Students in Mendota High School’s Career Technical Education/Regional Occupation Program (MHS CTE/ROP) in Business established “Christmas Con Cariño,” an annual children’s Christmas giveaway.

The Bonner Family Foundation made a generous $10,000 gift to the Scout Island Outdoor Education Center. The Scout Island Outdoor Education Center is located along the San Joaquin Riverwith within Fresno City limits. Scout Island provides outdoor educational experiences for students throughout the eighty-five acres of invaluable habitat for native wildlife and riverside vegetation.

Approximately 600 students in grades 3-12 pushed their academic limits to compete in this year's elementary and secondary competitions of the Science Olympiad hosted by the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools STEM Department. The Science Olympiad competition is like an academic track meet with a series of 23 team events. 

Increasing access to the arts has long been a priority of the Foundation and building strong partnerships in the community contributes to students having a variety of opportunities. Aaron Bryan, Director of FCSS Arts Education, and his team, partnered with Mike Gibson at Fresno Lexus and Broadway in Fresno to give students a wonderful theatrical experience.

The annual FCSS Kids Day event welcomed 1,500 students with special needs to embark on a day full of fun and learning. Many organizations came together for this one-of-a-kind event including Fresno Police Department, Fresno County Sheriff's Department, Fresno Fire Department, and many more, to engage students and their families in an experience they might not otherwise have been able to enjoy.

The Health Youth Corps Showcase was held at Fresno City College with tremendous success. The Showcase is the culminating event for students who participate all year-long in the Health Youth Corps program as student ambassadors promoting positive health choices among their high school peers.

In 2023, Washington Unified School District was a recipient of the Kaiser Permanente Economic Opportunity Grant. The goal of the Economic Opportunity Grant was to support programs that help students excel in school and become equipped to pursue careers and quality jobs. With the grant funding, the district was able to transform the Life Skills classroom at Washington Union High School to better impact students with disabilities gaining essential job skills for life after high school.

The FCSS-Health Services Department held the first-ever Health Youth Corps Conference at Washington Union High School. Over 250 Fresno County students learned about the role they will have in the future to positively impact the health outcomes in the Central Valley.

Support from a generous PG & E grant made a significant impact to the Kerman Online School at Kerman Unified. The Kerman Online School has developed into the flagship of dual enrollment opportunities for secondary students in Kerman Unified.

In 2021, with a generous investment from Chevron, the FCSS-STEM team partnered with the Differentiated Assistance team to launch the Math Networked Improvement Community, now called the Fresno County Math Collaborative (FCMC). The focus of FCMC is to build capacity at school sites for both strong math instruction and sustained improvement.

The Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Contest Series featured the outstanding talents of Fresno County students in the categories of art, speech, and essay.

Cultural Arts Rotary Foundation awards Worsley School with a grant for recreational reading books that will help motivate students to read outside of the classroom, strengthening their reading skills. Worsley school serves students who are in custody of the juvenile court system.

Congratulations to the 2023 Innovation Grant Awards recipients! Each year, the Foundation is proud to offer each school district a grant of up to $1,000 to fund an innovative project that will excite and engage students in and out of the classroom.

Every year, the Career Tech Expo draws nearly 2,500 high school students from Fresno and the surrounding counties to learn about careers and educational opportunities available through many trade and training facilities. Students and parents have an opportunity to speak to industry professionals about their experiences and get their outlook on future employment opportunities to assist them in planning future goals and careers.

Congratulations to Gemma Fortunado, the 2023 recipient of the Deb and Dr. Allen Clyde Charitable Fund Scholarship. Gemma is pursuing her bachelor's degree in Agriculture Education with the goal of becoming a high school agriculture mechanics teacher.

FCSS student programs wrapped up in July with the Fresno County Summer Arts Academy showcase. Students had a wonderful time discovering and expanding their artistic talents and skills through courses taught by Fresno City College faculty in choir, concert band, Jazz band, journalism, modern dance, photography, rock band, speech and debate, theatre acting and costume crafts.  

The Resurrection of the Drums project involved Sanger High School students repairing and refurbishing the school’s older marching drums.

The California Missions Project at West Park Elementary gave access to all fourth grade students to learn through a long, complex research project on a California Mission.