PYLUSD holds two recognitions at December Board of Education Meeting

At the Tuesday, December 10, Board of Education meeting, Trustees set aside time for two separate recognitions. The Board of Education officially recognized Esperanza High School’s girls varsity volleyball team for winning the Division 2 CIF Southern Section championship title. Under the direction of head coach, Isaac Owens, and assistant coaches Alexus Winters and Jason Nguyen, the EHS girls volleyball team finished their season with an impressive league record of 8-2 and an overall record of 29-7.

“This season, our entire Aztec community had the pleasure of watching these girls and their coaches put in countless hours of training and practice, which resulted in the ultimate accomplishment, a CIF ring! They absolutely deserve to be called champions,” Gina Aguilar shared during the girls’ recognition.

Then, Dr. Matthew Howarth, founder of the company Verbal Behavior Associates (VBA), received the “You Are the Advantage” Award.

VBA is an organization that provides applied behavioral analysis services in the home, school, and community settings. Last year, PYLUSD formed a collaboration with VBA and Dr. Howarth to provide the intensive behavioral training required for the District’s Registered Behavior Technicians, better known as RBTs, as they embarked on newly created positions to provide the important behavioral supports at all 21 elementary schools.

“Through the leadership of his behavioral team at VBA and the collaboration with our district, he has been instrumental in the development of our multi-tiered behavioral supports at our elementary sites,” Executive Director of Special Education, Renee Gray, said. “Dr. Howarth assists our team in providing best practices to not only assist our students in need of support, but also our staff as they learn various strategies to positively approach behavioral challenges.”

The “You Are The Advantage” Award recognizes community members, organizations, and employees who embody the District’s four core values – excellence, collaboration, integrity, and innovation.

Congrats to all!