Baldwin Park STEM Academy Earns AVID Schoolwide Site of Distinction
Baldwin Park Unified’s STEM Academy earned the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Schoolwide Site of Distinction Award for promoting rigorous academic opportunities and research-based instructional practices across the school. BP STEM Academy students learn vital skills that start them on the pathway to college readiness. The Schoolwide Site of Distinction Award is the highest rating a school can receive on the AVID certification rating scale, placing BP STEM Academy in the program’s top 10 percent of all AVID programs in the country.
Sierra Vista High School sophomore Sofia Estrada poured her passion for soccer and belief in its uniting power into an impactful essay, winning her first prize in the California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE) Student Writing Contest and showcasing how the sport allows bilingual people to share their stories, art and dreams. In her essay, “The Universal Language That Could Change the World,” Estrada details how soccer enables people to communicate with each other without speaking the same language, tearing down barriers and uniting people from different cultures, religions and backgrounds.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness and the Gay-Straight Alliance clubs at Baldwin Park High School provide resources and activities to support students' mental and emotional health. Baldwin Park High’s Peace, Pride and Produce Garden, launched in 2021, was designed to be a safe and welcoming space for the school’s LGBTQIA+ community. Since then, the school has expanded mental health and wellness resources available to students. The garden is just one part of a campus-wide mental health initiative that includes monthly activities such as Mindful Mondays, Thoughtful Thursdays and Foodie Fridays.
Baldwin Park Unified Students Rewarded with Outdoor Fun Day
Baldwin Park Unified’s Geddes Elementary School held a special celebration on March 3 to reward students for meeting and exceeding school behavior expectations. Students enjoyed an afternoon outdoors and played a variety of games and activities, including playing Jenga, making giant bubbles and chalk art, bouncy ball races and a ring toss competition. This was the second of three reward days for Geddes students this school year.
Baldwin Park Unified Students Gain Financial Literacy Knowledge
Baldwin Park High School students were introduced to financial literacy on March 1 and 2 through Mad City Money, an interactive budgeting simulation event that is sponsored by SCE Federal Credit Union and facilitated by the Center for Financial Empowerment. BPHS seniors in economics and government classes participated in the event to explore real-world finances by assuming the role of an adult and taking on responsibilities, such as having a career, children and debt, and balancing their wants and needs.
Baldwin Park Unified High School to Hold College and Career Fair
Baldwin Park High School is hosting its annual College and Career Fair – its first since 2019 – from 9 a.m. to noon on Thursday, March 16, to be held in the quad area. Representatives from universities, community colleges, local businesses, military and technical schools will be present to meet with students and discuss higher education and career options. Baldwin Park High is located at 3900 N. Puente Ave., Baldwin Park.
Six robotics teams from Baldwin Park Unified School District’s BP STEM Academy qualified for the VEX Robotics State Championships in early March, showcasing the students’ critical thinking skills, problem-solving abilities and teamwork. Four of the teams advancing consist of secondary-level students and the remaining two teams consist of elementary students – showcasing the growth the teams have sustained in the Academy’s first year of offering the program at the elementary level. Elementary teams will compete March 4 at the Maywood Center for Enriched Studies and secondary teams will compete March 5 at Damien High School.
Baldwin Park Unified to Host Grand Opening for Wellness Center
Baldwin Park High School is hosting a grand-opening for its Wellness Center from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday, March 10. In collaboration with the Los Angeles County Office of Education’s Community Schools initiative, Baldwin Park High mental health staff created a designated safe space for students to check in, take a break from the day and learn about important mental health and wellness strategies. The center is open before school, at brunch and at lunch. Baldwin Park High is located at 3900 N. Puente Ave., Baldwin Park.
Baldwin Park Unified middle school students discovered ways to expand their creativity through performing arts, build strong community relations and plan careers during the inaugural Braves on Tour, a student-led initiative which gives eighth-graders an opportunity to learn about programs available to them when they become Baldwin Park High School freshmen in 2023-24. Current Braves students visited Olive and Jones middle schools on Jan. 23 and Sierra Vista Middle School and Baldwin Park STEM Academy on Jan. 24 before concluding the tour with a joint pep rally on Feb. 2 at BPHS’ Ted K. Gorrell football stadium.
Baldwin Park Unified’s North Park High School has been redesignated as a Model Continuation School by the California Department of Education, recognizing the school for creating and nurturing strong teacher and student mentorships, as well as ensuring students succeed academically and personally in a supportive school environment. North Park was last honored as a Model Continuation School in 2020. It will retain its model school status for the next three years.
