Upland Unified School District Chief Academic Officer Dr. Shinay Bowman discusses Pathways Prep Academy, a Middle College Charter High School set to debut in August 2026 in Upland Unified, how her vision for the school was inspired by the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, how Pathways Prep students played a role in hiring the faculty, and her experience growing up as a foster child.

Upland Unified School District Program Specialist Dr. Sean Delgado and Upland High School junior Geovanni Roybal discuss the District’s CTE programs, why it is important for students to have college and career options, collaborating with CTE directors from other school districts, Upland High’s auto tech pathway, and how Roybal has overcame physical disabilities to become the first Upland High student to medal at the SkillsUSA state tournament.

South Hills High School head cheer and STUNT teacher Cynthia Fuentes is joined by South Hills seniors and cheer co-captains Nadia Gonzalez and Reylene Torres, and South Hills cheer parent Deeanne Duran to discuss the South Hills cheer and STUNT team, building a championship culture, developing camaraderie, honing leadership skills, choreographing new routines, navigating league and tournament contests, balancing academics, and why strong character is so important in cheer and beyond.

Arroyo High School senior Emily Lin and El Monte Union Director of Nutrition Services Suzy Sayre discuss Lin’s advocacy for plant-based meals and beverages throughout the District, including the recently-approved Dietary Inclusion Council, a student-led advisory board that will work with Nutrition Services to develop vegetarian and vegan meals, Lin’s trip to Washington D.C. to advocate for the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, and Lin’s work with Friends of the Earth, which led to a $4,000 microgrant to support the Dietary Inclusion Council.

Ramona Middle School theater director Colin Campbell is joined by Ramona Drama Society Leadership members and eighth-graders Marlo P and Jayliana K, and Ramona Drama Society Parent Board President Jacqueline Pineda to discuss the Bonita Unified middle school’s thriving theater program, which includes live musical performances, improv comedy nights, student plays, and their Spring field trip to New York City, where they will receive an opportunity to tour Manhattan and see live Broadway shows.

California Early Childhood Special Education Network (CalECSE) co-executive directors Scott Turner and Melanie Hertig are joined by California Department of Education Early Childhood Support Education Administrator Christi Krause to discuss CalECSE’s Parent Videos: A Family’s Journey from Early Start to School series, designed to help families prepare for the transition from Early Start services to preschool special education. Each video in the series introduces the viewer to a family who use different native languages to tell their story, including English, Spanish, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Korean, and American Sign Language.

Wayne Ruble Middle School computer science teacher Zahra Razi discusses the challenges of teaching AI to middle schoolers in Fontana Unified School District, integrating AI across all curriculum, AI literacy, starting an in-class mentorship program that encourages students to become leaders, and the importance of media literacy and ethics.

Jurupa Hills High School theatre director James Griffin, Jurupa Hills High drama teacher Nathan Cabrera, and Jurupa Hills High senior Matthew Lopez discuss the Players of the Palace, Jurupa Hills’ 15-year anniversary production of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” what drew them into the Fontana Unified program, how theatre and stagecraft help students in college and career, participating in the California Educational Theatre Association’s annual High School Festival, their favorite all-time Players of the Palace production, and which former Jurupa Hills High alum has won an Emmy award.

Covina-Valley Unified School District Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) Program Coordinator Christine Sadler and Educational Audiologist Carolyn Collins discuss the district’s DHH program, which serves students ages 0-22 from Claremont to Baldwin Park in the East San Gabriel Valley SELPA region, the various hearing disorders seen throughout the district, the range of services that the district provides, the intricacies of sign language and how it changes from region to region, and South Hills High School senior and DHH student Francisco Morales, who is a star offensive lineman for the South Hills football team.

Whittier Union High School District School Psychologist Stephanie Murray and Student Well-Being Liaison Tanya Gavino de Flores discuss the District’s student well-being program, what inspired them to choose their respective professions, partnering with local colleges to bring in grad students to work as interns, creating districtwide suicide prevention protocols, why it’s important to talk to young children about suicide, how they talk to students about social media, and bringing mental wellness into the mainstream.

Fontana High School principal Joe Malatesta, AVID co-coordinator Kevin Escobar and AVID teacher Mario Echeverria discuss the school’s award-winning AVID program, the importance of being an AVID Showcase and National Demonstration School, FOHI’s AVID-inspired, Golden Bell Award-winning College Application Day, how AVID culture has spread throughout the campus, and how AVID changed the lives of FOHI graduates and former AVID students Escobar and Echeverria, who returned to the school to help teach the next generation of AVID scholars.