Follow-up Story: University of California, Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks visited California High School on Feb. 5 to observe its acclaimed Puente Program, recognized as one of the highest-performing Puente sites in the state based on the number of students who apply to and are accepted at four-year colleges. Puente’s mission is to boost the number of community college and high school students who enroll in four-year colleges and universities, earn degrees and return to the community as leaders and mentors. The program is sponsored by the Center for Education Partnerships, UC Berkeley and the Chancellor’s Office of the California Community Colleges. California, Whittier and La Serna high schools each offer the program. The chancellor encouraged Cal High Puente junior students to prepare for their senior year and apply to colleges and universities, including UC Berkeley. Photos are available.
La Serna High School senior Tim Nguyen was recently recognized by the Whittier Union High School District Board of Trustees for being an innovator on campus and a model student to his peers. Described as inquisitive, thoughtful, intelligent and hard-working, Tim is founder of the Math Club; a three-year varsity tennis team member; one of the original members of the Academic Decathlon Team; and president of the California Scholarship Federation. Tim is also president of the La Serna Entourage Club, which assists with backstage work and school assemblies, and is founder of the Computer Science Club. He enjoys writing and has been working on a novel during the past five years in his free time. The aspiring software engineer has a 4.5 GPA and hopes to attend Caltech after graduating from La Serna High School. Photos are available.
The Whittier Union High School District is seeking input from community stakeholders to help with the ongoing development of its Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), a three-year spending plan required by the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) and which provides districts with flexibility on how to address the needs of students. This process will lead to more support for effective programs and services for Whittier Union students, particularly for English Learners, socio-economically disadvantaged students and foster youth. An LCAP Advisory Committee meeting will be held Wednesday, April 1 in the District board room, 9401 S. Painter Ave., Whittier.
Bryant Perez entered Whittier High School with four Ds and two Fs listed on his final eighth-grade report card. Academic challenges coupled with behavioral difficulties provided little hope of him reaching graduation. Thanks to the Academic Mentor Program instituted at Whittier High in the 2011-12 school year, Bryant finished ninth-grade with two As, three Bs and a C. He entered his senior year not only on track to graduate and completing the courses necessary for college entrance, but he also became an Academic Mentor. The peer-to-peer support program has had significant achievement results: the percentage of ninth-graders who end their freshman year on track to graduate increased from 85 percent in 2011 to 89.7 percent in 2014; student test scores and GPAs have improved; and the A-G completion rate jumped from 44 percent in 2011 to 53 percent in 2013.
The Pioneer High School Leo Club is helping 200 Whittier-area families in need through its annual Christmas food basket distribution event to be held Saturday, Dec. 20. Every year for the last 10 years, students in the Leo Club, sponsored by the Santa Fe Springs Lions Club, put together holiday baskets that include fresh produce, bread, dry goods and canned goods, as well as toys, for 200 families in need. In order to fund the program, Leos sold 2,000 home-made tamales. Students will assemble the baskets after school on Friday, Dec. 19. Pioneer, along with local elementary schools, held canned food drives for the baskets.
Follow-up Story: 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 celebrated the season at the District’s annual Choral Festival on Thursday, Dec. 4 at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, 11345 Miller Road, Whittier. Choral groups from California, La Serna, Pioneer, Santa Fe and Whittier high schools performed and received critiques from this year’s adjudicator, Iris Levin, an award-winning composer and conductor and Cal Poly Pomona’s Music Department Chair.
Whittier High School to Host Visiting Japanese Students
Whittier High School will host 21 students from Haguro, Japan for an afternoon of international cultural bonding. The students are enrolled in the Kaplan International English program at Whittier College. They will be at Whittier High from noon to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18 for lunch and a collaborative language activity organized by the Kaplan staff. They will also tour the school, visit classes and talk with students.
Follow-up Story: Surrounded by coaches, family members and friends, California High School varsity softball player Jessika Jaime signed her scholarship letter to play the sport to which she devoted her childhood. Jessika, who has been playing softball since she was 5 years old, signed her letter of intent Nov. 13 to join the Siena Saints softball program at Siena College, a private Division I university in Albany County, New York. D-I schools are the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the country.
Pioneer High School Honors Veterans During Ceremony
Follow-up Story: Whittier’s Pioneer High School held a touching Veterans Day ceremony ahead of the holiday to recognize staff members who have served in the armed forces and to honor alumni who gave their lives in service. The event included a performance by the award-winning school choir, a lighting of the Titan Torch by veterans and a laying of the wreath at the memorial in front of the school. Board of Trustees member Tim Schneider, an Army veteran participated in the presentation. Photos are available. Media contact: Juliette Funes, 909-447-2404 (office)
Whittier Union High School District is expanding Santa Fe High School’s award-winning mental health program to all District schools, providing wellness centers, counseling services and overall support for students who experience barriers to their personal and academic achievement. Following the success of Santa Fe’s Serenity Program, which won a Golden Bell Award in 2013, the District is launching the Student Well-Being Program under its Mental Health Initiative, which involves 16 master- and bachelor-level social work interns who provide on-campus counseling and case management, expanded partnerships with community agencies, implementation of an online referral system and staff training on threat assessment. The District identified wellness services as a priority under its Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), a blueprint for how the District will target services for its greatest student needs. Media contact: Juliette Funes, 909-447-2404 (office)
