Four new administrators will bring their talent and experience to Covina-Valley Unified School District to begin the 2022-23 school year. Rebecca Handzel will take the helm at New Fairvalley High School, which includes the Adult Transition Program and Covina-Valley Learning Options Academy; Ann Anderson takes over as principal at Grovecenter Elementary School, Kazuko Tuttle is the new principal of Cypress Elementary School, and Elena Camarillo will serve as assistant principal at both Cypress and Mesa elementary schools.
Covina-Valley Unified enthusiastically welcomed more than 11,000 students onto its campuses on Aug. 22 with banners, balloons, music, and smiling teachers, staff and mascots to begin the 2022-23 school year. The District boasts a range of innovative programs for its students, including preschool and Transitional Kindergarten, dual-immersion courses in Mandarin and Spanish, 23 career technical education pathways, and after school programming that provides both academic support and supervised activities and recreation for students.
Covina-Valley Unified School District welcomed more than 11,000 students back to campuses with banners, balloons, music, and smiling teachers and staff for the first day of school on Aug. 22. The new school year will feature a continuation of the numerous innovative District programs that provide academic support, supervised activities, and recreation for its students. Covina-Valley staff has been working hard to prepare a robust curriculum for students that will inspire educational excellence and help to make the school year a success.
Covina-Valley Unified School District (C-VUSD) will participate in the Federal Provision 2 Meal Program for the 2022-23 school year, which allows the District to continue serving school meals to all students at no charge. Nutrition Services will serve one free breakfast and one free lunch to C-VUSD students at all District sites Monday through Friday. Students participating in after-school care will also be offered one free supper meal. All other students may receive one free supper meal at Covina High School from 2:50 p.m. to 4 p.m. Students may purchase a second meal in their school’s cafeteria by providing exact change or by having a positive balance in their meal account.
Covina High School (CHS) students are working together to support their peers and community by creating Colt Outfitters. This on-campus thrift store aims to provide an accessible, low-cost clothing option for all students and work opportunities for special education students. Located in a formerly empty classroom at Covina High, the trendy thrift shop is decorated with lights and fashionable knick-knacks and filled with merchandise that students donate to students. Everything at the store costs a mere two dollars, making the shop an affordable option for students experiencing financial difficulties. The store also benefits students from the District’s Life-Skills Education Advancement Program (LEAP). Students with cognitive and developmental challenges can work at Colt Outfitters to earn money, learn work and life skills, and increase their independence. This innovative model allows the store to benefit a large cross-section of CHS students and have a lasting positive impact on the community.
South Hills High School Class of 2022 graduate and culinary enthusiast Nathan Leao discovered he had a talent for cooking after enrolling in the school’s Culinary Arts Specialty Pathway, a course that put him on the road to earn a $2,500 cash scholarship from the Careers through Culinary Arts (C-CAP) program. Leao, who had no experience in the kitchen prior to taking the culinary classes, was awarded the scholarship after participating in a regional C-CAP competition in March.
The stands at Covina District Field were packed with family and friends as Covina-Valley Unified School District celebrated more than 1,100 Class of 2022 graduates from Northview, Covina, South Hills and Fairvalley high schools with rousing music, speeches, streamers and fanfare during commencement ceremonies for the, held May 31, June 1 and June 2. The combined District class boasted a total of 31 valedictorians with graduates going on to higher education at four-year universities including the University of California, Berkeley, Loyola Marymount University and the University of Southern California.
Covina-Valley Unified will host commencement ceremonies to honor approximately 1,000 graduates from the District’s three comprehensive high schools and alternative high school. Covina-Valley’s 2022 graduates have been accepted to colleges and universities including the University of California, Berkeley, Columbia, Stanford, USC and UCLA.
Covina-Valley Unified Commencement to Honor Class of 2022
Covina-Valley Unified will be honoring its Class of 2022 with commencement ceremonies at the Covina-Valley Unified District Field. Northview High School students will celebrate their graduation at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 31; Fairvalley Continuation School will hold its commencement at 9 a.m. on Wednesday June 1; South Hills High School will hold its ceremony at 7 p.m. on Wednesday June 1; Covina High School will hold its ceremony at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 2. Covina-Valley District Field is located at 220 W. Puente St., Covina.
Covina-Valley Unified School District and 16 of its schools were honored by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond with the 2022 California Pivotal Practice (CAPP) Award, recognizing their successful implementation of innovative practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. Winners of the newly created CAPP Award Program were announced on April 26, celebrating a total of 727 schools and 121 school districts for their efforts to support students during the 2020-21 school year, when California schools were required to shift to distance learning. During the pandemic, Covina-Valley Unified focused its efforts on supporting students in four target areas: ensuring their engagement and social emotional well-being, distributing essential technology and providing nutrition services.
