California School News Radio

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 L...

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...

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...

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 Associat...

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 languag...

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 ...

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...

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 a...

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 ...

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 An...

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, ...

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 ...

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...

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 s...

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 hi...

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 und...