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Fontana Unified School District

  • Fontana Unified to Celebrate Renaming of O’Day Short Elementary School, Honor Family’s Legacy

    Fontana Unified will host a renaming ceremony as Randall Pepper Elementary School officially transitions to O’Day Short Elementary in the 2025-26 school year, honoring the O’Day Short Family, which is remembered for breaking Fontana’s color barrier 80 years ago. District middle school student Cyrus Moss championed the renaming of O’Day Short Elementary. Moss submitted a petition with 132 signatures to rename Randall Pepper Elementary to the Fontana Unified Board of Education in March 2024. The Board unanimously voted to rename the school in September 2024 after all administrative regulations were met.

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  • Fontana Unified Aviation Program Helps Students Reach New Heights in Aerospace Careers

    From classroom simulations to real-world takeoffs, A.B. Miller High School’s career technical education (CTE) aviation program continues to soar, as students work toward earning their pilot’s licenses, complete major flight training milestones, and launch careers in the aerospace industry. Senior Jesse Cuba is set to earn his private pilot license this summer after completing a major milestone: his first solo flight. Cuba would be the fourth A.B. Miller student in the last three years to secure a private pilot license the summer of their senior year. The A.B. Miller aviation program is a two-year course offering pathways to several rewarding careers in aerospace. It serves as a flight training school and includes a pilot training class, an airline mechanic class, and a flight simulator lab.

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  • Fontana Unified Students to Compete on World Stage in International Robotics Championship

    Six Fontana Unified School District elementary and middle school students are preparing to showcase their teamwork, coding, and critical thinking skills on a world stage at the 2025 World Robot Olympiad Open Championships to be held in Panama this October. Mango Elementary School’s Luis P. and Roman H., West Randall Elementary’s Joey Santana, and Wayne Ruble Middle School’s Flora F., Angel F., and Ivanna V. all qualified to represent Team USA Robotics and the United States Engineering League (USEL) at the World Robot Olympiad. They will compete in the challenge-based “RoboMission” category in the elementary and junior divisions, respectively.

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Fontana Unified Elementary School Student Lifts Spirits, Supports Peers with Gift Card Fundraising Drive

Canyon Crest Elementary School fifth-grader Noah Walker wanted to do more to help families facing hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Initiating a community fundraiser, Walker raised approximately $650 and used it to purchase a variety of gift cards – including McDonalds, Target, and other food-related cards – for selected Canyon Crest families. The gift cards were distributed from March 29 to April 2, providing families in need with additional support.

Fontana Unified Opens Applications for Spanish Dual-Language Program

Fontana Unified School District is accepting applications for 2021-22 enrollment in its Spanish Dual-Language Immersion (DLI) program, which begins in kindergarten and is offered at Redwood Elementary School and Dolores Huerta International Academy. The DLI program aims to foster bilingualism and biliteracy, sociocultural competency and high levels of academic achievement. For more information, visit www.fusd.net/enrollment.

Fontana Unified Educator Named Redwood Elementary School Principal

Fontana Unified educator Jorge Arauz has been named principal of Redwood Elementary School, bringing 21 years of experience to the role. Arauz takes the helm at Redwood Elementary School after serving as an assistant principal in the District for nearly five years. He was instrumental in bringing new educational opportunities to Southridge Tech Middle School, aiding in its transformation into a Microsoft Showcase School and furthering the school’s candidacy to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme. Arauz’s efforts to engage students in a globally focused education and celebrate multiculturalism and diversity will continue at Redwood Elementary, which offers a Spanish Dual-Language Immersion program.

Fontana Unified Elementary School to Provide Students with Plush Therapy Tools, Bolster Personal Connection

Almond Elementary School showed appreciation to students and families on March 31, presenting them with therapy dolls designed to provide comfort and reestablish much-needed personal connections. Every Almond student received a Mimbleball, a five-inch round polyester doll with button eyes and long acrylic hair, that helps relieve stress and anxiety and can be enjoyed by all age groups. The Mimbleballs were distributed during the school’s weekly meal distribution, with principal Tim McCaffrey greeting students dressed as a giant Mimbleball.

Fontana Unified Student Supports Peers with Gift Card Fundraising Drive

Canyon Crest Elementary School fifth-grader Noah Walker wanted to do more to help families facing hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Initiating a community fundraiser, Walker raised approximately $650 and used it to purchase a variety of gift cards – including McDonald’s, Target, and other food-related cards – for families in need. The gift cards will be distributed to families beginning Monday, March 29 and continue throughout the week. Canyon Crest Elementary is at 11851 Cherry Ave., Fontana.

Fontana Unified Career Technical Education Students Go for the Gold in SkillsUSA Competition, Advance to State Contest

Summit High School career technical education (CTE) students delivered impressive performances at the SkillsUSA Region 6 2021 Virtual Leadership and Skill Conference, earning 15 gold medals and sending 46 students to the state finals, to be held in April. From entrepreneurship and cyber security to pin design, Summit students rose to the challenge of the virtual format, medaling or placing in 17 separate categories. Medalists included Aaron Vera, Emma Hernandez, Natalia Ramirez and Jade Centeno, who captured gold in Entrepreneurship for their startup app Wisteria, a healthcare platform that allows users to access a wide range of mental health services and resources, with the goal of increasing equity in mental health resources for underrepresented populations.

Fontana Unified Administrators Honored by ACSA Region 12 for Excellence in Leadership

Fontana Unified School District administrators were honored for excellence in leadership by the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Region 12 Board of Directors, earning 2021 ACSA Administrator Awards. The FUSD honorees are Almeria Middle School Principal Kim Bente, Middle Grades Principal of the Year; Director of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) Ayesha Brooks, Student Services Administrator of the Year; Director of Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Michael Garcia, Valuing Diversity Administrator of the Year; Fontana High School Assistant Principal Marissa Quintero, Secondary Co-administrator of the Year; and Dolores Huerta International Academy Assistant Principal Janet Rivera, Elementary Co-administrator of the Year.

Fontana Unified Approves Plan to Resume In-Person Instruction for Elementary Students in April

Fontana Unified School District has approved a phased return to in-person instruction for elementary school students, with plans to welcome transitional kindergarteners through second-grade students back to campus on April 5 and grades three to five on April 12. The target return date was approved alongside a modified hybrid instructional model, which would consist of three cohorts of students, by the Board of Education during a March 3 special meeting.

Fontana Unified Middle School Student Recognized for Leadership with ACSA Every Student Succeeding Award

Sequoia Middle School eighth-grader Matthew Barrera was recognized by the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Region 12 Board of Directors with the 2021 Every Student Succeeding Award, celebrating his academic achievement and leadership in the classroom. Barrera has risen to the challenges posed by the death of his mother when he was 11 years old and a relocation from Idaho to California to live with relatives, becoming a straight-A student and distance learning mentor. Barrera will receive a $1,000 scholarship and be recognized in the ACSA Region 12 online award ceremony in May.

Fontana Unified Elementary School to Bolster Personal Connections through Care Package, Teddy Bear Distribution

Redwood Elementary School counselor Eduardo Valencia has seen firsthand the socio-emotional toll that COVID-19 has taken on his students and their families, hearing countless stories of personal and financial loss that are causing students to disengage from their studies. To assist in providing comfort to Redwood families and to reestablish much-needed personal connections, Valencia and Redwood Elementary distributed teddy bears and care packages to every student, teacher, and staff member – 600 in all – during a weeklong, after-school event from Feb. 22-26.