Thursday, May 23, 2019 Vol. 18 No. 7 FEATURES PAGING DR. FRISCHER GROUNDBREAKINGS NEWS Stauffer MS wins Get your measles Parks set for Doty named yearbook award vaccine renovations School to Watch SEE PAGES 2 SEE PAGE 3 SEE PAGE 11 SEE PAGE 18 Chick-fil-A Downey Downey, Warren restaurant expects grades Guardsman Lounge February make list of nation’s 7850 Florence Ave. Date Inspected: 5/17/19 Friday 73˚ Grade: A Weekend opening at a DOWNEY – By this time next CVS/Pharmacy Glance year, south Downey residents top high schools 7915 E Florence Ave. should be able to get their Chick- Date Inspected: 5/17/19 SaturdayFriday 6869˚⁰ fil-A fix without crossing Firestone Grade: A Boulevard. McDonalds The Planning Commission Sunday last week approved plans for the 9475 Firestone Blvd. 62˚70⁰ previously announced Chick- Date Inspected: 5/17/19 Saturday fil-A at the southwest corner of Grade: A Lakewood Boulevard and Imperial Highway. One Stop Bargain The 4,000 sq. ft. restaurant 7920 E Florence Ave. THINGS TO DO is projected to open by February Date Inspected: 5/15/19 2020. Grade: A As part of the project, a 10,473 sq. ft. commercial building at Uncle Henry’s Deli the site will be remodeled, and a 7400 Florence Ave. restaurant building – currently Date Inspected: 5/15/19 occupied by Tacos Baja – will be Grade: demolished. A When it opens, the restaurant LaBarca Grill and Cantina The Mixtape Tour will be Downey’s second Chick- 11010 Paramount Blvd. Sunday - Hollywood Bowl, 7 pm fil-A; the first opened on Firestone Date Inspected: 5/15/19 Boulevard near Downey High Watch your favorite groups from the School in 2014. Grade: A ‘80s and ‘90s perform, including New Kids on the Block, Salt N Pepa, Naughty Downey High School students at the annual Vikings Awards ceremony. “It would be wonderful to get Ichiban Sushi By Nature, Tiffany, and more. Tickets start at $21. a second Chick-fil-A, especially 11020 New St. in this area,” said Mayor Pro Tem Date Inspected: 5/15/19 Blanca Pacheco when news of the U.S. News & World Report’s participation and second Chick-fil-A became public performance on AP Grade: A in February. list of the country’s best high and IB exams. Warren High School was “Residents will have more schools includes both Downey Downey Civic Theatre ranked No. 469 and restaurant options, and this would 8435 Firestone Blvd. and Warren. Downey High School also mean more development Date Inspected: 5/15/19 No. 519 compared occurring along Imperial, which is to approximately Grade: A one of the things I wanted to help DOWNEY – Downey and 1,350 regular/ my community with.” Warren high schools have been comprehensive public Vallarte Supermarkets Soto the Band named to U.S. News & World Councilmember Alex Saab high schools and 259 7900 Imperial Hwy. Sunday - Bruce’s Lounge in Santa Fe Report’s list of the best high expressed his appreciation to public charter high Date Inspected: 5/15/19 Springs, 6 pm schools in the United States for Chick-fil-A and said the new schools in California. A Memorial Day party featuring live 2019. Grade: A restaurant symbolizes the city’s music by Soto and Miriah Avila. Plus DJs “Our vision emphasis on bringing jobs to south playing Top 40 in two rooms. $10 cover The ranking is based on data is to graduate all Tacos El Grullo Inc. Downey. from more than 23,000 public students with a 21st 8446 Telegraph Rd. high schools in 50 states and the Eric Pierce, editor Century education Date Inspected: 5/15/19 District of Columbia. that guarantees they Grade: are college and career A Downey Unified’s ready,” expressed comprehensive high schools were Downey Unified Pita GR Metro in the top 15 percent of all high Superintendent, 9905 Paramount Blvd. schools nationwide, ranking No. Dr. John Garcia. Date Inspected: 5/15/19 3,586 (Downey High) and No. 3,192 “Having our two considering (Warren High). Grade: A comprehensive high Warren High School senior Fausto Miguel Rojas receiving the Grand Gold Bear Award Night of Destruction At the end of April, U.S. schools ranked in at Warren’s Golden Bear awards ceremony. La Pupuseria Del Pepetoo Saturday - Irwindale Speedway, News & World Report, the global the top 15 percent bus lane 7939 E Imperial Hwy. 4-10 pm authority in education rankings, nationally is a announced the 2019 Best High testament to the amazing work we Date Inspected: 5/15/19 Destruction derby, flag pole racing, jet Schools – a new, revamped edition are doing here in Downey Unified, with real-world, hands-on work Grade: A car burndown, and automobile soccer. on Florence of the rankings, providing the not just at the high school level experience as well as third- party The night ends with a fireworks show. certifications. DOWNEY – Metro is most comprehensive evaluation of but district wide as well.” Walmart Bakery Tickets are $15 adults, $7 kids America’s public high schools ever considering a plan to create a bus- The Downey Unified School