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El Monte Union Honors Employees Celebrating 40-Year Career Milestones
El Monte Union High School District honored employees for their career milestones, including four staff members celebrating 40 years of service within the District during a Welcome Back Rally on Aug. 15. Employees reaching 40 years at the District are Mountain View High School maintenance worker Pete Ceniceros, El Monte-Rosemead Adult School (EMRAS) career technical education lead teacher Annette Felix, EMRAS English as a second language teacher Jorge Marquez and Rosemead High School office clerk Scarlett Rodriguez.
El Monte Union administrators, faculty and staff enjoyed a day of relaxation and reminiscing ahead of the 2022-23 school year during a “Welcome Back” rally held Aug. 15 at Rosemead High School, a day that saw dozens of employees receive recognition for career milestones, including four staff members celebrating 40 years at the District.
More than 100 El Monte Union employees who have reached milestones of 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 years were celebrated at the event. Employees reaching 40 years at the District are El Monte-Rosemead Adult School (EMRAS) career technical education (CTE) lead teacher Annette Felix, Rosemead High School office clerk Scarlett Rodriguez, Mountain View High School maintenance person Pete Ceniceros and EMRAS English as a second language (ESL) teacher Jorge Marquez. All four are El Monte Union graduates.
“It is with great pleasure that we honor these extraordinary individuals, who have put their heart and soul into their work. Many of those honored today are El Monte Union graduates themselves or have children who attended and graduated from the District,” said Superintendent Dr. Edward A. Zuniga, who is celebrating 30 years at El Monte Union. “My congratulations to our special group that reached 40 years – their enthusiasm and dedication epitomize what the El Monte Union experience is all about.”
Annette Felix was born, raised and still resides in El Monte and is a graduate of Mountain View High School. Felix was hired as an accounting teacher when EMRAS was known as the Rosemead Office Training Center. She fondly remembers the earliest days when she worked in a windowless brick room, which she and her former boss and mentor, Paula Settle, affectionately referred to as the dungeon.
Felix credits her long career in education to the joy she experienced teaching students who ranged in ages from 18 to 85 and watching them take their accounting skills to start their own business or pursue higher education. Felix, whose father was a migrant worker and instilled in her a deep work ethic, also served as EMRAS’s El Monte Union Employee Association union director for 14 years. As CTE lead teacher, Felix continues to work with students while assisting EMRAS teachers with their day-to-day classroom needs.
“I can’t believe it. I blinked and it was 40 years,” Felix said. “I love what I do. I have taught thousands of students over the years and met so many wonderful people. My favorite part of the job is when my former students stop by to say hi and let me know how their education has helped them succeed. I feel that adult education is a vital part of the school system. I’m proud of what we have achieved here.”
Scarlett Rodriguez came to the United States from Nicaragua at 15 years old as an English learner, attending Arroyo High School. After graduating midterm, Rodriguez took some business classes before accepting a part-time clerical position at EMRAS, then known as El Monte Adult School. She then went on to secure her employment as a full-time clerk at Rosemead High in 1992.
Rodriguez has spent 30 years at Rosemead High and has proudly watched her sons Alex and Joshua attend, play sports and graduate from the school. Enjoying the camaraderie of her officemates and supportive Rosemead family, Rodriguez’s best memory is a Halloween party where she and two of her colleagues dressed as the witches from “Hocus Pocus.”
“I never thought I would be here for this long,” Rodriguez said. “Being around kids helps me stay young, and we have such good students here at Rosemead. I’ve been blessed to have such great co-workers, especially Gigi Andrew who I’ve worked with for 30 years at Rosemead. She is my right arm. We’ve been through so much together.”
Pete Ceniceros grew up in El Monte and graduated from El Monte High School. Ceniceros began his career at El Monte Union as a part-time maintenance worker at Mountain View before moving to South El Monte High School. After stints as a facilities manager at Arroyo and El Monte high schools, Ceniceros returned to Mountain View in 2013 in the Maintenance II position.
Ceniceros, whose son is an Arroyo High School graduate, is perpetually optimistic and said he thoroughly enjoys the daily challenges of his job. He loves being around the students, who he credits for keeping him young. Occasionally he gets the opportunity to make a positive impact on a student’s life, oftentimes not knowing he has made that impact until the student returns to school to tell him.
“Most of the students have a good head on their shoulders, others need a little guidance,” Ceniceros said. “Once a student came back to school and thanked me for helping him through a rough spot in his life. He came to me for advice, and I helped him get a part-time job at Arroyo High. It turned his life around. He was eager to learn and just needed a push in the right direction. These are the things that make me very proud.”
Jorge Marquez graduated from Arroyo High School, as did his younger brother, former Mountain View High School principal Jose Marquez. Marquez first started teaching ESL at 21 years old and received a part-time teaching position at El Monte Union in 1983. Over the years, Marquez has taught between two to four nights a week. In the beginning Marquez was quite often younger than most of his students.
Marquez has seen firsthand the demographic changes in the El Monte area. When he first started teaching his students were predominantly Latino. Marquez remembers that after President Ronald Reagan passed the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, it spurred hundreds of local residents to take ESL classes. In more recent years, he has seen a large influx of Asian students who have emigrated from China and Vietnam.
“To be honest, I didn’t even realize that it’s been 40 years,” Marquez said. “I really enjoy teaching and I especially enjoy being around my colleagues at EMRAS. We’re so much like a family. We’ve known each other for years, and we’ve grown together. It’s gone by in a flash.”
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