Fontana Unified School District Superintendent Randal S. Bassett will retire effective Aug. 1, 2022, bringing to a close an illustrious career in which he dedicated more than 25 years to fostering innovation and high levels of achievement in the District. Bassett, who has nearly 30 years of management experience in education, was appointed to the District’s top position in December 2016. During his time in Fontana Unified, Bassett also served as interim superintendent, associate superintendent of business services and chief technology officer.
Fontana Unified’s television production students eagerly took notes, snapped photos and asked questions as New York film director Michael Marantz transformed their school campuses into hazy, dramatically lit sets, gaining industry insight as a team of professionals produced a video celebrating the empowerment of Fontana Unified students. The video, which will debut at the July 6 Board of Education meeting and be shown throughout the Fontana community during the 2022-23 school year, was filmed over four days in late May. The filming days served as a learning opportunity for the District’s television production students, who were invited to step behind the scenes and learn from Marantz and a professional film crew as they brought their creative vision to life.
Fontana Unified Media Students Gain Insight from Film Director
Fontana Unified’s television production students eagerly took notes, snapped photos and asked questions as film director Michael Marantz transformed their campuses into hazy, dramatically lit sets, gaining industry insight as a team of professionals produced a video celebrating the empowerment of Fontana Unified students. The film shoots, which took place over four days in late May, served as a learning opportunity for the District’s media students to step behind the scenes and watch as the filmmakers brought their creative vision to life. The video will debut at the July 6 Board of Education meeting and be shown throughout the Fontana community during the 2022-23 school year.
Fontana Unified Offers Robust Early Learning Program for 2022-23
Families looking to jumpstart their children’s education can enroll in Fontana Unified School District’s Early Learning program – which includes preschool, pre-kindergarten and transitional kindergarten classes – for the 2022-23 school year, which begins Wednesday, Aug. 3. The classes, designed for children ages three to five who are not currently enrolled in the District, introduce students to the concept of daily schooling and prepare them socially, emotionally and academically for kindergarten. To learn how to enroll an incoming student into one of FUSD’s Early Learning programs, visit www.fusd.net/enrollment. For more information regarding the Early Learning programs, visit www.fusd.net/preschool.
Families looking to jumpstart their children’s education can enroll in Fontana Unified School District’s Early Learning program – which includes preschool, pre-kindergarten and transitional kindergarten classes – for the 2022-23 school year, which begins Wednesday, Aug. 3. The classes, designed for children ages three to five who are not currently enrolled in the District, introduce students to the concept of daily schooling and prepare them socially, emotionally and academically for kindergarten.
.B. Miller High School Class of 2022 graduate Kassandra Hernandez has been dancing for as long as she can remember. Growing up, Hernandez swayed to the rhythm of the cumbia and bachata music she heard at home. At A.B. Miller High, Hernandez’s talents were nurtured to their full potential, culminating in her being selected for the school’s exclusive Conservatory of Dance as a junior. Having mastered a number of dance styles – including jazz, hip-hop, modern and ballet – Hernandez’s long hours of practice were rewarded when she was selected as a National Honor Society for the Dance Arts (NHSDA) 2022 Dance Scholar, one of approximately 160 high school seniors from across the country honored by the NHSDA this year.
Fontana Unified’s five comprehensive high schools have been recognized among the top-performing public high schools in the state and country for their academic success and college readiness efforts, earning inclusion in the 2022 Best High Schools rankings by U.S. News & World Report. A.B. Miller, Fontana, Henry J. Kaiser, Jurupa Hills and Summit high schools earned high rankings among approximately 1,603 high schools in California – placing among the top 30 percent of schools. Each high school celebrated a graduation rate of 94 percent or higher.
A.B. Miller High School Class of 2022 graduate Carolina Gonzalez Ceja is no longer a Fontana Unified student, but she will continue to represent her alma mater in the halls of Congress after her artwork was voted as the California 35th Congressional District’s winning entry in the 2022 Congressional Art Competition. Gonzalez Ceja’s oil painting, “The Mirror That Stings,” will be included in an exhibit housed at the U.S. Capitol building, along with artwork from every congressional district in the United States, for the next year.
Fontana High School’s Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program achieved a 97 percent pass rate for the state board exam during the 2021-22 school year, an accomplishment that qualifies students to join the workforce as they pursue higher education and advanced career opportunities in the medical field. Offered through the Patient Care career technical education pathway at FOHI, the program provides hands-on training at nursing facilities, offers the opportunity to earn credit at Chaffey College, and prepares students to earn state certification. Many Class of 2022 graduates will further their education by attending college in the fall, building on the skills they learned in the CNA program as they pursue a variety of careers in medicine.
An arena full of family and friends cheered as colorful streamers fluttered through the air, marking the milestone achievement as Fontana Unified’s Class of 2022 graduates turned their tassels during spirited commencement ceremonies, held at Toyota Arena in Ontario from May 25 to 27. Fontana Unified honored graduates from its five comprehensive high schools, two continuation schools and adult school with energetic ceremonies, featuring passionate speeches from standout students, joyful renditions of the schools’ alma maters, and fist bumps and hugs as graduates thanked their teachers. The Class of 2022 includes high-performing students who are headed to prestigious institutions across the country – including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, UC Berkeley, UCLA and Cornell University – as well as graduates enlisting in the armed forces and entering the professional world. Photos are available.
