Arroyo High School’s 2023-24 yearbook, "If You Know Us, You Know," has secured national recognition for outstanding quality and student-led creativity after earning a spot in Varsity Yearbook’s Portfolio, a prestigious showcase of the best yearbooks in the country. Selected from more than 2,100 submissions, Arroyo’s yearbook was one of 617 featured in the 30th edition of Varsity’s Portfolio. The publication highlights yearbooks that demonstrate exceptional design, photography, writing, and storytelling. The school’s 2023-24 yearbook focused on capturing the cornerstones of Arroyo culture, including school spirit and academic and athletic success.
Live Oak Elementary School teacher Michelle Vazquez discovered her calling for teaching and advocacy at a young age, growing up in a family that ran a foster home for adults with special needs. Vazquez credits her childhood for teaching her the importance of dignity, patience, and creating spaces where everyone feels valued. It’s a lesson the Resource Specialist Program (RSP) teacher has carried with her throughout her 16-plus years in education. That dedication helped lead to her recognition as Live Oak Elementary and Fontana Unified School District’s (FUSD) 2024-25 Teacher of the Year, as well as one of the 2026 San Bernardino Countywide Teachers of the Year. With the county recognition, Vazquez is now a finalist for the 2026 California Department of Education Teacher of the Year award.
Fontana Unified School District (FUSD) will strengthen and broaden academic and support services for its continuation high school students as it merges its two Model Continuation High Schools, Citrus and Eric Birch, beginning in the 2025-26 school year. Both continuation schools will consolidate under the name Eric Birch High School, relocating to the former Citrus High site at 10760 Cypress Ave., and adopting the Citrus Jaguars mascot. The FUSD Board of Education approved the merger and an estimated $150,000 cost associated with renaming the Citrus campus to Eric Birch High School during its June 18 meeting. Fontana Unified’s continuation school instruction has been recognized by the California Department of Education (CDE) for its comprehensive excellence. Both Citrus and Eric Birch earned Model Continuation School designations from the CDE for their innovative approach to alternative education, with Citrus earning the three-year status in 2023 and Eric Birch securing recognition in 2024, which extends into the 2025-26 school year.
Hacienda La Puente Unified Technology Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) Ricardo Recinos has been named an Adobe Creative Educator (ACE) Innovator and will join a select group of K-12 educators worldwide who are using creativity to lead change in education as part of Adobe’s 2025-26 ACE cohort. Recinos has spent the last seven years as a Tech TOSA after nearly two decades teaching high school Spanish. As part of a Tech TOSA team with partner Teresa Magpayo-Castro, Recinos helps teachers to navigate platforms such as Aeries, Parent Square, and the Canvas Learning Management System, and supports student and parent technology education.
Hacienda La Puente Unified students are tapping into new passions for singing, acting, and dancing while strengthening confidence and leadership skills as they perform together in the District’s first-ever musical performance through the new Broadway Bound Summer Musical Theatre Conservatory. More than 130 elementary, middle, and high school students will showcase Roald Dahl’s “Matilda” with three performances on Saturday, June 28, and Sunday, June 29 at Citrus College’s Haugh Performing Arts Center. Naya Sanchez, a rising Grazide Elementary School fifth-grader, said she always wanted to act and perform, and when her mom saw the flyer announcing the District’s Conservatory and summer production, she seized the opportunity.
Nearly 500 students filled the stage with energy and enthusiasm during La Verne Heights Elementary School’s 14th annual Dance Festival, a schoolwide showcase celebrating the rich cultural diversity of the school community through music, movement, and tradition. Students from transitional kindergarten (TK) through fifth grade performed in the festival, held in late May. Each grade level showcased a different style of dance, including an African-inspired routine, Ballet Folklórico, the Hawaiian Hukilau, a Scottish jig, a 1950s American square dance, traditional Chinese fan dance, and more.
When Irvine Valley College (IVC) set out to build Inspire 2035, its 10-year strategic plan, campus leaders asked students and employees to share one word they felt best described IVC. The most frequent responses – “caring,” “supportive,” and “inclusive” – captured the heart of a college deeply committed to cultivating a culture of connection and success. As a Caring Campus, IVC strives to create a welcoming environment for both students and employees every day. This commitment to care is now embedded into the college’s framework for the future. One of the six priorities in Inspire 2035 is workplace culture and growth, with an aligned goal to further strengthen a culture of care.
More than 130 Hacienda La Puente students spanning elementary to high school will perform in the District’s inaugural Broadway musical performance of Roald Dahl’s “Matilda,” thanks to HLPUSD’s newly launched Broadway Bound Summer Musical Theatre Conservatory. Through the program, students are receiving an elevated, professional Broadway experience with approximately 75 students performing on stage, and more than 50 students in the orchestra or backstage.
Fontana Unified will host a renaming ceremony as Randall Pepper Elementary School officially transitions to O’Day Short Elementary in the 2025-26 school year, honoring the O’Day Short Family, which is remembered for breaking Fontana’s color barrier 80 years ago. District middle school student Cyrus Moss championed the renaming of O’Day Short Elementary. Moss submitted a petition with 132 signatures to rename Randall Pepper Elementary to the Fontana Unified Board of Education in March 2024. The Board unanimously voted to rename the school in September 2024 after all administrative regulations were met.
Covina-Valley Unified School District will host a spirited ceremony to celebrate the groundbreaking of the new Covina High School Softball and Athletic Complex. The state-of-the-art facility will feature new athletic fields, a snack bar, and restrooms, providing modern amenities to support Covina High student-athletes and elevate the school’s athletic programs.
