Energized by the pioneering legacy of Black and African American artists, San Dimas High School art students have created work in a diverse range of styles, themes, media, and cultural influences, assembling them for the exhibit, “Inspired by Black: Student Reflections on African American Artistry,” currently on display at the Bonita Center for the Arts (BCA). Curated by San Dimas High visual and performing arts chair and art teacher Dominic Black, the exhibit features drawings, paintings, sculptures, and mixed media pieces from dozens of art students, who engage and reflect on the work of Black or African American historic and contemporary artists.
Bonita High School’s Chamber Singers became the first choir in Bonita Unified School District history to perform at the California All-State Music Educators Conference (CASMEC), a selection reserved for the most elite choirs in the state. Each year, the California Music Educators Association (CMEA) and California Choral Directors Association (CCDA) select choirs from across the state to perform at CASMEC after a rigorous audition process. CMEA hosts CASMEC for music educators including professionals in all musical disciplines, from choir and orchestra, spanning from elementary to the college level.
Bonita High School students who want to augment their creative design talents with handiwork skills are taking advantage of the school’s longtime jewelry career technical education (CTE) courses, which teach them the ABCs of manufacturing jewelry while also giving them the opportunity to make their own accessories as they learn the meticulous and precise art. Bonita High’s jewelry pathway consists of two elective classes: a beginning class that acquaints students with the tools and methods used to make handcrafted jewelry, and an advanced class that allows students to take their skills to the next level and can be taken more than once for credit. The classes are limited to juniors and seniors for safety reasons.
As curtains rose on the 19th annual Bonita Unified Spelling Bee, 53 elementary and middle school students stepped into the Bonita Center for the Arts, ready to battle it out in a war of words on Feb. 3. With vowels and consonants at the ready, students went up one by one, with a cash prize and yearlong bragging rights on the line. The competition unfolded over several rounds and students showcased their skills under pressure as the field narrowed with each passing word. In the end, Gladstone Elementary fifth-grader Iresh Oswal claimed first place, securing a $250 cash prize for himself and an additional $250 for his school’s library. Alex Yang of Shull Elementary finished in second place, followed by Kamsiyochukwu Aniwigbo of Grace Miller Elementary in third.
San Dimas High School senior Jazmine Cardenas is no stranger to advocacy. Through her involvement as a member of the UNICEF National Youth Council, the YWCA San Gabriel Valley and the Harvard Youth Corps, Cardenas has fought for children’s rights and victims of domestic violence, and helped to unite students from different cultural backgrounds. Cardenas, who has a 4.17 GPA and has taken six Advanced Placement courses and nine dual enrollment college courses, will take her love for policy-making to New York City after being accepted into Columbia University’s exclusive Barnard College, which has an acceptance rate of less than 9%. Cardenas plans to major in political science with a concentration on international relations and a minor in public policy.
With tax season in full swing, Bonita High School’s IRS-certified accountants-in-training once again are poised and ready to provide tax return filing assistance to local residents free of cost, as part of the IRS’ Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, which has been a fixture at Bonita for more than 20 years. The VITA program will kick off with Tax Day on Thursday, Jan. 30, with a class session dedicated to tax preparation appointments for residents and students. Guided by accounting teacher Madhu Sekhri, who is a Certified Public Accountant, Bonita’s VITA program is available for all students and tax payers who earned $67,000 or less in 2024. Tax preparation services are available through April 11 during the hours of 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
At San Dimas High School, there will always be a place on the Wall of Fame for Class of 2021 alumna and professional soccer player Ally Lemos, who brought the Lady Saints soccer team its only state championship in 2021, before continuing on to UCLA and getting drafted to the Orlando Pride of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), winning championships for each team. Lemos becomes the latest former Saint to have their jersey retired and placed on the school’s Wall of Fame in the lobby of the San Dimas High gymnasium. Principal Omar Mayen and assistant principal Jack Nance made the presentation during halftime of the San Dimas varsity basketball game on Jan. 10. Lemos, who has now won championship titles at the state, college and pro levels, turns 21 in March.
Two Bonita Unified elementary school teachers received mini-grants from the Rotary Club of La Verne to support innovative classroom projects that inspire students to develop a love of learning and provide additional resources so that the students can thrive academically. Rotary Club of La Verne president James R. Ranells presented mini-grants totaling $900 to Roynon Elementary kindergarten teacher Monica Serna Johnson and Oak Mesa Elementary transitional kindergarten (TK) teacher Heather Hoynes during the Dec. 18 Board of Education meeting.
The first full year of CIF-sanctioned high school flag football was a resounding success for Bonita Unified schools, with both Bonita and San Dimas high schools making great strides in their inaugural seasons, led by top players establishing themselves as fierce competitors and passionate coaches eager to develop their athletes as winners on and off the field. Four of the District’s standout seniors will get an opportunity to play one final high school game after being selected for the Los Angeles Rams/National Football Foundation Senior All-Star Flag Football Game, to be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21 at Simi Valley High School. Ashley Sandmark and Anelly Alba from San Dimas High will join Bonita High seniors Breanna Sandmark and Kayla Heinlein on the San Gabriel Valley/Pasadena roster. They will play against a team of San Fernando Valley/Ventura area all-stars. Bonita High head flag football coach Mike Mann will coach the SGV/Pasadena squad.
Bonita Unified School District’s choir program has found the secret ingredient to success: cultivating a community of singers from elementary to high school, supported by passionate educators who nurture talent, and preparing students for professional opportunities on elite stages. This year, a record-breaking 24 choir students from Bonita Unified’s two comprehensive high schools were chosen for the Southern California Vocal Association’s (SCVA) Honor Choirs. Bonita High School choir students made history with 21 individuals named to the prestigious group – the most students selected from a single campus across eight counties.
