By Amy Maginnis-Honey
Arts educators were celebrated Sunday afternoon as Creative Arts Solano hosted its inaugural Inspire Awards.
Fairfield resident Camille Pinter, who has taught piano for more than three decades, was one of the recipients.
Prior to Solano County, she taught in the Bay Area. She learned piano when she was 6, teaching herself the basics, before her mother found her a private teacher.
Source: Creative Arts Council bestows first Inspire Awards | News | dailyrepublic.com
The Fairfield High School Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, or JROTC, cadets helped with cleaning up the community on Jan. 18.
Twenty-five student cadets, along with three additional high school student volunteers, participated in a community cleanup effort along East Atlantic Avenue and the area in front of Fairfield High School.
Every two months, the JROTC cadets dedicate their time to community service projects as part of their ongoing commitment to giving back to their community and school. This initiative, a component of the Fairfield Adopt-A-Street Program, showcases the cadets’ dedication to environmental stewardship and civic responsibility according to the staff press release.
Source: Good News: JROTC help with community cleanup | Education | dailyrepublic.com
The Vanden High Academic Decathlon team is going to the state competition for the 23rd straight year – finishing second overall at this year’s regional competition.
Campolindo High School in Morago won the Bay Region Academic Decathlon, which finished Saturday, and will represent Contra Costa County at the state finals to be held March 22-24 in Santa Clara.
The Vanden team is comprised of Cailyn Nguyen, Alyssa Patterson, Xavier Ramirez, Sarah Salmi, Charlotte Rains, Kindal Reddic, Rohan Kamath, Alan Dorji, Mahi Chanan, Joshua Richardson, Hannah Leibert, Michael Pierandozzi, Brayden Lam, Isabella Lam and Francesco Xie Santora. The coach is David Kenyon.
Source: Vanden keeps streak of Academic Decathlon state appearances alive | News | dailyrepublic.com
By Richard Bammer
The whiz kids from Vanden High School on Saturday tackled a series of questions ranging from art and mathematics to economics and science to literature and social science to walk away with their heads held high and medals around their necks for placing second at the Bay Region Academic Decathlon held at Solano Community College in Fairfield.
Campolindo High, from the Acalanes Union High School District, took first and has been invited to go on to represent Contra Costa County at the state Academic Decathlon competition March 22 to 24 in Santa Clara.
No surprise, perhaps, this year’s outcome is a reverse of last year’s competition, when Vanden came out on top and Campolindo trailed in second.
Source: Vanden team earns 2nd place at Bay Region Academic Decathlon – The Vacaville Reporter
By Susan Hiland
The final VEX Robotics competition saw students from 11 teams hailing from four different Solano schools compete for top spots.
The Solano County Office of Education (SCOE) and Solano Community College (SCC) partnered to host the events this year.
“After the pandemic we found that a lot of the robotics teams were not active anymore,” said Lilibeth Pinpin, director of innovative programs and student success for the Solano County Office of Education. “This really helps students get reconnected with school. The kids were really excited to be back and that translates to other areas in school.”
Source: Students compete in final VEX Robotics competition | Benicia-Vallejo | dailyrepublic.com
By Lynzie Lowe
The Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District Governing Board will host a community forum Thursday to discuss its search for a superintendent.
The board announced Wednesday that it has selected Leadership Associates as the executive search firm to conduct the recruitment and comprehensive search process for the selection of the district’s next superintendent.
Board officials said the forum will be an opportunity for the community to hear about the search process and pose any questions they may have about the search.
Source: Fairfield-Suisun USD Board to host forum to discuss superintendent search – The Vacaville Reporter
By Diana Lambert
Two California school districts were listed among the 10 most diverse in the United States, by Niche, a school ranking and review website. Both school districts are in Sacramento County.
Natomas Unified School District ranked No. 2 in the rankings and Elk Grove Unified ranked No. 6. The next most diverse school district in California is Fairfield-Suisun Unified, which ranked 29th nationally.
