For the first time in more than two years, San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools (SBCSS) and the San Bernardino California School Boards Association (SBCSBA) were able to honor five school districts in San Bernardino County for earning the California School Boards Association (CSBA) Golden Bell Awards during an in-person ceremony held on Jan. 30.
“The Golden Bell Awards showcases the best of the best in education throughout the state of California,” said County Superintendent Ted Alejandre. “It was great to see school districts within San Bernardino County be recognized for initiatives that inspire students to continue to learn, create and cultivate skills that can benefit their futures.”
Each of the five districts and their award-winning programs were highlighted during the ceremony held at the Dorothy Inghram Learning Center in San Bernardino.
District representatives were given the opportunity to share the experiences they faced on their path to success.
The 2022 Golden Bell Award winners from San Bernardino County are:
· Chino Valley Unified School District & Baldy View Regional Occupation Program (ROP): Career Technical Education (CTE) Engineering Academy Pathway;
· Rialto Unified School District: Rialto STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) CARES (Cultivating Active Responsible Environmental Stewards);
· Redlands Unified School District: Education through Imagination - Redlands USD Partners with Garner Holt Education for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) and Innovation;
· Victor Valley Union High School District: Family Engagement Program;
· Chaffey Joint Union High School District: Brave Academy.
Chino Valley Unified School District, in partnership with Baldy View ROP and Ruben S. Ayala High School, won a Golden Bell award in the Career Technical Education (CTE) category for its CTE Engineering Academy Pathway at Ruben S. Ayala High School.
Since 2015, their CTE Engineering Academy has grown from one class with 35 students to a robust four-year Project Lead The Way Engineering Pathway with over one hundred students per year and 30 CTE completers per annum.
Their multi-year project-based STEM program has increased female participation in the engineering pathway by 50 percent.
Rialto Unified School District was recognized and awarded for its work in the Climate Change Innovation category for its Rialto STEM CARES program.
This program established climate change innovation through environment-based learning experiences that address climate justice, promote awareness of the effects of global climate change in our community and engage students in creative solutions.
The Golden Bell for Community Schools through Partnership and Collaboration was awarded to Redlands Unified School District for its Education through Imagination: Redlands USD Partners with Garner Holt Education for STEAM and Innovation.
Redlands Unified partnered with the world’s largest producer of theme park animatronics – Garner Holt. Schools in this district have Garner Holt labs dubbed “AniMakerspaces” in which students learn through tinkering, collaborative learning, career exploration, and creating inventions. This space opens a world of tasks and skills previously available to experts.
Victor Valley Union High School District was awarded a Golden Bell for its Family Engagement Program in the Family/Student/Community Engagement category.
The aim of The Family Engagement Program of the Victor Valley Union High School District (VVUHSD) is to connect with families and empower them to make a difference in the community and in the lives of their students.
Recognizing the importance of family engagement in student outcomes, the VVUHSD Board of Education established the program in 2016 and began by hiring family engagement liaisons at seven school sites and adding a dedicated director of Student Services position.
The team has implemented many engagement and outreach actions over the past several years, which has helped them obtain tangible results including improved graduation rates and lower dropout rates.
The Brave Academy program organized by Chaffey Joint Union High School District’s Alta Loma High School won a Golden Bell award in the Systems of Support category.
The Brave Academy is a schoolwide intervention program embedded into the instructional day that serves Alta Loma High School students in all grade levels.
It provides support and connection for freshmen as well as tutoring, study, and enrichment sessions for sophomores, juniors, and seniors. The academy, having just completed its tenth year is teacher-initiated and led, and was overwhelmingly adopted by the staff as its implementation has resulted in improved test scores and increased rates of students on track for graduation and A-G completion.
Now in its 43rd year, the CSBA Golden Bell Awards promote excellence in education and school board governance.
These awards recognize outstanding programs and governance practices of school boards in school districts and county offices of education throughout the state.
The awards program highlights exemplary education practices that are innovative, equitable, and proven to be successful, as demonstrated by their positive student outcomes.