Bonita Unified Commencement Recognizes Exceptional Class of 2023
Under dramatic theater lights and skies filled with cascading streamers and striking fireworks, graduates from Chaparral-Vista, Bonita and San Dimas high schools turned their tassels and tossed their caps into the air during commencement ceremonies that celebrated the triumphs achieved, challenges experienced and memories made by Bonita Unified’s Class of 2023. The ceremonies – held June 6 for Chaparral-Vista and San Dimas and June 8 for Bonita – showcased the graduates’ excellence in their academic, athletic, artistic and extracurricular endeavors, from state awards for leadership and CIF championships to prestigious scholarships and nationally recognized culinary programs. Bonita Unified’s Class of 2023 features high-achieving graduates who will continue their education at institutions such as UCLA, UC Berkeley and Purdue University, as well as those who have enlisted in U.S. Armed Forces or will enter the professional world.
The Shull Elementary School cafeteria, transformed into a marketplace of ideas, was loud with the machinations of commerce as fourth-grade students hawked everything from homemade jewelry and painted rocks to daisy chains and origami jumping frogs during its end-of-the-year Business Day, held June 2. The Shull Business Day is a twice-yearly event that encourages students to create their own business plans, then use play money they have accumulated over the school year to purchase, trade or bargain with their classmates and their families. Students earn money throughout the year by completing assignments and displaying good behavior, depositing their earnings in a classroom bank account only they and their teachers can access.
Bonita High School Class of 2022 graduate Verena Padres was in an unusual place when she received the news that she had been named a 2023 National Merit Scholarship winner – Cornell University, where she was assisting in the college’s Alpha CubeSat research project. Padres, who has dreamed of working for NASA since reading a book on female astronauts in elementary school, was one of approximately 840 students across the United States to be named a National Merit scholar, receiving $2,500 to help cover the cost of her higher education. She is also the first Bonita High School student to ever receive the National Merit Scholarship. Padres, along with her twin sister Ashley, graduated from Bonita in three years; both now attend Cornell.
Bonita Unified to Honor Accomplished Class of 2023
Bonita Unified School District will conclude a successful academic year by celebrating the achievements of the Class of 2023 during commencement ceremonies for its two comprehensive high schools and continuation school. Chaparral High School will kick off the festivities with a 5 p.m. ceremony on Tuesday, June 6 at the Bonita Center for the Arts, 822 W. Covina Blvd., San Dimas; San Dimas High School will follow with a spirited ceremony at 7 p.m. at the school’s stadium, 800 W. Covina Blvd., San Dimas. Bonita High School will close out the commencement celebrations with a 7 p.m. ceremony on Thursday, June 8 at Glenn Davis Stadium, 3102 D St., La Verne.
Grace Miller Elementary School students donned safari hats and embarked on an exploration of inclusivity during the school’s Ability Fair on April 28, which immersed students in fun-filled demonstrations of the resources and accommodations that can help their peers with special needs or different learning abilities succeed in the classroom. Students from transitional kindergarten to fifth grade rotated through a variety of stations and engaged in hands-on activities and games – from creating a visual schedule of their school day to practicing augmentative and alternative communication and requesting a treat using only a communication board – that demonstrated what it means to provide an equitable and accessible education.
Bonita Unified School District recognized the positive impact that educators and school employees can have on students’ lives – whether in just a few years or during a career that spans decades – as it honored the District’s 2022-23 Classified, Certificated and Management Employees of the Year during the Board of Education meeting on April 12. Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Dr. Kevin Lee provided a heartfelt introduction of each employee during the meeting, where the honorees were presented with flowers and received hugs and applause from their colleagues, families, friends and students. Chaparral-Vista High School registrar Cathy Schofield was named the District Classified Employee of the Year, celebrating her key role in going above and beyond to ensure that all students, parents and staff receive the support they need. Schofield, who has worked at Chaparral-Vista High for eight years and served the students of Bonita Unified for 30 years, will retire at the end of the 2022-23 school year.
Bonita Unified Sports Medicine Team Advances to Nationals
San Dimas High School’s sports medicine competition team placed sixth in the state and ninth overall in the small schools division of the American Academic Competition Institute (AACI) Sports Medicine Competition, held in March at Cal State Northridge. The competition tests students’ knowledge and practical skill in anatomy and physiology, CPR/AED, first aid, orthopedic assessment and general medical conditions through an extensive written exam, a practical exam and an interactive anatomy challenge. The team’s strong performance will advance them to the AACI National Sports Medicine Competition in May.
Bonita Unified School District continued to outpace school districts across the state in reading competency, ranking No. 1 in the state on the California Reading Coalition’s (CRC) California Reading Report Card, based on California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress English language arts test scores from 2021-22. Among districts with at least 100 economically disadvantaged Latino third-grade students, Bonita Unified led the way with 53% of the subgroup meeting or exceeding California grade-level standards. Bonita Unified’s No. 1 ranking is the result of a years-long District commitment to boost reading comprehension across all grade levels, embracing a data-driven method that reflects teaching practices proven by extensive research to effectively teach children how to read.
Bonita Unified Culinary Students Advance to National Competition
San Dimas High School ProStart restaurant management students punched their tickets to Washington, D.C. after their idea for an unapologetically delicious, fast-casual restaurant specializing in guilty pleasure entrees won first place in the California Restaurant Foundation’s 2023 ProStart Cup. Following their victory at the state competition in March, the winning students will now advance to the nation’s capital to compete in the National ProStart Invitational, to be held Tuesday, May 2 to Thursday, May 4 at the Washington Hilton. The first-place victory was the capper in a historic day for the Bonita Unified ProStart culinary program, with five San Dimas High and Bonita High teams placing in the top five in both the culinary and restaurant management categories, and more than a dozen students winning a total of $80,000 in scholarships. Photos are available.
San Dimas High School student-athletes demonstrated their excellence on the field and in the classroom with the release of the CIF Southern Section’s (CIF-SS) 35th annual FORD Academic Awards, in which the Saints earned 23 team academic awards and two individual awards. Each year, CIF-SS issues team awards in 27 sports; all 23 of San Dimas’ eligible squads were honored this year for maintaining team GPAs of 3.0 or higher. The San Dimas High girls’ tennis team secured the Academic Award Team Championship, presented to teams from schools with an enrollment below 1,499.
