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Whittier Union High School District

  • Whittier Union Students Receive Powerful Lesson During DUI Car Crash Simulation

    Pioneer High School students received an opportunity to see how the real-life consequences of driving drunk, distracted, or impaired can have devastating and tragic results for their friends, family, and community during an “Every 15 Minutes” demonstration held in front of the school on March 18. The staged simulation for Pioneer High juniors and seniors – featuring the participation of the California Highway Patrol (CHP), Los Angeles County Sheriff, City of Whittier Police Dept., Los Angeles County Fire Dept., first responders, and Funeraria de Angel Pico Rivera mortuary – took the students through an entire DUI car crash scenario – the initial 911 call, the rescue of victims, a sobriety test, and the subsequent arrest of the driver.

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  • California High School Senior Recovers from Debilitating Illness, Receives Award of Merit

    As an incoming freshman, California High School senior Viridian “Viv” Gonzalez got off to a flying start, earning straight A’s in her first semester, with a challenging schedule that included several Honors classes. Her future looked bright; then calamity struck. Gonzalez fell ill during her second semester and was hospitalized for months, missing a considerable amount of school. When Gonzalez returned to Cal High for her sophomore year, she was still very weak and wheelchair bound but determined to pick up where she left off. Enrolling in Cal High’s Health Academy pathway and with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) to guide her, Gonzalez persevered despite her limited mobility, excelling in all her classes and slowly regaining her health. As a senior with a 3.5 GPA and improved health, Gonzalez said she is looking forward to taking the Certified Nurse’s Assistant (CNA) exam this spring.

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  • Pioneer High Football Makes History with CIF Titles, Launches Fundraiser for Championship Rings

    The Pioneer High School football team made history in the fall 2024 season, taking home the school’s first-ever CIF Southern Section (CIF-SS) title, followed by a regional title – an achievement that has ignited school spirit and set the stage for future generations of athletic excellence. While the team fell to Balboa High School in the CIF State Championship game on Dec. 14, their journey united the school and community in a milestone season. To commemorate this achievement, Pioneer High’s football team is raising funds for championship rings, a lasting tribute to their historic season. Contributions can be made through the school’s dedicated fundraising page or directly at Pioneer’s Business & Activities Office.

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California High Senior’s Passion for Research Gains Her Early Admission to Stanford University

Follow-up Story: California High School senior Kelly Clavel’s dreams of finding a cure for cancer were nearly shattered as a child when a south Los Angeles elementary school teacher advised her to choose a more realistic goal. Using the slight as a stimulus to not only excel academically, but to inspire young Latinas in impoverished areas to strive for the impossible, Clavel has become an exemplary leader on the Cal High campus and a standout student in class. Clavel can now demonstrate that anything – including becoming a surgeon and find cures for the incurable – is possible after gaining early admission to Stanford University, one of the top biomedical research colleges in the country

Whittier Union School Recognized as 2018 Model Continuation High School

Follow-up Story: Frontier High School is one of 32 schools in the state to be recognized by the California Department of Education as a 2018 Model Continuation High School for creating innovative programs that address the academic, social and emotional needs of students who need added support as they pursue their paths toward graduation. This is the seventh time Frontier has been honored with the three-year designation. It will be recognized at the 2018 California Continuation Education Association (CCEA) State Conference in April.

Santa Fe High Senior Receives Posse Foundation Scholarship to Pepperdine University

Follow-up Story: Santa Fe High School senior Kyla Moore has a passion for the arts, communicating with her friends and family through song, dance and sign language. With an eye toward earning a degree in public relations, Moore has been accepted into Pepperdine University on a full-ride scholarship from the Posse Foundation. The foundation identifies students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential, but who may be overlooked by traditional college selection processes. Moore, who holds a weighted 4.39 GPA, ranks 10th in her class and has taken several rigorous Advanced Placement courses. She has been in choir all four years and is a community volunteer for the youth cheerleading program, SFS 49ers.

Keith Boyer Concert to Benefit Whittier Union Student Scholarships

Whittier Police Officer Keith Boyer’s surviving bandmates from his classic rock tribute band, Mrs. Jones’ Revenge, will perform a memorial concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17. The event will raise funds for the Keith Boyer Memorial Scholarship at La Serna High School, from which he graduated in 1981. The two-hour concert will be at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada.

Whittier High Computer Academy Wins $20,000 Grant to Boost Program

Follow-up Story: Whittier High School social science, technology and English students will boost the success of three local businesses through creative mobile and emerging technology solutions they will develop with a $20,000 grant from the Verizon Innovative Learning STEM and entrepreneurship program. Whittier High is one of five Los Angeles-area high schools accepted into the two-year program, which provides educators a unique experience to create a design-thinking curriculum, partner with local businesses and teach students entrepreneurship and technology skills through real-world challenges. More than 150 students from Whittier High’s Cardinal Computer Academy will take part in the program, set to begin in February.

Pioneer High Senior Headed to Cornell University to Advocate for Civil Rights, Healthy Living

Follow-up Story: Pioneer High School senior Sabrina Hawthorne has been accepted to Cornell University, an Ivy League research university in New York where she will study industrial and labor relations, paving the way for her to become a civil rights lawyer. Hawthorne, who has a 4.2 GPA, is the first in her family to attend college and credits her mother for instilling in her the inspiration to believe in herself. She also credits the Pioneer High staff for their support in the classroom and securing financial aid. Hawthorne is captain of both the varsity swim and varsity water polo teams and a member of the volleyball team. She is also in the Pioneer High Leos Club and is founder and president of the Good Eats Health Club and Science Club.