This year, 17 school districts from across LA County were recognized for their stellar education efforts with the prestigious Golden Bell Award by the California School Boards Association (CSBA). LACOE was also among the awardees. We congratulate this year’s awardees and invite everyone to check out the award categories and projects that received this incredible recognition.

The CSBA Golden Bell Awards® promote excellence in education and school board governance by recognizing outstanding programs and governance practices of school boards in school districts and county offices of education throughout California. Golden Bell Awards reflect the depth and breadth of education programs and governance decisions supporting these programs that are necessary to address students’ changing needs.   

• Access Dr. Duardo’s message of gratitude on behalf of LACOE for this tremendous recognition here.  

• View the CSBA’s Golden Bell Awards 2022 program and full list of winners here  

• View CSBA's Golden Bell Awards ceremony photos here

Accountability/Assessment 

DISTRICTWIDE 

Hermosa Beach City School District    

Equity Dashboard  

Hermosa Beach City School District, Hermosa View, Hermosa Vista and Hermosa Valley schools  

In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder in 2020, Hermosa Beach City SD explored what it could do to improve diversity, equity and inclusion for its students. The board of education created a resolution, and an Equity Task Force was formed. During 2020–21 school year, the task force created a report of recommendations for the board, which were adopted as the Equity and Inclusion Action Plan. This plan provided 12 objectives ranging from professional development to student intervention. The Equity Dashboard was one of the objectives achieved in the 2021–22 school year. This dashboard provides public access to student achievement and wellness data. It is a unique, public collection of triangulated data to support school improvement with an equity-based lens. 

Career Technical Education

MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL 

BUSD Arts, Media, & Entertainment Career Pathways Program  

Burbank Unified School District, Burbank High, John Burroughs High, Luther Burbank Middle School, John Muir Middle School, Dolores Huerta Middle School  

The Burbank Unified Arts, Media, and Entertainment (AME) Career Pathways Program prepares students for success in college and careers in the AME Industry Sector. A collective effort of educators, community colleges and industry partners has resulted in exemplary programming that leads directly to successful job placement and/or college after high school. It is a model program that is highly regarded throughout the state and often held up as a model of what can be accomplished and sustained over time through collective impact.

MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL 

Northview High School FAME Academy  

Covina-Valley Unified School District, Northview High School  

Northview High School FAME Academy students learn how to become nationwide news correspondents while in high school. The FAME Academy program is open to all students as an A-G CTE pathway. The FAME Academy provides students with a world-class education in the fields of digital filmmaking and broadcast journalism while teaching them to find their journalistic voice. The Covina-Valley USD Board of Education is at the forefront of developing CTE programs that prepare students for college and careers. The FAME Academy is a shining example of CTE success.  

Civic Education

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 

The Ramona Civics Education Program  

Bellflower Unified School District, Ramona Elementary School   

Ramona scholars are envisioned as active members of society, fully prepared to engage in their civic duties. This led to the Ramona Civic Education Program, which provides scholars with the opportunity to engage in a yearlong civic inquiry based on a compelling question that is investigated, researched and debated, culminating in a policy proposal to bring about positive change in the school or community.  

Curriculum and Instruction through CA Standards Implementation – STEM/STEAM

HIGH SCHOOL 

Birth of a STEM Academy  

Baldwin Park Unified School District, BP STEM Academy  

The creation, development and implementation of the BP STEM Academy provides the necessary framework for systemic change to a community traditionally underrepresented in STEM education. Engineering, biomedicine and computer science instruction have been brought to life in the classroom in a hands-on collaborative environment. BP STEM Academy has removed barriers to access by creating an all-inclusive atmosphere that encourages all students to get active in STEM.    

Equity and Access

HIGH SCHOOL 

College Connect  

Rowland Unified School District, Nogales High, Rowland High and Santana High schools  

College Connect removes barriers and provides students who did not see college as an option with personalized, differentiated, individual support to successfully navigate the college process. Rowland Unified supports its most vulnerable students with exploring different colleges, applying for college and obtaining financial aid. Most important, College Connect dismantles the myths and stereotypes of who can go to college and empowers students to know they are capable. Students from College Connect have been accepted and attend Harvard, UCLA and many other four-year public and private colleges.  

Family/Student/Community Engagement  

DISTRICTWIDE 

COVID Vaccination Education, Outreach and Availability  

Wilsona School District   

Wilsona SD provided comprehensive outreach to the entire school community during COVID, to educate about the virus and connect families to resources. The district actively pursued partnerships to provide regular COVID testing and vaccine clinics that were open to the public, and committed resources to manage the large turnouts. Due to the relentless commitment, communication efforts and community partnerships, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported that Wilsona’s geographical location had the highest percentage of vaccinated youth in the county.

Innovation in a Time of Crises

HIGH SCHOOL 

Dream Resource Center  

Alhambra Unified School District, Alhambra High School   

The Alhambra High School Dream Center is an inclusive, student-centered safe space that grew out of the work of two clubs: VISA and IDEAS. Both clubs champion our recent immigrant and undocumented communities through leadership, advocacy and support. The anti-immigrant climate unleashed during the 2016 election fueled an urgency to create a “Dream Resource Center” haven for the district’s immigrant community for social-emotional, academic and legal assistance. To date, over 25,000 students have signed into the center.

