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Bonita Unified School District

  • Bonita Unified Choir Students Celebrate Selection to SCVA Junior High Honor Choir

    Now in her 12th year, Ramona Middle School music teacher Caitlin Shaw has provided the crucial link between elementary school novice singers and Bonita High School’s prestigious Concert Choir and Chamber Singers. With more than 270 students in her program, Shaw teaches singers how to harmonize, read music, and prepare for auditions and live performances. Channeling Shaw’s mentorship and guidance, 11 Ramona music students, along with three Bonita High School freshmen, have been selected to join the Southern California Vocal Association’s (SCVA) 2025 Junior High Honor Choir, underscoring the hard work and dedication that epitomize Bonita Unified’s successful and award-winning Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) programs. Ramona placed more students in the honor choir than any other Southern California school. The SCVA Junior High Honor Choir 2025 spring performance will be held at 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 3 at Portola High School in Irvine.

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  • Bonita Unified Middle School Theater Performances Receive Awards, Accolades

    The Ramona Middle School Drama Society is celebrating another season of outstanding performances, earning awards and accolades at prestigious theater festivals across California in February, then returning home to stage its showstopping annual musical, “Shrek Jr.” for three performances, including a sold-out, standing-room-only show on the final night. A touring group of 24 Ramona Drama Society students traveled to Sacramento for the 2025 Junior Theatre Festival – the world’s biggest theatre festival – featuring drama programs from across the United States, as well as Canada, New Zealand, South Korea, China, and Australia. Ramona Drama Society members performed a 15-minute section from their 2024 production of “Annie, Jr.,” earning an exclusive Excellence in Ensemble award, presented to only five groups in the 55-team field. Not to be outdone, a group of 11 Ramona Drama Society students attended the Junior Thespian Festival at the Orange County School of the Arts, with seven students competing in the Solo Musical or Duet Musical categories. Ramona eighth-graders Lillian Krane and Tia Kaldas received “Superior” rankings and Judges Choice Awards in the Duet Musical category, while eighth-grader Peyton Lokar received a “Superior” ranking in the Solo Musical category.

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  • Bonita Unified Students Celebrate Black History Month with BCA Art Exhibit

    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.

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Bonita Unified Prepares for April Reopening, Hybrid Instruction

Bonita Unified School District will welcome middle and high school students back to campus for in-person instruction on Monday, April 12. The students will be taught in a hybrid model, designed to meet state and county health and safety protocols. Bonita Unified students will have the option to remain in distance learning for the remainder of the year. The District opened its doors to elementary school students on April 5.

Chaparral High Named Model Continuation School for Social Emotional Learning

Chaparral-Vista High School is one of 27 schools recognized as a 2021 Model Continuation School by the California Department of Education and the California Continuation Education Association Plus, recognizing its innovative approach to addressing the academic, social and emotional needs of students as they pursue their paths toward graduation. Chaparral is focused on providing a nurturing environment that guides its students toward realizing their potential. This is Chaparral’s first designation as a Model Continuation School.

Bonita Unified Staff Receive COVID-19 Vaccine Ahead of Return to In-Person Learning

Bonita Unified School District will welcome elementary school students back to campus for in-person instruction on April 5, following the continued decrease of COVID-19 case numbers and rising vaccination rates among District staff. Elementary students will be taught in a hybrid model, designed to meet state and county health and safety protocols. The District also set an April 12 target date to reopen its middle and high schools – grades six to 12 – using a similar hybrid model. Bonita Unified students will also have the option to remain in distance learning for the remainder of the year.

Bonita Unified Employees Receive Purpose Award for Pandemic Response

Bonita Unified School District’s Computer Information Department and Ed Tech teams were celebrated for their outstanding response to the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic, with employees from each group receiving the BUSD Purpose Award during the Feb. 3 Board of Education meeting. The Purpose Award is one of the District’s highest honors and recognizes exemplary conduct and achievement.

Bonita Unified Recognized for Second Time as Inland Empire Top Workplace

For the second year in a row, the Inland Valley News Group has named Bonita Unified one of 2020’s Top Workplaces in the Inland Empire. The Inland News Group’s list is based on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by employee engagement technology partner Energage. The surveys were distributed to all 13 Bonita Unified schools and the District office, asking employees about workplace culture, if their jobs exceeded expectations, if they would recommend their workplace to potential employees, why they love their jobs and how their employer could improve the workplace environment.

Bonita Unified Student Learns to Craft Candles, Foster Holiday Spirit

Shull Elementary second-grader London Williams’ love for creating and curiosity for learning has inspired her to make and sell her very own scented candles, a venture that is spreading joy to the Bonita Unified community this holiday season. What started in March as a simple question to her mother: “Mom, how are candles made?” has now become a part-time business for 8-year-old Williams, whose biggest order consisted of 35 candles after her mother, Lisa M., shared them with family, friends and co-workers.

Bonita Unified Introduces 2021 Board of Education, Honors Long-Time Member With Purpose Award

Bonita Unified’s Board of Education administered the Oath of Office on Dec. 9 to new member Greg Palatto and returning members Krista Chakmak and Glenn Creiman, as well as honoring retiring member Diane Koach with the Bonita Unified Purpose Award. Palatto works as a school psychologist at Charter Oak Unified School District and is a member of the La Verne Rotary Club. Palatto is dedicated to strengthening mental health services and special education. His two children attend Grace Miller Elementary and Ramona Middle School.

Bonita Unified Introduces 2021 Board of Education

Bonita Unified School District’s Board of Education on Dec. 9 administered the Oath of Office to new member Greg Palatto and returning members Krista Chakmak and Glenn Creiman, as well as honoring retiring member Diane Koach with the Bonita Unified Purpose Award. All three members were sworn in on Dec. 11 during a socially distanced ceremony at the District office. Photos are available.

Bonita Unified Teachers Connect with Students during Virtual First Day

Bonita Unified School District’s first day of school on Aug. 26 saw teachers at every Bonita campus connecting with students using video conferencing, virtual classrooms and digital lessons plans. District teachers shared pictures of their digital set-ups using #BonitaFirstDay and welcomed students to the 2020-21 school year with online course introductions. More information regarding Bonita Unified’s distance learning model can be found on the District website.

Bonita Unified Commits to a Distance Learning Model for Fall 2020

The Bonita Unified School District Board of Education decided July 15 to continue with a distance learning model for the fall 2020 semester, after reviewing guidance from state and county public health and education authorities. The District’s first priority is the health and safety of students, their staff and the community. More information can be found on the District’s website.