SAN BERNARDINO, CA—San Gorgonio High School (San G) valedictorian Silvana Vazquez celebrated her final day as a high school student along with 346 other graduates during the school’s May 30 commencement ceremony. Come fall, Vazquez will have left the San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) behind to walk the campus of Harvard University.
Born and raised in San Bernardino, Vazquez will head to the East Coast in a few months, where she will study government and pre-law, with the goal of becoming an immigration lawyer. At San G, Vazquez took advantage of honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses, which gave her an edge. She credits SBCUSD and its teachers with helping her uncover her brilliance.
“As a student who strives for perfection, hard work and discipline, SBCUSD has provided various resources that helped me go above and beyond in my academics and college preparedness,” said Vazquez, who spent her senior year serving as a student member of the Board of Education. “SBCUSD offers various programs such as dual enrollment to help me get ahead on college credit, but also focus on my high school education. Thanks to SBCUSD, I have had the incredible honor to get accepted into rigorous colleges that I would not have been accepted into if it weren’t for the programs offered by SBCUSD.”
The Dual Enrollment Program is offered at several SBCUSD high schools, providing students with the opportunity to take some college courses that also meet their high school graduation requirements. The District’s Middle College High School (MCHS) is dedicated to dual enrollment, providing qualifying SBCUSD students with an opportunity to meet half or more of their high school graduation requirements through courses at San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC). MCHS students have the opportunity to graduate with an associate’s degree and Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) certification at the same time as a high school diploma. IGETC is a set of California community college courses students complete to satisfy most University of California (UC) or California State University (CSU) freshman- and sophomore-level general education requirements.
MCHS graduated 48 students with a high school diploma on May 23, of which 23 also graduated from SBVC with an associate’s degree and 33 graduated with their IGETC certification. Ten MCHS graduates earned the Grand Honor of Merit from SBVC for earning a 3.5 or higher G.P.A. in their college classes.
MCHS was recently recognized by the California Department of Education with a California Exemplary Dual Enrollment Award for its success in making sure its students, many of whom were not meeting their academic potential at their previous school, successfully complete high school and have a jump on their peers when it comes to college.
MCHS graduate Daisy Rojo managed to maintain good grades in both her high school classes and college courses while also serving as a Student Board Member on the SBCUSD Board of Education and a member of the San Bernardino County Fifth District Youth Advisory Council. She credits SBCUSD with her success.
“The San Bernardino School District has prepared me for the future by providing me with the resources as an English learner and a first-generation Hispanic child of two immigrant parents,” Rojo said. “Their constant dedication to making schools advanced and safe is evident through their efforts in recruiting staff and teachers who are dedicated to the success of every student. I am immensely grateful to the San Bernardino School District for the invaluable education and guidance I’ve received over the past 13 years. Thank you for empowering me to pursue my dreams.”
While MCHS was one of the smallest SBCUSD graduating classes, Arroyo Valley High School (AVHS) had the largest graduating class with 717 students. This included 294 graduates who completed a Linked Learning Career Technical Education (CTE) pathway and 28 International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma candidates.
Linked Learning CTE Pathways prepare students for both post-secondary education and immediate entry into the workforce in a specific career field. Of AVHS’s 294 pathway completers, 62 were from the Gold-certified Business & Logistics pathway, 47 from the Gold-certified Digital Media Arts pathway, 70 from the Silver-certified Educators for Tomorrow pathway, 59 from the Gold-certified CORE pathway, 20 from the Visual & Performing Arts pathway and 36 from the Silver-certified Animation Tech pathway.
AVHS is one of two SBCUSD high schools to offer the rigorous International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme, which offers students an opportunity to graduate high school with an internationally recognized diploma. To earn an IB diploma, students must pass a series of exams and demonstrate their ability to analyze and evaluate information and solve problems creatively in a wide variety of academic subjects.
