After 12 months of extensive construction and renovation efforts, much-needed new classrooms at Washington and Lincoln Elementary schools are nearly complete. Lynwood Unified is celebrating the milestone with ribbon-cutting ceremonies in early September that will feature speeches from District staff and local elected officials, as well as tours led by teachers and students at the schools. More specific information will be available in coming weeks. Washington Elementary removed 29 portable classrooms and replaced them with two, two-story buildings, each featuring eight classrooms. At Lincoln Elementary, 17 portable classrooms were replaced with one, two-story building with 14 classrooms. The projects are partly funded under the Measure K facilities bond. Media Contact: Maritza Fairfield, 909-445-1001 (office)
Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean that Lynwood Unified is slowing down. Schools are ensuring students are staying on track with summer programs that include an Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate Boot Camp, College Preparatory Camp, Migrant Education Math Academy and Elementary Summer Bridge Program. Photos of all programs are available. Media Contact: Maritza Fairfield, 909-445-1001 (office)
Thirty-seven LHS students were awarded the State Seal of Biliteracy in recognition for achieving proficiency in multiple languages, namely Spanish, the state superintendent recently announced. The Seal recognizes high school graduates who have attained a high level of proficiency in speaking, reading and writing in one or more languages in addition to English. The recognition takes the form of a gold seal affixed to the high school diplomas of qualified students. In the Class of 2014, more than 24,000 California students earned these gold seals. Media Contact: Maritza Fairfield, 909-445-1001 (office)
After undergoing 12 months of extensive construction and renovation work that included the removal of several outdated portable classrooms, Washington and Lincoln elementary schools’ new two-story buildings are now complete, with remaining site work expected to conclude in August. Washington Elementary removed 29 portable classrooms, which were replaced with two, two-story buildings, each featuring eight classrooms. At Lincoln Elementary, 17 portable classrooms were replaced with a two-story building with 14 classrooms. Both projects are a welcome addition to the Lynwood Unified community, which voted in 2012 to approve the Measure K bond to improve aging facilities district-wide. Media contact: Juliette Funes, 909-447-2404 (office)
Summer days are anything but sluggish for Lynwood students who are spending their time in a summer literacy program that is meant to both inspire and empower children with activities such as reading, art, dance, music, field trips and community service. In an effort to boost students’ love of learning and preserve their academic progress during the summer months while they’re not in school, Helen Keller Elementary School is serving as a host site for the Read Lead Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) Freedom Schools program, a six-week literacy and enrichment camp aimed at low-income K-8 students in Lynwood. Rooted in the work of the Civil Rights movement, the program, which runs through Aug. 1, places a heavy focus on reading instruction while also empowering students to be leaders in their families and communities. The program will hold an end-of-summer celebration on Thursday, July 31 at 5 p.m. The media is invited to see the program and its students in action in advance of the celebration from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Media Contact: Juliette Funes, 909-447-2404 (office)
Using a new funding model that provides more resources to address the needs of Lynwood Unified’s students, the Board of Education on June 24 passed a balanced general fund budget and its first Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) for the 2014-15 academic year, ensuring that every student will be adequately prepared for success in college and career. The LCAP, created through a collaborative and inclusive process that involved teachers, parents, students and stakeholders, prioritizes funding to increase student achievement. Plans include instituting community-based youth leadership programs, social workers, behavioral intervention programs, instructional coaches and other programs and services that align with the district’s Achieving Greatness Initiative. Media contact: Juliette Funes, 909-447-2404 (office)
At the start of their high school years at Lynwood Unified, students Enrique Ruelas and Milan Pearson each faced personal challenges that caused them to put school on the back-burner and diminish any hopes they had of ever graduating. Ruelas, who dropped out of school in 10th-grade, was surrounded by death and violence in his neighborhood, while Pearson spiraled downward when his mother died in 2010. With support from their families and seeing what life would be like without an education, Pearson and Ruelas returned to school and graduated in June from the District's continuation school programs. They were each recently awarded a $250 Board of Education and Superintendent's Scholarship to go toward their pursuits in higher education. Photos of Pearson and Ruelas are available. Media contact: Juliette Funes, 909-447-2404 (office)
Young filmmakers from Lynwood High School and Hosler Middle School who participated in the Tribeca Film Project will screen their short films at the inaugural Youth Film Screening at 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 28. The program, in partnership with Lynwood Unified, St. Francis Medical Center, the Tribeca Film Institute and Southern California Crossroads, is meant to provide youth with positive alternatives to negative lifestyles. As part of the program, the young filmmakers had the opportunity to raise awareness about issues in the Lynwood community while also gaining invaluable experience in the world of film. Three Lynwood High School students had the opportunity present their film project at an exclusive screening of all New York and Los Angeles Tribeca Teaches films at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York in April. Actor Jorge Diaz will be a special guest speaker. Media contact: Juliette Funes, 909-447-2404
Follow-up Story: Follow-up Story: Lynwood Unified recently celebrated the graduation of nearly 900 students who reached the important milestone of receiving their high school diplomas and beginning a new chapter in their journeys into career and higher education. During commencement ceremonies for 890 Lynwood, Firebaugh and Vista high schools June 11-12, students, along with parents, friends, teachers, administrators and members of the LUSD Board of Trustees, celebrated the culmination of their primary and secondary school careers and walked across the stage to receive the credentials they have been working years to earn. Photos are available. Media contact: Juliette Funes, 909-447-2404 (office)
