Cheered on by a full house of teachers, staff and families, nearly 100 Bonita Unified students were honored with a moment in the spotlight – for achievements that often go unrecognized – during the 2022-23 La Verne/San Dimas Educational Foundation (LVSDEF) Awards. Held March 13 at the Bonita Center for the Arts, the awards ceremony is one of the foundation’s signature annual events. Founded in 1983, LVSDEF aims to enhance educational opportunities for students within Bonita Unified. Through various fundraisers and sponsorships, the foundation also awards teacher mini-grants every year to support classroom projects, donates funds to each school’s arts programs and more.
Bonita Unified Middle School Students Excel in Math Competition
Lone Hill Middle School’s Mathletes showcased their academic excellence during the 11th annual Middle School Math Competition, held March 18 at Damien High School. The event brought together local seventh- and eighth-grade students for an exciting day of contests designed to test students’ math skills. The Lone Hill Mathletes took second place in the Seventh Grade Super Quiz Bowl, a collaborative team contest, and one Lone Hill student was named the top seventh-grader in the geometry exam.
San Dimas High School has been recognized by the College Board for its work in establishing equal gender representation in its Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles (AP CSP) class, honoring the school with its 2022 AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award. This is the first year that San Dimas High has been recognized with the award since initiating its program in 2019. The award is given to schools that have AP CSP classes with 50% or more female exam taker representation, or a percentage of CSP exam takers that meets or exceeds that of the school’s female population. San Dimas is one of just 832 high schools across the United States to receive the award in 2022.
The Associated Student Body (ASB) at San Dimas High School creates a community of inclusivity where every Saint feels like they belong. This service-minded leadership and encouragement of students has earned San Dimas High ASB the Outstanding Leadership Program Award (OLPA) by the California Association of Student Leaders. The OLPA is a distinguished award presented only to 5% of eligible schools whose student leadership programs demonstrate that students are growing as ethical, responsible and servant-minded leaders. San Dimas High ASB students were recognized for exhibiting their skills at adapting activities and events, providing resources, supporting staff and students, working toward creating an equitable campus and more.
Bonita Unified Choirs to Embark on Performance Tour Across Hawaii
Bonita High School’s Chamber Singers and Concert Choir will spend spring break showcasing their vocal talents as they travel across Oahu, Hawaii during a performance tour from Sunday, April 1 to Tuesday, April 4. Bonita choral students will perform at various venues, visit with high school and college choirs, take a master class and more. Bonita High School’s award-winning choral ensembles have performed at festivals and concerts at storied venues across the nation, including Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center in New York and Symphony Hall in Chicago.
Bonita Unified Drama Students to Stage ‘Legally Blonde’ Production
Bonita High School’s drama department will stage a production of “Legally Blonde The Musical” as its annual spring musical with three performances at the Bonita Center for the Arts on Thursday, April 27, Friday, April 28, and Saturday, April 29 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at https://www.bonitacenterforthearts.com/. The Bonita Center for the Arts is located at 822 W. Covina Blvd., San Dimas.
Bonita Unified Honors Students for Helping Community Member in Need
The Bonita Unified Board of Education honored San Dimas High School students Steven Moran, Sergio Robles, Robert Smith and Steven Rosales during its March 1 Board meeting, recognizing the students for their recent act of service in assisting a man who was in medical distress while they were having lunch off-campus. The students called 911 and assisted the man in moving to a safe space while waiting for first responders to arrive.
Bonita Unified Adult Transition Program students are entering a new phase in their lives, splitting time between the San Dimas High School campus and the University of La Verne (ULV) through a partnership that allows students ages 18 to 22 with moderate to severe disabilities to connect with students their own age as they work toward transitioning into adult life with full functionality. The program, which debuted in mid-January, places the students at ULV for two days a week, then switches back to San Dimas High for the remainder of the school week. Bonita Unified Adult Transition students receive full access to ULV facilities, including the library, gym, campus center and dining hall.
On his first day of practice as a member of the San Dimas High golf team, Class of 2008 graduate J.J. Spaun met the man who would help propel him to a career as a professional golfer on the PGA Tour, Saints coach Doug Shultz. From Spaun’s first practice as a freshman until his final putt as a senior, leading the Saints to their fourth consecutive league championship, Shultz was there to guide him. Spaun returned to campus on Feb. 22 to dedicate a memorial bench to the late Shultz, honoring the man who devoted so much time to his players in more than 20 years as a coach.
Bonita Unified Cheer Team Concludes Season with Championship Titles
San Dimas High School’s cheer team celebrated a successful competition season by ringing the bell in the school’s iconic bell tower on Feb. 8, a coveted privilege awarded for outstanding student achievements. The Saints’ cheer team won its third CIF Southern Section Division 2A Championship, followed by the Cheer Pros state champion title in tumbling and small varsity intermediate categories. San Dimas High students Maddison Arochi, Giselle Baeza, Melissa Rayas and Nailey Ornelas were also named to the All-State cheer team.
