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.
Laughter filled the Bonita Center for the Arts (BCA) as Ramona Middle School drama students took the stage for the school’s annual Comedy Improv Game Night, an evening full of quick thinking, teamwork, and confidence building.
The event, hosted on Oct. 17 by the Ramona Drama Society and Drama Society Parent Board, gave junior thespians a low-pressure opportunity to perform in front of their families and peers while building confidence and stage presence. Designed to welcome new students into the world of theater, the event featured multiple teams guided by student captains, who helped organize and lead the games each broken up by a series of monologues – creating a night that blended learning, leadership, and laughter.
Covina-Valley Unified will host its annual State of the District event, showcasing the District’s innovative programs and opportunities that prepare students for college, careers, and life. The event, emceed by Interim Superintendent Dr. Jonathan Blackmore, will feature a complimentary breakfast and the premiere of a showcase video celebrating the spirit, excellence, and dynamic offerings of Covina-Valley Unified.
El Monte Union High School District (EMUHSD) and two of its campuses—Arroyo High School and El Monte High School—have been recognized among California’s top-performing institutions, earning placement on the Educational Results Partnership’s (ERP) 2025 Honor Roll. The ERP Honor Roll recognizes schools and districts that consistently demonstrate high levels of student achievement, California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) scores, improvement over time, and reduced achievement gaps among historically underserved student populations. Approximately 21% of eligible districts statewide earned this distinction in 2025.
Fontana High School’s (FOHI) Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (MCJROTC) marksmanship team has begun the 2025 National Sporter Air Rifle League season with precision and focus, securing four consecutive wins and maintaining its standing among the nation’s leading teams. Guided by coach LtCol Denny Meelarp, Fontana MCJROTC has earned a reputation for consistent excellence, qualifying for the national championships four years in a row and routinely placing among the top seven teams nationwide. The program emphasizes discipline, technique, and student independence, with Meelarp encouraging cadets to take ownership of their training.
When eighth-grader Lily Morales set her sights on reviving the cheer program at Traweek Middle School, she sparked a movement that led to the school’s first Pep Squad in 20 years, giving students new opportunities to lead, connect, and build school pride. When new teacher Heaven Velasquez introduced herself to her classes last school year and mentioned her lifelong cheer experience, Morales, a seventh-grader at the time, saw an opportunity.
Bonita Unified ProStart culinary students rubbed elbows with some of the top executive chefs and restauranteurs in the state as they displayed their award-winning skills at the California Restaurant Foundation’s (CRF) biggest fundraiser of the year, The Grateful Table, which raised nearly $300,000 to support California Cares, a relief fund for California restaurant workers. Held in September at the Del Mar Racetrack, The Grateful Table saw ProStart students from San Dimas and Bonita high schools work side by side with many renowned California chefs, including guest of honor Guy Fieri, to prepare a gourmet meal while BUSD ProStart alumni worked the front of the house, providing an exquisite experience for the event’s VIP guests and donors. San Dimas and Bonita were the only schools chosen to participate in this year’s event.
