Bassett Unified Student Survivor of Stage 4 Cancer Celebrated for Strength, Courage
When Alexus Rodriguez finished fourth grade at Sunkist Elementary in June 2012, instead of spending her summer swimming in the river during family camping trips, she launched into a full-scale battle against stage four Burkitt’s lymphoma.
“I just accepted that this was going to happen and hopefully I could keep going,” Rodriguez, 15, said. “I always told my parents that I wasn’t going to make it, and they told me to keep my chin up, that I was strong and to keep on going.”
Now, she’s a Bassett High sophomore and plays the flute in the school’s marching band, and is a member of the cheer squad, swim team and Associated Student Body. Her cheer box is painted green, the color representing Burkitt’s, with “stage four lymphoma” written across it.
Norwalk-La Mirada Unified Class of 2017 Visits Elementary Schools in Caps and Gowns
La Mirada High School Class of 2017 student Ryan Rodriguez shared how he decided to attend the Naval Academy in front of his little brother’s La Pluma Elementary third-grade class, as part of Norwalk-La Mirada Unified’s inaugural Kinder to College event.
“What I’m doing right now by going into the Naval Academy is inspiring my brother and making him want to do something even better than me in the future,” Rodriguez, 17, said. “I want him to know that he has unlimited potential in life.”
Top seniors from John Glenn, La Mirada, Norwalk and Southeast high schools visited their former elementary schools on May 12 to inspire students to work hard toward their goals and that anyone can go to college.
Bassett High School Hosts College Signing Day, Over 45 Students to Attend a Four-Year University
Bassett High senior Ericka Huerta-Noriega stood with her college-bound classmates during the school’s final rally of the year, sporting university T-shirts and holding posters of their college logos as the entire student body cheered.
Forty-nine Bassett High seniors signed symbolic letters of intent during the school’s College Signing Day on May 26, displaying their commitment to four-year universities they will attend in the fall. Huerta-Noriega will study engineering at Cal Poly Pomona.
“Bassett High is an amazing school and everyone here is a really good person,” said Huerta-Noriega, 17. “We can do everything we want, but if you want something it’s on you.”
Norwalk High Senior Receives $40,000 Edison Scholarship, Ambitions to Become a NASA Engineer
Norwalk High Senior Promise Agbo is closer to her dream of becoming a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) engineer after she was named one of 30 Edison Scholars across Southern California to be awarded a $40,000 scholarship. Agbo plans to major in mechanical engineering with a minor in computer science at Stanford University.
“Now I don’t have to worry about financial struggles and I can focus on internships and other opportunities,” Agbo said. “I can focus on getting more experiences in the aerospace engineering industry.”
Don Julian Students Learn about Careers from Engineers, Educators and other Professionals
An industrial engineer turned on the ignition of the near silent engine of a hydrogen-powered car as Don Julian Elementary students poked their heads inside the hood of the car to touch the cool engine.
“The fact the car runs on hydrogen is really cool and inspires me to learn more about it,” fifth-grader Manuel Morales said. “I like this kind of technology – it’s really interesting.”
Third- through fifth-grade Don Julian students learned about jobs from industry professionals ranging from hydrogen-car engineers to chiropractic practitioners during the school’s second annual Career Day on March 7. Professionals shared stories on how they became interested in their careers and how they got started.
Norwalk-La Mirada Unified Coordinator Named PLTW Teacher of the Year
Norwalk-La Mirada Unified female students are empowered to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) with the help of Teacher on Special Assignment Project Lead The Way (PLTW) coordinator Kelly Garcia, who was recently honored as Teacher of the Year by PLTW and Woman of the Year by Assembly Majority Floor Leader Ian Calderon.
“Ms. Garcia definitely influenced me in choosing a pathway in STEM,” Los Alisos eighth-grader Allison Conrad said. “She would tell us how many women are in the field and that it’s not a man’s job – girls can do it too.”
Bassett Unified Launches Pilot Computer Science Program at Elementary School
Five-year-old Isaac Flores, a Sunkist Elementary School kindergartener, pressed a green “GO” button on a yellow bee robot (Beebot) and watched with classmates as it navigated a paper maze based on step-by-step commands each student programmed into the bot.