Cajon High School also offers the IB Diploma Programme and graduated SBCUSD’s second-largest graduating class of 629 students, which included 80 IB Diploma candidates, 211 students who earned a Golden State Seal Merit Diploma, and 157 graduates who earned a Seal of Biliteracy for mastering English and another language.
Daniel Rivera, Jr. was one of Cajon High’s standout graduates. Earning well over $10,000 in scholarships is a remarkable accomplishment that speaks volumes about Rivera’s dedication to academic excellence and his bright future ahead. Throughout his time at Cajon High School, Rivera demonstrated exemplary leadership both inside and outside the classroom. His involvement in various extracurricular activities, as well as his commitment to community service, has truly set him apart as a role model for his peers.
“My ultimate goal in life is to become an orthodontist, open up my own practice and give back to my community by providing little to no-cost dental work,” Rivera said.
The Cajon commencement was also special because it was the first Cajon High commencement ceremony Principal Dr. Chris Jackson attended since his own graduation from Cajon High.
“As your principal, it is truly my honor to stand before you on this momentous occasion. But, as I said, today is also deeply personal for me,” Jackson said during his commencement address. “Both of my parents graduated from this very school, and over thirty years ago, I walked these same halls, met my wonderful wife right here in the C-Building, and graduated from Cajon 28 years ago. This school is not just a place of learning; like many of you, it’s where I grew up, found love and learned much of the knowledge and many of the values that have guided me along the journey to realizing the dream I am living with you all today.”
Jackson was not the only one who thought commencement felt a bit like being with family and belonging. For Indian Springs High School (ISHS) Salutatorian Genesis Barreda Gaytan, the campus was a second home and teachers and fellow classmates became like family.
“During my high school career, my teachers and my peers experienced the most spirited campus Indian Springs had ever seen,” said Gaytan, whose 4.8 GPA earned her acceptance into UCLA this fall, where she will study engineering. “The involvement of students, teachers and my community influenced and fueled my hard work into being a leader in our community.”
Gaytan herself was very involved in school as a member of the softball and volleyball teams, Key Club, National Honor Society and Calculus Club. All that, and she managed to find time to serve her classmates as the Associated Student Body (ASB) president.
School involvement was a theme among top students at every SBCUSD high school. Alexia Leon, Pacific High School’s Citrus Belt Area Athletic Directors Association (CBAADA) Senior Female Athlete of the Year, was a five-star athlete while maintaining a 4.0 G.P.A. and serving as ASB President.
Leon was the captain of the volleyball team and competed in cross country, soccer, softball and track & field. She was the Mountain Valley League girls’ soccer Offensive MVP, leading her team to a CIF Southern Section Quarterfinal appearance. Leon also completed 12 college courses to earn an Administration of Justice Certificate at SBVC through Pacific’s Dual Enrollment program.
Leon was just one of 91 Pacific graduates who completed at least one college course while at the school. Pacific’s Class of 2024 also boasted 124 graduates who completed a Linked Learning CTE Pathway. This included 52 who completed the Business Management Pathway and 17 who completed the Gold-Certified Project Lead the Way Biomedical Science Academy pathway.
That translates to about one third of Pacific’s 258 graduates ending their high school career with at least one college course under their belt and nearly half successfully completing a CTE Pathway.
While career pathways and extracurricular activities were the motivating force for some SBCUSD seniors, others preferred to focus more on academics and on earning their diploma from the comfort of their home or earlier than their peers. That was the case for the 48 graduates of Virtual Academy.
Standout graduates from Virtual Academy included Lizeth Alcala, who took advantage of Virtual Academy’s unique environment to earn her high school diploma early. She is currently enrolled in two courses through the District’s Early College program.
Virtual Academy allowed Michael T. Ibarra to stay committed to his education while overcoming significant health challenges. Ibarra graduated a semester early, which is a testament to his hard work, resilience and determination and to the importance of providing students with academic options that fit their needs.
But despite their different circumstances and learning environment, Virtual Academy graduates came together on May 28 for commencement. For some, it was the first and last time they would be together, in person, as Virtual Academy students.
