Celebratory music swelled and streamers cascaded through the evening skies as nearly 800 graduates tossed their caps and shared tearful hugs during Bonita Unified School District’s commencement ceremonies, which marked the end of an award-winning year for the Class of 2024. Chaparral-Vista and San Dimas high schools kicked off the festivities on June 4, followed by Bonita High School on June 6. Each school recognized graduates for their academic, artistic, and athletic excellence, highlighting CIF champions, regional and state honors for arts and music, and nationally recognized career technical education programs. Bonita Unified’s Class of 2024 will continue their education at institutions that include Harvard University, UC Berkeley, Johns Hopkins University, and the California Institute of Technology; many others will enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces or enter the workforce.
Bonita High School seniors received a taste of what their financial responsibilities will be once they leave high school during Bite of Reality, a money management app-based simulation that guides students through real-life scenarios where they must decide how much money they can spend and balance their budget without incurring significant debt. Sponsored by Chaffey Federal Credit Union, Bite of Reality, held May 23, randomly assigns students new identities, and provides them with fictional occupations, a fixed monthly income, a spouse, and a child. From there, students must decide how to spend their money and prioritize essentials such as transportation, housing, child care, and groceries.
More than 100 Bonita Unified students received a moment in the spotlight to honor actions that often go unseen – from launching an initiative to teach senior citizens digital literacy skills to providing shelter for a peer whose family experienced hardship and ensuring they graduated with their class – during the 2023-24 La Verne/San Dimas Educational Foundation (LVSDEF) Awards.
Bonita Unified Culinary Students Take Top Prizes at LA County Fair
Bonita Unified School District’s ProStart program concluded its competition season with two awards at the 2024 LA County Fair’s Seasonal Fruits Culinary Contest, held May 12. In the 13- to 17-year-old category, Bonita High School junior Charli Padilla took first place for her orange mocha tart, and San Dimas High School student Gabriel Costa took third place for his strawberry panna cotta. The awards culminate a school year that saw Bonita Unified ProStart students take first place in the culinary competition at the California ProStart Cup, followed by a 10th place finish at the National ProStart Invitational.
When the Bonita High School boys swim team captured its first-ever CIF Southern Section (CIF-SS) Division 3 championship at Mt. San Antonio College on May 3, the triumphant Bearcat athletes gave coach Dillon Unsoeld the water polo version of the traditional Gatorade victory shower, celebrating the moment by playfully pushing their mentor into the swimming pool. The swim team’s CIF championship caps off the most successful year ever for Bonita swimmers, coming on the heels of the boys water polo team’s first-ever CIF-SS Division 3 title last November. For Unsoeld, a Bonita High Class of 2010 alumnus, the twin triumphs underscore the positive energy and stability he has brought to the program since he was hired in 2016.
Bonita Unified School District to Honor Accomplished Class of 2024
Bonita Unified School District will conclude a successful academic year by celebrating the achievements of the Class of 2024, which includes graduates headed to Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, and Caltech, during commencement ceremonies for its two comprehensive high schools and continuation school. Chaparral High School will kick off the festivities with a 5 p.m. ceremony on Tuesday, June 4 at the Bonita Center for the Arts, 822 W. Covina Blvd., San Dimas; San Dimas High School will follow with a spirited ceremony at 7 p.m. at the school’s stadium, 800 W. Covina Blvd., San Dimas; and Bonita High School will close out the District’s commencement celebrations with a 7 p.m. ceremony on Thursday, June 6 at Glenn Davis Stadium, 3102 D St., La Verne.
Bonita Unified Appoints New Oak Mesa Elementary Principal
Bonita Unified School District announced during the May 1 Board of Education meeting that Dr. Christine Malally will serve as principal of Oak Mesa Elementary in the 2024-25 school year. Malally comes to Bonita Unified after 15 years of service in Claremont Unified, where she is currently an elementary school principal. Malally, a resident of La Verne and parent of two Bonita Unified alumni, holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Azusa Pacific University, a master’s degree from Cal State San Bernardino, and a bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly Pomona. She will take the helm at Oak Mesa, a California Distinguished School, following current principal Steven Patterson’s promotion to BUSD’s Senior Director of Student Services, effective July 1.
Bonita Unified Students, Teachers to Perform ’80s Hits at SD ROCKS
San Dimas High School will hold its annual SD ROCKS music festival on Saturday, June 1 at the Bonita Center for the Arts (BCA), delighting the community with a lively celebration of the music and fashion of the 1980s. First launched in 2009 as a faculty rock concert, SD ROCKS has since expanded into an all-day music festival, with two separate shows at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., featuring performances by the San Dimas band and choir, San Dimas jazz band, student bands, and teachers. Tickets can be purchased on the BCA website. The BCA is located at 822 W. Covina Blvd., San Dimas.
Students at Gladstone Elementary School’s annual “Be You” Family Night in April could not get enough of the therapy dogs, with children and parents feeling the love from their furry friends, while others sparked new connections at the petting zoo. Now in its second year, “Be You” is a night where the entire school comes together to celebrate individuality. Gladstone Elementary has long served students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their families, offering a full range of support services that promote inclusion and communication, and provide a nurturing education environment. Gladstone Elementary not only enrolls students from within Bonita Unified, but also hosts students throughout the East San Gabriel Valley Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA). For its efforts in providing these services to the community, Gladstone was recently designated as a California Autism Professional Training and Information Network (CAPTAIN) demonstration school.
The San Dimas High School sports medicine program wrapped up its season in top form, finishing in sixth place in the American Academic Competition Institute (AACI) 2024 California High School Sports Medicine Competition, Small Schools Division, held in March at Cal State Northridge. The outstanding effort paves the way for the team to advance to the AACI National competition, held throughout May, for the fourth consecutive year. San Dimas senior Andrew Reyes also earned an individual fifth-place finish out of nearly 340 AACI competitors in the Novice Division. The AACI competition consists of 150 general knowledge questions, followed by a series of sports medicine procedures, including tape jobs, anatomical palpations, first-aid skills, and orthopedic examinations.