Niche based its 2024 rankings on racial and economic diversity, as well as survey responses on school culture and diversity, according to the Sacramento Bee.
Source: Sacramento-area school districts among most diverse in U.S., according to Niche | EdSource
By Nick McConnell
For anyone feeling nostalgic for the days of mixtapes instead of playlists, pagers instead of smartphones, and Blockbuster instead of Nextflix, the Farfield-Suisun Unified School District uncovered a little piece of the 1990s at the Fairfield-Suisun Adult School campus last week.
Contractors digging near the site’s flagpole for a solar installation project found a time capsule sealed and buried by members of the 1999 sixth-grade class before the millennium at what was then Bransford Elementary School.
Items found included handwritten notes, drawings, baseball and Pokemon cards, action figures and news clippings. Teacher Steve Patton, who still works for the district as an eighth-grade teacher, had some of his personal belongings uncovered by the excavation.
Source: A blast from the past in Fairfield – The Vacaville Reporter
A five-member, all-girls team from three schools and three school districts leads the VEX robotics league heading into the final competition.
“And they are killing the boys,” Lilibeth Pinpin, director of Innovation Programs and Student Success at the Solano County Office of Education, said in an interview about Team Solano, formally known as Solano County Girls Who Code Club.
The group is comprised of four high school students and one middle school student, organized by parents, and representing Vacaville Christian High in the Vacaville Christian Schools, Rodriguez High in the Fairfield-Suisun school district, and Golden West Middle School in the Travis school district.
Source: All-girls team leads Vex robotics league heading into finals | News | dailyrepublic.com
The Public Safety Academy has been selected to receive the prestigious 2023 AP Honor Roll Recognition according to a press release from the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District.
The AP Honor Roll Recognition is an annual distinction that acknowledges schools nationwide whose Advanced Placement programs have consistently delivered remarkable results for their students while expanding access to advanced education.
These schools are selected based on specific criteria that reflect a strong commitment to fostering a college-going culture, creating opportunities for students to earn college credit, and enhancing college readiness. In the 2023 cohort of recognized schools, the Public Safety Academy proudly stands among the 4,570 institutions nationwide receiving this award.
Source: Good News: Public Safety Academy received AP Honor Roll Award | Education | dailyrepublic.com
By Richard Bammer
The email to district leaders on Tuesday afternoon began pleasantly and diplomatically enough, with a wish for all having “a wonderful Thanksgiving break,” followed by “I am always grateful for our team and FSUSD.”
Then longtime Fairfield-Suisun Unified Superintendent Kris Corey segued to the heart of the matter:
“It is with very mixed emotions that I am announcing my retirement from Fairfield-Suisun. My final retirement date has yet to be determined.
Source: FSUSD Superintendent Kris Corey to retire – The Vacaville Reporter
By Amy Maginnis Honey
Staff, family, friends of Crystal Middle School, as well s the mayor of Suisun City, were in the crowd to enjoy the third annual Crystal Cougar Campfire.
The evening began with participants building a Crystal community tree, adding their names to a leaf on the tree. Then it was off to take pictures at the fall photo booth.
A scarecrow created by the Crystal Art Club and art teacher Noni Guevara was shown.
Source: Crystal Middle School Campfire celebrates third anniversary | Music | dailyrepublic.com
The seven students who produced the top 2023 Kindness Campaign video were applauded Tuesday at the Solano County Board of Supervisors meeting.
Those students are Aaron Phelps, Josua Perine, Jessica Kurowski, Kimiko Brown, Camryn Kaleah Ladiao, Ilia Senobari Abkenar and Saul Bomero. They attend Rodriguez High School. The video was about Phelps’ experience living with spinal muscular atrophy and attending school via a robot, then wanting to be part of a karate class. Phelps also was a finalist at the Catalina Film Festival.
District Attorney Krishna Abrams, who started the Power of Kindness Campaign with Supervisor John Vasquez in 2017, said that Phelps had indicated that he often felt invisible because of his condition, and said the Covid-19 shutdown might have given other students a feel for what he goes through on a daily basis.
