Mrs. Katherine Both - Simpson Elementary School

Nominated by Principal Ramona Rodriguez and Dr. Marina Madrid - Mrs. Katherine Both is an amazing Site English Learner Facilitator. She is innovative and always recommends actions that promote multiculturalism and inclusion. Her support of students and work with teachers resulted in an 8% increase on the English Learner Progress Indicator (ELPI). This gain represents an increase from 57.9% to 65.9% putting Simpson in the blue and making Simpson Elementary School the highest performing school on the ELPI within the Rialto Unified School District. Her work and that of all our teachers extends beyond the ELPAC, English Learners at Simpson also experienced phenomenal gains in the area of English Language Arts and Mathematics on the CAASPP.

Mrs. Miriam Montesinos - Zupanic Virtual School

Nominated by Dr. Kyla Griffin and Dr. Madrid - Mrs. Miriam is an amazing Site English Learner Facilitator at Zupanic Virtual School. Her support of students and work with teachers resulted in an increase of 15.9% of English Learners making progress on the English Learner Progress Indicator (ELPI). This gain represents an increase from 25.6% to 41.5% putting Zupanic in the yellow and making Zupanic Virtual School the secondary school with the highest growth on the ELPI within the Rialto Unified School District. Her work and that of all Zupanic teachers extends beyond the ELPAC, English Learners at Zupanic also experienced phenomenal gains in the area of English Language Arts and Mathematics on the CAASPP. Most notably, English Learners increased by 62.8 points on the CAASPP Math assessment.

Mrs. Erika Cruz - Parent Volunteer

Nominated by Dr. Madrid and Mr. Gutierrez - Mrs. Erika Cruz is an amazing parent volunteer who has supported many facets of Multilingual Programs throughout the years. She began her journey in this area as a representative of the English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC) at the school where her children attended. Always committed to doing the best for her children, there were times when Mrs. Cruz had up to four schools where her children attended. She was somehow able to get them all to school on time, make sure that they all had their individual academic needs met and participated in each schools’ family involvement programs. At some point she was elected to be the District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC) representative and she was just as committed in that role. Mrs. Cruz held various officer positions at the schools where she participated in ELAC and she was eventually elected to hold the Vice-President position in DELAC in 2021-2022. Mrs. Cruz has always been a champion for promoting family involvement. She is always the first to ask for additional flyers and information to pass on to parents. She has gone to schools needing to increase family involvement to encourage parents to join ELAC and School Site Council and has advocated for the creation of a computer class in Spanish as well as Social Emotional Learning classes to help parents make a deeper connection with their children leading to academic excellence and the preservation of the home language and culture. Mrs. Cruz has also moved beyond the sphere of DELAC to become an officer in Alianza Latina, a group of parents wanting to promote Latino excellence in academics and advocating for the creation of a DLI District Parent Committee. She proves her advocacy through action and  is truly a positive role model for family involvement.

Gilberto Oviedo, Rialto High School

Nominated by Mr. Ansermet, teacher at Rialto High School - Mr. Ansermet stated that Gilberto is an amazing student. He has excelled in every aspect of being a student. He is an outstanding student and a true asset to our academic community who deserves to be recognized for his exceptional achievements. Having had the privilege of teaching him in my AP Physics 1 class last year and now as a participant in my Academic Decathlon class, I am continually impressed by his remarkable intelligence and humble demeanor. His dedication to his studies is evident through his incredible work ethic, which has not only set him apart academically but has also played a pivotal role in the revival of the Academic Decathlon program on our campus this year.

Jusbith Arely Aguayo, Eisenhower High School

Nominated by Mr. Bibian, teacher at Eisenhower High School - Mr. Bibian, stated that he had the pleasure of being Jusbith’s ELD teacher four years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic. While other students were finding it difficult to adjust to life in quarantine, she always gave her absolute best. Jusbith was determined to do well in school regardless of the circumstances be it her language barrier or the pandemic.  Four years later, Jusbith currently has a 4.11 GPA. She reclassified from an English learner to English proficient by passing her ELPAC exam during her sophomore year.  In addition to her impressive GPA, she is involved in many extracurricular activities, such as being a varsity tennis athlete, link crew leader, and part of the exclusive Sobobans organization, as well as having a job on the weekends.  She not only excels academically, but she is a type of person that uplifts others through her kindness and humility. She took AP Spanish her sophomore year and passed the AP examination with an impressive score of 5 emphasizing that she did not let go of her culture.

Jusbith is a role model and serves as an example for other students who are English learners. She is the epitome of, “Si se puede.”  She understands the importance of education as she left her family back in Tijuana and currently is pursuing her education while living with her uncles.  Jusbith has been accepted to Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State San Bernardino, and Cal State San Marcos. She is currently waiting to hear back from the UC schools.  She wishes to pursue a career in the medical field where she will be able to help others. She is especially excited to help those who do not understand English and create a bridge between non-Spanish-speaking families in the medical field.

Yezhilia Armando, Carter High School

Nominated by Mrs. Alma Avalos, Emerging Linguis Strategist at Carter High School - Mrs. Avalos stated that it has been a pleasure getting to know and work with Yezhilia Armando, these four years. Not only does Yezhilia take the initiative to ensure she fulfills her responsibilities, as a mature high school student, but she takes further steps to respectfully motivate and assist school staff and her peers. Having taken various AP and AVID high school courses, reclassifying from the EL program,  and holding a 4.19 GPA is a clear example of her determination, maturity, and focus to prepare for a very competitive society.  Yezhilia is always aware of the various steps she needs to take, to be a successful individual, in life.