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CSUSM National Latino Research Center Receives Grant to Boost Latino Health
11/20/2023
The National Latino Research Center (NLRC) at Cal State San Marcos has been awarded a $333,332 grant from the federal Minority Research Grant Program to support the research of Bridges2Health, a community health advocate program.
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The funding will help develop an innovative health service that will educate low-income students and their families about health-related resources. The NLRC program plans to identify the resources urgently needed for students and their families as well as incorporate health services within the Vista Unified School District.
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It is critical that we continue to build partnerships and collaborate with our institutions of higher education in order to best serve our community"- School Board Member Vargas
Casita Elementary is one of two schools to receive Blue Ribbon Award.
11/20/2023
November 20, 2023, Vista, CA - On Friday, November 17th, Casita Center, an elementary school in the Vista Unified School District, was awarded the Blue Ribbon School certification by the US Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, at a ceremony in Washington, DC. Casita Center is one of just two schools in San Diego County, 33 in California, and 353 in the US to receive the prestigious honor (among more than 130,000 K-12 schools nationally).
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In an announcement of the recipients, US Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said, “The honorees for our 2023 National Blue Ribbon Schools Award have set a national example for what it means to Raise the Bar in education. The leaders, educators, and staff at our National Blue Ribbon Schools continually inspire me with their dedication to fostering academic excellence and building positive school cultures that support students of all backgrounds to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.”
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"VUSD continues to move needle, I am proud to recognize the work of our teachers and staff at Casita Elementary."- School Board Member Vargas
Cipriano Vargas recognized as School Board Member of the Year by the San Diego School Boards Association.
3/15/2023
Cipriano Vargas exemplifies the leadership qualities and actions that lead to a highly functional and impactful governing board body. During the six years he has served as a community leader, he has demonstrated vision, dedication , empathy, inclusion, and courage. Each of these qualities has set the foundation for the the educational community. Cipriano embodies this commitment every day. During his time on the Board, he has been the champion of many different programs including childhood education, equity-centered environments, facilty bond construction, employee union relations, equity board policy, climate action, and dual language program development. His leadership as Board President during the pandemic is perhaps the single greatest reason our community stayed united and strong againts many, many challenges cause by the health and safety emergency.