The Morongo Unified School District recently announced the installation of book vending machines in every school across the district, a significant step forward in promoting literacy and fostering a love for reading among students. As the first district in the state to implement this program district-wide, MUSD’s book vending machines were officially installed this week with a special ribbon-cutting ceremony. Each machine is carefully curated to include a mix of genres, authors and reading…

After nearly a year of repair efforts from last summer’s Tropical Storm Hilary, the Big Morongo Canyon Preserve has finally been approved for funding to finish the vast damage incurred from the storm. While BLM was initially in charge of financial aid to the Preserve, Wong said three years ago all aid was pulled from the Preserve, leaving them in a tough position. Since 242 of the 21,000 acres of the Preserve is under jurisdiction of San Bernardino County (mainly the infrastructure; the…

The Morongo Unified School District have announced their new Early College Initiative program, a continuation of their long-standing dual-enrollment college courses to allow high school students to receive their general education college credits while they are still in high school. Designed to provide motivated high school students with the opportunity to earn college credits while still in high school, The Early College Initiative program’s unique classes are taught at the high schools, or on…

The Morongo Unified School District has announced the expansion of its Reader by 9 initiative, a district-wide campaign aimed at ensuring all students achieve reading proficiency by the end of third grade. Research shows that reading proficiency by third grade is a critical milestone in a child’s education. Children not proficient in reading by this time are more likely to struggle academically in later years and are at greater risk of not graduating from high school. The Reader by 9 initiative…

On last Friday’s Up-Close show, host Gary Daigneault spoke to MUSD Superintendent Dr. Patricio Vargas and Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education Amy Woods about the district’s various approaches to bolstering literacy among students. Dr. Vargas and Amy Woods announced the expansion of MUSD’s "Reader by 9" initiative, a District-wide campaign aiming to ensure all students achieve reading proficiency by the end of third grade. This ambitious initiative is part of the…