Parents of students at Lynwood Unified's Firebaugh High School are asking for support from local individuals, groups and businesses to sponsor their fourth annual Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration – the largest Hispanic celebration in the United States – to be held Monday, Nov. 2 on campus. El Dia de los Muertos honors the dead with festivals and lively celebrations. The holiday has increasingly become part of the educational curricula of many U.S. schools and universities. During Firebaugh High School’s event, parents will be joined by students, staff and members of the community to create artwork that will honor deceased loved ones. The school is seeking sponsors to help cover the costs of materials that will be needed for the artwork and snacks.
MIT Admissions Representatives Visit Lynwood High Schools
The Director and Assistant Director of Admissions for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology talked with Lynwood and Firebaugh high school students on Sept. 30 about college life, financial aid and MIT areas of study. The duo highlighted Firebaugh High alum Maritsa Negrete, who is in her senior year in MIT’s aerospace engineering program. Representatives from the University of California, San Diego and Chapman University also recently visited the high schools. Photos are available.
Follow-up Story: Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Billy Ray – whose “Captain Phillips” screenplay won a Writers Guild of America award for Best Adapted Screenplay – shared filmmaking tips with Mark Twain Elementary fourth-graders on Oct. 5. After screening “The Wizard of Oz,” Ray taught students about character arcs, the role of villains in story development and how supporting characters illuminate the main character. The visit, sponsored by the Latino International Film Institute’s Young Cinema Project, was part of Lynwood Unified's Visual and Performing Arts program. Students in the program will create five screenplays this fall and film and edit their movies in the spring to show at a year-end school film festival. Photos are available.
State Sen. Lara Presents $5K to Lynwood Unified’s Lugo Elementary
Follow-up Story: State Sen. Ricardo Lara teamed with the Barona Band of Mission Indians to award $5,000 to Lynwood Unified's Lugo Elementary School. The funds will go to buy materials that promote academic improvement, such as books, computers or other supplies. The Barona Band of Mission Indians, based in San Diego, believes education is key to successful cultural relationships.
Lynwood Unified Urges Men to ‘Be a Hero’ in Children’s Lives
Studies show that fathers play a significant role in fostering social-emotional, cognitive, language and motor development in the lives of their young children. As a result, Lynwood Unified is inviting fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers, uncles, brothers and other male role models to take their preschoolers to school on Thursday, Oct. 1. They are encouraged to spend time in the children’s classrooms as readers or volunteers. Fathers and other men in attendance will receive a special gift from their child.
Lynwood Unified Students Honored by Sheriff, School Board for Video
Firebaugh High students Mario Millan, Mariela Cruz and Kimberly Garcia were honored by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and by the Lynwood Unified Board of Education for their help in filming and producing a video for the Sheriff’s Century Youth Activity League. Instructor Rodney Connor was also honored for his work in heading the project. The Firebaugh students created a video that featured interviews with league leaders and images of league programs and participants.
Lynwood Parents Host Giveaway, Workshops and Health Screening Event
The Lynwood Unified District African American Advisory Parent Council will host a school supply giveaway for children in kindergarten through fifth grade during its inaugural African American Family Fun Day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22 at Rosa Parks Elementary School, 3900 Agnes St., Lynwood. Volunteers will distribute notebooks, pencils, erasers and folders on a first-come, first-served basis. The event will include parent workshops on the Common Core State Standards and Lynwood Unified’s Parent Portal. Free blood pressure screenings, health checkups and child fingerprinting kits will be available.
Follow-up Story: More than 14,000 students flocked to Lynwood Unified School District campuses on Aug. 20 to start the new school year, greeted by eager principals, teachers as well as new services and programs to help them succeed. District leaders prepared for the new school year by making dozens of improvements to learning environments over summer. Students and teachers will quickly notice one major upgrade: speedier Internet access thanks to installation of additional Wi-Fi access points across all schools. Lynwood Unified graduation rates have soared nearly 20 percentage points since 2011.
Lynwood Unified will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Lynwood High School’s new $2.5 million artificial turf football field and running track at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, before Firebaugh High battles Lynwood High in the third annual Wood Bowl Game at 7 p.m. The community is welcome to join the celebration. The project was completed this summer. The durable, all-weather turf will save the District thousands of dollars annually in maintenance costs and 40,000 gallons of water a week.
Follow-up Story: Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal shared the book “Stealing Home,” with more than 100 Lynwood Unified students on July 31 at Helen Keller Elementary School during the finale of the Read Lead Summer Literacy Program. The book tells how Jackie Robinson – who broke baseball’s color barrier in 1947 – stole home to help the Dodgers beat the Yankees in Game 1 of the 1955 World Series. During the reading program, children ages 5-13 were given culturally relevant materials to help stem summer learning loss, which has been identified as the primary factor in widening the achievement gap among student groups.
