Whittier Union High School District

  • Santa Fe High School Mariachi Performers Tune Up for Independence Day Celebration

    Santa Fe High School’s student-led Mariachi Los Dorados is tuning up for its biggest performance to date, when it joins with the Whittier community to celebrate Mexican Independence Day during “El Grito De Dolores,” to be held on Sunday, Aug. 30 from 2 to 5 p.m. at Whittier High School’s Vic Lopez Auditorium. Mariachi Los Dorados was created in the spring of 2025 as a club, with about a dozen students. Spurred on by the music and culture of mariachi, and learning the basics of playing such instruments as the guitarrón, vihuela, violin, and trumpet, the club evolved into an elective class during the fall of 2025, with 21 students and three mariachi coaches.

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  • Whittier Union Adult School English Learner Grant to Expand Healthcare Pathway Options

    Whitter Union Adult School (WUAS) will receive nearly $1 million of a Round 3 English Language Learner (ELL) Healthcare Pathways grant, which will go toward the continued expansion of WUAS healthcare pathways curriculum, reduced fees for bilingual students, automatic enrollment to Río Hondo College (RHC), and provide the opportunity for students to earn stackable credentials, which can lead to better pay. The ELL Healthcare Pathways grant is part of a $4.1 million grant awarded to the Río Hondo Region Adult Education Consortium (RHRAEC) – which includes WUAS, RHC, El Monte-Rosemead Adult School (EMRAS), and El Rancho Adult School (ERAS) – to create more opportunities for bilingual speakers in the healthcare industry, where they are in great demand.

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  • Whittier Union Teacher of the Year Awards Recognize Years of Excellence in Education

    Whittier Union recognized years of excellence in education with its 2026 Teacher of the Year selections, honoring a theater and choir director with nearly four decades of experience, and a beloved science teacher who fought a courageous battle with cancer before passing away in the summer of 2025. La Serna High School visual and performing arts teacher David Carter was named Whittier Union Teacher of the Year while former Pioneer High School science teacher Martin Mathews received a posthumous recognition. Carter was also recognized by Assemblymember Lisa Calderon as a 2026 Educator of Distinction for the 56th Assembly District for his unwavering commitment to providing excellence in education.

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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.