Covina-Valley Unified School District welcomed new Board of Education member Simon Wright and returning member Rachael Robles during the Board’s reorganization meeting on Dec. 12. Wright and Robles took the Oath of Office during a ceremony prior to the meeting affirming that they will fulfill the duties of a Board member and uphold the values of the District throughout the next four years. The Board selected Maria Caceres to serve as president; Maria Cruz was named vice president and Simon Wright was named clerk. Members Rachael Robles and Sue Maulucci complete the Board.
Las Palmas Middle School students are building lasting relationships and benefitting from a positive campus culture thanks to the Best Buddies program, which aims to foster connections between those with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities. Best Buddies, an international nonprofit that pairs students in one-on-one friendships, has had a home at Las Palmas for nearly five years. This school year, the program has grown to more than 50 general education students who work alongside the school’s 16 Life-Skills Education Advancement Program (LEAP) students with mild to moderate learning disabilities.
Northview High School’s Fine Arts, Media, and Entertainment (FAME) pathway, which has led students to careers at KTLA, CBS, ABC, and Disney, has won the California School Boards Association Golden Bell Award for its approach to fostering student excellence in media arts and broadcast journalism. This four-year pathway, in partnership with PBS Newshour Student Reporting Labs, Atlas Digital, and KQED Education, teaches students a range of essential skills such as journalism, media literacy, camera composition, editing, story development, character creation, screenwriting, interviewing, and more.
Eight Covina-Valley Unified School District students will join the Board of Education and serve as a voice for their peers after being sworn in as 2022-23 student board representatives at the Board of Education meeting on Nov. 14. Every school year, the District will select a student board member and an alternate from each of C-VUSD’s four high schools to participate in the governance process of the district, learn essential democratic skills, and represent and advocate for their peers. South Hills High junior Ahriana Chavez, Northview High senior Princess Espinoza Conde, Covina High junior Ashley Raffaeli, and Fairvalley High senior Bryan Santana were selected as this year’s representatives. Students interested in running for student board representative seats went through an interview process and then took part in an election at their schools. Junior Thaiz Gonzalez (Northview), senior Sofia Lopez (Fairvalley), junior Aiyana Martel (Covina), and junior Izabella Vazquez (South Hills) will serve as the student board alternates.
Tri-Community Adult Education/Pioneer Center English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher Cornella VerHalen has always had a love of teaching and a passion for sewing. In her more than 50 years as an ESL and sewing teacher, VerHalen has worked to enrich the lives of newly arrived immigrants and residents, giving them the tools and confidence to succeed in a new country. VerHalen, who just celebrated her 90th birthday, will retire from the Pioneer Center at the end of the fall semester, closing a chapter in a teaching career that began when Richard Nixon was president, “Marcus Welby M.D.” was the top-rated television program and the Jackson 5 were emerging as America’s newest pop music sensations.
Covina-Valley Unified School District students and families will benefit from a new Health and Wellness Center, which will provide a full-service location where they can access resources that best fit the needs of each family and situation. Located at what was formerly the Lark Ellen Elementary School campus, the Health and Wellness Center was created to expand the District’s emphasis on serving the whole student and will provide students and families with medical and mental health screenings, counseling services, and more.
Covina-Valley Unified School District is partnering with nonprofit organizations Food Finders, Shepherd’s Pantry and Project 29:11 to donate campus-generated food and beverage items that would otherwise be discarded. Nonprofit volunteers began picking up food items in September and donating them directly to families in need in surrounding communities. Donated food items often include produce, dairy and unserved hot entrees prepared for breakfast and lunch service. The three nonprofit organizations provide food, resources, and services to those in need. Volunteers from the organizations began picking up food items from schools in the District on Sept. 19 and donating them directly to families in need in surrounding communities. Donated food items vary from day to day based on meal participation trends and student preferences, but often include items such as produce, milk cartons, and unserved hot entrees prepared for breakfast and lunch service. The District has made periodic donations to food banks in the past, and has also taken part in other food-saving initiatives to reduce waste at schools.
Covina-Valley Unified high school students and families enthusiastically gathered on the District Field to explore their many post-secondary options and help solidify their future plans during the District’s College and Career Fair on Oct. 4. Students visited information booths and spoke with representatives from more than 50 colleges and universities, trade schools, and the armed forces including USC, Chapman University, Grand Canyon University, Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, the U.S. Naval Academy, and more.
Covina-Valley Unified School District will host a College and Career Fair to provide students with important resources as they consider their educational and professional options for the future.
More than 50 colleges and universities, trade schools, and the armed forces will be present at the event, including the University of Southern California (USC), Chapman University, Grand Canyon University (GCU), Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, the U.S. Naval Academy, and more.
Three Covina-Valley Unified School District high school students went above and beyond this summer by seeking out and participating in prestigious academic internships, programs, and camps. Covina High School junior Ashley Raffaeli, Northview High School senior Leonardo Cristofaro, and South Hills High School senior Adam Asmaiel all participated in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) focused programs that enhanced their understanding and knowledge of STEM concepts, while also providing vital experience and insight into various careers in STEM-related fields. Each of the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)-focused programs enhanced the students’ understanding and knowledge of STEM concepts, while also providing vital experience and insight into various careers in STEM-related fields.
