When it comes to innovative and excellent education programs, these 13 Inland Empire school districts answered the bell.
They won 2025 Golden Bell Awards, a statewide honor to commend projects that find unique solutions to improve education and better serve students. They are handed out by the California School Boards Association.
Local winners include a Redlands program that lets disabled adults run a restaurant, a coffee and a flower shop and a day on which Fontana high school students apply for college admission — right on campus.
Eight Riverside County school districts won awards, while five in San Bernardino County were recognized.
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Fontana High School hosts its ninth annual College Application Submit Day on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, as senior Briana Garcia receives an instant acceptance from California Baptist University, delivered by admission counselor Steven Herrera. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
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Fontana High School hosts its ninth annual College Application Submit Day on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, as senior Briana Garcia receives an instant acceptance from California Baptist University, delivered by admission counselor Steven Herrera. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
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At Fontana High School, which has pioneered the college-going program in the district, the festive atmosphere Thursday, Nov. 20, featured balloons and cheers on what’s known as College Application Submit Day.
About 450 seniors applied for college as thousands of families joined the celebration.
“College apps are hard,” Principal Joe Malatesta said. “… A lot of kids don’t apply, especially in our areas because it takes a level of expertise to do so.”
That’s why the school works to get students eligible and prepare the applications so all they need to do is hit the “submit” button on the big day, Malatesta said.
“Every kid that’s eligible is applying today,” he said.
One of them was Mya Anota, who called filing her eight applications “really special.”
“I was thinking I was going to be stressing over it, but they actually helped me throughout everything so it was good.”
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Student Dylan Davis greets guests Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, while serving as host at Redlands High School’s Studio 24 Restaurant as teacher Sarah Ostash watches.The student-run restaurant is part of the Redlands Unified School District’s BRIDGE Adult Transition Program. (Courtesy of Redlands Unified School District)
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Student Dylan Davis greets guests Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, while serving as host at Redlands High School’s Studio 24 Restaurant as teacher Sarah Ostash watches.The student-run restaurant is part of the Redlands Unified School District’s BRIDGE Adult Transition Program. (Courtesy of Redlands Unified School District)
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At Redlands and Citrus Valley high schools, the BRIDGE program mixes instruction with job training for adults with disabilities who are between 18 and 22. Students run the Studio 24 Restaurant, the Terrier Grrrounds & Coffee Co. and the Terrier Blooms & Garden Co.
“A lot of students are anxious to try new things, but when they learn what they’re capable of, you can seetheir confidence grow,” teacher Sarah Ostash, who oversees Studio 24, said in a Redlands Unified School District news release. “They realize trying, failing and adjusting is part of how you learn, and that gives them courage to try other things.”
Dylan Davis, one of Ostash’s students, said in the release that, at the restaurant, “we all work together as a team” and that every job — from cooking to serving guests — is important.
Here are the Inland Empire winners, as described by the school boards association.
Riverside County
Corona-Norco Unified School District
At Dr. Augustine Ramirez Intermediate School in Eastvale, the Ramirez Rumble uses data to teach life skills. The program focuses on self-awareness, grappling with emotions, social skills and good decision making. Students’ behavior, interactions with their peers and school attendance have improved, officials said.
Hemet Unified School District
In the district’s Daily Huddle Program, school officials meet early each morning to review student behavior and safety issues along with related data. Hemet Unified has seen a 32% drop in agression and 30% fewer suspensions.
Jurupa Unified School District
Jurupa schools’ Leadership Institute trains and supports employees at all levels. The goal is to build their skills and confidence so they can better serve students and the community.
Lake Elsinore Unified School District
The Collaborative and Responsive Professional Development program trains employees, using Professional Development Days. Sessions emphasize equity, strategies that have proven successful and how to build a positive culture.
Menifee Union Elementary School District
Its Attendance and Re-Engagement Initiative fights chronic absenteeism with reform, community partnerships and outreach. So far, chronic absenteeism has fallen from 27% to less than 10%.
Moreno Valley Unified School District
Students at Canyon Springs, Moreno Valley, Valley View and Vista del Lago high schools are getting a head start on college courses at Moreno Valley College through the district’s Dual Enrollment Program. Enrollment climbed by 38% in one year.
Riverside Unified School District
Its Computational Design Thinking Pathway won recognition for making coding and STEM exciting for students and their families. It involves coding clubs, a program for girls called the Ignite Her Mind STEM Symposium and Family Innovation Nights that bring kids and parents together to learn.
Val Verde Unified School District
When a students gets suspended, district officials visit the home under a program called RISE: Restorative Interventions Supporting Empowerment. The Perris-based school district aims to address the issues behind poor behavior and help students make better choices.
San Bernardino County
Colton Joint Unified School District
Its Equity Through Wellness: Serving the Whole Child at Every Site program centers on wellness centers at secondary schools. The campus centers offer mental health support, drop-in counseling, group sessions and crisis intervention and are staffed by social work professionals.
Fontana Unified School District
The district’s College Application Submit Day initiative started at Fontana High School in 2016. Now a districtwide effort touching more than 10,000 youths, it urges student to apply to four-year colleges. The results are showing success. In 2024, 94% of seniors filed college applications.
Morongo Unified School District
Twentynine Palms High School students interested in health care and culinary careers have joined with The Flying Doctors, a nonprofit organization, to bring health care to residents. Since 2018, the partnership has served low-income residents and those in rural areas with free medical, dental and vision care while also training students.
Redlands Unified School District
The BRIDGE Adult Transition Program based at Redlands High School puts adults with disabilities in a restaurant, coffee shop and a flower shop. It teaches practical skills, fosters independence and gets them ready for jobs. Students prepare food, handle money and learn about customer service while improving their communication and time management skills.
San Bernardino City Unified School District
The district’s Pathway to Biliteracy Program promotes knowledge of more than one tongue. It recognizes third, fifth and eighth graders who are proficient in English and another language. The number of district students earning the State Seal of Biliteracy has jumped from 228 in 2013 to more than 700 in 2024.
Staff photographer Anjali Sharif-Paul contributed to this report.
