Sports USC Football,
Education Chalk Talk, page 2 - 3
page 4
Vol. 54, No. 22
Serving the San Gabriel Valley Since 1966
November 29, 2017
EMCSD Students Are Perfect
by Staff, Contributing Writer El Monte
The jam packed auditorium was filled with proud parents, families, teachers, and administrators as 106 El Monte City School District students were recognized for scoring the highest possible score in Language Arts and/or Math on the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). The celebration was part of the EMCSD Board of Education meeting which was held at Cherrylee School. Board members honored each student with special red carpet treatment. EMCSD Superintendent Dr. Maribel Garcia called out the names and one by one students walked down the red carpet and up to the Board Members who presented students with medals to commemorate their outstanding achievement. The large group of high achieving students then posed for a group photo as anxious camera wielding parents jockeyed for the best camera angle. Along with the colorful balloon arch and balloon pillars adorned with silver stars, a positive festive mood was
definitely in the air. “Some years ago, my oldest daughter got this award,” boasted Gloria Nunez, proud mother of Rio Hondo fifth grader Jolie Nunez. “Jolie asked me if she could get this award someday. I told her that she could do it. And she did! We are so proud of her.” Gloria Nunez, along with her
husband Raul, presented their daughter with a bright yellow bouquet of flowers to honor her achievement. Board President Jessica Ancona said, “We are so proud of our teachers, families and students for making academic achievement a priority.” Jennifer Cobian, Board Member, remarked, “I’m really glad we can
honor these high performing students. They are good role models for other students to aspire to.” “This is a wonderful opportunity to highlight our student academic successes and we are proud that so many students have reached these high levels,” said Steve Sallenbach, EMCSD Students are Prefect continued on page 8
El Monte Continues to Lead in Veterans Affordable Housing by Staff Writer El Monte
The City of El Monte on Nov. 16 broke ground on its third affordable housing project for veterans and their families, a 55-unit development just under four acres that will bring the total number of such homes available in the community to 144. The Baldwin Rose Family Veteran Housing project will sit on two parcels spanning Baldwin Avenue between Bessie and Rose avenues. Twenty-two units will be designated for homeless veterans, and the remaining will be available for low-income veterans and their families. The
project is scheduled for completion in 2019. The project stems from a partnership between the City of El Monte, Mercy Housing, New Directions for Veterans and Alameda Corridor-East (ACE) Construction Authority. It will feature LEED-certified environmentally-friendly facilities and outstanding architectural and landscaping designs. It is close to public transit. “Nobody questions the need for affordable housing,” said Mercy Housing Regional Vice President of Real Estate Development Ed Holder. “Where we are running into problems is the will to get between the need and the actual action. “What El Monte
All photos are courtesy photos from the The City of El Monte
has done is provide the template for achieving that. What I have experienced in this City is nothing short of the exemplification of leadership.” In an empty lot at the future site of the development, City officials and partners spoke from a podium, behind them a colorful backdrop featuring an image of an American soldier with a small model home in his outreached hands, an American flag behind him. The artwork was a large, visual rep-
resentation of the promise the project brings to El Monte. In 2014, EL Monte opened Veterans Village, a first-of-its-kind project in the San Gabriel Valley that provided 40 units of affordable housing and support services for homeless veterans. That project was built in partnership with Mercy Housing and New Directions for Veterans. In JanuVeteran’s Housing continued on page 8