California School News Radio

Inglewood Unified Director of Student Support Services Katrina Taylor and LACOE Director of Student Support Services Dr. Michelle Castelo Alferes discuss the District’s “Every Student, Every Day” attendance campaign.

Fontana Unified’s Summit High School Link Crew Coordinator Jennifer Karpinski and Parent Link Crew mentor Heather Mead discuss Summit’s Parent Link Crew pilot program, an adult version of the student mentoring program.

Lynwood Unified Assistant Director of Education Services Christine Manson discusses how Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) helps first-generation college-goers prepare for higher education and a new AVID program that aids English learners.

Dr. Greg Francois, Paramount Unified School District’s director of secondary education and instructional technology, discusses Startup Tech, a career technical education pathway that prepares students to become entrepreneurs while teaching the basics of computer coding. Francois discusses the array of career pathways available in Paramount and the importance of tailoring instruction to fit student needs.

Monrovia High School Principal Kirk McGinnis discusses the District’s renovation of Wildcat Stadium, the school’s math and humanities learning academies and arts conservatory, its Early College Dual Enrollment partnership with Citrus College and its upcoming College Fair.

Baldwin Park Unified Senior Director of Student Services Noreen Iwai-Ito and Sierra Vista High School Vince Pratt discuss the District’s 13th annual College and Career Day, which will provide families an opportunity to talk to college recruiters and employers, attend workshops focusing on financial aid, the college application process and improving their SAT scores, and Harvard University’s Baldwin Park connection.

Janet Shirley, principal of West Covina Unified’s Orangewood Elementary School, and Mandarin teacher Yuyan Chen discuss the debut of Orangewood’s Mandarin Dual Language Program. Shirley and Chen, a native Mandarin speaker from the Sichuan province in China, talk about the program’s instruction model, the importance of being bi-lingual, and West Covina Unified’s International Baccalaureate K-12 continuum.

Arthur F. Corey School will increase its commitment to visual and performing arts (VAPA) curriculum this year after being selected for a Disney Musical in Schools grant and Pacific Theater Class Act grant. Corey School Principal LaRonda Ortega discusses providing equity to all students through VAPA, honoring the school’s rich history of performing arts and how music helps students achieve their academic goals.

Randall Pepper Elementary School is one of two Fontana Unified schools to compete in the World Robot Olympiad Friendship Invitational in Aarhus, Denmark. The school combined with German and Nigerian students to win the International Friendship award. Randall Pepper fourth-grader Mariah Torres and her coaches, Jeff Rich and Alice Strout and Engineering for Kids directors Herman and Ericka Kreimann discuss robotics programs within Fontana, meeting new friends and the thrill of competing internationally.

El Monte Union High School District students can take college courses for credit during the regular school day through a new dual enrollment partnership with Rio Hondo College. EMUHSD Director of Curriculum and Instruction Hillary Wolfe and Rio Hondo Dean of Student Success Dr. Melba Castro discuss the myriad ways students can earn college credit in high school, including the Early College Academy

Potrero School math teacher Elizabeth Torres served as principal of Wright School’s Summer STEAM program, overseeing 300 K-7 students who used the four-week session to learn science concepts and participate in musical theater. Torres discusses the importance of summer school and the challenges of preparing for an administrative role during the final weeks of the regular school year.

In 29 years as Director of the Pioneer High School Summer Math Academy and Escalante Program – an accelerated math program for middle and high school students – Pioneer math teacher Javier Gonzalez has channeled the groundbreaking teaching approach of his friend and mentor, former Garfield High School calculus teacher Jaime Escalante, whose exploits were chronicled in the 1988 movie, “Stand and Deliver.” Joined by Pioneer Class of 2017 graduate and Math Academy tutor Alejandro Vazquez, Gonzalez discusses Escalante’s legacy, making math fun for students, and meeting President Bill Clinton in the Oval Office after being named California Teacher of the Year in 1996.

In 29 years as Director of the Pioneer High School Summer Math Academy and Escalante Program – an accelerated math program for middle and high school students – Pioneer math teacher Javier Gonzalez has channeled the groundbreaking teaching approach of his friend and mentor, former Garfield High School calculus teacher Jaime Escalante, whose exploits were chronicled in the 1988 movie, “Stand and Deliver.” Joined by Pioneer Class of 2017 graduate and Math Academy tutor Alejandro Vazquez, Gonzalez discusses Escalante’s legacy, making math fun for students, and meeting President Bill Clinton in the Oval Office after being named California Teacher of the Year in 1996.

Whittier Union Adult School Principal Dr. Margie Moriarty discusses career technical education opportunities (including its acclaimed bus driver training course), Love and Logic parenting classes, the school’s partnership with Rio Hondo Adult Education Consortium and her dual role as the top administrator for Frontier High School.

Whittier Union Adult School Principal Dr. Margie Moriarty discusses career technical education opportunities (including its acclaimed bus driver training course), Love and Logic parenting classes, the school’s partnership with Rio Hondo Adult Education Consortium and her dual role as the top administrator for Frontier High School.

Bassett Adult School Principal Albert Michel discusses the school’s new GED testing center that will open in the fall, its three high school options that can lead to a diploma, its seven career technical education programs (which include the acclaimed electrician certification program), the major facilities upgrades underway at the campus and the thrill of seeing former students in the community.

Bassett Adult School Principal Albert Michel discusses the school’s new GED testing center that will open in the fall, its three high school options that can lead to a diploma, its seven career technical education programs (which include the acclaimed electrician certification program), the major facilities upgrades underway at the campus and the thrill of seeing former students in the community.

Fontana Unified is one of the only school districts in the country to offer an elective that trains students to pilot an unmanned aircraft system. Kaiser High School graduate Rodrick Reed and senior Angela Alanis discuss the fundamentals of working with drones and the training that prepared them to receive a Remote Pilot Certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Baldwin Park Unified Senior Director of Adult and Community Education Dr. John Kerr is retiring after a distinguished career at the District that spanned 39 years. Kerr discusses the changing nature of adult education, the value of providing personalized student services, the importance of a well-trained staff and District partners, and the joy of serving the community he grew up in.

Rio Hondo College’s RioSource Room serves as a campus food pantry and resource hub, helping students struggling with food insecurity and homelessness. Rio Hondo Director of Student Life Shaina Phillips discusses the changing nature of student services in the 21st century and partnering with local organizations for food donations.