Skip to main content

Commitment to the Community

Commitment to the Community

  • A group of young cheerleaders in blue and white uniforms cheer enthusiastically with pom-poms in a stadium.
  • A young person with long brown hair smiles while holding a small black-and-grey lamb on a farm.
  • Two young children play grocery store in a brightly lit classroom.

Superintendent Corrine Folmer, Ed.D.In this annual report, you will meet students and staff, and see facts and figures, that tell our story — a story that impacts you whether you have students in our schools or not.

It is a story that started more than 65 years ago when a community united around a common vision for its public schools. Along with our founding Superintendent Floyd “Doc” Buchanan, Ed.D., members of the community came together behind the idea that their kids deserved a great education.

That meant setting high expectations for academic achievement because kids have an amazing way of achieving the standards we believe they can achieve. We unified around new goals, like 90% of our students achieving at grade level in math and reading, when at the time only a third of students could read at grade level. And we unified around beliefs, like every child can learn and we can teach every child. These are goals and beliefs that still drive us today.

This unified effort meant investing in school facilities so our community’s children knew that their education was important to us all. Rooms that are not too hot or too cold, roofs that do not leak, and classrooms built to support student learning all send a message to students who attend school in them that they are important. When students take pride in their schools, they place a priority on learning.

Key to our early mission was also hiring the right people. People who believed in helping our youth achieve their best in mind, body and spirit. People who were willing to put students at the center of their decisions — because it is amazing how quickly you can tell what the right decision is when it is weighed against the best interests of our kids.

From that first chapter, our story has grown. Today we are the 11th largest district in California, employing more than 7,000 people and serving around 44,000 students across more than 50 schools. The quality of service we deliver to our community matters in workforce development, economic vitality and the overall health of the cities we serve, and we bear that responsibility with great care.

Our community today may look different than the small town of 1960, but the vision for our district remains rooted in that same story. That is why we are so wholeheartedly committed to our mission to be a high-quality educational system providing the resources for all students to reach their potential in mind, body and spirit. It is what is good for students. It is what is good for our community.

At its core, our story belongs to every resident of Clovis Unified, and together we hold ourselves to a high standard. Thank you for standing with us as partners in a most valuable mission.

The name 'Corrine Folmer, Ed.D.' is written in a cursive font.

 

 

Clovis Unified Superintendent

The Clovis Unified Culture

People often talk about the Clovis Unified culture.

They see it in our schools, our students, our traditions and our pursuit of excellence. They recognize it in the pride our employees take in their work and in the care they show for students and one another.

What is sometimes harder to see is where that culture comes from.

It comes from people.

It comes from the stories and experiences each person brings through our doors. Stories shaped by family, heritage, culture and community. Stories that help us learn from one another, deepen our understanding and strengthen the connections that make Clovis Unified unique.

It comes from the stories of those who came before us and established the foundations we build upon today. It comes from employees who go beyond expectations, colleagues who support one another, and students who overcome challenges to achieve their goals.

And it comes from the stories still being written every day. When thousands of stories are united by a common purpose, they become something bigger than any one person. They become a culture. They become a legacy. They become a strength.

See just a few of our many stories that showcase the amazing strength and spirit of our Clovis Unified people!

Culture is not just something we inherit once and then admire from a distance. It’s something we build every day through the choices we make, the way we treat one another and the standards we refuse to lower.

Superintendent Corrine Folmer, Ed.D.

Out of the Classroom.

A group of people pose for a photo in front of a traditional Chinese temple with ornate red roofs.

Chinese foreign language instructor Lili Wong, who teaches at Buchanan High and Clovis West High, wanted her students to learn beyond what she could offer in the classroom. During Spring Break, she led students on a trip to China, giving them the opportunity to be immersed not only in the language, but also in the culture. Wong has organized educational trips to Asian countries for the past decade and believes the experiences can have a lasting impact.

“If any of these journeys changes the way students perceive the world beyond their comfort zone, it is worthwhile.”  --Lili Wong

One for the Books.

A woman smiles next to a large, Christmas tree-shaped tower made of colorful books in a library.

Our school libraries are filled with stories, but they are also places where new stories begin. At Red Bank Elementary, librarian April Lencioni spent a weekend, with the help of her husband, building a holiday book tree made from more than 1,000 books and holiday lights. When students arrived Monday morning, they were delighted as they explored every branch. Like so many of our librarians, Lencioni finds creative ways to bring reading to life and spark curiosity in young readers.

Across Clovis Unified, students checked out 943,853 library books last year.

Running Dedication.

A large group of students in matching shirts gather together outdoors near a banner and an American flag for a 5K run.

The Morning Miles club at Pinedale Elementary brings current and former students and staff together once a week for a morning jog. The club was created as a fun way to help students having trouble running the mile for the state’s Physical Fitness Test. Students in the club have not only been passing the test, but also several have even joined the track and cross-country teams. At the end of the school year, the entire club joined in a local 5k on a Saturday, and they were joined by Superintendent Corrine Folmer, Ed.D., who ran right alongside them.

Whatever It Takes.

A smiling young Clovis East graduate in a green cap and gown proudly holds her diploma after the ceremony.

The projected forecast was clear, but that didn’t stop a small cell of rain clouds from unexpectedly pouring down on Lamonica Stadium shortly before Clovis East High’s graduation was to begin. Administrators and staff quickly regrouped. The rain had stopped but graduates’ chairs were soaked. Do we relocate to the gym? Not a chance. Without pause, the custodial team, school staff and administrators grabbed whatever they could and dried off more than 600 seats in minutes. Graduation is our students’ biggest story and one that our team was not going to let them miss.