Thanks to a new intervention program instituted in Fontana, several young people have "flipped" their lives around in a very positive way.  The Fontana Leadership Intervention Program (F.L.I.P.) held its first graduation ceremony on December 21st at the Steelworkers' Auditorium in the Lewis Library and Technology Center, celebrating the accomplishments of 25 students who overcame various difficulties in order to get on the right path.

Robert Ratcliffe, chief of the Fontana School Police Department, praised the young people for their determination and willingness to participate in a program which aimed to steer them away from trouble.  "These kids have worked hard, and we're hoping we have changed their attitudes and they will be outstanding citizens in the future," Ratcliffe said.

He said the FUSD, in collaboration with the Fontana Police Department and other agencies, recognized the importance of developing "some kind of intervention beyond what we had" in place to address students who were sometimes crossing over into irresponsible behavior.  "We needed to bring them back across the line," he said.  The result was F.L.I.P., a 16-week program which met on Saturdays to teach the students discipline, good citizenship, and other core values.  Eighty students were considered for the program and 34 were eventually accepted, and of those, 25 completed the course.

Some of the highlights for the students came when they went on field trips to the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles and a four-year college (in this instance, USC). The students also had to visit West Valley Detention Center and the San Bernardino County Coroner's Office.  We wanted to show them the most positive issues and the most negative issues and ask them to make a choice," Ratcliffe said.

It was apparent that the students chose wisely, he said. One of them used to be using the drug ecstasy and later became a Student of the Month in high school; another was failing classes but then became a 3.0 GPA student.  The program was so successful that Ratcliffe said he wanted to expand it next year, with the help of private donations.

(Photo and article courtesy of Fontana Herald News)

Please address questions, comments, and suggestions regarding this web site to: webmaster@fusd.net