Baldwin Park Adult and Community Education Offers Virtual ESL Class
Baldwin Park Unified’s Adult and Community Education (BPACE) is offering a free, Vocational English as a Second Language (V-ESL) class, presented by ESL and career technical education instructors, that teaches students computer literacy and proficiency. Classes are from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, and 8 a.m. to noon on Fridays in Room 21 at the BPACE main campus, located at 4640 Maine Ave. To register, call 626-939-4456 or visit bpace.bpusd.net.
Baldwin Park Unified ‘Santa Clothes’ Provides Gift Cards for Students
Baldwin Park Unified students spent the early morning hours on Dec. 6 at Walmart, eagerly shopping for cold-weather clothes, shoes, and even a few toys, during the 25th Annual Santa Clothes Project. This year, 404 students from Early Childhood Education to high school received $80 gift cards. The Santa Clothes Project is made possible through a partnership between the District, the City of Baldwin Park, the Baldwin Park Charitable Relief Organization, the Baldwin Park Police Department and other local organizations.
Baldwin Park Unified’s North Park Named Model Continuation School
Baldwin Park Unified’s North Park Continuation High School has been redesignated as a Model Continuation High School by the California Department of Education during a verification visit on Dec. 6. North Park was recognized 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 Continuation was last honored as a 2020 Model Continuation High School. The redesignation ensures North Park retains its model school status for the next three years.
Baldwin Park Unified’s BP STEM Academy was recognized with a 2022 Golden Bell Award by the California School Boards Association (CSBA) during the CSBA annual education conference and awards ceremony, held in San Diego on Dec. 1. BP STEM Academy was established in 2021 as a specialized science, technology, engineering and mathematics school for students in grades three through eight. The creation and development of the BP STEM Academy was honored for providing the necessary framework for systemic change by removing the barriers to access in education and establishing an all-inclusive atmosphere that encourages students to be curious about STEM.
Baldwin Park Unified Dual Language program students and teachers transformed campuses with elaborately decorated altars, strings of marigold flowers and colorful papel picado to channel the energy of the season for Día de los Muertos festivals, held from Oct. 20 to Nov. 3. Baldwin Park High School’s 11th annual Día de los Muertos celebration, hosted on Oct. 20, featured live music and dance performances from Geddes and Walnut elementary school students, as well as face painting, food vendors and an art gallery. The school’s altar competition included submissions from BPHS student clubs and elementary schools, with Margaret Heath Elementary’s altar taking the first-place win.
Baldwin Park Unified, in collaboration with the City of Baldwin Park and community partners, is seeking donations for its 25th annual Santa Clothes Project to provide 375 students in need with new cold-weather clothes and shoes. Anyone wishing to make the holiday season brighter for BPUSD students can make a check donation or apply to be a volunteer or personal shopper. Students will be provided an $80 shopping trip on Tuesday, Dec. 6 to Walmart, located at 3250 Big Dalton Ave., Baldwin Park. For more information, contact District Community Liaison Maria Guevara in the Baldwin Park Unified Student Support Services Office at 626.962.3311, ext. 86025.
Baldwin Park Unified Partners with City, Baby2Baby for Pilot Program
Baldwin Park Unified families will have access to free diapers, baby wipes and menstrual products as part of a hygiene product pilot program, launched by the office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis. The City of Baldwin Park and Baby2Baby are partners in the project to ensure products are available to community members at the Baldwin Park County Library, located at 4181 Baldwin Park Blvd.
Baldwin Park High School senior Melanie Flores is a dedicated and passionate learner whose hard work has earned her an elite academic honor that will get her one step closer to realizing her dream of helping people access medical care in underserved areas. Flores, an alumna of Foster Elementary School and Sierra Vista Middle School and enrolled in the District’s Dual Language Program, was awarded the National Hispanic Recognition Award by the College Board National Recognition Programs for her academic achievements.
Jacqueline Garcia's third-grade class from Kenmore Elementary School received a first-place blue ribbon for their group poster, depicting a paper mâché tiger surrounded by cutouts of hands to mimic a jungle, at the eighth annual East San Gabriel Valley SELPA Community Advisory Committee Arts Festival on Oct. 24. More than 180 Baldwin Park Unified special education students celebrated a morning of arts education and engagement with activities ranging from decorating superhero masks to face painting, yoga and making beaded jewelry.
The Sierra Vista High School girls flag football team spent the last year training daily to develop physical skills, confidence and to solidify personal bonds, as they built a team that has become a pioneer of the sport in the San Gabriel Valley. Baldwin Park Unified’s Sierra Vista High School is one of eight high schools selected for the pilot launch of the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section (CIF-SS) girls flag football league. More than 70 teams applied for a coveted spot. The CIF-SS voted on Sept. 29 to make flag football an official girls high school sport, with the goal of making the game official in California by the 2023-24 school year.
