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Whittier Union High School District

  • Whittier Union Senior Receives Award of Merit for Leadership, Vision and Innovation

    Wendy Carcamo is praised as a community leader and visionary as a senior on Whittier High School’s campus. A first-generation Latina who is the youngest of five siblings, Carcamo has faced personal challenges with remarkable resilience as she actively seeks out environments that foster her growth and align with her core values. As a member of Whittier High’s Puente Program, Carcamo has demonstrated deep-rooted values and a steadfast desire to make a positive impact on society. As a second-year academic mentor, she is known for supporting and uplifting her peers. Additionally, as president of the Cardinal Academy of Technology (CAT), Carcamo is laying the groundwork for a career of technological advancement and innovation.

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  • Frontier and Sierra Vista High Schools Earn Top Accreditation for Excellence and Student Support

    Whittier Union High School District’s Frontier and Sierra Vista high schools have both earned a six-year accreditation from the Accrediting Commission of Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS-WASC), reaffirming their commitment to fostering supportive learning environments and ensuring student success both academically and personally. ACS-WASC accreditation guarantees that a school’s credits and diplomas are recognized by colleges and universities. It also drives school improvement through a rigorous self-study and the development of an action plan focused on student achievement. While all public high schools in California are required to be ACS-WASC accredited, earning a six-year accreditation with a half-way progress report is known as the highest distinction a school can receive.

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  • Whittier Union Senior Honored with Award of Merit for Leadership, Wellness Support

    La Serna High School senior Felipe Galvan is a natural leader known for building strong relationships with both students and staff alike while continually looking for ways to improve outcomes for his classmates, either as a member of La Serna’s Puente Program, as an English language development (ELD) and Link Crew mentor, or as president of the school’s Wellness Club. Galvan has a passion for promoting social-emotional well-being for his classmates and has brought awareness to mental health by serving as an organizer and fundraiser for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. Galvan, who boasts a 4.26 GPA and has completed 11 Advanced Placement and eight Honors classes, was recently recognized by the Whittier Union Board of Trustees with an Award of Merit, during the Jan. 14 Board meeting.

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Whittier Union Celebrates Class of 2020 with Pomp and Circumstance

Whittier Union rolled out the red carpet and gave over 2,700 members of the Class of 2020 the star treatment during one-of-a-kind drive-up graduations that saw students walk across grand stages on their campuses and collect diplomas as families, sounding air horns and holding custom big-head cutouts, cheered from decorated vehicles, limousines and party buses. Every day during the week of July 20, each Whittier Union campus hosted socially distanced graduation ceremonies that provided students and families safe venues in which to celebrate after traditional ceremonies were canceled due to public health restrictions.

Whittier Union to Begin 2020-21 Fall Semester with 100% Distance Learning

Whittier Union High School District will begin the 2020-21 school year with a 100% distance learning schedule, converting the fall semester into a quarter system in which students will take three online classes in each of two nine-week periods starting Wednesday, Aug. 12. The Board of Trustees unanimously approved the 3x9 instructional model and launching the school year in Stage 1 of the District’s four-stage reopening plan during a July 28 virtual board meeting.

Whittier Union Develops Flexible Learning Plan for Fall 2020

Whittier Union High School District is exploring adopting a quarter system for the fall semester of the 2020-21 school year, which begins Aug. 12. The instructional model is part of a four-stage teaching and learning plan that is adaptable to the continuously changing environment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Board of Trustees is expected to vote on the recommended instructional model and one of the four stages in which schools will reopen, which range from 100% online to 100% in-person, during a special meeting Tuesday, July 28, when health conditions will be clearer.

