Thanks to gifted tickets from the Acrisure Arena, thousands of staff members and families from the Coachella Valley's local K-12 school districts will enjoy a free concert on Saturday to support its hometown star — this year's "American Idol" winner, Abi Carter.
"I remember being in college across the street at Cal State San Bernardino-Palm Desert Campus, and I looked over at Acrisure when it was being built and when it was coming out that Harry Styles was performing there and Olivia Rodrigo," Carter recently shared with The Desert Sun. "I remember thinking to myself when I was in college for psychology, when I was still planning on being a marriage and family therapist, 'If I ever get to play at that arena one day, I will be successful.'"
Also in this week's education roundup: High school students will soon be able to apply for SunLine Transit Agency's Haul Pass program, allowing them to ride its buses for free; local police departments conduct active shooter training at Cathedral City High School; and an upcoming volunteer and scholarship opportunity for high school teens at The Living Desert.
More: How CVUSD is meeting community needs to feed kids over the summer
Did we miss a noteworthy education story? Raise your hand and send it my way: jennifer.cortez@desertsun.com .
Tickets to 'American Idol' winner Abi Carter's concert gifted to local Coachella Valley K-12 school districts
Indio's Abi Carter will return home over the weekend to perform a special concert at Acrisure Arena on July 27, following her "American Idol" win in May — and the desert's K-12 school districts will be rallying behind her. Ahead of Saturday's concert, the Acrisure Arena gifted tickets to Coachella Valley Unified, Desert Sands Unified and Palm Springs Unified school districts.
The districts said a promotional link for free tickets — up to 10 per person — was shared to staff members and families. DSUSD said its community engagement director shared the link with over 4,000 staff members "as a thank you to team members."
More: 'American Idol' finalist Abi Carter gets warm welcome at former school, sings with students
Carter visited her alma mater , George Washington Charter School in Palm Desert, in May — a day that was filled with hugs and emotional reunions with former teachers and current students. Most recently, the 21-year-old sang the national anthem at two Coachella Valley Firebirds games in June.
"Even when I was singing the national anthem, I never thought to myself, 'I'm going to perform here.' I think there's a lot of imposter syndrome that happens coming off the show and not knowing how much real support you actually have out in the world outside of "Idol," Carter previously told The Desert Sun . "I'm just really overwhelmed, and I'm so thankful for the valley. They've always had my back. I'm stoked."
For more information: Visit acrisurearena.com
More: 'American Idol' winner Abi Carter dishes on new music ahead of Acrisure Arena concert
High school and college students in the Coachella Valley can continue to ride the SunLine buses for free
SunLine Transit Agency is continuing its Haul Pass program for local high school and college students in the Coachella Valley this upcoming upcoming school year. The program provides free transportation to and from school and other destinations using public transit.
More: Will Coachella Valley schools start later in August 2024? Here's all the start times
Initially, Haul Pass offered free unlimited rides only to students enrolled at College of the Desert . It now includes students at the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus and the three local K-12 school districts.
High school students can start applying for the Haul Pass after Aug. 1. CSUSB Palm Desert Campus students can use their active student ID cards to ride the SunBus and the 10 Commuter Link service. As of June 3, COD students must use the Token Transit application on their mobile devices instead of swiping their IDs through the card reader.
For more information: Visit sunline.org/fares-passes/haul-pass
Local police departments conduct active shooter training simulation exercises at Cathedral City High School
Active shooter on-campus training for officers with the Cathedral City, Palm Springs, Indio police departments, as well as the Palm Springs and Cathedral City fire departments, was conducted from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday at Cathedral City High School.
The training event, hosted by CCPD, aims to prepare local officers by including medical response practices. As the area was designated as a training site, it was closed off to public access during the training.
Scholarship Spotlight: The Living Desert invites local high school teens to apply to its conservation education program in the fall
For over a decade, The Living Desert Scholarship has supported students from the Coachella Valley with expenses like tuition, books and other college-related costs. Students can reapply for the scholarship fund — typically between $2,000 to $5,000 per year — annually for up to four years as they pursue natural science or conservation-related fields.
In collaboration with OneFuture Coachella Valley , The Living Desert selects a few outstanding applicants each year based on their high school academic performance and community contributions. This year's awardees — Alyssa Ramirez, Maddox Burr and Madeline Scott — demonstrated exceptional dedication, balancing their work at the zoo in addition to volunteering at food banks, camping and serving as captains of various sports teams.
High school students who are passionate about conservation and education are encouraged to join the ZooTeens program this fall. Applications are accepted every April and October. From there, seniors in the program can then apply for the scholarship to aid their college education. Prospective applicants must commit to a full year of service and two shifts of volunteering service per month, as well as attend monthly meetings.
For more information: Visit livingdesert.org/support/zoo-teens
Previous reporting by Ema Sasic was used in this report.
Jennifer Cortez covers education in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at jennifer.cortez@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Acrisure Arena gifts 'American Idol' winner Abi Carter concert tickets to local schools
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