Source: County cheers students with winning ‘Kindness’ video | Museums | dailyrepublic.com
Student leaders and 31 student representatives at Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District came together in October to share input for the future of the school district, according to a press release.
FSUSD holds monthly Student Leader and Parent Leader meetings. These meetings with the superintendent and designated staff serve as a conduit for bringing vital perspectives to the forefront of essential district decisions, including matters related to school safety, curriculum, climate, and even school menus.
At the most recent Student and Parent Leader meeting, District staff presented the student leaders with data sourced from FSUSD student surveys, shedding light on student perceptions of school climate and discipline. Also they learned about new legislation that impacts the future of student discipline. Students spoke frankly and honestly about their concerns and hopes for the future.
Source: Good News: Students share views on future of FSUSD | Education | dailyrepublic.com
The Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District will host the annual FSUSD District-Wide College Fair this month.
This highly-anticipated event provides an opportunity to connect with representatives from more than 45 colleges and universities, and includes workshops discussing the financial aid and student-athlete recruiting processes, according to the press release.
The fair is open to open to all FSUSD sixth- to 12th-grade students and their families.
Source: Fairfield district college fair set at end of October | Education | dailyrepublic.com
By Amy Maginnis-Honey
More than 100 high school students from Fairfield, Vacaville and Dixon swung golf clubs Friday morning as adaptive physical-education students took over the practice facility at Paradise Valley Golf Course.
It was the first time since Covid the event was held.
The teens moved from station to station working on different skills. Izick Torres, a Fairfield High sophomore, was one of the most determined.
By Nick McConnell
A food program hosted by the Fairfield Suisun Unified School District and The Father’s House Church is celebrating nine years of existence this year.
Bob Barnum of the church provides a truck full of fresh food items for the families at Davis Weir Preparatory Academy every Friday.
“Throughout these nine years, Bob Barnum has not only been a provider of sustenance but has also built strong connections with several families, staff members, and students at David Weir Preparatory Academy,” according to a release from FSUSD. “Many of them volunteer each week to support the distribution efforts and ensure the campus is cleaned up after the food delivery.”
Source: FSUSD, The Father’s House provide food to David Weir Preparatory Academy – The Vacaville Reporter
The entire Rodriguez High School football team came out on Monday to help clean up the streets around Rodriguez High School.
This was the first year that they have done such a project.
“This helps the students with their community service hours for graduation,” said Coach Myles King. “Every single member of the team came out for the cleanup.”
Students need 10 hours of community service to graduate. The event Monday was two hours long so it gives them a good start on those hours.
By Susan Hiland
Amanda Rish, director of Fiscal Services, gave a report to the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District governing board on the financial status of all funds of the district as of June 30.
This will be the basis for the 2022-2023 audit report which will be coming in a few months.
The unrestricted funds revenues and expenditures were $236.6 million, according to Rish’s report. The expenses totaled $186.1 million. For the category of other sources/uses there was $50.5 million and an increase in funds of $127,515.
Source: Fairfield governing school board approves unaudited financial report | Education | dailyrepublic.com
By Susan Hiland
The Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District governing school board voted to approve changes to the allocation of ESSER III funds at its Thursday night meeting.
The supplemental Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief III funds, which were received in 2021 to the tune of $25.8 million, increased over the past year by $46,352, and the district has found they need to reallocate some of the money.
The state had several requirements for the ESSER III funds. The allocation needed to address three areas which included Strategies for Continuous and Safe In-Person Learning, including a description of how the district planned to use funds to continuously and safely operate schools for in-person learning in a way that reduces or prevents the spread of the Covid-19 virus; the impact of lost instructional time, including a description of how the district planned to use a minimum of 20% of the funds to address the academic impact of learning loss through the implementation of evidence-based interventions such as summer learning, summer enrichment, extended day learning opportunities, comprehensive after school programs or extended school year programs and how to use whatever funds remained, according to the staff report.
Source: Fairfield school board votes for updates for ESSER III funds | Education | dailyrepublic.com