Newman, Solis receive regional Principal of the Year honors

Ramona High School Principal Tony Newman and Olive Peirce Middle School Principal Linda Solis have been honored as regional principals of the year, Superintendent Bob Graeff announced Monday morning.

“These two honors for our local principals are major awards — as our region represents more than 700 schools and there is only one successful candidate per awards category,” Graeff said in his announcement. “But due to the outstanding service to their respective schools and their local community, Tony and Linda have earned this impressive distinction for the current school year.”

Three Ramona teachers receive Educator of the Year honors

Three Ramona teachers were recently honored as Educators of the Year by the San Diego Region of the California League of Middle Schools and the California League of High Schools.

Eighth-grade English Language Arts teacher Jamie King represented Olive Peirce Middle School as one of the nine educators honored from around San Diego County while Ramona High teachers Rebecca Geiger and Erin O’Connor shared the honor at the high school level.

School board president calls for town meeting

Close a school, sell school district property, put another bond on the ballot, restructure the district’s $34 million loan, cut administrators. These are among ideas that likely will be discussed at an as-yet unscheduled town meeting to tackle Ramona Unified School District’s fiscal woes.

Teens collect jeans for homeless shelters

Ramona High School Fashion Club, Interact and Key Club are collecting jeans of all sizes for the Teens for Jeans drive.

All donations go to homeless shelters in the region. Donation boxes will be in the RHS office at 1401 Hanson Lane through Feb. 7.

Barnett sixth-grader is Kiwanis Student of the Month

Ali Lantz, a sixth-grader at Barnett Elementary School, and her parents, Michael and Darcy, look at the Kiwanis Student of the Month plaque Ali received at the Ramona Kiwanis breakfast meeting on Saturday. Ali received a certificate of achievement for her accomplishment, and her name is inscribed on the plaque that will be posted at the school.

‘We are united,’ teachers tell trustees

Stomping their feet and clapping their hands in unison as they entered the school board meeting Jan. 17, Ramona teachers made it clear that they are unified in what Ramona Teachers Association President Donna Braye-Romero called a “commitment to reach a fair and equitable settlement” in negotiations between the teachers union and the district.

VFW lauds students for patriotic essays

Ramona’s Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3783 honored the winners of its annual student scholarship essay contest at a recent dinner at the post.

Honorees, their families, and nominating teachers received accolades for their participation in the organization’s national Patriot’s Pen and Voice of Democracy scholarship competitions.

Four-member RHS auto team splits $3,000 top prize in national hot rod competition

“Communication was the key to their success,” Ramona High School auto teacher Robert Grace said of the junior class auto team’s first-place win at the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) competition held at the Pomona Fairgrounds.

Team members Ryan Hall, Mike Jones, David Taft, and Brandon Arthur put forth a “total team effort” to earn top honors out of 17 other teams, said Grace. The team took home a $3,000 check and another trophy for the RHS auto program showcase.

Students stage blood drive at Ramona High

During the recent holiday season when many were contemplating the perfect gift to give, students and staff at Ramona High School gave the gift of life by participating in the school’s second blood drive of the year.

Organized by the RHS ASB (Associated Student Body) in conjunction with San Diego Blood Bank, 87 pints of blood were collected in one day of donations.

School district invites adults to ‘give gift of time and help a child learn to read’

Ramona Unified School District invites adults to volunteer to tutor a child and share their love of books and reading by joining the district’s OASIS (Older Adult Service and Information Systems) tutors in their 14th year of helping children improve their reading skills.

OASIS Intergenerational Tutoring Program pairs adult volunteers with students in grades one through three, one-on-one, once a week for an hour. No teaching experience is necessary, just a warm heart and a desire to help a child experience the joy of reading, notes Lyn Hardy, district employee coordinating the p