit their elementary schools wearing their graduation regalia to celebrate their achievement, thank their former teachers and inspire younger students to pursue their dreams. Baldwin Park High students will visit campuses at 1:15 p.m. Thursday, May 24. Sierra Vista High students will visit campuses at 10 a.m. Friday, May 25.
Baldwin Park Unified’s Kenmore Elementary School and Santa Fe School were named to the 2017-18 California Honor Roll on May 16, a recognition of their academic success, improvement over time and narrowing of the achievement gap. The honor is given by the Educational Results Partnership (ERP) and sponsored by the Campaign for Business and Education Excellence (CBEE), based on the results of state standardized tests in math and English language arts (ELA) taken in spring 2017. Each school was named a Star School, a category for schools that have a third or more students from high-poverty homes. Each will receive a banner and be recognized on a website as a model for other schools.
Baldwin Park Unified will host a 12-hour Relay for Life of Baldwin Park event from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, May 19 at Baldwin Park High School to raise awareness and funds to fight cancer. The event will feature survivor and caregiver celebrations, a luminaria celebration of family members who have been touched by the disease. There also will be entertainment, activities and food. The relay event follows a week of fundraising by students at the District’s 20 schools. The high school is at 3900 Puente Ave., Baldwin Park.
