El Monte Union Distributes Cap and Gowns to Class of 2020
This week, El Monte Union’s five comprehensive high schools have been distributing caps and gowns, sashes, medals, awards and personalized Class of 2020 yard signs to seniors during Senior Pick-Up events. Mountain View High School held mini parades as administrators, teachers and staff personally delivered over 275 yard signs over two days to students. South El Monte High School will hold a Cap and Gown Tailgate from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 20, where teachers will be parked with decorated cars to send off seniors as they pick up their senior items from the school.
El Monte High School seniors Juan Saucedo and Kermina Samaan took different paths to the United States, learn a second language and acclimate to a new home. The challenges both faced bolstered their drive to graduate high school and attend a four-year university. Saucedo, who arrived from Mexico in 2017, and Samaan, who arrived from Egypt in 2015, advanced quickly through El Monte High’s English language development (ELD) program, doubling up on English classes and taking summer school classes to complete their college entrance requirements. After challenging themselves to accelerate their education, Saucedo has been accepted to UC Riverside, where he will pursue mathematics, and Samaan was accepted to Cal State Los Angeles, where she will major in chemistry.
Arroyo High School senior student Kelli Doan learned the basics of cooking while helping her mother prep a week’s worth of family meals on Sundays. When Doan discovered she could expand her skills by taking culinary arts classes at Arroyo, she eagerly enrolled. She never dreamed it would lead her down the road to becoming a master chef. Doan was recently awarded a $125,000 scholarship through the Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) to attend the prestigious Culinary Institute of America New York campus, where she will pursue a bachelor’s degree in culinary science.
Arroyo High School Principal Angelita Gonzales, who has been the top administrator at the school since 2013 and an educator at El Monte Union for over 35 years, will retire in June. Gonzales, who was first hired as an English language development teacher at Rosemead High in 1984, has worked at every El Monte Union school throughout her career and held several roles, including counselor, bilingual resource teacher, migrant education coordinator, compensatory education coordinator and assistant principal.
Arroyo High School senior Yvette Hernandez has been recognized as a 2020 Dell Scholar by the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation. She is one of just 500 students across the country to be selected for the coveted $20,000 scholarship. Hernandez, a first-generation college-goer with a 3.84 GPA, is one of just 260 Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) students to receive the Dell Scholarship. Hernandez credits AVID for providing the support and resources to help her navigate the scholarship application process.
El Monte Union high schools have been listed among the top-performing public high schools in the state and the nation, according to the 2020 Best High Schools rankings by U.S. News and World Report. Arroyo, El Monte, Mountain View, Rosemead and South El Monte High Schools ranked in the top 30% or higher of high schools in the nation, as well as earning high rankings among approximately 2,600 high schools in California.
El Monte Union Principal to Retire after 35 Years at the District
Arroyo High School Principal Angelita Gonzales, who has been the top administrator at the school since 2013, will retire from the District at the end of the 2019-20 school year. Gonzales began her career at El Monte Union in 1984, when she was hired as an English language development teacher at Rosemead High. Gonzales filled many roles at the District over the years before coming to Arroyo, where she has overseen numerous praiseworthy instructional programs. Arroyo received a Gold Ribbon from the California Department of Education in 2017 for its visual and performing arts program.
El Monte Union Senior Recognized as 2020 Dell Scholar
Arroyo High School senior Yvette Martinez has been recognized as a 2020 Dell Scholar by the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation. Martinez will receive $20,000, spread over four years, a laptop and access to Dell Scholars Connect, a mentoring network that offers year-round support from current and former Dell Scholars. Martinez is leaning towards attending UC Berkeley, where she plans to study public health and public safety.
El Monte Union served 67,960 breakfast and lunch meals from three schools – Arroyo, El Monte and South El Monte – during the first three weeks of the school dismissal period¬, with officials committed to continuing the District’s successful nutrition program through the end of the 2019-20 school year. Acting on recommendation from state, county and public health officials, El Monte Union on March 13 initiated its dismissal period starting March 16 to limit the spread of COVID-19 and promote social distancing. The District has since extended the dismissal period for the remainder of the school year.
El Monte Union Senior Earns Early Acceptance to Stanford University
South El Monte High School senior Santiago Alvillar has been accepted as a member of Stanford University’s Class of 2024 through its Restrictive Early Action program. Stanford, the most competitive university to gain acceptance to, has an admission rate nearing or below 5%. Alvillar, a student-athlete who also takes college night classes after school, plans to major in engineering physics with a specialty in Quantum Science and minor in environmental systems engineering.
