Luis Vaquera, our nominee for the 2010 San Bernardino County Medal of Honor, was honored at the May 19th Board of Education meeting as Fontana Unified School District's Volunteer of the Year.

When she became Superintendent two years ago, Cali Olsen Binks said that one of her goals was to increase parent involvement at both the district and school site levels.  As she began meeting with the various parent groups and representatives, she encountered Mr. Vaquera over and over again.  “Every time I would go to meet with a president or a chairperson of a committee, it was always Luis!” said Ms. Olsen Binks.  “It didn’t matter which school site he was representing, it didn’t matter what committee he was representing,” she continued, “Luis dedicated himself to countless hours away from his family to help support the mission of parent involvement.”  It was because of his dedication across the board, and specifically to Mango Elementary School, that Mr. Vaquera was Fontana's nominee for the 2010 San Bernardino County Medal of Honor.

As Sara Najarro, Principal of Mango Elementary School, stated in her letter nominating Mr. Vaquera:

He has been a strong parent advocate for many years and has spent his life working tirelessly on behalf of the children of Fontana Unified School. He has donated countless hours to assist our parents and schools. He volunteers to assist at Mango Elementary in every facet, from traffic control to bilingual translations. He also makes sure he keeps current on all school-related issues so he can provide the best leadership to the community.

Because of his personality and tireless efforts, he has built a great rapport with the community. Through his work, he has helped parents understand the importance of family support and involvement for higher student achievement.

In every committee that he is involved in, he is always at the forefront, tirelessly volunteering to take the lead. This includes the District English Language Acquisition Committee, Superintendent’s Advisory Committee, Bond Oversight Committee and Parent Teachers Association. I give him my highest recommendation, with absolutely no reservations, for the Nomination for Volunteer in Action. I consider him to be a truly exceptional individual.

Mrs. Olsen-Binks presented Mr. Vaquera with a Medal of Honor Certificate recognizing him as the Volunteer of the Year for Mango Elementary School and the Fontana Unified School District.  “On behalf of the team at the district office and especially, I know, on behalf of the Board of Education,” said Mrs. Olsen-Binks, “we so appreciate your dedication to the children of Fontana.”

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