When Jurupa Hills High School Class of 2021 graduate Jennifer Ibarra was young, she used to play teacher with her mom and stuffed animals, dreaming of someday having her own classroom. Ibarra’s love for teaching continued to develop as she grew into an academic leader at school and a Class of 2021 International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma candidate. Ibarra’s path to her dream career has become more financially secure thanks to a $10,000 scholarship from the James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund, which will help fund her studies at UC Riverside. The fund awards scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 to high school seniors who plan to attend a four-year college or university and are the children or financial dependents of Teamster members.
A.B. Miller High School Class of 2021 graduate Luzmila Munoz has been named a Dell Scholar by the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, an honor that comes with a $20,000 scholarship to support her dream of higher education. Munoz is a first-generation, college-bound Latina student who has a 4.46 GPA and has completed eight Advanced Placement classes, six Honors classes and eight dual-enrollment college classes. She plans to attend UC San Diego and major in computer science and engineering.
Fontana Unified Theater Students Advance to International Festival
Summit High School sister duo Vanessa and Victoria Reyes will represent Fontana Unified at the International Thespian Festival – held Tuesday, June 22 to Friday, June 25 – following dynamic, highly honored theatrical performances during the California State Thespian Festival. Vanessa, a rising senior and Victoria, a Class of 2021 graduate, diligently crafted virtual performances that earned superior markings from the judges during the state competition, exceeding all requirements and performing at an “above standard” quality. Vanessa and Victoria share a love of the arts that has flourished at Summit High School, inspiring Victoria to remain involved in local theater after graduation and Vanessa to pursue a career as a voice actor.
Fontana Unified School District was recognized as a state leader in the field of cybersecurity education during the inaugural Inland Empire (IE) Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Symposium, held virtually on May 24. The symposium brought together local leaders from IE business and academic sectors to pledge support for an apprenticeship initiative that can be replicated in regions across the state. Summit High School junior Gabriel Navarro spoke to business and academic leaders about the importance of building a skilled local workforce through apprenticeships. As an integral member of Summit’s cybersecurity team, Navarro has helped lead the team to gold medals in events such as the Mayor’s Cup and SkillsUSA.
Fontana Unified School District is welcoming families to ParentSquare, a secure, all-in-one communications tool that will keep them more connected than ever to their children’s teachers, schools and District announcements. ParentSquare, which will fully launch in Fontana Unified at the start of the 2021-22 year, will support District efforts to streamline communication. The platform will provide employees and families with a single platform for all updates from the District, schools, classrooms and school activity groups.
Summit High School sister duo Vanessa and Victoria Reyes will represent Fontana Unified at the International Thespian Festival this summer, following dynamic, highly honored theatrical performances during the California State Thespian Festival. Vanessa and Victoria – in their junior and senior years at Summit, respectively – diligently crafted virtual performances that earned superior markings from the judges during the state competition, exceeding all requirements and performing at an “above standard” quality. Vanessa and Victoria share a love of the arts that has flourished at Summit High School, inspiring Victoria to remain involved in local theater after graduation and Vanessa to pursue a career as a voice actor.
Two Fontana High School seniors enrolled in the college-prep elective Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) received scholarships worth $1,500 to ease their transition into higher education, thanks to the Riverside Inyo Mono San Bernardino (RIMS) AVID Scholarship Program. Fatima Kamara and Michelle Navarrete Vega are first-generation college students who joined Fontana High’s AVID program as freshmen, using the program to develop study skills, learn about the college application process, access scholarship opportunities, and immerse themselves in a college-going culture. Kamara will attend Yale University and study political science, and Navarrete Vega will attend UCLA and major in computer science.
Fontana Unified’s five comprehensive high schools have been listed among the top-performing public high schools in the state and country, according to the 2021 Best High Schools rankings by U.S. News and World Report. A.B. Miller, Fontana, Henry J. Kaiser, Jurupa Hills, and Summit high schools earned high rankings among approximately 1,675 high schools in California, celebrating their strong academic performance and college-prep programs. Each high school celebrated a graduation rate of 91% or higher. Fontana Unified offers a Districtwide college and career readiness program, providing students with rigorous courses and hands-on learning experiences that increase access to post-secondary education and employment opportunities.
National Leadership and Skills Conference in June after earning gold medals during the California SkillsUSA finals, leading an effort that saw 13 Summit competitors win gold, silver or bronze medals. During the state finals, held virtually in April, Summit senior Christian Magana and junior Vincent Caudillo took gold medals in Cybersecurity, an event that saw Summit teams sweep the top four positions. Summit juniors Harsh Patel and Elijah Walker took gold in Robotics and Automation Technology. The winning teams were forged from two of Summit’s signature CTE pathways, Mechatronics and Ethical Hacking.
Twenty-three Fontana Unified students were honored for their excellence and commitment to furthering their education during the annual Upward Bound banquet, held virtually this year on May 7. Fontana Unified offers the Upward Bound program in partnership with Chaffey College, aiming to increase the rate of students who complete high school and enroll in and graduate from college. When enrolled in Upward Bound, students from A.B. Miller and Fontana high schools benefit from resources and services that include: one-on-one advising and support in academics, college and career planning; weekly tutoring from current Chaffey College students; detailed guidance during their senior year on college applications, financial aid, scholarships and college housing; and more.
