El Monte High School history teacher Sara Quezada, a 37-year educator known for her innovative teaching and steadfast dedication to students, has been named El Monte Union High School District’s 2025-26 Teacher of the Year. Quezada, who has spent the last decade inspiring learners at El Monte High, was honored during a Board meeting on Oct. 15.
Arroyo High School (AHS) teacher Tony Wong was honored by Assemblymember Mike Fong as one of 14 educators recognized during Fong’s third annual Outstanding Educators Awards ceremony on Sept. 13 at the Garvey Community Center in Rosemead. Selected from hundreds of nominees across the 49th Assembly District, Wong was praised for his dedication to student success and his leadership in transforming the school’s advanced mathematics programs. The awards highlight educators who go above and beyond to support their students at all grade levels.
Rosemead High School (RHS) English teacher Stacy Lim returned as a first-time mom from maternity leave late in the 2024-25 school year, feeling tired, overwhelmed, and stressed about providing for her son while she was working. She was quickly comforted, however, by the knowledge that she had resources and privacy at school to help make her transition easier with the District’s newly installed Mamava Lactation Pods, a secure, sanitary, and safe space for breastfeeding parents.
Mountain View High School students, staff, and the El Monte Union community celebrated the completion of the school’s Modernization Project with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 9. The event highlighted major campus upgrades including classrooms, athletic facilities, redesigned landscaping and outdoor seating, and infrastructure improvements. The ceremony featured speeches from Principal Jose Bañas, Associated Student Body President Heidi Scanlan, El Monte Union High School District Board of Trustees President Florencio Briones, and Superintendent Dr. Edward Zuniga, followed by a taco dinner for the community.
In an emotional tribute to three community leaders whose vision and dedication transformed the lives of generations of students, the El Monte Union High School District (EMUHSD) officially dedicated the newly renovated multi-purpose building and gymnasium at Fernando R. Ledesma High School (FRLHS), renaming it the Freddy and Bernie Arteaga and Frank Ogaz Center on Aug. 27. The evening ceremony brought together families, staff, alumni, and community members to honor the Arteaga brothers and the late Frank Ogaz for their decades of service to students. The celebration featured heartfelt speeches, special recognitions, a ceremonial unveiling and ribbon-cutting, and a community taco dinner.
The El Monte Union High School District will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of construction for Mountain View High School’s (MVHS) Modernization Project. The project features enhancements to the entire campus, including classrooms, redesigned landscaping and outdoor seating, softball/baseball field improvements, infrastructure upgrades, and more. The event will include a welcome reception, student performances, and speeches.
Cheer squads, marching bands, and colorful balloons welcomed more than 7,200 students back to El Monte Union High School District (EMUHSD) on Aug. 19, as campuses came alive with enthusiasm and pride for the 2025-26 school year. Associated Student Body (ASB) and Link Crew leaders across the District greeted students with music, cheers, hand-made posters, chalk art, and photo stations, while parents lined entrances to snap photos and celebrate the start of the school year. Districtwide, campuses also kicked off the year with spirited assemblies, pep rallies, and themed spirit weeks.
More than 7,200 students will return to El Monte Union High School District (EMUHSD) for the first day of the 2025-26 school year, which will include spirited campus celebrations, milestone events, and warm welcomes from Associated Student Body and Link Crew leaders, faculty, staff, and administrators. Celebrations will take place across the District, including El Monte High School’s debut of a new state-of-the-art athletic facility, South El Monte High will celebrate two students recently sworn-in as EMUHSD student board members, and Rosemead and Arroyo high schools will commemorate their 75th anniversaries of academic excellence.
The El Monte Union High School District (EMUHSD) Board of Trustees made history in the District by expanding student representation with the swearing-in of two Student Board Members, Ashley Yu and Tessa Ocegueda, for the 2025-26 school year at the District’s Aug. 6 Board meeting. Yu and Ocegueda, both South El Monte High School students, will represent the voice of nearly 7,200 EMUHSD students. They step into newly-created leadership roles, with Yu serving as Student Board Member President and Ocegueda as Vice President. Both will continue their service on the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council, where they served last school year.
El Monte Union High School District (EMUHSD) will host a dedication ceremony to celebrate the renaming of Fernando R. Ledesma High School’s newly renovated multi-purpose building and gymnasium. The facility will be renamed the Freddy and Bernie Arteaga and Frank Ogaz Center, honoring two longtime educators and a former Board of Trustees President whose decades of service have helped transform the lives of countless students across the District.