RUSD Highlights Student Success, Digital Innovation At State Of The District

Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) has one of the top graduation rates in the county, saw a 5% drop in chronic absenteeism year-over-year and has a number of campuses that have been recognized locally and by the state.

That’s according to new RUSD Superintendent Sonia Llamas, who highlighted the district’s achievements at Thursday evening’s State of the District event, her first since taking on the role in July. 

“This success is not because our work is easy,” Llamas said to the crowd. “It is because we set the bar high and our students rise to that occasion.”

She also emphasized that, moving forward, the district needed to focus on adding new curriculum to keep up with the ever-changing digital world.

“What am I looking forward to in the future? Workforce development,” Llamas told The Riverside Record. “Working alongside our workforce development boards, our business councils, because we need to understand what are those skills that our students need to have, and getting them ready before they exit.”

About 800 people, a mix of students, staff and community members, gathered at the Riverside Convention Center October 9 to hear from Llamas and other district leaders about the state of the county’s second-largest school system. 

But it was the students who took center stage throughout the event. The program began with elementary students singing Panic! at the Disco’s “High Hopes” and ended with the high school choir performing a choreographed routine. Halfway through Llamas’ speech, a student-media team came out to film a TV report about campus life live on stage.

Llamas, who said she’s spent much of her time focused on visiting many of the district’s campuses, also handed off the mic to students during the event to explain how the district has incorporated technology over the years.

Student Trustee Jessica Salas explained the switch to online exams and how students submit their work virtually while Student Trustee Daniel Capacete talked about the benefit of classes being offered online.

“This all focuses on our evolving future,” Capacete said. “While we’re high school students in person during the day, we can also be a college student fully online.” 

Ahead of the main event, attendees were able to walk through an exhibition hall with 23 booths showcasing the wide range of classes available for students from culinary classes to robotics programs.

Mariza and Mike Hernandez, who recently moved to the district, said they brought their two elementary-aged children to expose them to different classes available to them in the future.

“They’re amazed by everything that they have seen and really excited about what the future holds for them,” Mariza said.

Jacob Davidson, a sophomore at Martin Luther King High School and an ambassador for the district’s sales and marketing career pathway, said that his classes inspired him to take a business administration class at Riverside City College. It’s also led him to want to pursue a degree in international business.

“I believe that this is one of the best classes to prepare you for the real world,” Davidson said. “You can take the experience that you learn in this class and apply it to an actual job.”

Llamas said she’s been able to watch as students work on new musical compositions, write code for robots and create initiatives focused on physical and mental well-being, programs made possible through a community-based effort that requires additional financial and volunteer help to continue.

“Our school district has done an amazing job to date,” Llamas told The Record. “Now it’s about: ‘How are we going to facilitate that learning for our scholars moving forward into this next stage of education?’”