The La Mirada High School girls soccer team capped a triumphant season by capturing its first state championship after a thrilling 1-0 victory over Moorpark in the CIF Southern California Division IV final on March 12 at La Mirada High School. Freshman Megan Day scored the game’s solitary goal and junior goalkeeper Melissa Torres had a stellar game in the net, leading the Matadores to their 18th consecutive win to finish the season.
Three dozen guest speakers led career sessions during Corvalis Middle School's annual Career Day on Feb. 26, offering more than 700 students a peek at vocations they may consider. On hand were an FBI special agent, a Grammy Award-winning musician, a soccer coach, a professional cartoonist and several former National Football League players. Other fields presented included accounting, arts and entertainment, auto repair, civil engineering, cosmetology, food service, health care, industrial manufacturing, military, public relations and retail management.
About 120 Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District seniors took part in Mock Interview Day on Feb. 24, gaining practical knowledge about how to present themselves during job interviews. Students from four high schools received advice from a panel of Norwalk Education Alliance civic leaders, including Norwalk Mayor Leonard Shryock and City Manager Mike Egan, NLMUSD Superintendent Dr. Hasmik Danielian and Board Member Darryl Adams, Cerritos College staff and Norwalk Chamber business representatives.
Seven Bassett High School students earned 15 individual medals in the Los Angeles County Office of Education Academic Decathlon held earlier this month for speeches on the importance of music education and success in a Super Quiz covering math, art and science. Decathletes Ailsa Thai, Natalie Rojas, Enrique Lucas, Alondra De Leon, Marianna Acevedo, Felipe Perez and Victoria Gurrola spent more than half a year preparing for the two-day competition among 50 schools. Photos are available. Photos are available.
Norwalk-La Mirada High School Seniors to Participate in Mock Interviews
About 120 Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District seniors will participate in Mock Interview Day from 8 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Feb. 24 to gain practical knowledge about how to give successful job interviews. Students from four high schools will receive advice from a panel of Norwalk Education Alliance civic leaders, including Norwalk Mayor Leonard Shryock and City Manager Mike Egan, NLMUSD Superintendent Dr. Hasmik Danielian and Board Member Darryl Adams, Cerritos College staff and Norwalk Chamber business representatives. The event will be held at the Norwalk Sports Complex, 13000 Clarkdale Ave., Norwalk.
Colorful paintings of trees and children’s handprints created by Head Start preschoolers festooned Norwalk-La Mirada Unified’s Ramona Preschool auditorium when the program celebrated its 50th anniversary on Feb. 26. Two Head Start alumni told more than 100 Head Start parents, students and preschool staff about how they learned to speak English and made new friends as Ramona Preschool students. Los Angeles County Office of Education and NLMUSD officials – along with representatives from the state Senate, Assembly and Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors – congratulated District staff for the high quality program before parents dispersed to classrooms to take part in art projects, group reading and other activities.
Dozens of fourth- and fifth-grade music students from Norwalk-La Mirada’s Chavez Elementary School joined professionals from the Los Angeles Opera on Feb. 22 to tell a story of immigrants struggling to overcome discrimination in a new world during two performances of “Legends of Cannery Row.” The 30-minute opera, inspired by Puccini’s “Turandot,” concluded a five-week residency program in which world class L.A. Opera teaching artists instructed Chavez students in the intricacies of performing opera. Chavez is one of only 13 L.A.-area elementary schools to participate in this year’s residency.
Moffitt Elementary School welcomed parents, students, administrators, school board members and community partners to Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District’s fourth annual Flag Day celebration on Feb. 19. The celebration merged the talents of Moffitt students and teachers with those of the John Glenn High School band and drill team. The Southeast Academy High Color Guard conducted the presentation of colors and flag salute. Moffitt students from every grade level waved flags, performed patriotic songs and told in their own words how the American flag came to be. The event was sponsored by the Norwalk Lions Club.
Norwalk-La Mirada Unified Educators Honored by League of Schools
Four NLMUSD staff members who have made significant efforts to implement educational reform received “Educator of the Year” awards on Feb. 4 at the California League of Schools Regional Educators of the Year Award Dinner at the Long Beach Yacht Club. High School Educator of the Year finalists were John Glenn High teacher leader Lilia Alcala, who also serves as AVID coordinator and Title I coordinator; and Norwalk High Principal Ryan Smith. Middle School Educator of the Year Finalists were Los Coyotes Middle School science teacher Fidela Robertson and Waite Middle School seventh-grade math teacher Matthew Hardy.
Vigilance and strong communication are the keys to maintaining a safe and rewarding online experience for school-age children, concerned parents learned at a Cyber Safety workshop at Dolland Elementary School on Feb. 5. The workshop, presented by the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified Instructional Technology Department, centered on common sense practices that parents and children can agree on, as well as an overview of popular mobile phone apps and the proliferation of cyber threats such as bullying, predators, ID theft and online addiction. A District Technology Integration Coach Cathy De Alba outlined numerous strategies for being a good digital citizen and urged parents to sit down with their children to discuss and sign an Internet Agreement detailing family rules and safe habits regarding online activity.
