Bonita Unified Culinary Students to Represent State at Nationals
Bonita High School’s culinary team “Chicks” will represent California at the National ProStart Invitational from Friday, April 26 to Sunday, April 28 at the Marriott Baltimore Waterfront, facing off against the top culinary students from high schools across the country in the quest to prepare the best three-course meal. Led by Bonita High junior Charli Padilla, “Chicks” advanced to nationals following their win at the California ProStart Cup in February, becoming the second Bonita Unified team to advance to the national competition.
Bonita Unified School District celebrated its 2024 Certificated, Classified, and Management Employees of the Year during the April 10 Board of Education meeting, recognizing their dedication to supporting student success. The recognition by the Board was the second in a three-part celebration for the Employees of the Year, who were first surprised with the announcement – complete with flowers and banners – at their respective sites in mid-March. During the meeting, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Dr. Kevin Lee introduced each employee with a heartfelt speech that featured insights from the nominations submitted by their peers and superiors.
Using pool noodles as lances and large tricycles as horses, Ramona Middle School seventh-graders faced off in a series of medieval jousting matches during the school’s annual Renaissance Faire, held April 10, where students experienced living history by recreating activities that brought the world out of the Middle Ages. From launching trebuchets and stilt-walking to dressing peasant dolls and creating woodblock prints, Ramona’s Renaissance Faire had something for every student, including a falconry demonstration and a live whip-cracker/juggling performance. Nearly 400 Ramona students participated in the Faire, with the majority dressing in Renaissance-era clothing.
Bonita Unified students are getting a head start on their careers in barbering and cosmetology – and preparing to enter the workforce after graduation – through a partnership with the San Antonio Regional Occupational Program (ROP), which provides after-school courses in the two subjects at no cost to students. Bonita High School seniors Alexis Miranda, Bianca Estrella, and Selina Heng became the first BUSD students to complete the cosmetology class at San Antonio ROP in more than 20 years, each putting in 1,000 hours to learn skills in hair cutting, styling, and coloring, manicuring/pedicuring, and skin care services. Since Miranda, Estrella, and Heng completed the program, seven students from Chaparral-Vista, Bonita and San Dimas high schools have enrolled and are working toward their certification in barbering or cosmetology.
Bonita Unified Middle School Band, Choir Win Gold at Heritage Festival
Lone Hill Middle School’s music program continued Bonita Unified’s winning streak at the latest WorldStrides San Diego Heritage Festival, held April 11 to 14. Lone Hill is the third Bonita Unified school to win major awards at festivals in the last month, taking home Gold ratings for Choralairs, Jazz Band and Advanced Band, Best Overall Choral Group, and the Sweepstakes Award for the best overall scores combined in band and choir, as well as Maestro Awards given to four soloists. Bonita Unified offers a robust visual and performing arts program that begins in elementary school and empowers students to develop their musical talents.
Bonita High School senior Junze “Jenny” Zhang was a sixth-grade English learner when her family moved from China to the United States. Even as Zhang worked to master a new language, she was already immersing herself in research that would lead her to focus on the destructiveness of climate change and the possibility of establishing colonies within our solar system. Zhang’s enthusiasm for STEM subjects, willingness to put in long hours of research, and determination to find solutions for global environmental issues were rewarded when she was named a 2024 Edison Scholar, which will provide her with $50,000 to support her dream of attending Cal Tech to study aerospace engineering.
Grace Miller Elementary School first-grade teacher April Maidens has been recognized with Computer-Using Educator’s (CUE) second annual Suzanne Mitchell Award, honoring her years of volunteer work for the nonprofit, which aims to advance student achievement through technology. Maidens, a former Grace Miller student and Bonita High School alumna, has been a member of CUE’s planning committee since 2011, helping organize CUE’s annual conferences, working behind the scenes to schedule sessions, prepare speakers, talk to guests, and ensure that the events run smoothly.
Ramona Middle School has been honored as a 2024 Distinguished School by the California Department of Education, celebrating its exceptional academic performance and efforts to foster a supportive and welcoming learning environment. Ramona is among 293 middle schools and high schools honored by the CDE this year, marking its first California Distinguished School recognition since 1996. The school’s academic success is attributed to a robust instructional program that includes dedicated intervention classes in English language arts and math. Ramona’s supportive campus culture is bolstered by a focus on building students’ character, supported by Where Everybody Belongs peer mentors and Associated Student Body leadership who offer encouragement and celebrate their peers’ successes.
Bonita Unified Culinary Students Get Personal Tour of Porto’s Bakery
A group of Bonita Unified culinary students visited Porto's Bakery and Cafe in West Covina on March 27, receiving a behind-the-scenes look at the facility and learning about the family business from vice president Beatriz Porto. Culinary instructors Nick and Laurie Brandler, who teach at San Dimas High and Bonita High, respectively, arrange field trips at a variety of culinary establishments throughout the school year, providing students with insight into the industry and the opportunity to network with professionals.
Gladstone Elementary School students gasped, clapped, and cheered with delight as they watched their stories come to life – and learned about the essential elements of storytelling – during a March 28 performance by The Imagination Machine. Formed in 1981 by a classroom teacher, The Imagination Machine selects stories written by students and performs them in the form of school assemblies, with the goal of encouraging students to explore their imagination through creative writing. The Imagination Machine assemblies have been a treasured tradition at Gladstone Elementary for more than 20 years. This year, six stories were selected by The Imagination Machine and performed for Gladstone students.
