With 2023 coming to a close, the OCDE Newsroom looks back on a year filled with innovative educational practices and student-led projects focused on uplifting their campuses and communities.
From January through December, the Orange County Department of Education celebrated county Teachers of the Year, educational programs that earned prestigious Golden Bell Awards and led discussions on the impact of artificial intelligence language models on education. At the same time, local middle schoolers in Fullerton have begun construction on a tiny home project.
Without further ado, the OCDE Newsroom compiled a list highlighting nine stories that encapsulate students’ resilience and the profound impact of our educators.
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OCDE announces the 2024 Orange County Teachers of the Year
Before six Orange County educators were formally honored at a gala hosted at the Disneyland Hotel on Nov. 6, they were named the 2024 Teachers of the Year finalists during a series of surprise classroom visits. A big yellow school bus full of OCDE representatives, sponsors and reporters made their way to OC campuses to congratulate each honoree alongside their colleagues and loved ones. OCDE’s teacher recognition program annually recognizes local educators for their commitment to providing students with a quality education. Finalists were selected from a pool of 62 nominees following a formal review process conducted by a panel of educators and community members.
Educational programs from Orange County honored with 2023 Golden Bell Awards
The Orange County Department of Education and several local school districts were honored with the California School Boards Association’s prestigious Golden Bell Awards for innovative educational programs. These initiatives give students access to cutting-edge technology tools as they explore potential careers, bridging opportunity gaps and receive essential mental health counseling services. OCDE’s Crisis Response Network team and representatives from seven school districts were formally recognized during a reception and ceremony in San Francisco on Nov. 30.
Edward James Olmos encourages alternative education students to tell their own stories
From the silver screen to the computer screens of OCDE’s Alternative Education program, Golden Globe and Emmy award-winning actor Edward James Olmos spoke to students about the important roles passion and discipline played in his journey to success. Since its inception in 2020, the program has hosted more than 30 well-known speakers, including astronaut Dr. Bernard Harris, civil rights activist Sylvia Mendez and musician Julian Marley.
Q&A: Weighing the pros and cons of ChatGPT in education
With artificial intelligence poised to reshape workplaces and society at large, the Orange County Department of Education is moving ahead with an ambitious initiative that will evaluate and determine the best approaches for integrating AI into teaching and learning. Before presenting a workshop earlier this fall on language models, like ChatGPT, and their impact on the future of education, OCDE Humanities Coordinator Dr. Virginia Reischl sat down with the OCDE Newsroom to expand on how artificial intelligence-powered text generators can be leveraged by schools to enhance teaching and learning.
Fountain Valley High School welcomes students and staff to new WellSpace on campus
OCDE’s mission of addressing and supporting students’ mental health needs in Orange County extends across the entire calendar. In collaboration with CHOC, the department transformed underutilized spaces into new WellSpaces at various campus sites including Fountain Valley High School. To date, more than 30 WellSpaces have been established at schools throughout the county. The spaces offer tranquil and comfortable environments for students to reset and practice mindfulness strategies with support from counselors and other staff.
Former students from segregated campus reunite nearly 80 years later to reflect on legacy of Mendez v. Westminster
Socorro “Coco” Puebla, Dolores Martinez, Luisa Medina and Frank Mendoza — all former Hoover Elementary students — gathered at the Mendez Tribute Monument Park to share memories and reflect on the legacy of the Mendez v. Westminster case. The special reunion was organized by the City of Westminster, which partnered with the Orange County Department of Education in 2022 to create the first public space to honor the historic case and the families behind it. While their children attended Hoover, Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez joined four other families in the legal fight that would end forced segregation of Mexican American students in Orange County in 1947.
Decathlon Dynasty: Irvine’s Woodbridge High wins sixth Orange County championship in seven years
The academic decathlon victories keep coming for Irvine’s Woodbridge High School, which won its sixth county title in seven years. In February, Woodbridge’s decathletes and their coach were announced as the 2023 Orange County Academic Decathlon champs during an awards show at Orange Coast College where hundreds of students were presented with individual and team medals. After outpacing squads from 34 other schools in the most recent two-day county contest, the Warriors clinched yet another third-place title at the California Academic Decathlon.
Eighth-graders from Fullerton School District begin tiny home construction project
The syllabus for this school year’s advanced wood shop class at Nicolas Junior High includes expanding upon skills acquired in the introductory course, mastering the safe handling of new materials and building hope for a local family. A class of 22 eighth-graders, who were chosen for the Fullerton School District’s Tiny Home project, has commenced the construction of a 192-square-foot house. The structure will provide temporary housing for a student and their family who are receiving assistance from the district under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
Students take center stage at milestone OC Pathways Showcase
From designing product prototypes for budding businesses to learning how to care for patients in hospitals, Orange County students are creating innovative projects and gaining on-the-job experience to utilize once they enroll in college and enter the workforce. These skills were on full display at the 10th annual career pathways showcase on Dec. 7, hosted by OC Pathways and the Orange Coast College Career Advantage. The OCDE program staff welcomed a record 326 attendees to connect face-to-face with its career education partners and hear directly from students about what they have learned in career pathways programs.