Pioneer High School students shared their high school experiences with future teachers during a field trip to Cal State University, Fullerton (CSUF) in October, designed to assist aspiring CSUF grad students as they learn the best strategies for providing equity in the classroom. Nine Pioneer High students lent their perspectives on school life during a panel titled “Speaking Our Truth: Young Men’s High School Perspectives on Culture and Belonging” to CSUF Diversity in Education students looking to earn their teaching credential.
The El Monte Union High School District (EMUHSD) marked a momentous milestone this fall with the launch of its CIF-sanctioned girls flag football program, engaging student-athletes from all five comprehensive high schools and providing a platform to compete, develop skills, and enjoy a new athletic experience. The initiative began last year when South El Monte High School (SEMHS) and Rosemead High School introduced girls flag football as a CIF sport. Their early success and strong student interest encouraged El Monte, Mountain View, and Arroyo high schools to join this school year, creating a Districtwide program that expands athletic opportunities for female students.
Covina-Valley Unified School District has earned multiple recognitions from U.S. News & World Report, Innovate Public Schools, and the Educational Results Partnership (ERP) Honor Roll for its innovative programs that empower students to excel inside and outside the classroom. All three Covina-Valley Unified middle schools ranked in the top 13% of public middle schools in California, while all nine elementary schools were ranked in the top 29% statewide, according to the 2026 U.S. News & World Report rankings. Additionally, Manzanita, Rowland Avenue, Grovecenter, and Merwin elementary schools, Las Palmas Middle School, and South Hills High School earned a place on Innovate Public Schools’ 2025 Top Public Schools list for closing opportunity gaps for Latino students.
The Jurupa Hills High School Players of the Palace have come a long way since staging their first performance, “Sleepy Hollow,” in the campus foyer for the school’s inaugural Harvest Festival in 2010. Now the award-winning program will come full circle with a 15th anniversary celebration, debuting a new version of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” on Friday, Nov. 14 at Jurupa Hills’ state-of-the-art Palace of Fine Art Theatre. The new version of “Sleepy Hollow” was written by drama teacher and show director James Griffin, a Fontana High Class of 1994 graduate, and will incorporate the elaborate sets, handcrafted costumes, and student-designed effects that Players of the Palace supporters have enjoyed over the years.
Fontana High School (FOHI) has been recognized with a Golden Bell Award from the California School Boards Association for its transformative College Application Submit Day (CASD), a celebratory event that honors students as they submit their college applications and has reshaped college readiness at FOHI, across Fontana Unified, and beyond. This year, FOHI will celebrate both the recognition and its ongoing commitment to student success during its ninth annual CASD on Thursday, Nov. 20, when students actively submit their college applications to qualifying universities. The day features on-the-spot admissions from local universities – including the University of Redlands, Cal Baptist University, University of La Verne, Azusa Pacific University, and direct admission to Cal State University San Bernardino – along with photobooths, “I Applied to College” stickers, college t-shirts, and a family reception. Each year, more than 400 FOHI families participate in the event, with over 2,400 applications submitted in a single day.
Whittier Union school psychologist Stephanie Murray, an advocate for student well-being and suicide prevention for more than 30 years, has been recognized by the California Association of School Psychologists (CASP) with its Nadine Lambert Outstanding School Psychologist Award, given to psychologists for their dedication and innovative practices. Murray received her award at the 2025 CASP convention on Oct. 29. Murray began her Whittier Union career at California High School, where she worked to develop suicide prevention protocols, provide ongoing teacher training, and establish a centralized method of risk assessment and information sharing. The protocols were adopted Districtwide even before the passing of Assembly Bill 2246 in 2016, which requires all California school districts to have suicide prevention policies and protocols in place.
For the eighth year in a row, Southridge Tech Middle School has been recognized as a Microsoft Showcase School for the 2025-26 academic year in recognition of its ongoing commitment to educational innovation and use of digital tools to support student success. Southridge Tech was first welcomed into the global network of Microsoft Showcase Schools in 2018, joining campuses across six continents recognized for their forward-thinking integration of technology to improve student outcomes and promote inclusive learning. Only 32 schools across North America – and just three in California – received this honor this year.
Sierra Vista Middle School’s Where Everybody Belongs (WEB) program is creating a culture of positivity, kindness, and care, ensuring every student feels seen and supported on campus. This commitment to fostering a welcoming environment earned WEB recognition at the World’s Greatest Schools Conference on Oct. 6 for digital positivity. WEB is made up of 38 seventh- and eighth-grade students who help engage their classmates through monthly classroom lessons, sports tournaments, games, rallies, and more. The program primarily supports sixth-graders and new seventh- and eighth-graders, helping them feel welcomed and connected to campus life.
Examples of instructors checking on students in distress, custodians offering encouragement during test preparation, classified professionals guiding students toward academic goals, and faculty members learning their students’ names early illustrate how Caring Campus fosters meaningful connections that enhance the student experience. The impact of this work is highlighted in a recent report by The Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE), “Essential Conditions for Community College Student Success: Maximizing Student Engagement by Fostering a Culture of Caring." Caring Campus was founded on research that shows students who feel connected and supported on campus are more likely to persist, stay enrolled, and succeed. The CCCSE report, which drew on survey data from more than 64,000 students across 167 community colleges, reinforces this point, showing that an investment in a culture of care measurably benefits students.
More than 500 families gathered at Jessie Turner Park this fall for Fontana Unified’s 10th annual Early Education Family Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) Night, an interactive, outdoor, community event designed to strengthen family engagement and spark curiosity in STEAM among the District’s youngest learners. Summit High School volunteers, alongside the Early Education instructional teams, guided families with children ages 2 to 5 in a range of play-based, hands-on activities that celebrated creativity and exploration. Organized in partnership with the District’s State preschool, transitional kindergarten, and special education preschool programs, the evening featured various stations that introduced STEAM concepts, including participating in sensory activities, observing color changes by mixing food dye, building catapults, constructing block structures from blueprints, and learning gardening skills.
