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Author Fermin Leal

Fermin Leal

Fermin Leal serves as a communications specialist for Orange County Department of Education's Communications and Media Services Department where he works to highlight news and successful education initiatives at OCDE and at public schools across Orange County. Before joining OCDE, Fermin worked as an education journalist for 15 years, most recently at the nonprofit education news site EdSource. Prior to that, he worked for the Orange County Register. In this role, he wrote features and news articles about career and college readiness, the state’s implementation of the Common Core and Smarter Balanced exams and challenges facing students in higher education.

Guitarist performs in front of a small crowd

OCDE promotes music, arts education at NAMM convention

Fermin Leal
January 26, 2018
This weekend's NAMM convention, an annual gathering for music industry professionals, featured exhibits on the latest music gear, a few celebrity sightings and some jam sessions. And it also included a campaign... Read More
News print

Weekly roundup: Segerstrom students visit Virgin Galactic site, schools take on Kindness Challenge, and more

Fermin Leal
January 26, 2018
A group of students from Segerstrom High School in Santa Ana recently toured Virgin Galactic’s facilities and hangar where the WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo vehicles are being built. Virgin Galactic's Spa... Read More
Student Jazmine Alvarado points to her tiger design for an SUV

6th-grader’s ‘Tiger Truck’ design wins law enforcement competition

Fermin Leal
January 24, 2018
Sixth-grader Jazmine Alvarado believes a tiger symbolizes strength, strong character and fearlessness — the perfect characteristics for a truck driven by law enforcement officials to discourage kids from joinin... Read More
Allen Witten, teacher at Sunburst Academy, surrounded by students

Two OCDE teachers named among the 25 best by Parenting OC magazine

Fermin Leal
January 22, 2018
Two Orange County Department of Education educators were named finalists for Parenting OC’s 2018 Top Teachers of Orange County Awards. Janet Dicker Allen Witten, center Allen Witten, a teacher at Sun... Read More
Dreamers and Doers logo

86 O.C. students nominated for Disneyland Resort’s ‘Dreamers & Doers’ award for community service work

Fermin Leal
January 16, 2018
Eighty-six Orange County students were selected by their high schools for their efforts to strengthen their communities, think creatively, conserve nature and live healthier as part of the Disneyland Resort's "... Read More
Education News title card

Weekly roundup: Students test storm water quality, governor wants more money for schools, and more

Fermin Leal
January 12, 2018
Fifth-grade teacher Pam Conti from Pegasus School in Huntington Beach is on a mission to take water samples from Dana Point, and more from the Santa Ana River in Huntington Beach, back to her fifth-grade class ... Read More
governor jerry brown

Gov. Brown: State to fully fund education initiatives thanks to expected $7.5 billion revenue ‘windfall’

Fermin Leal
January 10, 2018
California will provide an additional $2.6 billion revenue to public education in the upcoming school year, Gov. Jerry Brown revealed Wednesday as part of his preliminary budget proposal. The money will help... Read More
students eating lunch in school cafeteria

New 2018 education laws include ending ‘meal shaming’

Fermin Leal
January 3, 2018
It's the start of a new calendar year, and with that comes a batch of state laws affecting Orange County's public schools and community colleges. The slew of new laws for 2018 aims to address students health... Read More
Vincent Saporito of College View Elementary School

Year in review: Solar eclipse offers STEM lesson, music video inspires bravery, and more

Fermin Leal
December 28, 2017
As 2017 winds down, we're taking a look back at some of our biggest news stories in this past year. It was a year filled with honors and accolades for teachers, students and schools. It also saw the introductio... Read More
science classroom filled with high school students

Season of giving can continue if you want to help teachers fund classroom projects

Fermin Leal
December 27, 2017
The holiday season might be winding down, but you still have to opportunity to give especially if you want to help out a local school or classroom. Dozens of teachers, administrators and others at schools ac... Read More
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Credits

Orange County Department of Education
Al Mijares, Ph.D.
County Superintendent of Schools

Contact

Thanks for visiting the OCDE Newsroom. Questions and story suggestions should be sent to communications@ocde.us.

And if you’re a member of the media in need of information about the Orange County Department of Education, you can contact Communications Officer Ian Hanigan at ihanigan@ocde.us or 714-966-4008.

Tags

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