HIGH SCHOOL 

The COVID-19 Experience  

Compton Unified School District, Compton Early College  

The COVID-19 pandemic created a disruption of the educational system, thereby allowing Compton USD to explore opportunities to revitalize it by leveraging the power of technology to differentiate, individualize and redefine the learning experience. To that regard, all students became proficient distance learners. Compton Early College had the goals of continuing student engagement, maintaining a semblance of in-person school, and for students to be able to continue their learning without widening the achievement gap.

COUNTYWIDE 

LACOE COVID-19 Response & Communication Program  

Los Angeles County Office of Education  

Los Angeles COE’s COVID-19 Response & Communication program was essential in providing critical, timely and accurate information to the 80 school districts of Los Angeles County to share with parents, students and staff. The program encompassed a variety of communication channels, such as newsletters, toolkits, level-alike networks and weekly calls with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health as well as resource deployment, including COVID-19 vaccines, testing and personal protective equipment.

ELEMENTARY/MIDDLE SCHOOL 

Staying Connected through STEAM  

Montebello Unified School District, Rosewood Park School   

During distance learning, Rosewood Park School’s priority was to stay connected with students and families using STEAM as the focus. Students were challenged to engage in STEAM projects, helping to build their confidence and stay connected to their learning. Many of these projects were highlighted at the Virtual STEAM Open House, supporting the home–school connection for underrepresented students within Montebello USD. The goal is to create lifelong learners and expose students to STEAM fields so they can have endless opportunities for their future.

DISTRICTWIDE 

SMUSD COVID-19 Compliance Team  

San Marino Unified School District  

San Marino USD rose to the challenge with the COVID-19 Compliance Team — a small but diverse group of educators that ensured compliance with public health orders and implemented risk-mitigating protective measures to reopen schools after the shutdowns. The team developed unique model programs and used data-driven decision-making processes with school board leaders to facilitate partnerships to exemplify that innovation in schools is attainable, even during a global pandemic.  

Professional Development and Teacher Recruitment/Retention  

MULTI-LEVEL 

LVUSD Center EdX: Growing Teacher and Administrator Development Pipelines Amidst Staffing Shortages  

Las Virgenes Unified School District   

The Las Virgenes USD Center for Educational Excellence has become a statewide leader in expanding the quantity and quality of faculty, staff and administrators in the California workforce. With more than 30 districts participating, the program has become a model of capacity building and quality professional development. Thousands of students have benefited from the hundreds of teacher and administrator graduates of LVUSD Center EdX’s five accredited credential programs.

School Culture and Safety 

DISTRICTWIDE 

School Safety Task Force Committee  

Lynwood Unified School District  

The Safety Task Force Committee collaborates to increase safety and prevent crime in the school community. Representatives include parents, safety and security personnel, social and emotional experts, and others who unite to develop protocols and procedures for all school sites and improve communication and awareness. The task force recently implemented new safety tools and technology in Lynwood USD and has created greater synergy between students, staff, community and law enforcement.  

Social/Emotional/Health/Wellness

DISTRICTWIDE 

WorkWell to LiveWell  

Redondo Beach Unified School District  

WorkWell to LiveWell is an employee wellness program empowering staff to lead happier and healthier lives, thus creating a healthy work environment and positive student interactions. This unique program is a holistic model with five essential elements of well-being: purpose, social, physical, financial and community. It includes biometric screening, health risk assessments, wellness challenges and more. Redondo Beach USD values employee wellness, resulting in low attrition and high staff morale.  

DISTRICTWIDE 

Holistic and Culturally Sensitive School-based Mental Health Program  

South Whittier School District   

South Whittier SD’s motto, “Success for Every Student,” has been the driving force for developing a holistic and culturally sensitive school-based mental health program. Licensed clinical social workers established telehealth procedures and policies from the ground up to ensure proper service delivery that students, families and staff could access virtually. Using Erika’s Light House curriculum, the social workers visit classrooms, providing mental health awareness to students. Students learn about the importance of taking care of their mental health, strategies to manage overwhelming feelings, and when to reach out to a trusted adult for help. Data from parent, student, teacher and community surveys will inform Jurupa’s goals and objectives.

Special Education

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 

Celebrating Diversity with our Autism Focus Program  

Little Lake City Elementary School District, William Orr Elementary   

Developed in 2007, William Orr’s Autism Focus (AF) program focuses on students’ academic, social and adaptive living skills. The goal of the program is to provide access to grade-level standards while meeting the unique needs of students through the use of routine structures and evidence-based strategies. Through its innovation, everyone benefits from the AF program, not just its students. The AF program has positively impacted the entire school culture by celebrating diversity and function as one student body with a goal to be successful and caring citizens.

Student Support Services

HIGH SCHOOL 

Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) School Counseling and Support Services  

Norwalk La Mirada Unified School District, Norwalk High School  

Norwalk High is the first Title I high school in LA County to earn RAMP recognition. The counseling team implemented a Multi-Tiered, Multi-Domain System of Supports framework using data-driven practices to serve all students and intentionally provide support for those in need such as students with disabilities, English learners, low income, foster youth and homeless students. One-on-one counseling sessions, small groups and core curriculum has led to an increase in A-G completion, community college free tuition, Seals of Biliteracy, FAFSA submissions, and dual and postsecondary enrollment.