Baldwin Park Unified Bond Projects Focus on Facility, Safety Upgrades
Baldwin Park Unified students and employees are benefiting from new air conditioning systems, upgraded athletic facilities and improved safety thanks to Measure K, a bond approved by voters in 2006, and Measure AE, a bond approved in 2018. Combined bond funds are being used for the Safe Schools Initiative to increase security across the District, including the installation of security cameras, a new PA system and clock speakers.
Baldwin Park Unified’s BP STEM Academy expanded its award-winning middle school robotics program to the elementary level this summer, with students on the elementary and middle school teams preparing for the new academic year during a robotics summer camp from Aug. 1 to Aug. 12. Students learned about this year’s VEX competitions and started the design-phase for the robots that will compete in the upcoming season.
Baldwin Park Unified celebrated the return of more than 10,000 students to schools across the District for the 2022-23 school year on Aug. 18, with sites decorated in balloon arches, colorful posters and photography backdrops enveloped in school spirit. Students were greeted by administrators, teachers and staff before walking into another academic year, filled with new learning opportunities and expanded mental health support. BPUSD bolstered mental health services at Baldwin Park and Sierra Vista high schools with a new social worker who will help students further develop coping strategies and provide immediate school support.
Generations of Braves descended on the Baldwin Park High School campus for a groundbreaking ceremony on July 13, marking the start of construction of the new school gymnasium. The Braves’ new gym is one of the first projects funded by Measure AE, a bond approved by Baldwin Park voters in 2018 for the expansion of school safety, security, and enhanced learning facilities. BPHS students, staff and alumni were joined by District and city leaders, as well as representatives from the offices of U.S. Representative Grace Napolitano, State Sen. Susan Rubio, State Assemblymember Blanca E. Rubio, and members of the Baldwin Park Business Association.
After 70 years of serving the Baldwin Park High School community, a full renovation is scheduled for the school’s gymnasium. Baldwin Park Unified will host a groundbreaking ceremony at Baldwin Park High School to mark the beginning of construction. As part of a larger celebration, community members and alumni are invited to reminisce, share their memories and say goodbye to the historic gym.
Baldwin Park Unified Students Explore SoCal Through Think Together
More than 600 Baldwin Park Unified students in Think Together’s Summer Learning Program are traveling to local educational attractions throughout Southern California to receive up close and interactive learning experiences. Students from Bursch, De Anza, Geddes, Tracy, Vineland and Walnut elementary schools have visited the Los Angeles Zoo and the California Science Center.
Baldwin Park Unified is saying goodbye to more than 40 employees this school year, including teachers, speech and language pathologists, library technicians, instructional aides, custodians and staff in transportation and nutrition services. Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Dr. Randy Gray is among those retiring, concluding a 34-year career in education with six of those years spent at BPUSD. In 2016, Gray served as Assistant Superintendent in Student Achievement before transitioning to his current position.
Baldwin Park Unified, City to Host Fourth of July Fireworks Show
In partnership with the City of Baldwin Park, Baldwin Park Unified will host a Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular from 5 to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 2 at Sierra Vista High School, located at 3600 N. Frazier St. The event is returning after a two-year hiatus and will feature food, drinks, inflatable jumpers, carnival-style rides and live music from Wild Child. Gates open at 5 p.m., the musical performance will start at 6:45 p.m. and fireworks will begin at 9:05 p.m.
Two robotics teams from Baldwin Park Unified’s BP STEM Academy closed out their season by delivering standout performances at the VEX World Championships, held May 3 to 12 in Dallas, Texas. BP STEM Academy’s robotics teams will be recognized for their achievements during the next Baldwin Park City Council meeting on Wednesday, June 15. The teams, coaches and Academy administrators were celebrated by the BPUSD Board of Education during a regular board meeting on May 24. More than 500 teams qualified for the VEX World Championship Middle School category, with each team divided into seven divisions, creating an average of 73 teams per division.
Baldwin Park Unified Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) elementary school students dressed as historical figures from the past and present during end-of-the-year events that showcased the in-depth extracurricular instruction the District’s GATE program provides to its advanced students. Encouraged to take a deeper look into the creative process of great minds who have made an impact on society, GATE students held European-style salons in costume, mingling together and sharing stories, to cap a school year in which their thirst for knowledge allowed them to expand their academic boundaries. More than 800 students from grades three to eight make up Baldwin Park Unified’s GATE program, which emphasizes scholarly behaviors such as knowledgeability, inquiry, intellectual risk-taking and being open-minded.
