California School News Radio

South Hills High School head cheer and STUNT teacher Cynthia Fuentes is joined by South Hills seniors and cheer co-captains Nadia Gonzalez and Reylene Torres, and South Hills cheer parent Deeanne Duran to discuss the South Hills cheer and STUNT team, building a championship culture, developing camaraderie, honing leadership skills, choreographing new routines, navigating league and tournament contests, balancing academics, and why strong character is so important in cheer and beyond.

Arroyo High School senior Emily Lin and El Monte Union Director of Nutrition Services Suzy Sayre discuss Lin’s advocacy for plant-based meals and beverages throughout the District, including the recently-approved Dietary Inclusion Council, a student-led advisory board that will work with Nutrition Services to develop vegetarian and vegan meals, Lin’s trip to Washington D.C. to advocate for the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, and Lin’s work with Friends of the Earth, which led to a $4,000 microgrant to support the Dietary Inclusion Council.

Ramona Middle School theater director Colin Campbell is joined by Ramona Drama Society Leadership members and eighth-graders Marlo P and Jayliana K, and Ramona Drama Society Parent Board President Jacqueline Pineda to discuss the Bonita Unified middle school’s thriving theater program, which includes live musical performances, improv comedy nights, student plays, and their Spring field trip to New York City, where they will receive an opportunity to tour Manhattan and see live Broadway shows.

California Early Childhood Special Education Network (CalECSE) co-executive directors Scott Turner and Melanie Hertig are joined by California Department of Education Early Childhood Support Education Administrator Christi Krause to discuss CalECSE’s Parent Videos: A Family’s Journey from Early Start to School series, designed to help families prepare for the transition from Early Start services to preschool special education. Each video in the series introduces the viewer to a family who use different native languages to tell their story, including English, Spanish, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Korean, and American Sign Language.

Wayne Ruble Middle School computer science teacher Zahra Razi discusses the challenges of teaching AI to middle schoolers in Fontana Unified School District, integrating AI across all curriculum, AI literacy, starting an in-class mentorship program that encourages students to become leaders, and the importance of media literacy and ethics.

Jurupa Hills High School theatre director James Griffin, Jurupa Hills High drama teacher Nathan Cabrera, and Jurupa Hills High senior Matthew Lopez discuss the Players of the Palace, Jurupa Hills’ 15-year anniversary production of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” what drew them into the Fontana Unified program, how theatre and stagecraft help students in college and career, participating in the California Educational Theatre Association’s annual High School Festival, their favorite all-time Players of the Palace production, and which former Jurupa Hills High alum has won an Emmy award.

Covina-Valley Unified School District Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) Program Coordinator Christine Sadler and Educational Audiologist Carolyn Collins discuss the district’s DHH program, which serves students ages 0-22 from Claremont to Baldwin Park in the East San Gabriel Valley SELPA region, the various hearing disorders seen throughout the district, the range of services that the district provides, the intricacies of sign language and how it changes from region to region, and South Hills High School senior and DHH student Francisco Morales, who is a star offensive lineman for the South Hills football team.

Whittier Union High School District School Psychologist Stephanie Murray and Student Well-Being Liaison Tanya Gavino de Flores discuss the District’s student well-being program, what inspired them to choose their respective professions, partnering with local colleges to bring in grad students to work as interns, creating districtwide suicide prevention protocols, why it’s important to talk to young children about suicide, how they talk to students about social media, and bringing mental wellness into the mainstream.

Fontana High School principal Joe Malatesta, AVID co-coordinator Kevin Escobar and AVID teacher Mario Echeverria discuss the school’s award-winning AVID program, the importance of being an AVID Showcase and National Demonstration School, FOHI’s AVID-inspired, Golden Bell Award-winning College Application Day, how AVID culture has spread throughout the campus, and how AVID changed the lives of FOHI graduates and former AVID students Escobar and Echeverria, who returned to the school to help teach the next generation of AVID scholars.

Bonita Unified CTE Coordinator Vanessa Tilford and Covina-Valley Unified CTE Coordinator and AVID District Director Harmonie Redding discuss their processes for bring career technical education programs to their districts, the benefits of collaborating and sharing information, how data and assessments help students find career paths, working with local employers to develop programs, and the importance of employment companies such as America’s Job Center of California. 

