By Richard Bammer
School is out. Yet for some children, hunger is always in and stomachs may growl, but not for long, as several Solano area school districts are offering free summer meals, breakfast and lunch in most cases, until classes resume in August.
Source: Solano school districts serve up free summer meals programs – The Vacaville Reporter
Marisa Rubio, a preschool teacher at Mary Bird Early Childhood Education Center, has been named the 2025 Solano County Early Childhood Educator of the Year.
Rubio received the award at a ceremony held on May 16 at the Joe Nelson Community Center in Suisun City.
“We celebrate our amazing early childhood educators who go above and beyond for each and every student at Mary Bird,” said Anna Mansker, principal of Mary Bird Early Childhood Education Center. “It’s because of their time and dedication that our youngest learners begin their educational journey with a solid foundation and motivation to learn.”
Source: Mary Bird preschool teacher named Early Childhood Educator of Year | | dailyrepublic.com
Students celebrated reading and teamwork in friendly districtwide showdowns.
“The spirit of literacy, collaboration, and academic enthusiasm took over as students gathered for two much-anticipated 2025 FSUSD Battle of the Books events – one for elementary and one for middle school students,” the school district said in a statement.
The 2025 district champions were KI Jones Elementary School and Green Valley Middle School.
Source: KI Jones, Green Valley win Battle of the Books challenges | News | dailyrepublic.com
By Matt Miller
Green Valley finished as the boys and girls team champions Tuesday at the Fairfield Suisun Unified School District K8 and Middle School Track and Field final at Armijo High School’s Brownlee Field.
Green Valley dominated the boys’ meet with 83.5 points. Public Safety Academy was second with 50.5 points and third went to B. Gale Wilson with 48 points.
The Green Valley girls edged out Suisun Valley 62 to 61.5. David Weir Academy was third with 57 points.
Kristian Baisac, a graduating Fairfield High School senior, is a 2025 Gates Scholar, making her one of the 750 students across the country chosen for the award.
Almost 50,000 applications were received. The program provides full college funding for undergraduates.
She has officially committed to the University of Richmond and is on the wait list at Dartmouth College, her dream school.
An Armijo High graduating senior and a Fairfield High graduating senior have been awarded this year’s Pearl Theo Dumas Memorial Nursing Scholarship 2025 Awards.
“This is our fourth year providing the scholarship and we hope to continue for many years as it is a fantastic way to give back to the community,” the family said in the announcement.
Kyra Overstreet, of Armijo, was awarded a $3,000 scholarship. She plans to attend California State University, Sonoma to pursue her goal of becoming a nurse.
Source: Armijo, Fairfield high school grads get nursing scholarships | News | dailyrepublic.com
Five Fairfield-Suisun schools have been awarded state grants to expand community school services.
The funding comes from the state’s Community Schools initiative.
“This funding is part of the final phase of awards under the California Community Schools Partnership Program, which is focused on helping schools serve as hubs for academic, health and social resources. In this latest round, the California State Board of Education approved $618 million in grants to support 458 schools statewide, bringing the total number of schools funded through the program to nearly 2,500,” the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District said in a statement.
One-on-one moments between students and staff are at the heart of a video, “I Believe in You,” released by the Fairfield High film crew.
“The video opens with the words, ‘ee teach, grade and plan, but sometimes the most powerful act is simply speaking from the heart.’ At Fairfield High, we show students they matter – not just through grades, but through lasting words,” the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District said in a statement.
The project has been part of the full school year. It released Edward Fee’s promotion as assistant principal at Armijo High School.
Source: Fairfield High releases powerful teacher-student video | News | dailyrepublic.com
By Todd R. Hansen
When 2-year-old Cassidy Lynn took a header into the cement, it did not foretell a day she would sit among the brightest and most accomplished members of the Fairfield-Suisun Unified Class of 2025.
But there were signs that she might.
“I can honestly say that she was always someone who would sit back and listen, and when she was ready to make a decision, she went for it,” said her mother, Stacey Lynn.
Source: Best, brightest of F-S Class of 2025 take a bow | News | dailyrepublic.com
High school graduation season is fast approaching, so here are the dates, times, and locations for northern Solano County school ceremonies:
VACAVILLE
Vacaville Christian High, 7 p.m. May 31, Falcon Field, 821 Marshall Road.
Muzetta Thrower Adult Education Center, 6:30 p.m. June 4, Wildcat Stadium, Will C. Wood High, 998 Marshall Road.
Source: Dates, times, locations for area high school graduations set – The Vacaville Reporter
Three local students advanced to the third round of Saturday’s California State Spelling Bee.
Sixth-graders Sadia Hennous, from the Virtual Academy, and Kayla Wu, from Green Valley Middle School, along with seventh-grader Gwen Sabio, from the Virtual Academy, “showcased exceptional spelling skills and represented the district with pride and poise.”
