Monica Jauregui, an English Language Development (ELD) teacher at Harry S. Truman Middle School, shares a similar background with her students: her parents immigrated to the United States when they were in grade school, not knowing any English, and Jauregui herself was an English learner. Her experiences fuel her to ensure students of all backgrounds can thrive, leading her to take on multiple roles as an English Language Learner (ELL) monitor and Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Excel teacher.
Fontana High School’s (FOHI) General Construction Career Technical Education (CTE) Pathway students will debut their custom-built float “Believe in the Magic of Learning” for the 2025 “I Believe in Magic” Fontana Christmas Parade. Students spent more than a month planning, designing, and constructing the float as part of their hands-on CTE coursework. District administrators, Board of Education members, and student board representatives will ride the float during the parade.
Fontana Unified Class of 2026 graduates who are undecided about where they will attend college now have one guaranteed option: California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB). CSUSB’s Direct Admit Program guarantees admission to the school for all eligible seniors who have completed their A-G admission and grade-point average requirements. Fontana Unified is one of six San Bernardino County school districts to participate in the partnership with CSUSB, which was announced in September. The program aims to increase college enrollment by removing obstacles in the application process.
Fontana Unified School District is celebrating the success of their Advanced Placement (AP) Capstone program students, with 34 scholars earning the prestigious AP Capstone diploma during the 2024-25 school year, and six receiving an AP Seminar and Research Certificate. AP Capstone graduates demonstrate exceptional research, writing, and critical thinking skills by completing a two-year, college-level program that includes AP Seminar, AP Research, and four additional AP courses of their choice. This achievement signals to colleges and universities that these students are well prepared for rigorous, interdisciplinary work and are highly motivated scholars. Certificates are awarded to students who successfully complete AP Seminar and AP Research courses without taking the additional exams.
Fontana High School’s (FOHI) boys water polo team made history when it earned its first-ever CIF Division 5 Championship, clinching the title with a thrilling 15-11 win over Baldwin Park High School on Nov. 15. After years of dominating the San Andreas League, FOHI had its breakthrough year in CIF, led by a poised group of seniors determined to graduate with a legacy of winning. FOHI’s 2025 boys water polo team is made up almost entirely of seniors who have played together for years, inspiring a close collaboration and generating a confidence that helped them stay sharp through five tough rounds of a CIF tournament.
Hundreds of Fontana Unified seniors took charge of their futures during a series of College Application Submit Days (CASD) held throughout the District, culminating with a final event at Fontana High School (FOHI) on Nov. 20. FOHI was the first to launch CASD, which was recently honored with a Golden Bell Award, and builds on the school’s Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) college-prep program. FOHI senior Jimena Lopez submitted eight college applications: four to University of California campuses, and four to California State universities, with plans to study either forensic psychology or psychology. She said that her passion for the field comes from advocating for those she cares about, including her family, her varsity basketball teammates, and classmates.
The Fontana Unified School District Police Department (FSPD), in partnership with San Bernardino Unified School District, will host its School Safety Symposium on Monday, Nov. 24, bringing together District and school administrators to safety protocols, share best practices, and strengthen collaboration across departments and agencies. The symposium will feature FSPD-led presentations on critical topics impacting schools, including social media and search warrants, human trafficking, fentanyl safety, and identification. The event will include a debrief from Rialto Unified School District representatives on recent emergency response testing to enhance coordination among multiple agencies to ensure a quick, streamlined response is activated during an actual incident.
Fontana Unified School District Police Department (FSPD), in partnership with San Bernardino Unified, brought together Southern California school district administrators for its Safety Symposium on Nov. 24, providing an opportunity to strengthen partnerships throughout the area and share strategies for maintaining safe and supportive learning environments. The symposium, last held in 2021, hosted 69 members of the school policing community and school district staff from Indio to La Puente and San Diego, featuring a full day of presentations covering current issues impacting schools, including social media and search warrants, human trafficking, fentanyl safety and identification, cannabis and juvenile laws, and building relationships with school administration.
Nearly 800 Fontana Unified special education students were celebrated in October with Achievement Awards recognizing their determination and commitment to learning, presented by the District’s Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) and Community Advisory Committee (CAC). FUSD special education teachers and staff select the students, from early childhood through age 22, to receive Certificates of Achievement and gift vouchers to local diners including Applebee’s, B.J.’s, and Shakey’s, for their outstanding effort at school.
The Jurupa Hills High School Players of the Palace have come a long way since staging their first performance, “Sleepy Hollow,” in the campus foyer for the school’s inaugural Harvest Festival in 2010. Now the award-winning program will come full circle with a 15th anniversary celebration, debuting a new version of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” on Friday, Nov. 14 at Jurupa Hills’ state-of-the-art Palace of Fine Art Theatre. The new version of “Sleepy Hollow” was written by drama teacher and show director James Griffin, a Fontana High Class of 1994 graduate, and will incorporate the elaborate sets, handcrafted costumes, and student-designed effects that Players of the Palace supporters have enjoyed over the years.