Included in these pathways 12270 Paramount Blvd. produced by U.S. News. only lane along Florence Avenue in District has 13 elementary schools, are state-of-the-art classrooms Date Inspected: 5/14/19 Downey. “Our mission with the Best four middle schools, three high and facilities that allow students Grade: A FROM OUR FACEBOOK to practice these skills using the The 4-mile lane would run High Schools ranking has always schools and one adult school that equipment and software that is from Lesterford Avenue westbound been to educate families about are led by the district’s vision. Walmart Deli Students are taught 21st Century currently being used by industry BUS-ONLY LANE ON to Eastern Avenue in Bell Gardens. the schools in their district,” said 12270 Paramount Blvd. Anita Narayan, managing editor skills that implement technology, professionals. FLORENCE AVENUE The news site Urbanize L.A. collaboration, communication and Date Inspected: 5/14/19 PROPOSED BY METRO of Education at U.S. News, in a For example, students enrolled was first to report the proposed citizenship. The offerings that Grade: release published by U.S. News & in the automotive engineering A lane. are available to Downey Unified World Report on April 30. pathway spend their time working ERIC MARTIN: The students continue to increase each governments way of creating under the hood of cars that are McDonalds Metro is also considering “By evaluating more year due to various state allocated more congestion in order to stationed in repair bays that 10207 lakewood Blvd. bus-only lanes along three other schools than ever before, the program specific budgets and try and force people out of are equipped with the latest Date Inspected: 5/14/19 L.A. County corridors: Van Nuys new edition expands that focus grants, such as the LCAP and most their cars and onto public automotive technology. Boulevard in the San Fernando so all communities can see recently the K12 Strong Workforce Grade: A transportation. Valley; Olympic Boulevard in which schools in their area grant. The Best High Schools ranking Central Los Angeles; and Martin are successfully serving their are available exclusively on Toyitos Chicken and Pizza ROXANNE LOIS: Terrible idea Luther King Jr. Boulevard in South Some examples of offerings students – including historically usnews.com and include data - should be no parking on Los Angeles. that can be found in Downey 8510 Paramount Blvd. underserved populations.” on a variety of factors, such as Florence! Unified that are unique from Date Inspected: 5/14/19 enrollment, student diversity, Last week, Metro’s board The 2019 Best High Schools surrounding districts include: participation in free and reduced- Grade: A ISRAEL ANGON: If you pay was scheduled to consider ranking take a holistic approach Kindergarten through 12th grade price lunch programs, graduation attention to the inside of implementing the bus-only lanes to evaluating schools, looking robotics; the Femineer program, rates and the results of state Tropicana Bakery & Cafe buses, even at peak times and on a pilot basis, but the discussion at six factors: college readiness, an engineering program that assessments. U.S. News worked 10218 Paramount Blvd. busy areas they are not full, was postponed to an unknown reading and math proficiency, focuses on engaging middle and they are not even half full. We with RTI International, a global date. reading and math performance, high school female students; Date Inspected: 514/19 have big, slow, empty buses research firm, to implement underserved student performance, and over a dozen industry Grade: A blocking & slowing down the comprehensive ranking Downey officials declined to college curriculum breadth and aligned pathways and courses traffic. They should reduce comment. methodology. graduation rates. Specifically, that are available to high school Pupuseria El Carrisal the size of the buses to more compact sizes. Eric Pierce, editor college readiness measures students that provide them 11851 Paramount Blvd. Date Inspected: 5/14/19 JANE FRANCES: This will make Grade: A traffic even worse on Florence, where three already crowded lanes of traffic are pushed into Low-income students get help in Downey Stater Bros (Meat) two lanes. 7814 E Firestone Blvd. Public Schools, an educational schools have a better chance of it happen and that many more can Date Inspected: 5/14/19 A USC study highlighted Downey Reach us on Facebook at: non-profit. getting into a college or university, do it too.” elementary schools for their work Grade: A Facebook.com/DowneyPatriot according to the study. with disadvantaged students. Researchers looked at data Eight Downey schools were from more than 2,000 schools “These top public schools -- singled out in the study for helping Stater Bros (Deli) and found that of these, 279 are traditional district, magnet and low-income students surpass 7814 E Firestone Blvd.