Follow-up Story: Santa Fe High School partnered with the City of Santa Fe Springs to unveil a new street sign on Aug. 25 to honor the Whittier Union school’s mascot. The new street name – Chieftain Way – replaced Clarkman Street, a small road that turns into the school’s staff parking lot. The ceremony featured performances from the school’s pepsters and band. Principal Craig Campbell opened the ceremony, followed by remarks from Santa Fe Springs Mayor Bill Rounds, the school’s ASB president and Whittier Union Superintendent Martin Plourde.
Whittier Union High School District is holding Back-to-School nights across its comprehensive high schools so parents can meet teachers and administrators, learn about curriculum and discover how students participate in campus clubs. Whittier High's event is at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13; Pioneer's night is at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14. Frontier High School will hold a recognition for students who earned awards based on summer and/or quarter four performance at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26. Santa Fe, La Serna and California high schools have concluded their events.
Whittier Union Launches Year with Freshman First Day, Welcomes 1,000s
Follow-up Story: Whittier Union High School District kicked off the 2017-18 school year on Aug. 15, giving nearly 3,000 members of the Class of 2021 a preview of the schools they will call home for the next four years. In an effort to eliminate any first-day jitters before the official start of school, each comprehensive high school welcomed freshmen with opening pep rallies with colorful balloons, spirited music and displays of Condor, Lancer, Titan, Chieftain and Cardinal pride as part of Freshman First Day. On Aug. 16, Whittier Union welcomed close to 11,900 new and returning students for the official first day of school year.
Pioneer High School’s incoming ninth-graders will get a chance to preview their classes, meet teachers, make new friends and learn more about the Titan campus – their home for the next four years – on Tuesday, Aug. 15 as part of Whittier Union High School District’s Freshman First Day. The student orientation program will feature Link Crew student leaders, who will teach freshmen the ins and outs of high school life before the official first day of school the following day. The program takes place annually at each Whittier Union High School District campus to help smooth students’ transition from middle to high school.
Follow-up Story: Whittier Union High School District welcomed nearly 3,000 incoming freshmen for Freshman First Day on Aug. 15. Freshman First Day is an orientation program that enables new students to meet classmates and take part in fun activities. Students previewed their classes and had a chance to meet their teachers and administrators, as well as Link Crew students, who will serve as mentors. The program takes place annually at each comprehensive high school to help smooth students' transition from middle to high school, and has proved very successful in increasing academic achievement.
Whittier Union High School District is expanding its course offerings in architecture and related topics, including offering Frontier High School students a summer drafting class that teaches the basics of drawing and planning for building structures and the introduction of a new adult education construction class in September.
Whittier Union Awards Posthumous Diploma to High School Grad’s Family
Follow-up Story: The parents of Jeremy St. Julian, a La Serna High School senior who died the night before he was set to graduate, were presented with their son’s diploma during the Whittier Union High School District Board of Trustees meeting July 11. La Serna Principal Ann Fitzgerald certified that St. Julian met the requirements for the diploma and Board of Trustees President Tim Schneider accepted the certification on behalf of the board. St. Julian’s parents, Engel and Sharvonita Thedford, accepted the diploma with their daughter. The 18-year-old varsity football player died in a June 6 hiking accident in the Chantry Flat area of the Angeles National Forest.
Posthumous Diploma to be Awarded to Family of La Serna High Student
The parents of Jeremy St. Julian, a La Serna High School senior who died the night before he was set to graduate, will be presented with their son’s diploma during the Whittier Union High School District Board of Trustees meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 11 at the Sierra Education Center, 9401 S. Painter Ave., Whittier. La Serna Principal Ann Fitzgerald will certify that St. Julian met the requirements for the diploma and Board of Trustees President Tim Schneider will accept the certification of behalf of the board. St. Julian’s parents, Engel and Sharvonita Thedford, will accept the diploma and be invited to speak. St. Julian died in a June 6 hiking accident in the Chantry Flat area of the Angeles National Forest.
Whittier Union High School District on Friday, June 30 launched a sleek and modern website to provide students, staff, parents and community members easy access to resources and information. The redesigned District homepage and school pages can be accessed on tablets and mobile phones. The website includes content areas for news and announcements, a calendar of events, and information on the Local Control and Accountability Plan and state funding system. Whittier Union partnered with Edlio, an education website developer, to enhance the website and integrate features and tools that matter most to District stakeholders.
Follow-up Story: Before becoming an English teacher at California High School, Lori Davies spent 12 years as a corporate lawyer, analyzing writs, combing over legal briefs and winning cases for her clients. But it was her passion for transforming the lives of students through teaching that led her to transition from the courtroom to the classroom. Now after 15 years as an educator, Davies is equally successful at administering exams, reviewing common assessments and teaching the works of Steinbeck while guiding students on their path to college and growing the school’s acclaimed Puente academic support program. For her dedication, Davies has been named Whittier Union High School District’s 2017-18 Teacher of the Year.