While most SBCUSD high schools held commencement ceremonies on May 30, the first SBCUSD commencements to honor the Class of 2024 were earlier in the month. On Friday, May 17, the Inland Career Education Center (ICEC) kicked off SBCUSD’s commencement season by graduating 117 students who returned to school to earn a high school diploma or GED (General Educational Development) credential.
ICEC’s Ayisis Clarke returned to school in the fall of 2021 to earn her GED. Just two years later, in November 2023, she passed the GED test and joined 52 other GED credential graduates during the 2023–2024 school year.
According to Clarke, she was nervous when she first enrolled in ICEC. The familiar chalkboards she was used to from her days in school were replaced with computers in every class. But once she decided to take advantage of all the resources ICEC offers, she was able to overcome the challenges in her way.
Clarke has become an advocate for ICEC, and in July, she will be recognized at the GED National Conference in Long Beach.
The ICEC commencement was followed by Sierra High School, a 2024 Model Continuation High School and one of America’s Healthiest Schools by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. Sierra does not have attendance boundaries and instead accepts high school students who were referred to the campus because they are not thriving at their home school. The award-winning continuation high school graduated 334 students on May 20, although some of the graduates had technically graduated earlier in the year, taking advantage of the chance to learn and complete credits at their own pace.
The final SBCUSD commencement ceremonies were held Friday, May 31, after the official last day of school. San Andreas High School graduated 309 students at San Manuel 66ers Stadium in the morning, and San Bernardino High School (SBHS) graduated 325 students at the San Bernardino Valley College football stadium that same evening.
San Andreas has the distinction of being the first alternative high school in the nation to have a CTE pathway certified by the Linked Learning Alliance—two Gold-Certified pathways. The two San Andreas pathways, which are national models of excellence, prepare students for opportunities in the business and medical fields. They are among an elite group of 30 pathways nationwide to earn gold certification from the Alliance, which seeks to promote engaging coursework and workforce readiness by establishing clear standards for implementing CTE pathways.
As part of the Business & Technology Pathway, San Andreas students learn to grow produce hydroponically, which is then sold to local restaurants. The 104 Business & Technology Pathway completers graduated from San Andreas with valuable credentials like a food handlers permit or forklift certification. Health Sciences Pathway students trained alongside staff from AMR (American Medical Response), giving them hands-on exposure to careers in health care and earning credentials like American Heart Association Basic Life Support, first aid and OSHA.
SBHS, home of the Cardinals, was the last SBCUSD campus to send their graduates out of the nest and into the wild blue yonder.
The 325 students in the SBHS Class of 2024 have the distinction of graduating from the first and oldest high school in San Bernardino, joining alumni such as Medal of Honor recipient Col. Joseph C. Rodriguez, NFL players Mark Seay and Alexander Mattison, Taco Bell founder Glen Bell, Golden Globe nominee Philip Michael Thomas, former Stater Bros. CEO Jack Brown and Dorothy Inghram, the first African-American in California to hold the position of school district superintendent.
The commencement address was given by another notable alumnus—SBCUSD Superintendent Mauricio Arellano, who graduated from San Bernardino High 40 years ago with the Class of 1984.
Arellano encouraged the graduates to remember all the people who had helped them get to that moment—parents, teachers and themselves. He reminded them that all of their experiences had led them to this moment. He encouraged them to remember where they came from when they went out into the world.
“When people find out where you’re from, don’t let them talk badly about your home,” Arellano said. “Be proud that you’re from San Bernardino. Be proud of who you are and all you have accomplished.”
At the conclusion of the ICEC commencement ceremony, Principal Raul Pedraza shared some words that apply to the entire Class of 2024.
“Your journey has been one of determination, resilience and constant striving towards excellence,” Pedraza said. “As you step into the next chapter of your lives, I encourage you to continue embracing achievement as both a personal goal and a lifelong pursuit. May your future endeavors be marked by the same spirit of dedication and excellence that you have demonstrated here.”
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