Dolores Huerta International Academy sixth-grade Spanish dual-language immersion teacher Ashley Silva is constantly looking for new approaches to blend STEAM concepts into the school’s transdisciplinary International Baccalaureate curriculum. Silva, who models herself after Ms. Frizzle from “The Magic School Bus” TV series, will have the opportunity to expand her teaching skills after being accepted to the Teacher Innovator Institute professional development program, to be held in July at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. She is among just 10 teachers in the U.S. accepted to the program this year.
Henry J. Kaiser High School senior Amitoj Lobana – an exceptional 16-year-old student-athlete with a passion for helping others – has been recognized as a 2022 Gates Scholar. The honor comes with an all-expense-paid scholarship and is awarded to 300 students in the nation each year. Lobana, who skipped ahead two grade levels prior to entering Kaiser High, has also earned a full scholarship to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He plans to study computer science and pursue his goal of bringing a better quality of life to underrepresented communities.
A tight-knit group of Fontana High School MCJROTC cadets are making a name for themselves as marksmen after taking top honors at two regional air rifle competitions in Arizona and Utah and qualifying for two national championship contests. FOHI veteran cadets made a clean sweep at the inaugural Arizona 3-Position (3-P) Air Rifle State Championship in April. The cadets took first and second place in team events and placed first through sixth among individuals, qualifying four cadets to advance to the NRA 3P Air Rifle National Championship in July. The entire FOHI veteran marksmanship team qualified for the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) Nationals and Junior Olympics with a sixth-place finish at the CMP Western Regionals.
Wielding a set of bolt cutters and cheered on by District officials and community members, Fontana High School senior Miranda Ordoñez cut through a chain stretched across a campus hallway, marking the grand opening of the world’s first Bio Animakerspace on April 25. Created through a partnership with Garner Holt Education Through Imagination, the Bio Animakerspace provides an environment where students can explore how medical science, engineering, robotics, manufacturing and automation work together to create solutions to medical and public health challenges.
Jurupa Hills High School TV Production students received the red-carpet treatment at the San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC) International Film Festival, taking star turns and garnering accolades after screening more than a dozen videos representing the best work from their Television Production III (TV3) class in the 2021-22 year. The SBVC Film Festival, held March 31 to April 2, recognized three videos – “Impractical Spartan Tie Breaker,” “JHHS Killer,” and “Spartan TV Intro” – as official film festival selections, rewarding months of hard work put in by students in Jurupa Hills’ TV/Film career technical education pathway.
An inspired team of seven Fontana High School carpentry students amazed judges and competitors alike after capturing second place in the Construction Industry Education Foundation’s 37th annual Design Build competition, held April 6 and 7 at the Orange County Fair & Event Center. The FOHI students, with only five months of carpentry instruction to guide them, outpaced more experienced teams with twice the number of builders, gaining many admirers in the field of 17 high schools and community colleges from across Southern California.
Fontana Unified to Honor Retired Coach, Hold Field Renaming Ceremony
A.B. Miller High School will hold a ceremony at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 7 to celebrate the renaming of its varsity baseball field as the Frank Martinez Field. The renaming honors the retired physical education teacher who served as A.B. Miller’s first baseball coach, leading the team to 11 league championships and guiding a generation of students to athletic and academic success. A.B. Miller High School is located at 6821 Oleander Ave., Fontana.
Fontana Unified High School Seniors Receive $20,000 Dell Scholarships
Jose Martinez and Jimmy Salvador Contreras – two Fontana High School seniors with a passion for serving others and bettering their community – will further their education with the help of a $20,000 scholarship from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. Martinez and Salvador Contreras are among 500 students nationwide to be named 2022 Dell Scholars. From the moment they set foot on Fontana High School’s campus, both students embraced the learning opportunities and resources available to them, including AVID, athletics and Advanced Placement courses. Martinez will head to UC Berkeley in the fall to study political science, and Salvador Contreras will attend UCLA, where he intends to major in applied mathematics and minor in computer science.
Fontana Unified to Host Ribbon-Cutting for Bio Animakerspace
Fontana Unified School District will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the world’s first Bio Animakerspace from 4 to 6 p.m. on Monday, April 25. Housed at Fontana High School and created through a partnership with Garner Holt Education Through Imagination, the Bio Animakerspace provides an environment where students can explore how medical science, engineering, robotics, manufacturing and automation can work together to create solutions to medical and public health challenges. The ceremony will be held at 9453 Citrus Ave., Fontana.
Fontana High School junior David Muñoz-Padilla will serve as Fontana’s Unified’s Board of Education student representative in 2022-23, putting his passion for education and advocacy into action and providing a voice for thousands of students. Muñoz-Padilla was selected from a pool of five finalists during the April 13 Board of Education special meeting. Muñoz-Padilla has embraced Fontana High School’s variety of extracurriculars and is engaged in his community – competing in cross country and track and field, serving in in a variety of clubs, and dedicating his spare time to the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization, the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council, the Young Legislators program and more.
