W e e k l y RIALTO RECORD
Vol 23, NO. 33
April 10, 2025
Celina’s Wish to Be a Zookeeper Comes True with Help from Make-A-Wish OCIE and San Manuel’s Generous Grant
IECN.com
Brothers Open Fire on Teens in Colton, Critically Wounding Two; Arrests Made Weeks Later Pg. 3
PHOTO MAKE A WISH
Celina feeding a giraffe at the San Diego Zoo.
By IECN Staff
C
elina, a bright and energetic fiveyear-old from Rialto who is living with a respiratory disorder, had a special wish: to visit the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and experience what it’s like to be a zookeeper.
PHOTO SMBMI
Celina celebrating her dream with representatives from Make-A-Wish OCIE and SMBMI.
Thanks to the incredible support of Make-A-Wish OCIE, her dream came true. To celebrate this momentous occasion, representatives from Make-A-Wish and the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians visited Celina and her family to share the exciting news.
The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians helped make this heartwarming moment possible by providing a generous $450,000 grant to Make-A-Wish OCIE, helping to fulfill at least 78 wishes for children battling critical illnesses in the Inland Empire.
Rialto Students Win 18 Awards at Regional Science Fair; Kolb Middle School Advances to State and National Competitions Seven SB County Fathers Graduate from Fatherhood FIRE Program, Gaining Skills in Parenting, Financial Literacy, and Stability Pg. 5
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PHOTO RUSD Rialto Unified School District scientists proudly display their medals at the 2025 San Bernardino, Inyo, and Mono Counties Science and Engineering Fair awards ceremony. The students were recognized for their outstanding projects, earning honors across categories and grade levels. Students were recognized for their innovative projects, including Tovah Caffee (pictured fourth from left), Kolb Middle School student, who earned gold.
By IECN Staff
R
ialto Unified School District students showcased their scientific prowess at the recent 2025 San Bernardino, Inyo, and Mono Counties Science and Engineering Fair (SIMSEF), bringing home a remarkable 18 awards and demonstrating the district's strong emphasis on science education. Among the standout achievers was Kolb Middle School student Tovah Caffee, whose pro-
ject “Macroinvertebrates and Surface Water Quality” earned top recognition. Tovah took home a gold medal in the Earth and Environmental Sciences category and advanced to the prestigious California Science and Engineering Fair, which will take place April 12–13 at California Lutheran University. In addition, she qualified for the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge, a national middle school STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) com-
petition. Incredibly, only 10 students in all of San Bernardino County qualified for the Challenge. The Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge finals will be held in October 2025 with the top 30 finalists heading to Washington, D.C. “I felt that our Rialto Unified School District students were a beacon of curiosity and innovation in the region,” said Juanita Chan Roden, Agent of Science and Science Fair cont. on next pg.