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Rialto Unified spotlights student leaders and honors classified staff at May 6 board meeting
Summary
Student ASB leaders from multiple middle schools reported end-of-year activities; the board presented a Key to the District to community leader Darius Harris and recognized several classified employees of the year. Parents later urged follow-up on a canceled Casey Elementary field trip.
Student leaders from Rialto Unified middle schools used the board meeting to summarize end-of-year events, testing and campus activities, while the board used the evening to honor long-serving staff and a local nonprofit leader.
Anna Lee Sanchez, ASB president at Jay Hugh Middle School, told the board the campus is preparing eighth-grade promotions, a field day and a "memory lane" dance, and thanked Central Kitchen and staff for support. "Bring on the waterworks," she said as she closed her remarks representing her peers. Other student speakers — including Bailey Rubin (Rialto Middle), Emily Perez (Frisbee Middle) and Olivia Benaves (Cole Middle) — highlighted rallies, fundraisers, academic incentives and upcoming junior grad bashes and promotion ceremonies.
The board presented the Key to the District to Darius Harris for work through his nonprofit NSG Impact ("Never Stop Grinding"), citing youth mentorship, food distributions and local outreach. Board member Evelyn P. Dominguez introduced Harris and recounted his ties to Rialto schools. Harris, a former professional boxer who described launching community programs after his ring career ended, told the audience he seeks sponsorships to give students national exposure through tournaments and internships. San Bernardino County Supervisor Joe Baka Jr. congratulated Harris and praised his service.
The board recognized a slate of classified employees as Rialto Unified "employees of the year," naming honorees from nutrition services, special services, communications, custodial, technology and safety functions. Among them, Diane Kayyama was honored for nearly 30 years in nutrition services and praised for mentoring colleagues and ensuring food-safety practices; Edith Ortiz Torres was recognized for communications and media work supporting multilingual outreach; and Michael Sloan was singled out for building the district's resilient wide-area network. Each honoree accepted the recognition and thanked colleagues and family.
During public comment, several parents from Casey Elementary raised an unrelated but urgent concern about a last-minute cancellation of a full-school theater trip. Mario Ortiz, identified as the site council president, read the principal's apology and said parents were told buses and more than 500 students were ready before the trip was canceled; he said parents learned of the cancellation via social media and requested the superintendent provide a follow-up report. Superintendent Dr. Alvarez said he would look into the issue and follow up.
The meeting included routine business items and closed with board appreciation for staff and students. The board scheduled its next meeting for May 20, 2026.
