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.
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.
California High School Class of 2020 graduates Britney Galvez and Mark Gonzalez have been recognized as UC Berkeley Regents’ and Chancellor’s Scholars, an honor that includes full-tuition scholarships that are offered only to the top 1% of incoming freshmen. Galvez and Gonzalez, first-generation college-goers, will receive additional benefits that include priority class enrollment, guaranteed housing, faculty mentors and automatic placement in the UC Berkeley Regents’ and Chancellor’s Scholars Association, with the opportunity to network with a select group of 800 scholars and 100 supporting faculty.
Whittier Union Adult School Launches Online Summer Program
While campuses remain physically closed, Whittier Union Adult School will offer short, intensive summer courses online, providing students the flexibility and ability to continue their professional and academic development from home. Some online certificates and courses that will be offered include business communication, data science, human resources, leadership, management, training and education. Classes begin Monday, July 6.
The Whittier Union High School District Board of Trustees unanimously voted on June 9 to place a $183.5 million facilities bond on the Nov. 3, 2020 ballot to address necessary repairs and renovations, improve school safety and technology, and upgrade career education and science/computer classrooms across District facilities. Whittier Union voters previously supported Measure C in 1999 and Measure W in 2008, authorizing $173 million to transform schools into modern, state-of-the-art facilities. The District concluded its construction program in 2019.
Frontier High School is the recipient of the 2020 Exemplary Program Award from the California Continuation Education Association Plus (CCEA+), which is also honoring Frontier science teacher William Martin as its 2020 Teacher of the Year. CCEA+, a state organization that promotes the development of quality continuation education and schools, is honoring the Model Continuation School for its Orientation program, launched in 2014 to provide new enrollees with the skills for a successful transition into Frontier. Martin is being honored for his leadership and dedication to student achievement.
Four Whittier Union high schools have been named to the 2020 Top Los Angeles County Public Schools for Underserved Students list for narrowing the opportunity gap for low-income students of color, particularly Latino students, in Los Angeles County and helping them thrive despite barriers. Among the 2,075 schools in Los Angeles County, 1,346 schools serve at least 43% of low-income Latino students. Of these, only 254 schools have been recognized as Top Schools for closing the gap for low-income Latino students. Whittier Union schools that are leading the way include La Serna, Pioneer, Santa Fe and Whittier high schools.
Throughout the spring, 16 students in their first year of Río Hondo College’s Associate Degree of Nursing (ADN) program volunteered at the El Monte City Drive-through COVID-19 testing station, lending a hand to efforts to combat the health crisis that immobilized much of the world. Students began volunteering in April and continued throughout May, rotating through stations to work with nurses from Greater El Monte Community Hospital to instruct community members on testing, distribute testing materials, collect samples and educate patients.
As Whittier Union seniors approach the final days of their high school career, the District’s high schools are finding ways to safely recognize 2,800 members of the Class the 2020, their accomplishments over the last four years and their ability to persevere under the most unexpected circumstances. Following social distancing guidelines and facial covering requirements, each school meticulously in May organized grab-and-go opportunities to provide seniors their graduation packages, which included caps and gowns, medals and yard signs, which were sponsored by the Whittier Union High School District Educational Foundation. Virtual awards shows were also held to celebrate students.
When California High School Director of Bands Doug Nordquist came to Whittier Union as a music teacher in 1982, he was literally jumping for joy as he was in the midst of competing to win a spot as a high jumper on the 1984 U.S. Olympic team. With a parallel career as an Olympic-level athlete, Nordquist began striving for excellence in the classroom, teaching multiple subjects and eventually establishing Cal High’s Entertainment Unit, a music program that has enabled thousands of Whittier Union students to find their calling and achieve success at high levels. He has been named the District's 2020 Teacher of the Year.
