The first full year of CIF-sanctioned high school flag football was a resounding success for Bonita Unified schools, with both Bonita and San Dimas high schools making great strides in their inaugural seasons, led by top players establishing themselves as fierce competitors and passionate coaches eager to develop their athletes as winners on and off the field. Four of the District’s standout seniors will get an opportunity to play one final high school game after being selected for the Los Angeles Rams/National Football Foundation Senior All-Star Flag Football Game, to be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21 at Simi Valley High School. Ashley Sandmark and Anelly Alba from San Dimas High will join Bonita High seniors Breanna Sandmark and Kayla Heinlein on the San Gabriel Valley/Pasadena roster. They will play against a team of San Fernando Valley/Ventura area all-stars. Bonita High head flag football coach Mike Mann will coach the SGV/Pasadena squad.
Bonita Unified School District’s choir program has found the secret ingredient to success: cultivating a community of singers from elementary to high school, supported by passionate educators who nurture talent, and preparing students for professional opportunities on elite stages. This year, a record-breaking 24 choir students from Bonita Unified’s two comprehensive high schools were chosen for the Southern California Vocal Association’s (SCVA) Honor Choirs. Bonita High School choir students made history with 21 individuals named to the prestigious group – the most students selected from a single campus across eight counties.
Amid a festive backdrop of Hawaiian shirts and colorful leis, the Bonita Unified School District community said a final aloha and farewell to longtime Board of Education member Glenn Creiman during a retirement ceremony on Dec. 11 at Lone Hill Middle School. Creiman’s 21-year tenure on the Board was defined by his unwavering desire to do what was right for Bonita Unified students. Creiman made a lasting impression on the District, which saw the four-time Board President as honest, kind, humble, and devoted, with a homespun civility that put people at ease. During Creiman’s years on the Board, he oversaw two bond measures that helped finance three new gymnasiums, the Bonita Center for the Arts, a new District office, and many other modernization projects. In his tenure, the District also improved its relationships with the cities of San Dimas and La Verne; achieved its highest-ever scores on state assessments and mitigated learning loss from the pandemic; expanded its career technical education offerings; and more.
San Dimas High School senior Alyssa Suarez has a dream of going to college and studying to be a civil engineer. Now in her fourth year of the college-prep elective Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), Suarez and her AVID cohort are in the final stages of college and career planning, brimming with confidence and ready to take on the challenges of post-secondary education. San Dimas’ AVID program is changing the academic trajectory for dozens of students who have embraced the elective, which provides fundamental skills to bolster their college readiness, emphasizes the importance of completing A-G admissions requirements for UC and Cal State schools, assists in researching potential colleges and filling out applications, and promotes college culture.
Bonita Unified will continue its tradition of sending its best musicians to represent the District in the Rose Parade on New Year’s Day, after two students were selected to perform with the Tournament of Roses 2025 Honor Band on Jan. 1, 2025. Bonita High sophomore Logan Martinez (flute) and San Dimas High senior Andrew Ward (snare drum) were both selected for the first time. Bonita High has sent a band member to the Rose Parade for seven consecutive years, excluding the 2021 parade, which was canceled, while San Dimas High musicians are being represented at the Rose Parade for the third consecutive year.
Bonita High School Class of 2023 graduate Micah Tofilau discovered he had a knack for working with his hands when he took a jewelry-making class as a junior. Realizing that Tofilau had a great aptitude for soldering and fabricating, his instructor Brian Harrison recommended that he look into pursuing a career as a welder. Tofilau was one of nine recent Bonita Unified graduates who received welding certifications from the Welding Certification Center (WCC) in Pomona during a special graduation ceremony on Nov. 21, after taking advantage of a 16-week career technical education (CTE) pilot program that provided low- to no-cost certification training to high school students, through a partnership with Pomona Valley America’s Job Center of California (AJCC) and the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity (LACDEO).
Twenty-eight Bonita Unified educators were awarded nearly $10,000 in mini-grants by the La Verne/San Dimas Educational Foundation (LVSDEF), which will help enhance hands-on learning opportunities for students across the District in the 2024-25 school year. Members of the LVSDEF presented the mini-grants, which ranged from $100 to $500, to educators from 13 BUSD schools during the Nov. 6 Board of Education meeting.
More than 300 Lone Hill Middle School (LHMS) students, parents, and community members promoted inclusivity and acceptance as they celebrated the legacy of American civil rights icon and activist Ruby Bridges by participating in the school’s inaugural Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day on Nov. 14. Students at Lone Hill gathered early in the morning, enjoying donuts as they prepared for a walk promoting inclusion and unity. Led by two students carrying a “Brave Like Ruby” banner, participants marched together in a large line, starting from two locations, holding signs that celebrated diversity and togetherness. The walk concluded with an assembly featuring speakers who highlighted the importance of acceptance and kindness as cornerstones of Lone Hill culture.
The Bonita High School football team, fresh off an undefeated regular season and ready to compete in the CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoffs, could not contain their enthusiasm, stamping their feet and whooping it up, while watching star linebacker Noah Mikhail be presented his official Navy All-American Bowl Game jersey by principal Kenny Ritchie, capping a prep football career that established Mikhail as one of the top high school football players in the country. Mikhail, who has already committed to play collegiate ball at Texas A&M, is one of 100 players selected to play in the annual high school all-star matchup, to be held Jan. 11 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, and televised nationally on NBC. The All-American Bowl traditionally showcases the top emerging talent in college football, with nearly 600 All-American alumni drafted into the National Football League, 93 Super Bowl champions, 247 Pro Bowl selections, and 18 Heisman Trophy finalists.
Forty Ekstrand Elementary School students walked around campus with an extra spring in their step after receiving a surprise gift of brand-new shoes from Bonita Unified Board of Education President Greg Palatto and Ekstrand Principal Gerard Granade on Oct. 21. The donation, made possible by Shoes That Fit and the San Dimas Masonic Lodge, brought smiles and excitement as students eagerly tried on their new footwear, marveling at the size, color, and brand options tailored for them. Each year, the San Dimas Masonic Lodge chooses a local charity to sponsor; in support of Shoes That Fit, members raised more than $1,200 to fund the donation of shoes for Ekstrand students in need, who were identified by school staff.