Harvard-bound Whittier Union Valedictorian Partners with PIH Health for COVID-19 Awareness Campaign

Before spending the next four years studying biomedical engineering at Harvard University, Whittier High School graduate Julia Casas is dedicating her summer to working with PIH Health Whittier Hospital to develop a volunteer social network and raise awareness of COVID-19 and the available health services in the community. Casas, who is one of Whittier High’s seven valedictorians for the Class of 2020, is working with PIH Health volunteer services and health marketing administrators to compile a large volunteer database; create a volunteer website, social media accounts and weekly newsletter; coordinate donations of personal protective equipment; and organize online fundraisers.

Whittier Union Develops Flexible Back-to-School Learning Plan for Fall 2020

Whittier Union High School District is exploring adopting a quarter system for the fall semester of the 2020-21 school year, which begins Aug. 12. The instructional model is part of a four-stage teaching and learning plan that is adaptable to the continuously changing environment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Board of Trustees is expected to vote on the recommended instructional model and one of the four stages in which schools will reopen, which range from 100% online to 100% in-person, during a special meeting Tuesday, July 28, when health conditions will be clearer.

Whittier Union to Host Socially Distanced Drive-thru Graduations

Over 2,800 members of Whittier Union’s Class of 2020 will have the opportunity to walk across a stage set up on the campuses they’ve called home for the last four years while being cheered on by families who will have a front-stage view during socially distanced drive-thru graduation ceremonies. California High will hold its ceremony from 12:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday, July 20; La Serna will hold its ceremony from 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, July 21; Santa Fe High will hold its ceremony from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 22; Whittier High will hold its ceremony from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, July 23; and Pioneer High will hold its event from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 24. On Wednesday, July 22, the Transition program will honor students from 4 to 5 p.m.; Sierra Vista will celebrate students from 5 to 7 p.m.; Frontier will honor grads from 7 to 8:30 p.m.; and Whittier Union Adult School will celebrate graduates from 8:30 to 9 p.m. at the Sierra Education Center campus.

Whittier Union Develops 4-Stage Back-to-School Learning Plan that Ensures Flexibility Amid Uncertainty

Whittier Union High School District is exploring adopting a quarter system for the fall semester of the 2020-21 school year, which begins Wednesday, Aug. 12. The instructional model is part of a four-stage teaching and learning plan that is adaptable to the continuously changing environment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the surge of positive coronavirus cases across the state and Los Angeles County, school districts are developing flexible back-to-school learning plans that ensure the safety and well-being of students and staff and provide robust instruction to students – whether delivered online or in-person.

Socially Distanced Drive-thru Ceremonies to Commemorate Whittier Union Class of 2020 Graduates

Over 2,800 members of Whittier Union’s Class of 2020 will have the opportunity to walk across a stage set up on the campuses they’ve called home for the last four years while being cheered on by families who will have a front-stage view during socially distanced drive-thru graduation ceremonies taking place the week of July 20. Due to strict public health restrictions related to COVID-19, the District postponed in-person graduation ceremonies that were originally scheduled in June. Drive-thru ceremonies are now permitted in Los Angeles County under recently updated public health guidelines.

Whittier Union Graduate Creates COVID-19 Awareness Campaign

Harvard-bound Whittier High School Class of 2020 co-valedictorian Julia Casas will partner with PIH Whittier to establish more effective communication networks in the Whittier area in an effort to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The effort is part of Harvard’s SPARK program, an immersive six-week public service program offered exclusively to incoming freshmen. Casas will work with PIH Whittier administrators to organize a social network of volunteers, create an online newsletter, coordinate donations of PPE and raise funds for the hospital.

Whittier Union Partners with LA County to Distribute Free Food to Community Families

Donning protective face coverings, gloves and yellow and orange safety vests, volunteers from Los Angeles County organized thousands of food boxes and loaded them into hundreds of vehicles that began lining up at 8:30 a.m. as part of a free drive-thru food giveaway at Pioneer High School. The Office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, in partnership with the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and Whittier Union, sponsored the July 1 event, giving enough food away to feed 2,426 families. Each car that drove through received four 20-pound boxes of groceries, including protein, dairy, non-perishables and fresh produce.