Category: Education

Los Osos High School‘s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), in collaboration with the school’s choir department, is set to host its Third Annual Heritage Festival on Friday, September 22nd, from 4-9 PM.  The event promises a rich tapestry of cultural experiences and aims to raise funds to support students’ participation in forthcoming leadership conferences. The festival, located at 6001 Milliken Ave, will feature 13 cuisines from clubs on campus and food trucks, allowing attendees to embark on a gastronomic journey worldwide. From the savory mac and cheese and fried chicken by the Black Student Union to the sweet delights of turon and lumpia by the Filipino club, there’s something for every palate. Last year’s festival saw vendors offering boba drinks, hot chocolate, warm tea, Japanese taiyaki treats, and more. This year promises a broader representation of cultures, with clubs selling cultural items and sourcing products from local businesses. Raghu Chowdhry, FBLA Vice President of Finance and a proud Los Osos student, emphasized the event’s significance. “Diversity is something we celebrate at Los Osos High School, in Rancho Cucamonga, and across the IE. In our

Written by Torie and Gayle Weiston-Serdan, co-founders of The Youth Mentoring Action Network, a youth power-building organization in the Inland Empire When it comes to curating spaces for young people, generally, little thought is given to building an inspiring environment. Typically, civic areas like schools, recreation centers, and community outreach centers are made with only function in mind. Although it’s been demonstrated that youth display more positive outcomes when transformative spaces are curated for congregation and self-expression, some authority figures still struggle with the concept. The Youth Mentoring Action Network’s (YMAN) Youth Power Hub is a possible model for promoting rest, healing, and play — critical aspects of youth development. In 2007, we formed YMAN as an alternative to the limited support we could give our students as high school educators. For years, we watched several students enter in and out of a cycle of survival because, among other reasons, they lacked the most basic access to loving and affirming spaces. When it was time for YMAN to expand, we chose a one-acre estate to break up the monotonous standards of the educational institutions we

The 16th Annual Rialto Unified School District Family Summit soared to new heights while featuring two remarkable speakers who left an audience of families, students and staff inspired. Emmy Award-winning CNN producer and Eisenhower High School graduate, Vanessa Rumbles and California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond took center stage at Rialto High School Knights Gymnasium on Saturday to deliver a powerful and uplifting education-based message at this year’s event, attended by over 1,500 community members. Rumbles, who was invited in August to be the keynote speaker at the Family Summit, attended RUSD’s Lena M. Preston and Lida M. Henry Elementary Schools and Ethel Kucera Middle School before graduating from Eisenhower High School in 2003. She has gone on to have a distinguished career in television, which includes two Emmy nominations and an Emmy win in 2020. She currently serves as the producer at CNN for the three-hour morning program “CNN News Central.” From humble roots in the City of Rialto to working for one of the largest cable television media outlets, Rumbles said she was never afraid to “work hard and dream big”

The Rialto Unified School District kicked off its annual Summer Feeding Program on June 9 with a beach-themed BBQ event at Frisbie Park, drawing over 1,900 attendees from the community, district, and local businesses. The program, recognized for its commitment to nutrition education and family engagement, showcased the Child Nutrition team’s new “Aloha Bowls.” These dishes, made possible by the United States Department of Agriculture’s contributions to school nutrition, featured homemade huli huli sauce over grilled chicken, whole grain fried rice with grilled vegetables, and green onions sourced from student gardens. Accompanying the main dish were cherries, dragon fruit, and pineapple chunks. All meals were offered free of charge to children aged 1-18, with adult meals sponsored by The Dairy Council. Fausat Rahman-Davies, Lead Child Nutrition Agent, Gianni Vergara, Eisenhower Student, Mrs. Stephanie Lewis, Board President, and Dr. Cuauhtémoc Avila, Superintendent at a Summer Feeding Program event in 2023. June’s BBQ wasn’t just about food. The Dairy Council of California provided an outdoor nutrition lesson and introduced their cow, Wednesday Addams. Attendees were also treated to performances by Eisenhower High School’s Polynesian Dancers, Xiuh Arte

The Colton Community will mark the first “Dr. Tom’s Day of Community Service” on Friday, Sept. 22 by uniting around a volunteer service project at Colton High School.  Dr. Tom’s Day will mark Dr. Tom Rivera’s birthday each year with a community service project throughout the City of Colton, drawing volunteers from Colton High School students, the Inland Empire Future Leaders Program (IEFLP), Kiwanis, Colton Area Museum, San Bernardino Valley College and CSUSB alumni and the community at large. The project this year will include painting of the awning and poles over the senior benches and picking up trash throughout Colton High School’s campus.  Dr. Tom’s widow expressed gratitude for the Inland Empire Future Leaders for spearheading the project, saying that he would have been delighted at being remembered through acts of community service.  “Tom would be beyond proud about this project. It fully captures his belief in having people come together for the common good,” Dr. Lilly Rivera said. “And Colton High School was very dear to his heart.” “Dr. Tom” was raised in Colton and attended Colton schools, Valley College, California State University

On a sunny Tuesday morning on Aug. 29, the Cal State San Bernardino campus community gathered for the topping out ceremony for the university’s Performing Arts Center, set to open during the 2024-25 academic year. Kathyn Ervin, retired professor of theatre arts, emceed the event. Carlos Two Bears Gonzales, coordinator of the First Peoples’ Center, gave the land acknowledgement, followed by speeches from Rafik Mohamed, provost and vice president for academic affairs; Sam Sudhakar, vice president and chief information officer of CSUSB’s Information Technology Services; Robert Nava, vice president for advancement and executive director for the CSUSB Philanthropic Foundation; and Rueyling Chuang, dean of the College of Arts and Letters. Kathyn Ervin, retired CSUSB professor of theatre arts, emceed the topping out ceremony for the new Performing Arts Center at California State University, San Bernardino on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023. Photo by Corinne McCurdy/CSUSB A topping out ceremony is a construction tradition that has been occurring in some fashion for centuries as a celebration of project milestones. Traditionally, the ceremony occurs when the final structural beam is raised into place, completing the building’s frame. The

The Rialto Unified School District welcomed Keiyne Galazo, a dynamic and motivated senior from Wilmer Amina Carter High School, as she was sworn in as the newest Student Member recently.  Galazo will serve as the representative for the entire student body within the District for the 2023-2024 school year. She smiled proudly as she took the oath of office, which was administered by Board of Education President Stephanie E. Lewis, at the RUSD’s Board of Education Meeting on August 23. She was surrounded by her mom Kate Rabang, and her younger brother Ethan, who is a kindergarten student at Dunn Elementary School, and Carter High School Principal Dr. Robin McMillon as she took the oath.  “We are excited to have you join us, and we are excited to hear the voice of the students, who you represent,” stated Lewis as she welcomed Galazo into her new leadership position. Galazo’s appointment to this esteemed position was the result of a thorough selection and interview process at her school site. When it came time to speak, Galazo confidently stepped up to the podium and stated that she