Photo courtesy: Kelli Gile
Fourth graders Miriam Abdelnaby, Denise Abbasi, Julio Abcantara, Jeremy Tsu and Alex Castillo with their teacher Cynthia Riggio at Cyrus J. Morris Elementary School.
By Kelli Gile Walnut – Over 14,650 students began classes as the 2013-2014 school year began in the Walnut Valley Unified School District on Monday, August 19. They came in carrying backpacks filled with pencils, erasers, notebooks and other tools to support their learning. The first day of also marked the re-opening of the completely remodeled Cyrus J. Morris Elementary School. Before construction began, the entire school (students, staff, books, supplies and furniture) temporarily relocated to the former Ron Hockwalt Academies on Lemon Avenue in Walnut during the 2012-2013 school year. Staff and students were thrilled to be back home in the new state-of-the art campus to begin the new school year. Brand new modernized classrooms feature state-of-the art equipment, facilities, utilities and lighting, along with wonderful storage cabinets and teacher stations. The beautiful newly modernized multipurpose room was formally an outdoor atrium. “I love it!” said 5th grader Sarah Mitchell about the re-modeled school. “This new classroom is the best,” exclaimed classmate Damien Rama. “One of the things I’m really excited about is that we have new beautiful storage. And the ceiling mounted projectors allow us to teach close to the board without blocking the information on the screen,” said fourth grade teacher Tara Noelte. Teacher Lisa Peterson has a grouping of neon-colored chairs that students use during reading centers in her third grade classroom. Peterson said she loves the process of helping guide her students to become inquirers at the prestigious IB School. “They even sit with their iPads and create movies in these cozy chairs,” said Principal Donna Hunter. An official Grand Re-Opening and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at Cyrus J. Morris Elementary was held on Thursday, August 22. Diamond Bar High School students entered doors for their math classes in a brand new two-story math building. The 20-classroom modular also includes a grade level coordinator office, teacher workroom and restrooms. “Our 600 Building features the latest technology including wireless connectivity, digital projection, document cameras and surround sound,” said Instructor Dean David Hong. Buildings around the Brahma campus are numbered clockwise beginning with the 100 Administration Building. Construction and modernization projects of school facilities, made possible through voter support of Bond Measures S & Y, are laying out the framework for 21st century learning. A Monsters University-themed pep rally was presented on the first day of school by the United Student Body (USB) and was held in the DBHS gym. Chaparral Middle School’s new 14-classroom science building features the “best classes I’ve ever seen,” said Principal Ron Thibodeaux. Staff will now be able to easily incorporate labs and design challenges into day-to-day instruction. The new building also facilitates higher level thinking in accordance with the hands-on learning objectives that are prevalent in Design-Based Learning (DBL) and Science classrooms, and are in accordance with STEM philosophies. A ribbon cutting ceremony is being planned for the school’s Family Science/DBL Night in October.
