Elected officials and members of the El Monte Union High School District community celebrated the opening of the district’s new Community Education Center (CEC) with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, held Sept. 15 at the district office.
Currently staffed by six teachers and serving more than 250 students, the CEC will provide a central hub for distance learning, collaboration and community events. The center features technology that will allow students and teachers to connect through formal lessons, as well as tutoring and informal instructional support.
Originally envisioned as a space to meet the emerging demand for online learning pre-pandemic, the CEC arrived as a timely and key resource for the increased number of students studying independently due to COVID-19.
“In the CEC we have teachers leading online classes throughout the day while offering individualized support to our students whenever they need it – whether that’s through chat, email or video calls,” said Justin Lim, a El Monte teacher on Special Assignment for Online and Personalized Learning. “It has been an invaluable resource – I don’t know what we would have done without it this fall.”
Post-pandemic, the center will welcome students and community members in person to meet, work together and study. It will also feature an outdoor patio with umbrellas, tables and charging stations in order to provide alternative settings for learning.
“For decades to come, the CEC will be a centralized resource for all of our schools to support independent learning, collaboration and 1-to-1 student-teacher engagement,” Superintendent Dr. Edward Zuniga said. “This center will be a place that anticipates, responds and adapts to the changing needs of our students.”
