It was a celebration at Stephens Middle School — also dubbed the “Pride of the Westside” — as Long Beach Unified School District administrators and other community members welcomed students back to campus for the 2024-25 school year.
All across the city on Tuesday morning, Long Beach’s students either returned to familiar school sites or made their first trip to a new campus. District Superintendent Jill Baker was all smiles while welcoming students to Stephens, with music bumping and pom-poms waving.
“There is an energy this year across all of our schools that I have not felt since pre-pandemic, for sure,” Baker said.
While Tuesday is a meaningful one for all campuses, it was especially so at Stephens, where news cameras captured the celebration at the school’s front entrance. The Stephens cheer team helped set the scene as students were greeted with enthusiasm on their way to class.
“It is so, so energizing,” said Stephens Principal Eric Cabacungan of the added pomp and circumstance. “We have district leaders, community members, we have families, we have our cheerleaders over here. It’s just a great time to be a part of the Stephens family today.”
One reason Stephens was chosen for this year’s back-to-school celebration was to recognize the school’s 2024 California Distinguished School Award. According to Baker, it’s the first time a school on the Westside has received that honor in 19 years.
“Student success and school success takes a team, and Stephens has shown what is possible when everyone in the community comes together,” said Baker. “Especially teachers who are frontline, working in the classrooms and working with their principal. We call it collective efficacy in education — it means that by working together and really helping each other, you have the potential to prove what is possible and change outcomes for students. And they have shown what is possible.”
Cabacungan said he takes great pride in Stephens being recognized as a California Distinguished School, and he quickly gave credit to the school’s teachers for putting in the time and effort to elevate the school to new heights. He lauded the progress the school made in 2023, which he said was the most improvement of any middle school in the district, and that upward trajectory has continued into 2024.
“These teachers are all about collective efficacy, and a lot of kudos go to them because of the excellence that they pursue every single day,” Cabacungan said. “I’m really proud of them. … They continue to pursue excellence, and that’s something that I appreciate about these teachers. To be a part of that journey, being in the trenches with them, and giving them that space to do what they do best, is something that I’m grateful for.”
