Lynwood Unified Superintendent Paul Gothold has been named the next superintendent of the San Diego County Office of Education following a unanimous vote by the San Diego County Board of Education on May 10. Gothold will assume his new role on June 1. Gothold has been a champion of equity and access for all students in Lynwood Unified, working to break down barriers to student success. Gothold joined Lynwood Unified as chief academic officer in 2011 before being named superintendent in 2013.
Lynwood High School senior Sergio Bobadilla’s pursuit of engineering has won him a Posse Foundation scholarship that will cover his tuition as he pursues Middlebury College’s “3-2” dual degree program. Bobadilla will spend three years at Middlebury earning a B.S. in physics and then head to Columbia University for two years to obtain a B.A. in mechanical engineering. He completed 20 Cerritos College engineering courses at LHS.
Lynwood High School will welcome community members from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 20 for Lynwood Unified’s fourth annual Festival of the Arts, bringing together students from all 18 campuses for dance and band performances, skits and the Conga Kids semi-final dance competition. Families and children will also enjoy arts and crafts, shirt tie-dying and games. Lynwood High School is at 4050 Imperial Highway, Lynwood.
Follow-up Story: Nearly 400 Firebaugh High students became one step closer to college on May 18 during College Signing Day, a White House program initiated in 2016 to encourage all students to attend college and support those planning their higher education ventures. The seniors signed symbolic letters of intent in front of a crowd of underclassmen. In addition, the school’s top 10 students and California Scholastic Federation Sealbearers were announced.
Follow-up Story: Lynwood Unified hosted a grand opening of baseball fields for Firebaugh High and Lynwood Middle schools on May 30 at Lynwood Middle School. Funded by Measure K, the $2 million in renovations include new dugouts, backstop, paved areas for spectators, a batting tunnel and fencing in addition to drought-tolerant grass and compacted soil under the field to prevent soft spots.
Follow-up Story: Tennis star and Olympic gold medalist Venus Williams returned to Lynwood Unified’s Mark Twain Elementary School to surprise her first-grade teacher Judy Vellegas as part of a California Lottery “Back to the Start” social media video campaign. The video highlighted the student/teacher duo as they spent time reminiscing about Williams’ quiet personality in first grade, her dad taking her to the tennis courts in Compton after school, and her unwavering desire to dominate in tether ball at recess. The California Lottery video on Williams’ visit to Mark Twain Elementary can be viewed at http://bit.ly/2oPSZqF.
Follow-up Story: A group of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) held a two-day football recruitment event at Lynwood High School, where three Lynwood students received scholarship offers. Visiting schools included Tuskegee University, Lincoln State University and Virginia State University.
Follow-up Story: After nearly a year of researching colleges, about 650 Roosevelt Elementary students taught their peers what they have learned about college majors, programs and campuses during the school’s College Fair, held on April 26.
Follow-up Story: As part of a nationwide call to action by former First Lady Michelle Obama, hundreds of Lynwood High students took their first step toward college during College Signing Day, a White House program initiated in 2016 to encourage all students to attend college and support those planning their college ventures.
Open access to high-level courses, expansion of Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs, and increased emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) helped boost Lynwood Unified’s graduation rates to record highs in 2015-16. The increases represent the latest in a trend of significant improvements over six years. Lynwood High boasted a 93.2 percent rate, up from 89.1 percent in 2014-15, while Firebaugh High jumped from 90.4 percent in 2014-15 to 93.3 percent. Since 2010-11, Lynwood High has climbed 25.3 percentage points and Firebaugh High has risen by 23.9 percentage points.
