Fontana Unified Class of 2026 graduates who are undecided about where they will attend college now have one guaranteed option: California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB). CSUSB’s Direct Admit Program guarantees admission to the school for all eligible seniors who have completed their A-G admission and grade-point average requirements. Fontana Unified is one of six San Bernardino County school districts to participate in the partnership with CSUSB, which was announced in September. The program aims to increase college enrollment by removing obstacles in the application process.
Upland Unified School District’s incoming freshmen got a first look at the high school experience during Upland High School’s signature transition events, Highlander Day and Incoming Families Night, which introduce future Highlanders to the school’s vibrant academic, arts, athletic, and extracurricular offerings, helping students and families build excitement and confidence as they prepare for the year ahead. Highlander Day invites approximately 800 eighth-grade students to Upland High School for an immersive, hands-on introduction to high school life. Students spend the day touring classrooms, exploring Career Technical Education (CTE) pathways, participating in a club fair, meeting student-athletes, connecting with peer leaders, and taking part in a spirited pep rally led by Associated Student Body (ASB), cheer, and performance groups.
Rich harmonies and melodious joy echoed through the University of Redland’s Memorial Chapel in November, heralding the Southern California Vocal Association’s (SCVA) annual Southern California Regional Honor Choirs performances, which featured 31 Bonita Unified vocalists among the 250-member choirs – 29 from Bonita High School and two from San Dimas High School. This is the second consecutive year that Bonita Unified singers have dominated the SCVA Honor Choirs, highlighting the success of the District’s Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) program, which encourages students to begin studying music in fourth grade, then provides them with top-level instruction throughout elementary, middle, and high school.
The Whittier Union High School District Board of Trustees voted to move forward with a provisional appointment to fill the upcoming Trustee Area 5 vacancy after Board Member Gary Mendez submitted his resignation, effective Dec. 9, as part of an approved settlement. The settlement concludes discussions regarding the incompatibility of offices held by Mendez, who served simultaneously on the WUHSD Board of Trustees and the Central Basin Municipal Water District. The matter followed a quo warranto opinion granted by the California Attorney General and subsequent legal action by the District.
Fontana High School’s (FOHI) General Construction Career Technical Education (CTE) Pathway students will debut their custom-built float “Believe in the Magic of Learning” for the 2025 “I Believe in Magic” Fontana Christmas Parade. Students spent more than a month planning, designing, and constructing the float as part of their hands-on CTE coursework. District administrators, Board of Education members, and student board representatives will ride the float during the parade.
South Orange County Community College District (SOCCCD) is elevating its culture by bringing Caring Campus to the district level, creating a bridge between District Services and the district’s two community colleges, Saddleback College and Irvine Valley College, and fostering a strong partnership that will lead to a fully realized Caring District. As only the second district office to implement Caring Campus in the nation, SOCCCD will ensure care and support flow from District Services to both the colleges and students. This district-level implementation aligns with the district’s strategic plan, approved in June 2026, which calls for cultivating a positive culture and climate for students and employees.
Whittier Union High School District is proving to be a front-runner in ensuring student success, with 2024-25 California School Dashboard data ranking the District as one of the top four districts in the state, successfully serving a majority Latino, Latinx, Hispanic, and socioeconomically disadvantaged community. There are 995 districts in the state with Dashboard results. The Dashboard is a color-coded system created by the California Department of Education to help districts track year-to-year progress in key areas of growth. It allows districts to measure successes and identify areas for improvement in the year ahead. Measured areas include four-year graduation rates, suspension rates, attendance rates, and more.
Eight Bonita Unified educators will bring hands-on, play-based classroom projects to life after receiving more than $3,300 in mini-grants from the Rotary Club of La Verne, which continued its tradition of supporting innovation across the District during the Dec. 3 Board of Education meeting. The service organization awarded individual grants ranging from $150 to $500, providing teachers with resources that strengthen academic engagement, build developmental skills, and enrich the learning environment for students across grade levels.
La Serna High School seniors posed for photos, danced to their favorite tunes, showed off Lancer swag, and proudly placed “I Applied” stickers on a bulletin board after completing a college application to a UC, Cal State, private, or community college - or a job application - during the school’s inaugural Future Ready Celebration Day on Dec. 4. The Celebration Day lunchtime festivities, which were attended by 225 seniors, are the second part of La Serna’s recently-launched Future Ready initiative, a schoolwide effort to educate and encourage seniors to take control of their post-secondary plans, joining Whittier High School, which launched its own Future Ready program in October.
Fontana High School’s General Construction Career Technical Education (CTE) pathway students brought their craftsmanship, creativity, and teamwork to the community this season by designing and building a parade float that featured Board of Education members, student board representatives, and Fontana Unified’s Superintendent Miki R. Inbody during the 2025 Fontana Christmas Parade on Dec. 13. The team consisted of 14 students who used a full range of construction techniques they learned in the pathway, transforming raw materials into a polished centerpiece for one of the city’s signature annual events. The float, themed “Believe in the Magic of Learning,” features an eight-seat platform, blending Christmas elements with academic inspiration, including an oversized hand-built book displaying the float’s theme.
Upland High School celebrated student innovation during its annual Science Fair on Dec. 11, where nearly 100 students presented 67 imaginative, research-driven projects. Entries spanned seven scientific categories, giving students the opportunity to showcase their creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills to judges, staff, and peers. The Science Fair concluded with an evening Open House, where families viewed standout projects and joined the celebration of student achievement during an awards ceremony. In addition, UHS hosted a Districtwide Computer Science Family Night that offered hands-on activities, student demonstrations, and a Careers in Computer Science panel.
South Hills High School junior Angel Duarte is taking a leading role in developing student-led solutions to challenges affecting schools after being selected for the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council, representing Covina-Valley Unified School District. A key project of the 2025-26 LACOE Student Advisory Council is the year-long L.A. County Student Civic Changemakers Challenge, which carries the tagline “Real Issues. Bold Solutions. Youth-Led.” Students from across the county were divided into teams and assigned one of four pressing societal issues to research. Teams will present their findings and proposed solutions at a culminating showcase in June 2026.
Monica Jauregui, an English Language Development (ELD) teacher at Harry S. Truman Middle School, shares a similar background with her students: her parents immigrated to the United States when they were in grade school, not knowing any English, and Jauregui herself was an English learner. Her experiences fuel her to ensure students of all backgrounds can thrive, leading her to take on multiple roles as an English Language Learner (ELL) monitor and Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Excel teacher.
Rene Romero, an International Baccalaureate (IB) Language and Literature teacher at South Hills High School, has been named one of only five 2026 California Teachers of the Year, earning the honor for more than two decades of work empowering students to feel confident, capable, and prepared to pursue their goals. As a California Teacher of the Year, Romero now serves as an ambassador for education, demonstrating exemplary teaching, engaging with leaders in Sacramento, and promoting innovative practices that motivate and inspire both current and future educators.
