For more than half a century, the Smudge Pot has been more than just a football game in Bonita Unified – it has been a showcase of community pride, student talent, and family tradition. On Sept. 13, that legacy continued as Bonita and San Dimas high schools brought their rivalry to Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) for the 53rd annual matchup. This year marked the first time the storied contest was played at Mt. SAC’s Hilmer Lodge Stadium, where Bonita High secured its seventh consecutive Smudge Pot victory with a 28-14 win. Beyond the scoreboard, the annual Smudge Pot tradition has long been a celebration of the entire Bonita Unified community, District students’ talents in athletics and the arts. Students on both sidelines kept the energy high throughout the game; San Dimas High and Bonita High Associated Student Body (ASB) leaders led their sections in chants, while cheer and dance teams from both schools performed.
Ten recent Bonita Unified graduates are ready to begin new careers in healthcare after receiving their Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) diplomas during a commencement celebration held Aug. 30 at the Village in Pomona, as part of a career technical education (CTE) partnership between the District, America’s Job Center of California (AJCC), and Prestige Career College. The former Bonita Unified students received their diplomas after completing the rigorous five-week course and passing the California CNA certification exam. As CNAs, the students will assist nurses and healthcare providers in the field, at hospitals, clinics, and long-term care facilities, providing, among many essential tasks, basic bedside care and personal hygiene while serving as patient advocates.
Three recent Bonita Unified graduates looking to learn more about protecting the environment and the importance of processing recycling materials and organic waste spent the summer as interns for Waste Management (WM), assisting the Baldwin Park-based company in its efforts to ensure corporations and businesses are complying with green waste mandates issued by the state of California. San Dimas High School Class of 2025 graduates Jacob Hidalgo and Krishna Ramnani teamed up with Bonita High School Class of 2025 graduate Isabel Rodriguez for the one-month internship, working with Waste Management representatives to canvass areas and contact companies that have failed to comply with Senate Bill (SB) 1383, which requires all residents and entities to put green waste – such as fruits, vegetables, and coffee grounds – in yard waste containers.
The Bonita Bearcats and San Dimas Saints will compete for the coveted silver Smudge Pot, an oil-burning tool once used to protect fruit trees from frost and a nod to the cities’ roots in the Southern California citrus industry. Overall, the Bearcats have a 27-24-1 lifetime record against the Saints. A complete history of the rivalry game, including scores, records, and archival photographs, can be found at .
Bonita Unified ProStart culinary students and alumni continued to make delectable gains during summer break after a successful appearance at the 14th annual California Restaurant Foundation (CRF) Culinary Clash, as they designed gourmet meals while collaborating with industry professionals and making connections. The Culinary Clash, which raised more than $95,000 for high school culinary programs at this year’s event, pairs ProStart students, who serve as sous chefs, with restaurant executives for a three-month CRF mentorship. Beginning with original ideas brought by the students, teams work to create a dazzling menu item, using certain required ingredients, then plate their creations at a festive outdoor tasting event, where attendees sample and then vote for their favorite student/industry combinations.
Bonita Unified School District kicked off its 2025-26 school year on Aug. 18 in grand style, welcoming approximately 10,000 students from transitional kindergarten (TK) to 12th grade with smiles, hugs, and activities meant to foster a strong sense of community and new levels of excellence. The new school year festivities began with an orientation for the District’s youngest learners on Aug. 14, when they met their teachers and classmates, received tours of their new campuses, played games, and acclimated themselves to their new environments.
Bonita High School senior Aaron Edwards loves to dance. As a member of the school’s award-winning D Street Dance Team since he was a sophomore, dance has transformed Edwards’ life. Presented a chance to share his enthusiasm and talent with young children, this summer Edwards served as a dance instructor and volunteer for the Project Think Academic Enrichment Program, held at Pitzer College in Claremont. Working primarily with children ages four to six, Edwards introduced them to basic dance moves and choreographed a short routine that culminated in a Project Think student dance performance. At the end of the summer session, Edwards was joined by his D Street classmates for an exclusive performance for Project Think students and staff.
When Bonita High School Class of 2022 graduate Alexa Garcia arrived at UCLA for her freshman year, she was hoping to find community among the nearly 46,000 students inhabiting the university’s vast campus. Now a senior at UCLA, Garcia eventually found her way to MedReach, a UCLA outreach organization whose students serve as mentors for L.A.-area high school students interested in pursuing a career in the healthcare industry. MedReach offers six “Ready for Healthcare” seminars during the year, both online and in-person, where high school students learn about short-term and long-term careers in the medical field, learn medical terminology through puzzles and games, and examine case studies to observe doctor-patient interaction.
SAN DIMAS/LA VERNE – Bonita Unified students looking to get a head start on college and career planning received expert guidance in auto repair, architecture, and engineering through career technical education (CTE) summer academies at Citrus College and Cal Poly Pomona, with rising juniors and seniors taking weeklong courses designed to spark their interest in lucrative fields.
For its dedication to providing students a rigorous education in a positive learning environment, Bonita Unified has been named a “Favorite School District” in the San Gabriel Valley in the Southern California News Group (SCNG) Readers’ Choice Awards for the third year in a row. Each spring, SCNG newspapers—including the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Pasadena Star-News, and Whittier Daily News—invite readers to vote both online and through print for awards across a range of categories.
