The Bonita Unified School District Board of Education on May 6 appointed Krista Chakmak – a parent, school volunteer, Save the Heartbeat Foundation volunteer and member of the City of La Verne Youth and Family Action Committee – as its newest member. Chakmak, who will serve the seven months remaining in the term of retired member Matthew Lyons, was chosen unanimously from among four candidates interviewed by the board.
The Bonita Unified School District Board of Education on May 6 appointed Krista Chakmak – a parent, school volunteer, Save the Heartbeat Foundation volunteer and member of the City of La Verne Youth and Family Action Committee – as its newest member. Chakmak, who will serve the seven months remaining in the term of retired member Matthew Lyons, was chosen unanimously from among four candidates interviewed by the board.
Bonita Unified School District Superintendent Carl J. Coles participated in a digital interview via Zoom, answering frequently asked questions to update the Bonita Unified community on resources such as free meals for students, Chromebook distribution to support remote learning and grading, graduation and fall enrollment.
Bonita Unified seniors from San Dimas High School are being honored with congratulatory lawn signs all across the city. Teachers, coaches and parents are posing with the signs and sharing them on social media to honor the class of 2020 graduates. The District continues to find innovative and creative ways to celebrate the students, for whom in-person graduation ceremonies are likely postponed or cancelled due to social distancing regulations.
Bonita Unified School District Board of Education Vice President Matt Lyons is resigning his seat effective April 16. Lyons was appointed to the Board in December 2017. His term runs through December 2020. He has served as vice president since December 2019.
San Dimas High School seniors got a crash course in money management and financial planning during the school’s annual Career Day on March 4, using the app-based simulation “A Bite of Reality” to mimic real-world budgetary decisions. Students were given occupations, families and a net monthly income, along with a list of debt obligations. They were tasked with paying recurring expenses – such as housing, clothing and entertainment – with a goal of retaining a positive bank balance by the end of the exercise.
Bonita Unified School District shared student success stories, celebrated achievements in academics, athletics, arts and activities, and presented awards to students and community partners at the 2020 State of the District luncheon on Feb. 25 at the Hillcrest Meeting House. Superintendent Carl J. Coles shared stories of students who have discovered their purpose at Bonita Unified – like Chaparral Vista High School senior and student board representative Justine Plowman, who is working to become a sheriff’s deputy, and Ekstrand Elementary second-grader Jordan Mulgado, who is looking at colleges that will teach him to design race cars.
Bonita Unified School District will host its 2020 State of the District, sponsored by the La Verne and San Dimas rotary clubs and chambers of commerce. Check-in will be at 11 a.m. with a $25 lunch; attendance after 12:15 p.m. is free. The event will be Tuesday, Feb. 25, at Hillcrest Retirement Community, 2705 Mountain View Drive, La Verne.
Students, families, teachers and volunteers from Shull Elementary and Ramona Middle School gathered at the Holy Name of Mary church in San Dimas to help bag over 500 lunches for local families. Bags included Lunchables, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chips, crackers and cheese, candy, granola bars, water bottles and fruit cups.
Several Bonita Unified students walked into class with a spring in their step when classes resumed following the holiday break. Thanks to a Bonita Unified partnership with Sempra Energy and Claremont-based nonprofit Shoes that Fit, 75 Bonita Unified School District students received new footwear as the centerpiece of holiday gift baskets assembled by the District.
