Fontana Unified School District will bid farewell to the Class of 2021 from Tuesday, June 8 to Thursday, June 10, honoring their achievements with socially distanced commencement ceremonies that allow for lively and safe celebrations. Fontana Unified will honor graduates with modified in-person ceremonies at the San Manuel Stadium, home to the minor-league Inland Empire 66ers baseball team, located at 280 S. E Street, San Bernardino.
Summit High School has been named a 2021 California Distinguished School, celebrating its success in boosting student achievement, attaining strong graduation rates and fostering college and career readiness. The California Distinguished School award is the state’s top honor for high-achieving schools. Given to 241 middle and high schools this year, the award recognizes schools for their excellent work in closing the achievement gap and achieving exceptional student performance.
Sequoia Middle School has been recognized in the 2021 California Schools to Watch program, celebrating its continued success in boosting student achievement, creating a positive campus culture, bridging the technology gap and reducing suspensions. Sequoia Middle School is among 31 high-performing California middle schools to be honored this year. First designated as a School to Watch in 2018, Sequoia was re-evaluated to retain the designation – a process that occurs every three years.
A.B. Miller High School Class of 2001 graduate Lourdes Alcaraz was so intent on learning photography that she would spend hours after school in the darkroom perfecting her images. Known to family and friends as “Lulu,” the skills Alcaraz acquired at A.B. Miller led to a successful career as a professional photographer, specializing in weddings and portraiture. Alcaraz was just hitting her stride as a professional when she was diagnosed with cancer and died in 2011. Family and friends gathered at A.B. Miller High’s fine arts building to pay tribute to her, dedicating a mural in Alcaraz’s honor on April 30.
Fontana Unified STEM students showcased their talent for innovation and creativity at the 39th annual San Bernardino, Inyo and Mono Counties (SIM) Science and Engineering Fair, earning two gold medals, three silver medals, and garnering several special area awards. Alder Middle School eighth-grader Barbara Gonzalez Lagunas and Almeria Middle School eighth-grader Alejandra Delgado were awarded gold medals in the Junior Division during the March regional fair and advanced to the California Science Fair, held April 13. Kaiser High School students Jose Centeno, Amitoj Lobana and Frida Monreal were awarded silver medals in the Senior Division during the regional fair.
Fontana Unified School District has been designated as a 2021 Model School Attendance Review Board (SARB) in California, honoring the District’s efforts to reach disengaged students during the COVID-19 pandemic and connect families with resources and support. Fontana Unified is among 20 Model SARB Award winners this year, which include 19 school districts and one county office of education, and is the only SARB in San Bernardino County recognized this year.
Almeria Middle School Principal Kim Bente will retire at the end of the 2020-21 year after 25 years of service in the District, all at the same campus. Felix Jones will serve as Almeria Middle School’s principal in 2021-22, bringing nearly 20 years of education experience to the role. Bente came to Almeria Middle School in 1995 and has worked there ever since, serving as a seventh- and eighth-grade math and science teacher, then as assistant principal and principal. Jones, a Fontana Unified alumnus and resident, began his education career in 2002, working as a special education teacher and then as a math intervention teacher in the District. He returned to Fontana Unified in 2018 as the assistant principal of instruction at Henry J. Kaiser High School.
Summit High School senior Emilio Ovando and A.B. Miller High School junior Jazmin Gonzalez both see the world through an artistic lens, allowing them to express themselves in creative ways. Their talent was recently recognized at the Young Artists’ Gallery, where both students received first place in the film and animation and drawing categories, respectively. The Young Artists’ Gallery is a juried exhibition for visual arts students in middle and high school that allows them to exercise their creativity and explore the expression of ideas through various mediums. Ovando and Gonzalez were honored by San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools Ted Alejandre during an awards ceremony in March.
Nearly 70 Fontana High School seniors have earned acceptances to UC Riverside, an achievement supported by the school’s robust academic support programs and a campus-wide effort to bolster college and career readiness. UC Riverside honored the admitted students in a FOHI-exclusive live virtual event on April 14, where students had the opportunity to connect with current UC Riverside students and an admissions counselor, ask questions and receive guidance as they weigh their college options. Fontana High School fosters a strong college-going culture through its robust Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program and an annual College Application Day; this year, FOHI seniors submitted more than 2,100 college applications.
Fontana Unified students in transitional kindergarten through second grade were greeted by cheerful signs, lively music and friendly faces as they returned to campus for their first days of in-person instruction on April 5. Instruction is offered in a hybrid model with three cohorts of students; Cohorts A and B receive a blend of in-person and online instruction, while students in Cohort C remain in full distance learning. TK-2 student cohorts were welcomed back to campus on April 5 and 8; grades three to five will return on Monday, April 12 and Thursday, April 15. The District’s return to in-person instruction for elementary students was supported by comprehensive health and safety measures, including weekly testing, partnerships to provide COVID-19 vaccines and advanced cleaning technologies. Photos are available.
