The Whittier Union High School District Board of Trustees unanimously appointed Whittier resident Armando Urteaga to serve as Trustee for Area 5 following a Special Board Meeting on Jan. 17. Urteaga will serve the remainder of the term through November 2026. The appointment followed interviews with six candidates conducted during the special meeting. After interviews and deliberation in open session, the Board selected Urteaga based on his extensive experience in public education and long-standing service to local school communities. Urteaga has been a resident of the Whittier area for 25 years and is a longtime public education leader with more than 30 years of experience serving students and families. He holds a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from California State University, Los Angeles, and a master’s degree in educational management and school administration from the University of La Verne.
he Whittier Union Board of Trustees will begin its process to fill the vacancy in Trustee Area 5 when it conducts interviews of seven eligible Whittier residents who seek a provisional appointment to the Board during a special Board of Trustees meeting to be held at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17 in the Whittier Union Board room. Community members are welcome to attend the open session in-person or via webinar to view the process and to participate in public comment prior to the interviews. Webinar information will be available next week on the District’s website.
La Serna High School seniors posed for photos, danced to their favorite tunes, showed off Lancer swag, and proudly placed “I Applied” stickers on a bulletin board after completing a college application to a UC, Cal State, private, or community college - or a job application - during the school’s inaugural Future Ready Celebration Day on Dec. 4. The Celebration Day lunchtime festivities, which were attended by 225 seniors, are the second part of La Serna’s recently-launched Future Ready initiative, a schoolwide effort to educate and encourage seniors to take control of their post-secondary plans, joining Whittier High School, which launched its own Future Ready program in October.
Whittier Union High School District is proving to be a front-runner in ensuring student success, with 2024-25 California School Dashboard data ranking the District as one of the top four districts in the state, successfully serving a majority Latino, Latinx, Hispanic, and socioeconomically disadvantaged community. There are 995 districts in the state with Dashboard results. The Dashboard is a color-coded system created by the California Department of Education to help districts track year-to-year progress in key areas of growth. It allows districts to measure successes and identify areas for improvement in the year ahead. Measured areas include four-year graduation rates, suspension rates, attendance rates, and more.
The Whittier Union High School District Board of Trustees voted to move forward with a provisional appointment to fill the upcoming Trustee Area 5 vacancy after Board Member Gary Mendez submitted his resignation, effective Dec. 9, as part of an approved settlement. The settlement concludes discussions regarding the incompatibility of offices held by Mendez, who served simultaneously on the WUHSD Board of Trustees and the Central Basin Municipal Water District. The matter followed a quo warranto opinion granted by the California Attorney General and subsequent legal action by the District.
Sierra Vista High School senior Sophia Rivera is looking to graduate at the end of the fall semester, completing a high school journey that saw her transform from a shy, at-promise student uncomfortable in a big school environment to a campus leader looking toward college and career. For her resilience and leadership abilities, the Whittier Union Board of Trustees presented Rivera with an Award of Merit during its Nov. 18 meeting, where she thanked her school’s administrators, teachers, and her family for their constant support and encouragement.
Whittier Union High School District Board Member Gary Mendez will step down from the Board of Trustees effective Tuesday, Dec. 9, following Board action taken in closed session on Nov. 18. After closed session, the Board reported out that it approved a settlement agreement with Mendez, in which he submitted his resignation. Mendez will offer his final remarks at the start of the Dec. 9 Board meeting.
Whittier Union High School District is one step closer to bringing its much-anticipated Performing Arts Center (PAC) to life, celebrating the beginning of construction of its vibrant, 450-seat, state-of-the-art theater with a community groundbreaking on Nov. 10. Construction is set to begin shortly, with a completion date of fall 2027. The PAC, created to spotlight Whittier Union’s visual and performing arts (VAPA) students and programs, was meticulously designed by SoCal-based LPA Design Studios. The firm collaborated closely with a wide range of stakeholders to create a space that is both visually striking and highly functional, while honoring the history and spirit of Whittier Union’s VAPA community.
Pioneer High School students shared their high school experiences with future teachers during a field trip to Cal State University, Fullerton (CSUF) in October, designed to assist aspiring CSUF grad students as they learn the best strategies for providing equity in the classroom. Nine Pioneer High students lent their perspectives on school life during a panel titled “Speaking Our Truth: Young Men’s High School Perspectives on Culture and Belonging” to CSUF Diversity in Education students looking to earn their teaching credential.
Whittier Union school psychologist Stephanie Murray, an advocate for student well-being and suicide prevention for more than 30 years, has been recognized by the California Association of School Psychologists (CASP) with its Nadine Lambert Outstanding School Psychologist Award, given to psychologists for their dedication and innovative practices. Murray received her award at the 2025 CASP convention on Oct. 29. Murray began her Whittier Union career at California High School, where she worked to develop suicide prevention protocols, provide ongoing teacher training, and establish a centralized method of risk assessment and information sharing. The protocols were adopted Districtwide even before the passing of Assembly Bill 2246 in 2016, which requires all California school districts to have suicide prevention policies and protocols in place.
