6 Whittier Union AVID Students Named Dell Scholars
California High School teacher Doug Nordquist was honored with a Patriot Award by California Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) on April 5. The award recognizes individuals who provide outstanding patriotic support and cooperation to their employees. Nordquist, the school's band director, has been an educator at Whittier Union for 38 years, 23 of those at Cal High. ESGR, a Department of Defense program, seeks to foster a culture in which employers support and value the employment and military service of members of the National Guard and Reserve.
Whittier Union Schools Earn Awards of Achieving High Academic Growth
Several Whittier Union High School District schools have been honored for achieving high academic growth, with students consistently making academic gains faster than similar students at similar schools. Pioneer High School was honored with the CORE Districts' Academic Growth Award for achieving three years of success in math. California, Santa Fe and Whittier high schools were honored with High Impact Badges for their success in English language arts (Cal) and math (Santa Fe/Whittier).
Santa Fe High School hosted a two-day “Every 15 Minutes” program using a trio of techniques to bring home the dangers of drinking and driving: a graphic staging of a deadly drunk-driving crash, students randomly pulled from classes to represent lives lost to drunk driving and a mock funeral service on April 3 and 4.
Two Whittier Union schools have been designated as AVID Schoolwide Sites of Distinction. Pioneer and Santa Fe high schools – both of which are National AVID Demonstration Schools ¬– were recognized for demonstrating outstanding commitment to their students by ensuring equity and opportunity for all students, providing rigorous academic opportunities and implementing superb instructional practices across both schools.
Several Whittier Union High School District schools have been honored for achieving high academic growth, with students consistently making academic gains faster than similar students at similar schools. Pioneer High School was honored with the CORE Districts' Academic Growth Award for achieving three years of success in math. California, Santa Fe and Whittier high schools were honored with High Impact Badges for their success in English language arts (Cal) and math (Santa Fe, Whittier).
Pioneer High School senior Ana Cortez received the shock of her life when she was surprised with a $40,000 Edison scholarship while sitting in her AP Chemistry class on March 20, surrounded by friends, classmates and teachers. Cortez is one of just 30 Southern California high school students to be named a 2019 Edison Scholar.
Santa Fe High School senior Maximas Gomez is an exemplary student whose profound drive for success has propelled him to shine as a role model to his peers and teachers alike. After working summer jobs with his father starting at age 5, Gomez has learned the value of time, the cost of necessities and the tireless amount of work it would take to get ahead in school and in life. Those experiences and efforts have resulted in Gomez’s continued success at Santa Fe. He was recently honored by the Whittier Union High School District Board of Trustees with the Award of Merit.
Whittier Union Student Surprised with $40,000 Edison Scholarship
Pioneer High School senior Ana Cortez was surprised with a $40,000 Edison scholarship while in her AP Chemistry class on March 20, surrounded by friends, classmates and teachers. Cortez is one of 30 Southern California high school students to be named a 2019 Edison Scholar. Cortez plans to major in bio-engineering to prepare for a career creating technological advancements for people with disabilities, including artificial prosthetics at an affordable price.
Santa Fe High School will host a two-day “Every 15 Minutes” program with a trio of techniques to bring
home the dangers of drinking and driving: a graphic staging of a deadly drunk-driving crash, students
randomly pulled from classes to represent lives lost to drunk driving and a mock funeral service. The
drunk-driving scenario involves firefighters, police and a coroner, as well as students pre-selected from
the school – including one who “dies” and another who is arrested for driving under the influence and
booked into jail. The crash scene will take place at 11:10 a.m. Wednesday, April 3 at Santa Fe High School, 10400 S. Orr & Day Road, Santa Fe Springs. A mock funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, April 4.
Two Whittier Union high schools have earned the first College Board AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award for achieving high female representation in their AP Computer Science Principles courses. La Serna and Whittier high schools were recognized for either reaching 50 percent or higher female representation in the AP course or having a percentage of the female computer science examinees meeting or exceeding that of the school’s female population. Out of more than 18,000 secondary schools worldwide that offer AP courses, the schools are among 685 to accomplish this feat.
