Elwin Elementary School took first place in the Baldwin Park Unified 21st Century Challenge, a contest in which student teams at 11 elementary schools constructed 10-foot-by-10-foot Rube Goldberg devices using simple machines. Tracy Elementary placed second, followed by Santa Fe School at third. Honorable mentions went to Foster and DeAnza elementary schools. Winners were announced April 26.
More than 75 student athletes, coaches and family members from Baldwin Park Unified’s Foster and Pleasant View elementary schools will take part in the fourth annual Ruth Gaskin Memorial 5K Walk staged by the East San Gabriel Valley Special Olympics from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 28 at Baldwin Park High School, 3900 Puente Ave., Baldwin Park. The run is held in memory of Ruth Gaskin, the late area director of the East San Gabriel Valley Special Olympics. All entry fees and donations pledged will benefit Special Olympics athletes from the East San Gabriel Valley, including Baldwin Park.
Baldwin Park Unified’s two comprehensive high schools will host panels of mental health professionals to explore potential career fields and learn more about resources available on campus and in their community. Each panel will feature a school counselor, school psychologist, a licensed clinical social worker, a licensed marriage and family therapist and a clinical psychologist. Baldwin Park High School will hold its event from 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesday, May 1 at 3900 N. Puente Ave., Baldwin Park. Sierra Vista High School will hold its event from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 2 at 3600 N. Frazier St., Baldwin Park.
Baldwin Park Unified will announce the winners of its second annual 21st Century Challenge – a science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) contest – during a celebration at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 26 at the Performing Arts Center of Baldwin Park, 4640 Maine Ave., Baldwin Park. Student teams from 11 elementary schools created 10-foot-by-10-foot Rube Goldberg devices over more than three months in the contest.
Terri L. Armstrong, who teaches students with autism-related challenges at Holland Middle School, was named Baldwin Park Unified’s Teacher of the Year on April 17 for creating an engaging, energy-filled classroom environment. Armstrong, a 19-year teacher who has worked at Baldwin Park Unified for four years, was surprised with the news by a team of District administrators, teachers and union leaders during a festive celebration with flowers, balloons and much applause.
A group of 10 educators from West Covina Unified School District will visit Baldwin Park High School’s National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) student club from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Monday, April 23 as the district considers creating a similar program. Baldwin Park Unified is a pioneer in opening student NAMI clubs, launching the first one in the East San Gabriel Valley in 2016-17 at Sierra Vista High School. Clubs have since been created at Baldwin Park High School and North Park Continuation High School. Students in the clubs, where membership can top 60, explore mental health fields and combat stigmas that can prevent people from accessing necessary mental health services.
More than 140 people are expected to celebrate Baldwin Park Unified Early Childhood Education program at the group’s annual lunch, set for 11 a.m. Thursday, April 19 at Swiss Park Banquet Center, 1905 Workman Mill Road, Whittier. ECE partners will receive certificates of appreciation during the event, which will be attended by representatives of state and local officials.
Families at Baldwin Park Unified’s three high schools will learn about the power of a college degree, selecting the right college, the financial aid process and scholarship searches during upcoming College Night events. The programs, hosted by the Educational Credit Management Corp., will include opportunities to win a $500 scholarship. The events will run from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 17 at Baldwin Park High School, 3900 Puente Ave., Baldwin Park; Wednesday, April 18 at North Park Continuation High School, 4600 Bogart Ave., Baldwin Park; and Thursday, April 19 at Sierra Vista High School, 3600 N. Frazier St., Baldwin Park.
Fifth-graders at Baldwin Park Unified’s Tracy Elementary School brought American colonial history to life during the school’s sixth annual Colonial Festival on March 29. Dressed in colonial garb, more than 50 students performed a lively retelling of early American history that included character monologues, traditional dance and music. Photos are available
Baldwin Park Unified school psychologist Susan Coats and Sierra Vista High School student Annastasia Phan will be honored by state Sen. Ed Hernandez from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 27 during the 10th annual Women of Achievement Awards for the 22nd Senate District at the Covina Center for the Performing Arts, 104 N. Citrus Ave., Covina. Coats will be honored as one of 19 Women of Achievement and Phan as one of two Emerging Leaders.
