Fontana Unified Receives Federal Grant for Mental Health Training
Recognizing a need to increase mental health awareness throughout the school district and community, Fontana Unified will begin a comprehensive mental health and wellness training initiative after being awarded a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services worth more than $400,000. The SAMSHA grant, which will be split over four years, will go to the District’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports department to fund specialized training in detecting the signs of mental illness so that District staff can respond in a timely manner to avert a mental health crisis. Training will also be provided to the community so that families can better identify early warning signs of mental illness.
Fontana Unified Selects Finalist Candidate for Superintendent
Following a nationwide search and a lengthy process of gathering input from District employees and community members, which included the review of 21 applicants recruited by Leadership Associates, the Fontana Unified District Board of Education has selected Miki Inbody as the finalist candidate for District superintendent. Inbody has deep ties to Fontana Unified, having attended schools and working as an administrator in the District. The Fontana Unified Board of Education will consider an offer of employment and contract at its Board meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 1. Inbody is currently the Assistant Superintendent of Education Support Services at San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools.
Fontana Unified Drama Program to Perform at CETA Theater Festival
The Kaiser High School Artistic and Theatrical Society (KATS) wowed judges and won numerous accolades for their repertory fall stage performances, and will perform two plays in their entirety at the California Educational Theater Association 2022-23 High School Theater Festival, to be held Friday, Jan. 13 to Sunday, Jan. 15 at Los Osos High School, 6001 Milliken Ave., Rancho Cucamonga. KATS will reprise their performances of “Mojada, a Medea in Los Angeles,” which earned a second-place finish and an invitation to perform on the festival’s main stage, and “Lazurus Rising,” which earned a ninth-place finish and will be performed on festival’s second stage.
Following a nationwide search and a lengthy process of gathering input from District employees and community members, which included the review of 21 applicants recruited by Leadership Associates, the Fontana Unified District Board of Education has selected Miki Inbody as the finalist to replace outgoing Superintendent Randal Bassett. Ms. Inbody has deep ties to Fontana Unified, having attended schools in the District and previously worked for the District. The Fontana Unified Board of Education will consider an offer of employment and contract at its regularly scheduled Board meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 1.
Fontana Unified School District students and families were treated to the sights, sounds and spirit of the holiday season as they received gifts and goodies from cheerful volunteers during the District’s 25th annual Fontana Santas event on Dec. 17. Almond Elementary principal Tim McCaffrey served as emcee for the event, playing upbeat holiday music and hyping up families from Fontana Unified’s elementary schools as they drove through the District office parking lot, receiving stuffed stockings, backpacks, books and school kits, a variety of non-perishable food items, stuffed animals and more. The final stop on the families’ journey was a visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus, who greeted students as volunteer elves hand-selected toys from a sleigh full of gifts.
Fontana Unified Students’ Creativity Displayed in City Art Showcase
Jurupa Hills High School seniors Danielle Turner, Kaitlin Cervantes and Daniela Garcia were selected to feature their art in the City of Fontana’s High School Artist Showcase, recognizing their creative talent, technique and conceptual skills. The exhibition at the Art Depot Gallery – which runs through Sunday, Jan. 8 – features more than 50 artworks of high school students throughout the city. Turner won the Best in Show award for her piece “Black Identity,” a mixed medium self portrait, symbolizing both the positive and negative history of Black people in America and highlighting elements of Black culture. Cervantes’ self portrait, “In All Directions,” won the Discipline and Innovation award for her representation of how anxiety feels. The Art Depot Gallery is located at 16822 Spring St., Fontana.
Jurupa Hills High School seniors Danielle Turner, Kaitlin Cervantes and Daniela Garcia were selected to feature their art in the City of Fontana’s High School Artist Showcase, recognizing their creative talent, technique and conceptual skills. The students were selected for the showcase – which runs through Sunday, Jan. 8 – by Aubry Grosso, who teaches International Baccalaureate (IB) Art at Jurupa Hills High School. The exhibition features more than 50 artworks of high school students throughout the city.
Cheered on by family, friends and community members, re-elected Fontana Unified Board of Education members Adam Perez, Mary Sandoval and Marcelino “Mars” Serna took the oath of office during the Board’s organizational meeting on Dec. 14. The District participated in its first by-trustee area election in 2022, which saw the community vote to keep intact the Board of Education that has served Fontana Unified since 2020. The Board of Education also held its annual organization of officers during the meeting, selecting Serna to serve as president and Perez as its vice president/clerk for 2023. Fontana Unified alumni Dr. Jennifer Quezada and Joe Armendarez complete the Board of Education.
Almeria Middle School Principal Felix Jones was named the IACUE 2022-23 Administrator of the Year, celebrating his vision to provide equity and social justice to all students through technology. Jones will receive his award during the IACUE Reimagine EDU Conference in January 2023. Jones, who grew up in Fontana and became Almeria’s principal in 2021, is an advocate of blended learning – a combination of in-person and computer-based learning – and making educators the facilitators of the learning experience. For Jones, the IACUE award reflects the hard work and dedication of the Almeria faculty and staff.
Canyon Crest Elementary School has been awarded a $9,200 Cultivating Innovation in STEM Schools (CISS) grant by San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools’ Alliance for Education, which will enable the school to add virtual reality to the STEM learning opportunities available in its Innovation Space. Canyon Crest Elementary is one of just 10 schools in the county to receive the grant. The CISS project, supported by funding from San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, provided the grants to elementary schools to help them create or enhance a STEM learning space that strengthens STEM instruction at the K-6 grade levels, as well as promote STEM career exploration.