Sunkist transitional kindergartners, kindergartners and first- through fifth-graders are taking their first steps in creating algorithms and writing code through pilot computer science courses.
“Forward, forward, pause, forward…” the group of students said together, as the Beebot moved to specific points on the maze from its beehive to the end goal: a honeycomb. The bot beeped and flashed twice, signifying the end of its journey, as the students cheered their successful programming.
“I like to control Beebot to get it to do what I want it to do,” Isaac said. “I learn a lot with Beebot."
Norwalk-La Mirada Unified Middle School Receives Golden Bell Award for Fostering Student Inclusiveness
Norwalk-La Mirada Unified’s Los Coyotes Middle School is being honored with a Golden Bell Award for a student mentoring program, Where Everybody Belongs (WEB), which supports incoming sixth-graders as they transition from elementary to middle school.
WEB connects eighth-graders with new students, making them feel welcomed to the school. Mentors meet before and after school, and during lunch to plan, organize and carry out a series of social and academic activities, including movie nights, Academic Saturday School and Homework Club.
“Earning this award is really exciting because it is not only us, but the past years of WEB leaders as well,” Eighth-grade WEB mentor Miseok Kim said. “The leaders were always kind and considerate to the sixth- and seventh-graders.”
Bassett Unified Elementary Students Dissect Hearts, Examine Brains in Virtual Reality Classrooms
Van Wig Elementary School third-grader Bryan Marquez felt the stylus in his hand vibrate to the beat of a human heart as he used the pen on Sept. 29 to dissect a 3D heart displayed on a specialized monitor provided by zSpace’s virtual reality mobile classroom.
“It was cool feeling the heart beat in the pen,” Bryan, 8, said. “I liked learning about the heart and taking it apart."
Marquez was among more than 300 Van Wig students to take turns journeying through augmented reality environments throughout the day. The students wore specialized glasses that allowed them to explore 3D environments, such as a caterpillar’s life cycle, and used styluses to dissect a human head, heart and torso.
Bassett Unified Middle School Students Code with Minecraft, Learn CPR at Rio Hondo College
Edgewood Academy eighth-grader Anthony Padilla listened intently through a small earpiece linked to a radio made of paper rolls, aluminum foil, wires and paper clips to catch the faint broadcast of a radio station picked up by the student-made project.
Anthony and 20 of his peers from Edgewood Academy and Torch Middle School built radios, assembled car engines, launched rockets, learned First Aid and explored coding through the popular Minecraft game as part of Rio Hondo College’s annual CTE Academy, held from July 18 to 22.
“I liked the structure of the program,” Anthony, 12, said. “They gave us the tools and we get to make and build our ideas.”
Norwalk-La Mirada Dual Language Teacher uses Challenges to Inspire Bilingual Students
Edmondson Elementary School dual-language teacher Mayra Salguero has been awarded the Read Conmingo Bilingual Educator of the Year award for her dedication to helping students speak and read in English and Spanish and learn Latin culture through art, music and dance. The award came with a $200 prize to use toward school supplies and a free book for each student.
“I was surprised and happy to share this with my students, parents and the whole community,” Salguero said. “It makes me proud to be a Hispanic woman earning this award and that I am able to make a difference in the community. It shows my students that they can be successful too.”
Her passion for helping students learn Spanish and English comes from her own challenge in overcoming language barriers. Salguero was born in the United States and moved to Mexico when she was in kindergarten. When she returned to the U.S. in the sixth grade, she didn’t understand any English.
Bassett Unified Workshops Boost Positive Parenting, Family Relationships
Bassett Unified parents learned how to strengthen their relationship with their children through weekly workshops that taught parenting skills and behaviors to implement at home, including how to handle tantrums and the importance of hugging their children.
Don Julian parent Nancy Castellanos shared the lessons with her husband and they both have changed their discipline methods – instead of getting frustrated and yelling over a disagreement, they talk in a calm manner with their daughters and take the time to listen to what they have to say.
“I want my children to be comfortable telling me everything, but also respect me – not be afraid of me,” Castellano said. “I didn’t feel that way before I started taking the classes.”