Nine Fontana Unified School District students achieved one of the greatest feats high school musicians and color guard performers can obtain after being selected to showcase their talents on a national stage when they march down Colorado Boulevard in the 136th edition of the Rose Parade on New Year’s Day. Each year, hundreds of high school students from across Southern California audition for one of the coveted spots in the elite Pasadena City College (PCC) Tournament of Roses Honor Band and Color Guard, which has performed through the Rose Parade’s six-mile trek since 1930. Eight Henry J. Kaiser High School students and a Jurupa Hills High student separated themselves from the rest and will represent Fontana Unified in PCC’s prestigious group this year. Kaiser High will be represented by seniors Alec Franco (Herald Snare) and Kimberly Gomez (color guard/banners) and juniors Anabelle Escobedo (flute), Maximo Franco (trumpet), Achilles Jauregui (trombone), Liliana Lobo (euphonium), Jhiana Magalong (bells/xylophone), and Marcos Perez (bass trombone) in the PCC Tournament of Roses Honor Band, along with Jurupa Hills High junior Diego Muro (clarinet).
Fontana Unified School District’s more than 32,000 students and their families are set to benefit from modernized school facilities and expanded programming designed to support the educational future of District students through the passing of Measure I, the District’s School Facilities Improvement Bond Measure on the November ballot. More than 65% of District voters approved Measure I, Fontana Unified’s first bond in nearly 20 years, which required 55% of the vote to pass. Measure I will provide FUSD with $408 million in bond funds for school facilities improvements and classroom modernizations, expansion of the District career and technical education (CTE) training programs, and infrastructure upgrades to ensure safe, accessible learning environments.
Hundreds of Fontana High School (FOHI) seniors will collectively submit more than an estimated 2,000 applications to four-year colleges and universities over seven hours during the school’s award-winning College Application Day. School and District counselors, faculty, staff, and families will be on hand to help students complete the college application process. FOHI earned the Riverside Inyo Mono San Bernardino (RIMS) Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Impact Award for the annual event at an Oct. 29 ceremony. School staff and student leaders will track the number of college applications submitted during the event, which will include a complimentary lunch. Representatives from four-year colleges and universities, including Azusa Pacific, the University of La Verne, University of Redlands, California Baptist University, Grand Canyon University, Whittier College, and California State University, San Bernardino, will also be in attendance to meet with students and discuss preparing for the transition to college.
Southridge Tech Middle School seventh-grader Cyrus Moss has been honored as a 2024 “30 Under 30” recipient by 50th Congressional District Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes in recognition of his leadership in the successful effort to rename Fontana Unified’s Randall Pepper Elementary School to O’Day Short Elementary, commemorating the family who broke Fontana’s color barrier in 1945. Moss’ courage and dedication to justice were celebrated during Reyes’ annual “30 Under 30” celebration on Oct. 30. The recognition honors 30 residents under the age of 30 from California’s 50th District, which includes Fontana, for their dedication, innovation, and service.
In an effort to promote cultural awareness and understanding, Fontana Unified School District’s Board of Education, during its Oct. 2 meeting, unanimously approved making a standalone, yearlong ethnic studies course a graduation requirement for high school students beginning with the Class of 2028-29. In 2021, California became the first state to require all students to pass a semester-long ethnic studies course to earn a high school diploma starting with the Class of 2029-30. Fontana Unified went above and beyond the state’s directive to make its ethnic studies requirement a standalone, yearlong course starting with next year’s freshmen class.
The Fontana School Police Department (FSPD) has received a $34,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety to launch an initiative that will help improve road safety for pedestrians and cyclists throughout the Fontana Unified School District. The FSPD will use the grant to bolster community-focused programming designed to reduce road accidents. By focusing on education and prevention, the Department will promote best practices and encourage community members to take extra precautions on the road to ensure everyone’s safety.
Forty-one students spread across all five Fontana Unified comprehensive high schools earned awards from the College Board National Recognition Program for their demonstrated academic achievement and strong performance on college-preparatory exams, including 32 students set to become first-generation college students. Fontana Unified students were honored by four of the College Board’s five programs, including the National First-Generation Recognition Program Award (NFGRPA), which debuted this year. National College Board recognition helps distinguish students during the application process for college scholarships or admissions.
Cyrus Sapien, a Fontana High School senior, boarded a bus to make the 10-mile trek to the 2024 Regional College and Career Fair, cohosted by Fontana Unified and Chaffey Joint Union High School districts at the Ontario Convention Center on Oct. 9. Sapien was on a fact-finding mission, looking to narrow down his short list of colleges and decide if he would attend college in or out of state. He knew he wanted to study industrial engineering and pursue a career in a blue-collar trade but was uncertain about which college was right for him.
For the third time and second year in a row, Southridge Tech Middle School has been recognized as a trailblazer in educational innovation and for transforming the foundations of teaching, learning, and preparing students for lifelong success with a redesignation as a Microsoft Showcase School for the 2024-25 school year. Southridge Tech was first named a Microsoft Showcase School in 2018, then again in 2023, and has since been applauded for bridging the technology gap and providing students access to digital platforms that enhance learning. The school will receive a Showcase badge, an educator community team, an invitation to the Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) Expert & Showcase School Welcome, and more.
Thirty-one Fontana Unified schools secured prestigious California Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Coalition Awards for their dedication to creating and maintaining supportive and inclusive cultures that foster student success during the 2023-24 school year. This marks the fourth year in a row FUSD has set a District record for total and platinum PBIS awards, with 11 schools securing the highest honor from PBIS, for its commitment to promoting positive behaviors through the comprehensive PBIS framework. All 31 FUSD schools will be honored at the 2024 California PBIS Coalition Conference from Wednesday, Oct. 9 to Friday, Oct. 11 in Sacramento.
