SBCUSD Educators Alisha James and Anthony Morris Honored with 2026 Black Rose Awards

SAN BERNARDINO, CA — Two members of the San Bernardino City Unified School District family are being recognized for their leadership, service and commitment to the community.

Alisha James, a Spanish teacher at San Bernardino High School, and Anthony Morris, Williams Compliance Supervisor in the district’s Maintenance and Operations Department, have been named 2026 Black Rose Award recipients by the San Bernardino Black Culture Foundation.

The Black Rose Awards recognize individuals who have made a lasting difference in the San Bernardino community through leadership, service and dedication.

For James, that impact can be seen in the classroom, where her work as an educator provides students with opportunities to learn, grow and expand their understanding of language and culture.

Morris contributes to student success from another important part of the educational system. Through his work in Maintenance and Operations, he helps support the district’s responsibility to provide school environments that are safe, welcoming and prepared to serve students and staff.

Although their roles are different, both demonstrate an important truth about public education: creating successful schools requires dedicated people throughout an entire district.

Teachers may have the most direct daily interaction with students, but behind every classroom are professionals working to maintain facilities, provide resources, support operations and create an environment where teaching and learning can take place.

San Bernardino City Unified School District celebrated James and Morris for representing the excellence, compassion and dedication the district strives to demonstrate throughout its schools and community.

Their recognition also shines a light on the importance of honoring individuals whose contributions extend beyond their job descriptions and positively affect the communities they serve.

The San Bernardino Black Culture Foundation has a longstanding tradition of recognizing community members through the Black Rose Awards, celebrating people whose leadership and service help strengthen San Bernardino.

For James and Morris, receiving the 2026 honor represents recognition not only of what they do professionally, but also of the difference their commitment can make in the lives of students, colleagues and the larger community.

Congratulations to Alisha James and Anthony Morris on this well-deserved recognition.

What teacher, school employee or community leader has made a lasting difference in your life or the life of your child?

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Dodgers Legend Derrel Thomas Brings Reading, Baseball and Fun to Nearly 300 San Bernardino Children

SAN BERNARDINO, CA — Nearly 300 children in San Bernardino enjoyed a memorable morning where books, baseball and community came together at Blair Park.

Los Angeles Dodgers legend Derrel Thomas, a member of the Dodgers’ 1981 World Series championship team, joined local children and San Bernardino City Councilmembers Kim Knaus and Mario Flores at the Dodgers Dreamfield for a special LA Reads Storytime event.

Hosted by the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation in partnership with the City of San Bernardino Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department, the event was designed to make reading exciting while encouraging elementary school-aged children to develop a lifelong love of books.

Thomas took center stage not with a baseball bat, but with a book, reading aloud to the children and sharing in a morning that connected the excitement of Dodgers baseball with the importance of literacy.

Young participants also received free books and a special Dodgers bobblehead while supplies lasted, giving them something to take home to remember the experience.

Programs such as LA Reads demonstrate how sports organizations, local government and community partners can work together to make literacy engaging for young people. For children who admire professional athletes, seeing a Dodgers World Series champion take time to celebrate books sends a powerful message: reading can be just as much a part of achieving your dreams as what happens on the field.

The City of San Bernardino thanked the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation and Thomas for helping make reading a memorable experience for hundreds of local children.

For families throughout San Bernardino and the Inland Empire, the event was more than a morning of fun. It was an opportunity to put books directly into children’s hands, create positive memories around reading and remind young people that learning can open doors to possibilities far beyond the classroom.

What was your favorite book as a child—and what book would you recommend to a young reader today?

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About Rancho Cucamonga Ontario Community News

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San Bernardino to allocate $1.4 million to permanently house homeless residents

San Bernardino is hoping to get an additional 60 unhoused residents into permanent shelter over the next two and a half years.

At its meeting Wednesday, the San Bernardino City Council authorized city staff to proceed with spending $1.39 million awarded to it by the state to help defray homelessness in the community.

The program seeks to help 60 city residents move from homeless encampments along Waterman Avenue into existing permanent housing, including 54 one-bedroom units and six two-bedroom units. The $1.39 million program includes $600,000 for a subcontractor to handle residents’ cases and to work with landlords, along with $693,378 for rental assistance and $99,054 in incentives for landlords.

The program is paid for with part of the $4.5 million in state Encampment Resolution Funding awarded to the city in April 2024. The program will run through June 30, 2027.

San Bernardino is looking for a subcontractor to administer its Rapid Rehousing Program. Nonprofits need to apply by Feb. 26. The city is explicitly looking for a subcontractor with a track record in obtaining rental housing and providing case management services to individuals in the program.

“Our goal is to hopefully have this program in place by the end of April,” Cassandra Searcy, the city’s deputy director of housing and homelessness, told the council.

According to the 2024 San Bernardino County Point in Time Count of homeless residents, San Bernardino had 1,417 homeless residents in January that year, more than any other in San Bernardino County. That works out to about 633 of every 100,000 residents in the city of San Bernardino who don’t have a consistent place to live, nearly triple the county average. It’s also worse than the statewide average of 455 homeless people per 100,000 residents, and the national average of 195 people per 100,000 residents.

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