Río Hondo College’s Board of Trustees on Feb. 19 added its voice of support to the proposal to extend Metro’s Eastside Gold Line along Washington Boulevard instead of a route along Highway 60, saying the first option is easier to build and provides robust ridership opportunities. The light rail extension would run through Pico Rivera, Santa Fe Springs and end in Whittier – all communities served by Río Hondo College. The area is densely populated with low-income, mostly Latino residents.
Río Hondo College will host a Homecoming 2020 celebration on Friday, Feb. 21 featuring reunions for nursing program, former basketball players and the Police Academy, free food for the first 500 guests who sign up, and men’s and women’s basketball games. Students who attend the games will also be eligible to win half-time prizes, which include: two PlayStation4 Destiny games, an Amazon Echo, a 7th-generation iPad and two Chromebooks.
Río Hondo College to Host Class Reunions as part of Homecoming 2020
Río Hondo College will hold its second consecutive Homecoming celebration from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21. The event, which had been on hiatus for years, will feature men’s and women’s basketball games against East Los Angeles Community College. The first 500 guests to register will receive free food. Before the event, the Río Hondo Police Academy and nursing program will hold all-class reunions starting at 1:30 p.m.
Río Hondo College Provides Tax Filing Aid to Families in Need
IRS-certified students from Río Hondo College will provide free basic income tax return preparation aid for individuals and families who earned $56,000 or less in 2019 as part of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. The program is being held from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Fridays, Jan. 31 through April 10, excluding March 27. For information, call 562-463-7359.
The Río Hondo Police Academy will host an “All Class Reunion” for graduates of the academy dating to its first class in 1964. The reunion is the second annual event and is expected to draw scores of former cadets from law enforcement agencies across the state. The gathering follows the graduation of the Academy’s Class 209 on Feb. 6. There are roughly 39 cadets in the class; more than 140 cadets graduated in 2019 and thousands have passed through the academy since it opened.
IRS-certified students from Río Hondo College will provide free basic income tax return preparation for individuals and families who earned $56,000 or less in 2019 as part of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. The program will run from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Fridays from Jan. 31 through April 10 at the El Monte Educational Center, 3017 Tyler Ave., El Monte. It will be closed Feb. 14 and March 27.
Río Hondo College will host a coding fair from 3 to 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24 for students from El Monte City School District to showcase projects that demonstrate efforts to discover solutions to real-world problems. The event is sponsored by the Learning Enrichment & Academic Resources Network (LEARN), a Whittier-based educational nonprofit. The agency received a three-year grant in 2018 to offer Kids Code, an after-school coding program at El Monte City School District’s Cortada, Portrero, Wilkerson and Shirpser elementary schools.
A push by Río Hondo College and other supporters has secured recognition of the Homeland Security field as the newest academic discipline by the California Community Colleges Board of Governors. The recognition, granted Monday, means individuals who earn advanced degrees in the field will be considered qualified for instructional positions in the college system. It is seen as a significant endorsement of the multi-discipline field recently developed from other public safety fields.
Río Hondo College’s Board of Trustees endorsed a second year of leadership from President Oscar Valladares, Vice President Rosaelva Lomeli and Clerk Vicky Santana on Dec. 11, 2019 during its annual reorganization meeting. Valladares and Lomeli, both elected in 2018, were named to board leadership positions in December 2018, and elevated to the presidency and vice presidency midway through 2019; Santana was named clerk at that time.
Río Hondo College is now enrolling students for its Homeland Security Program, a cutting-edge discipline that will teach students the latest skills and techniques for preparing themselves, their families and their community to respond to natural hazards and acts of terrorism. Rio Hondo College offers a Certificate of Achievement and Associate of Science in the discipline. Spring semester begins Saturday, Jan. 25.