“We are incredibly proud of Sadia, Kayla, and Gwen for their accomplishments,” said Colleen Hutchinson, principal of the Virtual Academy in the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District. “Their dedication, focus, and love of learning were so evident throughout the competition. They represented our schools and community beautifully.”
Source: Three Solano students show well at state Spelling Bee | News | dailyrepublic.com
By Saija Maki-Waller
Being a teacher is often a thankless job. There are crowded classrooms, changing textbooks and more prep work needed than there’s time for.
So for special education director and kindergarten teacher Laura Miller, being recognized as the Times-Herald’s Richard Freedman Solano County Hometown Hero for Vallejo (which carries a $500 prize) came as a welcome surprise.
“Wow! That’s such an honor, I had no idea,” was Miller’s initial reaction upon hearing of her honor. Although it may have been a shock to her, to her students’ families and her teaching community, the win couldn’t be more deserved.
Source: 2025 Richard Freedman Solano County Hometown Hero: Laura Miller – Times Herald Online
Eleanor Charette, a student at Rodriguez High School, has pocketed $750 of the $1,500 first-place prize in the 15th annual Water Awareness Video Contest.
The other half of the money goes to Lynn Larsen, the sponsoring teacher at the Fairfield school.
Source: Rodriguez student wins 15th and last water video contest | News | dailyrepublic.com
The council and Measure S committee offered support for the proposed budget in a joint meeting Tuesday night.
At a prior Tuesday meeting, the council, on a unanimous vote, approved the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District’s proposal to provide after-school programming for Crescent and Dan O. Root elementary schools.
The proposal for both schools includes transitional kindergarten through fifth grade.
Source: Suisun council, Measure S committee agree on proposed budget | News | dailyrepublic.com
The Armijo High School Royal Regiment performed admirably at the Northern California Band Association Winter Championships at Del Oro High School on March 29-30.
“We are incredibly proud to celebrate the Armijo High School Royal Regiment and their exceptional achievements,” Band Director Louise Jacob said in a press release. “Our students gave unforgettable performances and represented Armijo with excellence, heart, and pride.”
The Armijo Mallet Ensemble ended their undefeated season with a powerful performance that earned the highest score of the entire day – an impressive 85.90 – and an NCBA Scholastic Concert Percussion Champion title.
Source: Armijo Royal Regiment shines at winter championships | News | dailyrepublic.com
President Trump’s decision to cut education funding is causing concern across Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District as officials assess the potential impact.
Further cuts might reduce money for programs such as special education, tutoring and college prep.
In March, the federal Department of Education began implementing a “reduction in force,” placing nearly 50% of its staff on administrative leave.
Source: Federal Education Cuts: What it means for FSUSD students, schools | News | dailyrepublic.com
Chanel Costley has been bouncing back and forth between California and Arizona for six years.
She lives and goes to school in Fairfield one year – this year at Rodriguez High where she is a freshman; the next year she is in Arizona – splitting her time with each of her parents.
While the routine may be unappealing for many students who would prefer a more stable routine and the same group of friends with whom to meet the challenges of adolescence – not Costley
Source: Rodriguez High offers ‘Manestream’ journalism | News | dailyrepublic.com
By Amy Maginnis-Honey
The City Council on Tuesday will consider the Fairfield-Suisun Unified District’s proposal to provide after-school programming for Crescent and Dan O. Root schools, as well as the proposed 2025-26 city budget.
The meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the council chamber at City Hall, 701 Civic Center Blvd.
Suisun Elementary’s after-school program is only for students, grades 1-5, at that campus. There is no cost to participate.
Source: Budget proposal, after school programming go before city council | School | dailyrepublic.com
More than 200 purple pinwheels were place around the Fairfield City Hall complex Monday morning following a brief presentation recognizing April as Child Abuse Prevention Month.
However, the pinwheels represented just 25% of all the calls Child Protective Services received over the past year.
Fairfield Police Chief Dan Marshall said not every call and investigation results in a case of abuse or neglect, and, on the positive, the call volume likely reflects the greater awareness the Solano County communities have for reporting suspicious activity.
Source: Pinwheels at City Hall act as reminder that child abuse remains an issue | News | dailyrepublic.com
By Richard Bammer
The Vanden High School Academic Decathlon squad won Division 4 honors last weekend during the Academic Decathlon State Championship in Santa Clara.
The California Academic Decathlon Association made the announcement in a press statement issued Sunday.
Besides Vanden, a Fairfield high school, other division champs included El Rancho High in Pico Rivera (Division 2), and Beverly Hills High in Beverly Hills (Division 3).
Source: Vanden earns Division 4 championship at state Academic Decathlon – The Vacaville Reporter