Tam Ly Wong, a 25-year teacher at South El Monte High School who has helped shape the future of El Monte Union’s career pathways and those of her students, was honored with the Bobby Salcedo Esperanza Award during the 16th annual Tamalada fundraiser on Dec. 12. The award – named for Roberto “Bobby” Salcedo, a respected El Monte Union educator who died in 2009 – is given to outstanding educators who exemplify Salcedo’s tireless commitment to education.
El Monte Union will celebrate the groundbreaking for a 15,000-square-foot Multipurpose Building & Gymnasium at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11 at Fernando R. Ledesma High School, 12347 Ramona Blvd., El Monte. The $10 million facility will feature a performance space with grandstand seating, basketball court, fitness areas, outdoor classrooms, an outdoor weightlifting area, snack bar, concession and lobby areas, restrooms, classrooms and a learning garden to promote healthy eating. The facility will serve as a gathering place for athletic events, performances and neighborhood functions. This is the first major project to be funded by Measure HS, a $190 million facilities bond approved by voters in November 2018.
El Monte Union to Host Final Cash for College Workshop
Fernando Ledesma High School will host a Cash for College workshop to help families access financial aid and other college resources. Attendees will get help with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and California Dream Act application. The workshop will run from 11:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5 at 12347 Ramona Blvd., El Monte.
More than 150 El Monte Union business and finance students took on the role of adults and were hit with a dose of reality when they had to learn to be responsible for their own financial planning, oversee monthly expenditures and tackle credit card debt during Mad City Money, a realistic simulation held Oct. 24 at El Monte High School. Paired with a partner and assigned personal profiles with an occupation, a young child and a monthly salary, students had to deduct taxes, student loan payments, medical insurance and credit card debt from their income and visit merchants to purchase housing, transportation, food, clothing and childcare necessities. Every once in a while, students were hit with unexpected expenses and windfalls that they had to factor in.
El Monte Union shined a spotlight on its creative student artists during the 20th annual District Art Show, which featured more than 150 works that earned accolades at the 2019 Los Angeles County Fair “America’s Kids” Arts Competition. More than 200 students from El Monte Union’s five comprehensive high schools, who contributed art for the Oct. 22 event, received corsages and certificates of recognition from the District for their artistry.
El Monte Union High School District has been recognized as a leader in promoting green technology in its schools, implementing green school practices in its operations Districtwide and fostering environmental sustainability in the classroom. Green Technology – a nonprofit initiative designed to inform government efforts toward sustainability and promote the development and distribution of green technologies – honored the District with a Leadership Award at its annual Green California Schools and Community Colleges Summit and Exposition on Oct. 16.
El Monte Union Kicks Off College Application Season with Workshops
El Monte Union High School District is hosting Cash for College workshops to help families access financial aid and other college resources. Attendees will get help with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and California Dream Act application. Workshops will run from: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7 at South El Monte High School, 1001 Durfee Ave., South El Monte; and from 11:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5 at Fernando Ledesma High School, 12347 Ramona Blvd., El Monte.
El Monte Union Students to Learn Budgeting Skills During Mad City Money
More than 100 El Monte Union business and finance students will receive a crash course in personal finance management during Mad City Money, a hands-on simulation that presents students with many aspects of working life – a job, set income, a family and debt. The event will take place from 8 a.m. to noon Thursday, Oct. 24 at El Monte High School, 3048 Tyler Ave., El Monte.
More than 500 El Monte-area middle and high school students and their families learned skills on how to succeed in high school, prepare for college and achieve their personal goals during El Monte Union’s second annual College and Career Family Conference, called “The Places You’ll Go!”
Held in partnership with El Monte City and Mountain View school districts, the El Monte Promise Foundation, Rio Hondo College and UC Irvine, the Oct. 19 conference offered over 30 workshops in English and Spanish covering a range of topics, including financial aid, college entrance requirements, resources for Dream Act students and a review of the UC and CSU systems.
Arroyo High School officially opened its Regenerative Learning Garden – a 1-acre site that will double as a community garden and learning laboratory for students studying horticulture and water conservation – during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 21. Developed through a partnership with Eco-Urban Gardens and the U.S. Green Building Council Los Angeles (USGBC-LA), the student-run garden underscores El Monte Union’s commitment to supporting ecological solutions and sustainable living in the greater El Monte community.
