Pioneer High School senior Jesus Barradas has a strong bond with his family, a loving connection that has enabled him to move forward confidently with his education and become a campus leader who personifies academic excellence, perseverance, and character. Barradas, who boasts a 4.25 GPA, has consistently challenged himself by taking a rigorous course load, including multiple Advanced Placement classes, dual enrollment courses at Río Hondo College, and three years in Pioneer High’s Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program, demonstrating a strong commitment to college readiness.
At Pioneer High School (PHS), the images greet students and staff as they navigate the hallways on their way to class – portraits of Bob Marley and Emiliano Zapata, a mountainside paradise, an Aztec calendar, the penetrating eye from George Orwell’s “1984” – images that beautify the campus and provide a nurturing environment for learning. The artwork is the product of Pioneer High Class of 2012 graduate Domingo Perez, whose meticulous craftsmanship and collages have become a daily source of inspiration and Titan pride. Perez’s sublime portraits and artistic flourishes adorn nearly a dozen classroom doors at Pioneer, part of an ongoing project that began when Perez was still a PHS student painting his friend’s backpacks for fun.
When Santa Fe High School Class of 2004 graduate Ryan Bateman played for the legendary Chieftain varsity football squads of the early 2000s, he rarely felt the agony of defeat. During Bateman’s three years on varsity, the team went undefeated in league play. Now, Bateman is back at Santa Fe and continuing his legacy of excellence on and off the field. Bateman returned to Santa Fe in 2023 as its new head football coach, tasked with turning around a team that had won just five games in its previous five years. The impact was immediate. One year after the Chieftains completed their season with a 0-10 record, Santa Fe High reemerged as a Del Rio League contender, finishing the year with a 9-4 record and making it to the semifinals of the CIF-SS Division 12 playoffs.
Longtime Whittier resident Yoshio Nakamura, whose engaging personality and gentle encouragement transformed the highly-decorated World War II combat veteran into a much beloved and influential art teacher for multiple generations of Whittier students, returned to Whittier High School on Sept. 7, when the District officially dedicated the school’s art building in his honor. The Whittier community, which included the Whittier Union Board of Trustees, Congressional representatives, City Council members, former students, and veterans from the U.S Armed Forces, gathered to honor the 98-year-old Nakamura, known to everyone as “Yosh,” for his longtime career in education, which included 10 years as an art teacher at Whittier High School and nearly 30 years as an art teacher, dean, and vice president at Río Hondo College.
La Serna High School made a big splash with the Whittier Union community during a ribbon-cutting for its new Aquatics Center, which is anchored by a newly constructed, regulation-size 35-meter swimming pool, a state-of-the-art timing system and scoreboard, and an expanded bleacher section, on Aug. 24. Rousing cheers sounded as the La Serna High aquatics teams and coaches, Whittier Union Board of Trustees, Superintendent Dr. Monica Oviedo, and La Serna Principal Griselda Castro gathered to cut the ribbon and kick off a celebratory afternoon highlighted by a ceremonial “jump-in” to christen the pool, and a luau complete with food, games, and Polynesian dancers.
Whitter High School will recognize longtime Whittier resident, former art teacher, and decorated World War II veteran Yoshio Nakamura by dedicating its South Campus art building in his honor and unveiling a commemorative plaque. On March 12, the Whittier Union Board of Trustees unanimously voted to dedicate Whittier High’s Q Building to honor the 98-year-old Nakamura, known to his friends as “Yosh.” The highly decorated Nakamura was hired as an art teacher at Whittier High in 1950 and spent 13 years there before leaving to become the first teacher hired at Río Hondo College in 1963.
Whittier Union Adult School (WUAS) will debut two new professional healthcare certification programs this fall, allowing students who are looking for careers in the medical field an opportunity to expand their skills, earn more money, and have more options as they move forward in the healthcare industry. The two new classes – an EKG technician certification course and a phlebotomy technician certification course – are offered in partnership with CalRegional, a leading private, post-secondary healthcare education provider. Registration for the certification programs – which can both be completed in less than a month – is still open, with both day and evening classes available.
La Serna High School will host a grand opening for its newly reconstructed Aquatics Center, which includes a ribbon-cutting for the school’s new, state-of-the-art swimming pool. The new pool was paid for with funds from the District’s $183 million Measure AA facilities bond, passed by voters in November 2020. The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be followed by a “Jump In” pool carnival, with relay races, alumni races, raffles, silent auctions, and opportunities to purchase aquatics spirit wear.
With a District theme of “Standing Strong Together,” the 2024-25 school year got off to a rousing start for more than 10,000 Whittier Union High School District students, who strode cheerfully and purposefully through their school gates on Aug. 14, ready to reconnect with friends and faculty and make new memories, as they take the next step in their academic journeys. All five Whittier Union comprehensive high schools, as well as its continuation and independent study schools, greeted students with red carpets, welcome posters, balloons representing the school colors, cheer performances, band performances, and more.
Whittier Union High School District’s incoming freshmen will kick off the 2024-25 school year during Freshmen First Day (FFD) on Tuesday, Aug. 13 at each of the District’s comprehensive high schools. FFD is an annual tradition that aims to ease the transition into high school for new students. It also helps new students build connections with one another and familiarize themselves with their new campus, and teachers and administrators, ensuring they are prepared to have an impactful high school experience.
