Move over, Cannes and Sundance: Fontana Unified is set to challenge these internationally acclaimed destinations for cinema lovers by hosting its first-ever districtwide Fontana Film Festival on Friday, May 5. Open to all Fontana Unified K-12 students and alumni, the film festival will showcase the emerging talents of TV Production and film students from all corners of the city. The festival will be held at 6 p.m. at Steelworkers Auditorium, located at 1555 Summit Ave., Fontana.
Summit High School’s instrumental and vocal music programs blew the judges away with their melodious sounds at the Heritage Festival hosted by WorldStrides on March 24, earning them multiple awards and placements. Summit’s Madrigal Choir earned a silver medal in the chamber choir category, putting on a strong performance in their first year of participating in the festival. The Wind Ensemble and Advanced Orchestra groups won 3A division national titles, both earning the Adjudicator award for scoring above 95%. Additionally, the Advanced Orchestra took home the sweepstakes title in the orchestral division for the second year in a row, indicating they received the highest score of any competing orchestra.
Santa Fe High School senior and student leader Christian Sanchez has become a prominent figure on campus for his tenacity and commitment to fostering a sense of community amongst his peers, as well as his unwavering dedication to creating unforgettable experiences for those around him. As a member of Santa Fe High School’s Associated Student Body (ASB), Sanchez's contributions to the school's social and academic life are undeniable, as he sometimes spends his weekends tirelessly preparing for student activities and assemblies. While juggling his ASB responsibilities, Sanchez has managed to complete 25 honors and Advanced Placement credits in the span of three semesters. For his motivation to be a student leader and his numerous academic achievements, Sanchez was recognized by the Whittier Union Board of Trustees with an Award of Merit during its April 11 Board meeting.
Fontana Unified to Hold Third Annual STEM Showcase for Community
Fontana Unified School District will hold its third annual STEM Showcase from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 29 at Summit High School, providing families with a fun, interactive look at the District’s STEM programs, student projects and more. This year’s event, themed “CSI: Cultivating STEM Innovations,” will feature activities and demonstrations in aviation, computing, programming, and robotics, as well as a planetarium. Summit High School is located at 15551 Summit Ave., Fontana.
Fontana Unified School District and the City of Fontana are partnering with community stakeholders to create a Community Round Table, giving residents and local leaders the opportunity to come together to address concerns and seek solutions that support diversity, inclusivity and compassion throughout Fontana. The joint effort to foster a more cohesive, respectful sense of community was announced following a recent exchange between a Fontana Unified student and teacher, related to the use of a racially insensitive word, that was recorded and shared on social media.
Citrus High School student-athletes hit all the big shots and showed all the right moves during an inspiring 2023 basketball season that saw the team go undefeated with a 13-0 record, on their way to the Inland Empire Alternative Schools League (IEASL) championship. The Jaguars dominated their competition, outscoring them 686 to 337 during their unbeaten streak, highlighted by a stifling defense that on two separate occasions held their opponents to 16 points. This is the second year in a row that a Fontana Unified school has won the IEASL title, following Eric Birch High School’s championship season in 2022.
When Kaiser High School senior Matthew Basilio was in middle school, he was asked to make a tough choice: to continue to play the clarinet, which he had studied since elementary school, or take up the bass clarinet. Basilio’s decision to switch instruments catapulted him into the upper stratosphere of music performers. This year, Basilio was selected to perform with the California Band Directors Association All-State High School Honor Concert Band – becoming the first Kaiser High musician in school history to earn the honor, which included being named first chair bass clarinetist.
Jurupa Hills High School TV Production students Kira Flores and Eddie Lopez rose early every Saturday for months so that they could film students participating in the Fontana Leadership Intervention Program (FLIP), a 16-week enrichment camp for at-promise teenagers. Originally looking to provide a short video for a FLIP graduation ceremony, Flores and Lopez realized they had enough compelling footage to produce a standalone documentary, “FLIP,” that tracks the personal journey of several FLIP students as they learn life skills through the program. “FLIP” was one of three Spartan TV Production videos to be screened at the San Bernardino Valley College 2023 International Student Film Festival in early March, and received four award nominations.
Fontana Unified to Host Inaugural Film Festival for K-12 Students
Fontana Unified School District will host its first-ever Film Festival, providing K-12 students with the opportunity to express their creativity, develop their artistic and technical skills and showcase their work among their peers. The festival, to be held at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 5 at Steelworkers Auditorium, invites students of all ages to submit entries in a variety of genres, including narrative/live action drama, sports video, comedy, avant-garde, news story/feature piece and more. Fifteen videos will receive awards at the festival. Steelworkers Auditorium is located at 1555 Summit Ave., Fontana. For more information, visit https://filmfreeway.com/FUSDFilmFestival.
Fontana Unified Students to Graduate from Kaiser Internship Program
Fontana Unified School District students have spent the last five weeks networking and exploring potential careers in healthcare through the Kaiser Permanente Internship Program at the Fontana Medical Center. Thirty-seven A.B. Miller High School Health Services Academy seniors, who interned at Kaiser Permanente’s Fontana Medical Center in February and March, will receive a certificate of completion and letter of recommendation during a graduation ceremony at 3 p.m. on Monday, March 27 at the Kaiser Fontana Medical Center, 9961 Sierra Ave., Fontana.
