The 2011 boys water polo season might have been one of the best ever. Nogales and Bonita won CIF-Southern Section division titles and Damien advanced to a division final as well.

All three teams had enough superstars to fill out the boys water polo first team, but Nogales’ Nick Estevez stood
above the rest.

Estevez’s record-breaking season and back-to-back CIF titles
with the Nobles earned him Player of the Year honors for the
second year in a row.

Estevez set a single-season CIF-SS scoring record with 233
goals, eclipsing the mark of 229 set by Hoover’s Hakop Kaplanyan in
2009.

The Nobles senior broke the record in the Division 7
championship game by scoring four goals in Nogales’ 8-6 victory over Don
Lugo.

In addition to his 233 goals, Estevez also had 57 steals and
was named Valle Vista League and Division 7 Most Valuable Player for the
second year in a row.

Read more in Fred Robledo’s story POLO.

Just saw the plans for the new pool at Rowland High School. The $2.5 million pool looks really nice.

The old pool was closed in May when it began leaking 6,000 gallons a day and the water quality dropped below healthy standards.

Since then the water polo and swimming teams have been practicing at nearby Nogales High School. With the summer swim lessons, school officials figure more than 100,000 used the pool every year.

A community meeting will be held Monday night for input from local residents. Come out and see what you think of the new facility.

Rowland Unified is taking applications for its new Telesis Academy of Science & Math (K – 8) for the 2012 – 2013 school year through Jan. 31. All students are eligible to attend.

For further questions, call the Pupil Services Office at  626-935-8201.

Ten burly, yet kind and giving Diamond Bar High
School football players will soon begin volunteering as tutors, mentors, and
buddies with Castle Rock Elementary students.

A new program called Creating Honorable Aspiring Mentors
with Purpose (C.H.A.M.P.) is the concept of Head Football Coach Ryan Maine who
also happens to be a Castle Rock alumnus from the Class of 1994. His football players will begin their new assignment on
Jan. 27.  

 They will visit the elementary school each week to mentor,
tutor, read, and “hang out” with select students.

 “I can’t wait
to see the smiles on our kids’ faces when they meet and develop friendships
with these caring guys,” said Castle Rock Principal Carol Sullivan.

 Maine wants his players to be positive role models on and
off the football field. “I believe this will
really help develop their character,” he said.

Students can find out which test is best
suited for them at a free practice test sponsored by Kaplan on Tuesday,
Jan. 24, from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Rowland Heights Library.

Kaplan will also be holding feedback night where a representative will help interpret scores and give test taking advice.

The library is at 1850 Nogales St. For information, call 626-912-5348.

Cal Poly Pomona reopened Tuesday after the
campus was shut down last week as employees performed maintenance on
high-voltage electrical equipment. The shutdown started Dec. 27 and the work was completed by
Thursday, officials said. Power was restored to the entire campus by
Friday.

Most university buildings were closed last week and students,
faculty members and staffers were asked to stay away from campus. The shutdown of the university was in the works for some time,
said Ron Fremont, the associate vice president for university
relations.

“It’s been quite a complicated process. It took several months of planning,” he said.

The need to carry out the work was discovered in June after
Southern California Edison made repairs to an electrical substation.

Diamond Bar High School will hold pre-audition workshops for this year’s musical “Fiddler on the Roof” today and tomorrow  from
3:30 to 6 p.m. in the theater.

Plan to attend on both days. You will be
learning choreography and music so come prepared to sing and move!
Auditions will be held the following week.

Schools in the Rowland Unified School District will remain closed this week for the winter break.

While other districts return to the classroom, Rowland decided to begin the school year a week earlier, so teachers and students can enjoy a three-week holiday break.

So the kiddos don’t go back to school until Jan. 9. Happy New Year!