9 Whittier Union Students to Perform in Tournament of Roses Parade
Nine marching band and color guard members from the Whittier Union High School District will represent their schools and exhibit their talents at the 128th Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade at 9 a.m. Monday, Jan. 2. The Tournament of Roses Honor Band, which has marched in every Tournament of Roses Parade since 1930, chose for its 2017 band: California High School students Olivia Huizar (piccolo), Rocio Vega (trombone), Gus Sausedo (tuba), Eric Gonzalez (color guard/tall flag) and Edith Garcia (color guard/banner); La Serna High School students Avery Smith (alto sax), Taylor Medina (trombone) and Ye Lee (baritone); and Pioneer High School student Marco Galvan (trombone).
Ushering in the holiday season with music ranging from uplifting classical works to fun Christmas favorites, the choirs of Whittier Union’s five comprehensive high schools will celebrate through song during the District’s Winter Choral Festival at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30 at the Whittier College Chapel, 11345 Miller Road, Whittier. The annual concert is an opportunity for the choirs and their directors to come together to listen and learn from each other as well as from a well-respected adjudicator. The choral ensembles have performed in local, regional and national competitions in famous locations such as Carnegie Hall and the Disney Concert Hall.
Some of Whittier High School senior Florencia “Flo” Valenzuela’s earliest memories include watching addiction consume her drug-dependent parents and having child protective services place her and her younger brother in foster care at 5 years old. In and out of foster care for several years, Valenzuela at 13 years old fell under the guardianship of her older sister, Marcy. She has since found empowerment and resiliency, flourishing at home and at school. Holding a 3.8 GPA, Valenzuela is a member of the Associated Student Body, an Academic Mentor to her peers, athlete and community volunteer. She has been selected as a 2016 Children’s Defense Fund-California Beat the Odds® Scholarship program honoree. CDF-CA will provide her with a host of academic and career readiness opportunities – including a $10,000 scholarship. She will be honored at the awards gala on Thursday, Dec. 1 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.
2 Whittier Union Marching Bands Qualify for SCSBOA Championships
The Whittier and Santa Fe high school marching bands have qualified for the Southern California School Band & Orchestra Association (SCSBOA) Field Championships and will perform in their respective divisions on Saturday, Nov. 19. The Whittier Cardinal Brigade will perform in the 1A division at Warren High School, 8141 DePalma St., Downey; the Santa Fe Chieftain Tribe will perform in the 2A division at Ramona High School, 7675 Magnolia Ave., Riverside. The SCSBOA field show circuit is the most popular in Southern California.
Follow-up Story: A day before the nation paid tribute to America’s heroes, students at Pioneer High School gathered for a special ceremony honoring staff members who have served in the armed forces and remembering members of the Titan family who died while serving their country. Held Nov. 10, Pioneer High’s Veterans Day Ceremony featured remarks from school officials and students, patriotic performances and recognition of a group of revered veterans in attendance, who lit the school’s iconic Titan Torch before laying wreaths at the school’s two monuments.
The Whittier Union High School District will hold its annual Band Jamboree celebration at the District’s new Sandra Sanchez Thorstenson Stadium at California High School at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7. The festive event will feature performances from the District’s five comprehensive high school marching bands, cheer squads and drill teams. Following the band performances, the award-winning drill team from Pioneer High School will perform. The evening will conclude with a parade featuring students from all bands and a mass band rendition of “America the Beautiful.”
Follow-up Story: More than 300 Frontier High School students experienced first-hand the devastating impacts of drinking or texting behind the wheel during a Save A Life Tour presentation on Nov. 2. The program featured a high-impact video showing a re-creation of a distracted driving incident, police response, emergency room scenes, family responses and other footage. Following the assembly, students used a drinking-and-driving simulator and texting-and-driving simulator featuring an iPhone.
Follow-up Story: Hundreds of Santa Fe High School parents packed into campus classrooms on Oct. 22 to learn about issues relevant to teens today – from college and career options to dating and social media – during the school’s annual Parent Education Day. Launched in 2003, Parent Education Day is an informal and free way to engage Santa Fe High parents and provide them with information on ways to help their children succeed, with each having the opportunity to attend three, 45-minute workshops on a variety of topics.
The Whittier Union High School District Board of Trustees recently gave an Award of Merit to a California High School student who was born and raised in New Delhi, India, but found his home among the Condor family. Jashandeep “Jash” Anand arrived in the U.S. at 14 years old and landed at Cal High his junior year, gaining a reputation for being hard working, optimistic and joyful. He is on the varsity soccer team, a member of the National Honor Society, Interact Club and Spanish Club, and is an Academic Mentor and Link Crew leader. Carrying a 4.0 GPA, Anand is on his way to earning his Seal of Biliteracy in Hindi and complete a senior project on world hunger. He hopes to attend UCLA and study computer science. His grandmother is expected to fly from India to attend his graduation in 2017.
Students at Whittier Union’s Santa Fe High School will gather at lunch on Wednesday, Dec. 14 to make fleece blankets to donate to organizations serving children with cancer as part of the school’s Gratitude Project, launched by counselor Cheryl Redgate and the counseling team in 2013. The effort draws dozens of student volunteers each month and is funded through donations from a growing number of businesses and organizations. The school has donated more than 700 blankets. The community and students are invited to participate in the project.