FONTANA, CA – Fontana High School’s (FOHI) award-winning Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program, dedicated to ensuring students thrive after graduation, received the first-ever AVID 2025 Site Team of the Year award during the inaugural AVID Global Achievement Awards ceremony on Dec. 11.

The AVID Site Team award recognized FOHI for its outstanding contributions to the implementation and advancement of the AVID College and Career Readiness System.

“For FOHI, the AVID Global Achievement Award is an honor that showcases our commitment to excellence and the heart we put into supporting student achievement,” FOHI AVID coordinator and math teacher Dawn Costa said. “I’m so happy to see our team’s hard work be recognized.”

FOHI’s AVID program reaches beyond its own campus, shaping college-going culture through Golden Bell Award–winning initiatives like the AVID-inspired College Application Submit Day (CASD), which celebrates seniors as they take the next step toward four-year universities. FOHI launched its first Submit Day in 2014, inspiring similar events at Henry J. Kaiser, A.B. Miller, Summit, and Jurupa Hills high schools.

CASD reflects the presence of a college-going culture across FOHI, involving program leaders, staff, and students. FOHI clerk Adriana Gonzales, mother to a FOHI senior, fully understands college preparedness not only as a parent guiding her son to a thriving future, but as a staff member of the school.

“This is a first-time experience for both of us to be able to have my child apply for college,” Adriana said. “I’m excited for him and he has a bright future ahead of him.”

Since starting its AVID program more than 20 years ago, FOHI’s commitment to providing opportunities for underrepresented students to achieve their dream of attending college has netted them a series of honors, including being named an AVID National Demonstration School and AVID Site of Distinction.

The FOHI AVID site team has grown considerably over the years. Costa, who has taught AVID for 23 years, has seen former AVID students and FOHI graduates return as tutors and teachers, including AVID co-coordinator Kevin Escobar, a member of the Class of 2015, and AVID math teacher Mario Echeverria, Class of 2011, both of whom were mentored by Costa.

“Winning the first AVID Global Achievement Award is a powerful validation of the hard work, heart, and vision poured in every day by our remarkable team of dedicated educators,” FOHI Principal Joe Malatesta said. “Their commitment to transformational change has shaped not only our school community, but the futures of the students we serve.”

PHOTO CAPTIONS:

FUSD_AVIDGLOBALACHIEVEMENT1: FOHI administration and AVID staff receive the first-ever AVID 2025 Site Team of the Year award during the inaugural AVID Global Achievement Awards ceremony, held Dec. 11.

FUSD_AVIDGLOBALACHIEVEMENT2: FOHI administrative and AVID staff accepted the first-ever AVID 2025 Site Team of the Year award for their outstanding contributions to the implementation and advancement of the AVID College and Career Readiness System.