California School News Radio

Bonita Unified Senior Director of Specialized Services Mark Rodgers and Coordinator Danielle Walker discuss the District’s Parent Partnership Academy, which offers training on such topics as modern technology to individualized services for students with special needs.

Buena Park Junior High program specialist Debbie Clark discusses an ocean conservation program where junior high students learn to swim, sail and build waterproof robots.

Jurupa Hills High School Principal Caroline Labonte joins Middle Years Program coordinator Randy Bertok and Diploma Program coordinator David Cambero to discuss 10 years of being an International Baccalaureate World School in Fontana.

Fontana Unified Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Miki Inbody discusses the District’s International Baccalaureate K-12 continuum, which will include a Primary Years Program at Dolores Huerta International Academy and a Middle Years Program at Southridge Tech Middle School.

Orangewood Elementary School kindergarten and Spanish dual-language immersion teacher Karla Toledo, a Los Angeles County Office of Education 2019-20 Teacher of the Year, discusses instilling the values of empathy and tolerance to her students as part of the West Covina Unified International Baccalaureate continuum.

Paramount Park Middle School intervention teacher Felicia Akuamoah, a Los Angeles County Office of Education 2019-20 Teacher of the Year, discusses the school’s acclaimed student support service program, Panther Academy, and the rapport she shares with her students.

West Covina Unified Assistant Superintendent Dr. Drew Passalacqua discusses facilities upgrades funded by a $143 million bond measure passed by voters in 2016, including a newly renovated football stadium, an Olympic-sized swimming pool and new performing arts center.

Monrovia High School WorkAbility and Transition Program Partnership Coordinator Kymberly Hirst discusses the school’s Roasters coffee cart program, which teaches independence and life skills to students in special education.

El Monte Union High School District Facility and Energy Manager Lena Luna discusses the District’s “Go Green” initiative and how to keep students comfortable in class while balancing the costs of energy.

Newly appointed Bassett High School Principal Hector Vasquez discusses his first month at Bassett Unified, his initial meetings with faculty, staff and parents, and his goals for the 2019-20 school year.

Rio Hondo College Art Gallery Director Robert Miller and Arts Division Dean Dr. Grant Linsell discuss the gallery’s exhibition Cuentista, part of the fifth SUR:biennial, an art show at multiple area venues that explores the geography, culture and art inspired by areas south of Los Angeles.

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.