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On Tuesday, March 28, 2023, this year’s Medical Terminology students earned their Basic Life Support CPR Certification through the American Heart Association! A special thank you to Fillmore Fire Department retired Captain Al Huerta and Engineer Paramedic Jason Arroyo for your dedication to making this happen for us this year. Photo courtesy https://www.blog.fillmore usd.org/fillmore-unified-school-district-blog/2023/3/28/career-tech-education-health-science-students-earn-cpr-certification.

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VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. (March 20, 2023) — The Foundation of VCCU, Ventura County Credit Union’s (VCCU) philanthropic nonprofit organization, has provided $40,000 in grants to eight local nonprofit organizations. The grant money will support these organizations’ efforts to improve the lives of Ventura and Santa Barbara county residents.

Each of the eight nonprofits received a $5,000 grant from The Foundation of VCCU. The grant recipients included Conejo Schools Foundation, Gold Coast Veterans Foundation, Wishtoyo Chumash Foundation, Reins of H.O.P.E., School on Wheels, Social Justice Fund for Ventura County, Ventura County Family Justice Center and Project Bicycle Love. The eight recipients were chosen from a pool of 24 applicants.

All winners attended the virtual grant celebration event on March 8 along with Foundation BOD and Advisory Members.

“These organizations are improving the lives of local residents every day through education, advocacy and assistance,” said Alma Medina, The Foundation’s board president. “We are honored to award grants that will play a supporting role in those positive efforts.”

Since its founding in 2015, The Foundation has provided nearly $300,000 in grants to support nonprofits serving the Ventura and Santa Barbara County communities. The Foundation’s giving focuses on the underserved, the beautification and preservation of the environment, and the health and well-being of the region.

For more information about VCCU and The Foundation, visit http://www.vccuonline.net.

ABOUT THE FOUNDATION OF VCCU
In 2015, Ventura County Credit Union formed its own nonprofit to foster goodwill and charitable efforts by giving in the communities it serves. The Foundation came into fruition based on many years of giving — including donations of nearly half a million dollars to local nonprofit organizations and causes — and will continue to provide funding, grants, assistance and education. It focuses on three main categories: the underserved, the beautification or preservation of the environment, and the health and well-being of the region. To donate and learn more, visit http://www.vccuonline.net.

ABOUT VENTURA COUNTY CREDIT UNION
Ventura County Credit Union was chartered in 1950. It is the largest credit union headquartered in Ventura County, with eight offices, more than 80,000 members and more than $1 billion in total assets. VCCU offers a complete line of loans, federally insured savings, 24-hour electronic access services and more. Call 1-800-339-0496 or visit http://www.vccuonline.net for more information.

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Our Rio Vista Kinders were visited by firefighters who taught them all about fire safety! It was an exciting day. https://www.blog.fillmoreusd.org/rio-vista-elementary-roadrunners-blog/2....

On March 25, 2023, Fillmore students participated in the Ventura County Migrant Speech and Debate Competition held at Oxnard College. Pictured above are the students and their coaches celebrating after their wins. Photos courtesy Fillmore Unified School District
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On March 25, 2023, students from Fillmore Unified participated in the Ventura County Migrant Speech and Debate Competition at Oxnard College. Fillmore Unified was represented at the competition by a total of nine students who participated in the speech portion of the competition in both English and Spanish.

Students have been preparing for the competition since January 2023, with support from their coaches Jonathan Gonzalez and Veronica Lemus. The two coaches are teachers who work for Fillmore Unified and coached students during last year’s competition. In preparation for the event, students spent time after school and on Saturdays researching, drafting, and perfecting their speeches, as well as practicing for the event.

Students have worked hard to develop their writing and public speaking skills and were able to perform confidently at the completion. During the completion, each student participated in three rounds, two rounds of prepared speeches and one round of extemporaneous speech. During the extemporaneous round, students received a topic during the event and were given a limited amount of time to prepare a speech on the topic before being asked to present it. This was a very difficult part of the competition and the students performed well!

Congratulations to all our students for their hard work and participation. Thank you to our two coaches for their work with students. Special thank you to our guest coach Maria Gonzalez for her dedication to the migrant students of Fillmore Unified. We are so proud of the remarkable team that represented Fillmore Unified at this special event.

Migrant Speech Team 2023 Coaches: Veronica Lemus, teacher at Fillmore High School, and Jonathan Gonzalez, teacher at Sierra High School

Student Winners:
6th Grade English
Prepared 1st Place - Alonso Laiz
Extemporaneous 2nd Place - Alonso Laiz
7th Grade English
Prepared 1st Place - Sophia Rodriguez
7th Grade Spanish
Prepared 1st Place - Miriam Cacho
9th Grade English
Prepared 2nd Place - Abraham Vargas
9th Grade Spanish
Prepared 3rd Place - Aaron Cacho
10th Grade Spanish
Prepared 1st Place - Marileny Manzo Zambrano
Extemporaneous 2nd Place - Marileny Manzo Zambrano
11th Grade English
Prepared 2nd Place - Karol Laiz
Prepared 3rd Place - Karen Laiz
Extemporaneous 2nd Place - Karol Laiz

A 50-year Class Reunion is planned at the Fillmore High Alumni Dinner event on Saturday, June 10, 2023. Pictured are some classmates from the Class of ‘73 who will be celebrating their 50th Class Reunion. Photo courtesy FHS Alumni President Mark Ortega.

Courtesy FHS Alumni President Mark Ortega
Calling all FHS Alumni from the great class of 1973! A 50 year Class Reunion is planned at the Fillmore High Alumni Dinner Event on Saturday, June 10th, 2023.
What a celebration this will be. Each year the Alumni Association invites all our Alumni and their guests to attend this wonderful evening event in downtown Fillmore in front of City Hall/City Park. Lately, many Class reunions have taken part in the annual dinner, and the great class of 1973 will mark their spot as they celebrate 50 years at their reunion. We hope all Alumni and their guests will make plans to attend this year’s Dinner. Catering this year’s dinner will be award winning Cater DJ’s California Catering from Ventura. Included with your payment to the event will be delicious Appetizers (For the early arrivals) Included with Dinner is Dessert, Water, Coffee, and Tea.
There will also be four Bars for mixers, Beer, and Wine. This year we have two DJ’s along with a Live Band for your evening dancing and listening pleasures. In addition to the class of ‘73’s reunion, many other classes are planning to attend their class reunions so we encourage Everyone to pay for your reservations as soon as possible. THE EVENT HAS SOLD OUT in recent years and we expect another sell out this year. Please go to www.fillmorehighalumni.com and click on the “Event” link to secure your seating at this year’s Alumni Dinner!! Congratulations FHS Class of ‘1973!!

March 10, 2023 was Civil War Living History Day at Fillmore Middle School! Excellent job to MS. Bortins' and Ms. Van Buren's 8th graders! Photo credit https://www.blog.fillmoreusd.org/fillmore-middle-schoolbulldogs-blog/202....

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San Cayetano 5th grade students toured California State University Channel Islands recently. They returned sharing exiting facts about the campus. Picture above are the students enjoying the tour. Photos courtesy https://www.facebook.com/761635201782/posts952192599393103.

Samuel Eligado

Last week, Rio Vista Elementary School hosted a spelling bee. Congratulations to this year’s spelling bee winner, 4th grader Samuel Eligado. He will be representing Rio Vista in the county spelling bee. Courtesy Rio Vista Elementary Blog.