Approximately 1,500 miles separate Orange County from Hurricane Harvey’s destructive swath. But local residents have been eager to support the relief effort, and we’ve been hearing more stories about OC schools finding ways to contribute.
The Orange County Register reported this week that a group of eight altruistic freshmen from Beckman High School in Tustin Unified recently coordinated a weeklong fundraiser to benefit the victims of Harvey. And the Daily Pilot had a story about PTA and faculty members at Whittier Elementary School in Costa Mesa conducting a school supply drive to aid a Houston school that has the same name.
Meanwhile, during its annual Sept. 11 tribute to the bravery and dedication of local heroes, Harbour View Elementary School in Huntington Beach announced it would raise money on behalf of Moore Elementary School in Cypress, Texas, which had to relocate students due to flooding.
And here are some other education stories from the week ending Sept. 15:
- Nearly 800 high school seniors from Orange County are in elite company this week, as they’ve earned their place among 16,000 semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program, which will dish out $32 million in scholarships this spring
- The Irvine Unified School District, working to keep pace with a rapidly growing city, officially broke ground on its 40th campus. Cadence Park School, a K-8, is set to open in August 2018.
- With a 4-1 vote, Santa Ana Unified trustees passed a resolution affirming their support for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
- The Brea Olinda Unified school board selected a former teacher, active community member and Brea resident to fill a recently vacated seat.
- California’s schools and districts should embrace a proven framework of supports capable of addressing students’ academic, social and behavioral needs, writes Orange County Superintendent Dr. Al Mijares in a column for EdSource.
- Looking to stoke the interests of young minds and prepare them for high school pathway programs, Brea Junior High School has made it possible for students to add a second elective course this year.
- The home field of the Garden Grove High Argonauts was recently dedicated as Michael A. Monsoor Memorial Stadium in honor of the hometown hero who sacrificed his life to save two of his fellow Navy SEALs.
- Nearly 150 students from high schools in Irvine launched into the second year of a unique satellite program that engages teenage participants in the development of a space-ready orbiter.
- Having students work together to solve complex, real-world problems is the basis of Project Based Learning, which is the subject of the OCDE Newsroom’s latest “OCDE in 30 Seconds” video.
- Finally, the Orange County Register published an inspiring feature on Sunny Hills High School student and varsity volleyball player Madelyn Acheson, who suffered from hearing loss at a young age.