Lynwood Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Patrick Gittisriboongul and Asst. Superintendent of Educational Services Dr. Maribel Martinez discuss their new roles in the district as top administrators, implementing a 100-day plan, the four pillars that make up the District’s strategic plan, their focus on mental wellness and commitment to students and families, and the personal journeys they took that inspired them to become educators.

Manzanita Elementary School Principal Amanda Vanessa Noriega discusses the Covina-Valley Unified school’s Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program, its designation as a National Center for Urban School Transformation (NCUST) 2025 Top Schools Award winner, administering DLI programs across the United States, growing up as an English learner, what training and education is needed to teach a DLI class, and how she came to love the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Live Oak Elementary School Resource Specialist and Fontana Unified School District 2024-25 Teacher of the Year Michelle Vazquez discusses developing Individualized Education Programs (IEP) for students with a wide range of disabilities, preparing students to transition to middle school and encouraging them to advocate for themselves, talking with parents about the need for services, collaborating with classroom teachers and aides, assisting SPED teachers through her Stepping Into Special Education podcast, and her experience as a contestant on “American Idol.”

Mountain View High School Principal Jose Relson Bañas left a small farm village in the Philippines more than 20 years ago, traveling to Southern California to teach mathematics. The El Monte Union administrator retraces the steps of his journey, from the Philippines to Compton to El Monte, and discusses the metaphorical oceans he had to cross to be successful, those of fear, doubt, and insecurity. Bañas also discusses assimilating to American pop culture, his fascination with numerology, and how he found his community in Southern California.

It’s a Season 7 clip show! California School News Radio hosts Kevin Ausmus and Drew Schlosberg share clips from top scholars and Class of 2025 graduates, including scholarship winners and Ivy League-bound students Carmen Ung (El Monte Union High School District), and Oswaldo Garcia (Whittier Union High School District); Silver Surfer service club president Emily Moore (Bonita Unified School District); Regional Center interns Marlee Walker and Jazmine Cardenas (Bonita Unified); and middle schooler Cyrus Moss (Fontana Unified School District), who successfully petitioned the school district to rename an elementary school after a pioneering Fontana African-American family.

Sunnyvale Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Gudiel R. Crosthwaite discusses his 15 years as an administrator at Lynwood Unified School District, including the last eight years as superintendent, his favorite teachers growing up, what inspired him to become an educator, how his students taught him how to be vulnerable, his “Dream Team” executive cabinet, the benefits of college-level dual enrollment, inspiring students to share their talent and find their identity through districtwide VAPA programs, how the Lynwood Partners Educational Foundation helps students achieve their dreams of college, and the challenges he is looking forward to as the new top administrator at Sunnyvale Unified.

Rosemead High School Class of 2025 Graduate Carmen Ung discusses winning QuestBridge National Match and Edison International scholarships, the night her father brought home the laptop computer that changed her life, her passion for helping others in her community, getting involved in leadership through the “Leader in Me” program, how running cross-country eases her academic stress, and her plans to attend Yale University. 

Santa Fe High School senior Oswaldo Garcia discusses being accepted to Dartmouth College as a QuestBridge National Match Scholar, his love for romance languages, how the college prep elective AVID helped prepare him for the college admission and scholarship process, his ambition to think big and take risks, his favorite Disney characters, his favorite moment from high school, and the influence of his sister and French teacher in his education journey.

California High School Spanish teacher and Interact Club advisor Oyuki Espinoza is joined by two Cal High Class of 2016 alumna, Alondra Saldivar and Cecilia Villanueva, to discuss the school’s Interact Club Mentorship Program, which provides current Cal High students the opportunity to receive college and career advice while serving as community volunteers. Saldivar and Villanueva also discuss the challenges they encountered as undergraduates at elite universities, what compelled them to study law and medicine, respectively, the camaraderie of being in a school band, and the importance of mental wellness in balancing work, school, and home life.

San Dimas High School seniors Jazmine Cardenas and Marlie Walker discuss their plans for higher education, serving as social work interns at the San Gabriel/Pomona Regional Center, what it takes to create and run a successful high school club, their passion for volunteering and advocacy, what they learned in journalism class, and their favorite memories from high school.