Fontana Unified Set to Host Second Annual Student Film Festival
Fontana Unified School District student filmmakers will showcase their craft during the District’s second annual Film Festival at 5 p.m., Thursday, May 2, at Steelworkers’ Auditorium. The event showcases standout student films that illustrate the growth of FUSD’s career technical education TV Production pathways. Awards will be presented in categories ranging from Avant Garde to screenwriting, and feature genres including live-action dramas and news reports. Steelworkers' Auditorium is located at 8437 Sierra Ave., Fontana.
Eric Birch High School earned its first-ever Model Continuation School designation from the California Department of Education for its alternative programming designed to empower at-promise youth to pursue academic and personal success. Birch High joined an esteemed list of 31 schools to secure Model Continuation School status in 2024. Model Continuation Schools retain their designation for three years and will be formally recognized during the 2024 California Continuation Education Association Plus State Conference in Los Angeles on April 25-28.
Summit High School senior Nicole Bell aspires to reshape the landscape of the film and television industry one day and pursue a career where she can champion Black representation and contribute to fostering positive diversity and inclusion in the industry. Bell's leadership qualities and goal to blaze trails for the Black community led to her being recognized and receiving a $1,000 grant during a virtual Celebrating Black Success event on Feb. 24. She currently serves as co-director of SkyHawk Productions, Summit High’s TV Production program, where she is exploring potential career pathways where she can make an impact in film and television.
Summit High School’s cheer team continued its historic run of success with standout postseason performances, which included the SkyHawks winning both a regional and national championship this season. Summit High won the program’s fifth straight and 10th overall United Spirit Association Spirit Nationals title in Anaheim during the Feb. 16-18 competition after taking home their third straight and fourth overall California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section division championship this postseason.
Surrounded by cheering students, Chaparral Academy of Technology teacher Alexandra Cruz was surprised when Fontana Unified School District administrators and colleagues came into her classroom carrying a bouquet of flowers and a sign to announce she had been named the 2023-24 District Teacher of the Year on Feb. 20. Cruz was recognized as the FUSD Teacher of the Year for her dedication to supporting both her students and colleagues, along with her engaging classroom lessons and how she has embraced new technology in the classroom.
A.B. Miller High School junior Setsianna Kraynak showcases an unrelenting drive and dedication in everything she does, from competing on the Rebels’ girls wrestling and basketball teams to her work in the classroom. She is regarded as one of A.B. Miller’s top scholars with a 4.0 GPA, and is standout performer both on the mat and the court, where she has earned a combined total of six All-Mountain Valley League honors in wrestling and basketball.
After months of planning, Fontana Unified has launched esports teams at Fontana and Summit high schools for the 2024 seasons operating under the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Esports Initiative. The CIF Esports Initiative aims to connect video gameplay and competition to educational opportunities to make high school esports a place where students prepare for global career opportunities as well as competition. Esports is also creating stronger connections at each school site in Fontana Unified, with 33 students currently rostered on Fontana Unified’s two esports teams.
Three teams of students in Fontana High School’s Bio-Animatronic and Neuroprosthetic career technical education pathway earned special recognition in the International Technology and Engineering Educators’ (ITEEA) REACH Challenge. The REACH Challenge is a nationwide design thinking project that tasks students with creating a viable technological solution to help members of their community thrive. Two Fontana High teams secured semifinalist honors in the REACH Challenge, while a third earned special recognition. All three Fontana High teams were offered discounted registration to ITEAA’s 86th Annual Conference, held on March 6-9 in Memphis.
Fontana Unified School District honored the rich contributions of African and African American heritage and fostered a spirit of excellence in a series of classroom and community activities celebrating Black History Month in February. The District’s second annual Black History Month celebration kicked off on Feb. 3 with a “Harmony in Heritage and Knowledge” event, and concluded on Feb. 28 with a Black History Month Elementary Excellence Awards ceremony. Both events showcased the talents of District students through live performances and displays of their artistic and academic creations. The District also honored its Black scholars during each event, bringing them on stage to receive awards for their academic or artistic excellence.
Fontana Unified School District has appointed three new administrators and a school principal, continuing a transformative first full year under Superintendent Miki R. Inbody. At the District level, FUSD has named Glenn Alegre as Chief Technology and Digital Integration Officer, Jonathan Dunn as Executive Director of Fiscal Services and Tammy Fleming as Director of the Multi-Tiered System of Supports – Academic. The District also selected Monique Martinez to serve as the new Juniper Elementary School principal.
