Fontana Unified will showcase student talents throughout the event by displaying student art that centers around their celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month and through cultural performances from nine different schools. Students from Hemlock Elementary, Dolores Huerta International Academy and Summit High School will provide musical performances, while students from Redwood Elementary; Fontana and Southridge Tech middle Schools; and Fontana, Jurupa Hills and Henry J. Kaiser high schools will perform dances. Local group Mariachi Tierra Caliente will also perform during the event. Fontana Unified’s Global Studies Department provides students with opportunities to explore the contributions, opinions, stories and daily lives of people from diverse backgrounds throughout history year-round. The District hosts celebrations for Native American Indigenous Peoples Month in November, Black History Month in February, Arab American Heritage Month in April and Asian American-Native Hawaiian-Pacific Island Heritage Month in May.
Fontana Unified Named Semifinalist in National Career Z Challenge
Fontana Unified School District’s plan to expand its work-based learning opportunities through the Future Shapers Academy (FSA) secured it a semifinalist spot in the U.S. Department of Education’s Career Z Challenge. Fontana Unified is one of two school districts in California and 81 nationwide to be named a semifinalist in the $2.5 million multi-phase prize competition. The District will receive assistance and a monetary prize from the federal government for launching the FSA, a systemic work-based learning ecosystem within its career technical education program, in 2023-24.
Fontana Unified to Host Hispanic/Latinx Month Cultural Celebration
Fontana Unified School District will host a Hispanic/Latinx Month Cultural Celebration at Fontana High School from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14 to commemorate how those communities have influenced and contributed to American society at large. The event will include mariachi, food trucks, guest speakers, arts and crafts, cultural performances and more. Fontana High School is located at 9453 Citrus Ave., Fontana.
The Summit High School Majorettes delivered their first dance routine backing the Summit High marching band during its Sept. 15 football game, with students, parents and staff roaring their approval as they watched an inspired performance of hip hop, jazz and modern dance in a debut that made history. The 27-student SkyHawk team is the first Majorette team in Fontana Unified history and the first organized high school team in the Inland Empire. The Majorettes began as a club during the 2022-23 school year, embracing dancing traditions that are hugely popular in the South and have been made famous by pioneering performers at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).
Fontana Unified School District’s plan to expand its work-based learning (WBL) opportunities shifted onto the fast track after it was one of two school districts in California and 81 nationwide to secure a semifinalist spot in the U.S. Department of Education’s Career Z Challenge, a $2.5 million multi-phase prize competition. Fontana Unified earned semifinalist honors in the inaugural Career Z Challenge for its proposal to launch the Future Shapers Academy (FSA), a systemic WBL ecosystem within its career technical education (CTE) program, in 2023-24. Through the Career Z Challenge, the federal government will provide FUSD with technical assistance, learning workshops, peer collaboration, and a monetary prize for rolling out the FSA during this school year.
Fontana Unified School District continued its seven-year streak of excellence in the annual California Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Coalition Awards for its success in fostering positive learning environments. Twenty-nine schools earned PBIS awards, including nine platinum accolades, to set a District record in total and platinum PBIS awards received in a single year.
Thousands of Fontana Unified students across all age groups weighed numerous possibilities for their futures as they researched different college and career opportunities at the Regional College and Career Fair on Sept. 20 and the United College Action Network, Inc. (U-CAN) Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU) Recruitment Fair on Sept. 21. The Regional College and Career Fair and U-CAN HBCU Recruitment Fair are collaborative educational efforts between multiple school districts and part of Fontana Unified School District’s efforts to boost college and career readiness by removing barriers and increasing access to information and financial support.
Approximately 35 Fontana Unified School District high school students partnered with a local general contractor, Final Touch Construction & Design, to assist with a four-day renovation project of a historic barn located in their own backyard at the Pepper Street Agricultural Museum. Students in Fontana Unified’s Career Connections program, a career technical education pathway in general construction offered at Citrus and Fontana high schools, assisted with the project, which took place from Sept. 20 to 23.
Fontana Unified Senior Secures Private Pilot’s License in CTE Pathway
A.B. Miller High School senior Johnny Hortua’s journey to realizing his dream of becoming a commercial airline pilot landed on a pivotal milestone when he secured his private pilot’s license in August. Hortua is the second student in Fontana Unified School District’s aviation career technical education pathway at A.B. Miller to earn his private pilot’s license in high school. Hortua completed flight training school, a pilot training class, airline mechanic class and attained a scholarship that covered the cost of his private pilot's license testing, which can run up to $10,000, from the Tom Wathen Center at Flabob Airport in Jurupa Valley through the A.B. Miller aviation program.
Fontana Unified School District will continue its partnership with Chaffey Joint Union High School District to cohost the annual Regional College and Career Fair and United College Action Network, Inc. (U-CAN) Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU) Recruitment Fair, which aim to increase awareness of and access to higher education opportunities. Collectively, the events will feature representatives from more than 80 colleges and universities from across the state and country, including Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State San Bernardino, Morehouse College, Pepperdine, Occidental, Spelman College, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara and Xavier University of Louisiana. The Regional College and Career Fair is open to K-12 students and families, and the U-CAN HBCU Recruitment Fair is open to high school juniors and seniors; admission is free for both fairs.
