Follow-up Story: Follow-up Story: Students in Lynwood Unified’s Migrant Education 21st Century Writer's program were enthralled with educational performance group, The Imagination Machine, which performed the short stories that the K-8 students have been working on for 13 weeks on May 31. The writing class is part of the federally-funded Migrant Education program, which serves students whose family’s migratory patterns – due to work in the agricultural, dairy, lumber or fishing industries – require them to change schools frequently. Photos are available. Media contact: Juliette Funes, 909-447-2404 (office)
Firebaugh High School student Melody Esqueda is one of 1,000 students across the country selected to receive the Gates Millennium Scholarship. As a recipient of the award, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the USC-bound student will have her entire education paid for. Melody, who has a 4.65 GPA and will graduate in June, plans to get bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees and is considering pursuing careers in environmental science, business or the cinematic arts. Photos of Melody are available. Media contact: Juliette Funes, 909-447-2404 (office)
Follow-up Story: Follow-up Story: To help support, empower and provide resources to Lynwood Unified’s pregnant and parenting teens as they continue their education, the District, in partnership with El Nido Family Centers and the City of Lynwood, hosted a Pregnant and Parenting Teen Symposium on Thursday, May 22 at Bateman Hall. Approximately 60 pregnant and parenting teens participated in workshops, including co-parenting, health information and stress management, as well as sessions on academic advisement and higher education and career options. The keynote was delivered by City of Lynwood Mayor and former teen mom, Aide Castro. Photos are available. Media contact: Juliette Funes, 909-447-2404 (office)
Washington Elementary School was recently honored with the 2013-14 Title I Academic Achievement Award, which is granted to schools that have shown significant efforts to increase achievement for low-performing students. It is one of 106 public educational institutions to receive the award. The accolade acknowledges that Washington Elementary has logged above-average performance progress on standardized testing for two or more years in a row and has made extensive progress in closing the achievement gap among the school’s socioeconomically disadvantaged students. Contact: Juliette Funes, 909-447-2404 (office)
Lynwood High School head coach Ellis Barfield has been selected as one of four court coaches for the 2014 USA Basketball Women’s U17 World Championship Team Trials taking place May 22-26 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. This is the second time Barfield will serve as a USA Basketball coach. Barfield, who has been at the helm of the Lynwood High School girls varsity team for 22 years and has won five state titles, previously served as an assistant coach for the USA West Team in the 2003 USA Basketball Youth Development Festival, helping the squad to a 2-3 record and bronze medal. Photos of Barfield are available. Media contact: Juliette Funes, 909-447-2404 (office)
To celebrate the creative spirit of Lynwood Unified and its students, the District, along with the visual and performing arts programs at Lynwood and Firebaugh high schools and the City of Lynwood, will host the first-ever Lynwood Festival of the Arts from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 10 at Lynwood High School. This exciting event will feature many forms of art, including live student and community dances, musical and theatrical performances, culinary arts demonstrations, student art galleries, a photo booth and a live chalk art contest. Media contact: Juliette Funes, (909) 445-1001 (office)
Follow-up Story: Follow-up Story: Lynwood Unified’s Firebaugh High School recently held a special remembrance event to celebrate the life and achievements of its late namesake, Assemblyman Marco Antonio Firebaugh, including his landmark legislation, Assembly Bill 540, which makes college more affordable for many undocumented students by allowing them to pay in-state tuition fees. Scholarships were also awarded to college-bound AB540 students during the ceremony. Photos are available. Contact: Juliette Funes, 909-447-2404 (office)
As Lynwood Unified continues making extensive progress on beautifying several school campuses utilizing a $93 million Measure K facilities bond, the District is gearing up to kick off the second phase of essential repairs at 11 schools that will include exterior painting, new roofing and asphalt repairs, the installation of an HVAC system and facility improvements at the Pathway Independent Studies building. The District is also nearing completion of $2 million worth of projects under Phase 1B, part of the first group of construction projects funded under the voter-approved bond that began last June and will continue this summer. Photos are available. Contact: Juliette Funes, (909) 445-1001 (office)
The Lynwood Unified School District is inviting parents, students, staff and community members to participate in an online survey that will help shape District spending priorities and services needed to support student growth and academic achievement. Under the state’s new funding rules, school districts are required to adopt a Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP), which will guide the expenditure of state funds based on the particular needs of their students. LUSD has developed the LCAP Stakeholder Input Survey to help establish priorities for the development of the three-year plan. The online survey, available in English and Spanish, must be completed by Friday, April 25. Contact: Juliette Funes, 909-445-1001 (office)
Lynwood Unified is making great strides in completing extensive construction and renovation work at Washington and Lincoln elementary schools, which have seen their outdated portable classrooms transform into permanent, state-of-the-art and energy-efficient classroom buildings. While work on the new buildings is expected to be complete before the end of this school year, site work at each campus – including newly paved parking lots and last finishing touches around the sites – is slated for completion by July and August for Lincoln and Washington, respectively, in time for the fall semester. Photos of the progress at each campus are available. Contact: Juliette Funes, (909) 447-2404 (office)
