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Huntington Park City Council honors local valedictorians, awards Manny Avila scholarships
Summary
The Huntington Park City Council recognized local valedictorians and salutatorians, applauded teachers of the year and awarded three Manny Avila scholarships to students for academic excellence and community involvement; the meeting recessed for a 10-minute break afterward.
HUNTINGTON PARK, Calif. — The Huntington Park City Council used its June meeting to recognize high school valedictorians and salutatorians from several local campuses and to present three Manny Avila and Rebecca Avila scholarships to students for academic achievement and community involvement.
Mayor Martinez opened the evening by announcing that teachers of the year would be recognized at a separate 4 p.m. ceremony and that student recognitions were moved to the 6 p.m. council meeting so families could attend. Councilmember Macias and other councilmembers read the names of valedictorians and salutatorians from local schools and noted many recipients' planned college destinations, including UC Irvine, UCLA, USC, UC Santa Barbara and Dartmouth.
"The Huntington Park City Council applauds your outstanding academic excellence, high level accomplishments," Councilmember Macias said while reading certificates honoring the students. "We congratulate you on your dedication and for owning the title of valedictorian, salutatorian of the 2026 graduating class."
Several students who accepted recognition spoke briefly to thank the council and to acknowledge the community support that helped them reach this milestone. One student also referenced ongoing concerns in the community related to a local chemical leak while expressing pride in the group's accomplishments.
The council also presented three Manny Avila and Rebecca Avila scholarships, established in memory of the late Manuel "Manny" Avila and his wife. Mayor Martinez and Councilmember Macias announced the scholarship recipients as Rudy Chavez, Jocelyn Villalobos Moreno and Kimberly Ray Boyard; each certificate cited "outstanding academic excellence and community involvement." Councilmembers recalled Manny and Rebecca Avila's dedication to education and urged recipients to pursue further opportunities.
Councilmembers used the occasion to encourage all students to apply for scholarships and to seek support when needed. The meeting recessed for a 10-minute break with refreshments and was scheduled to reconvene at 6:43 p.m.
No formal motions or votes were recorded during the segments covering presentations and scholarships.
