Sixth-graders at Cook Elementary School in the Garden Grove Unified School District recently welcomed Inside the Outdoors staff and their teaching animals into the classroom for a lesson on sensory structures — parts of animals’ bodies that help them understand their surroundings.
Joining the students was KCAL News reporter Rina Nakano, who covered the visit as part of a segment celebrating Inside the Outdoors’ 50th anniversary. The Orange County Department of Education’s environmental education program has connected students with local wildlife since 1974, offering hands-on experiences that bring science to life through field trips, classroom visits and community events.
The feature — which aired on Tuesday, Oct. 22 — also showcased the program’s resilience following the 2020 Bond Fire, which destroyed its Silverado Canyon headquarters. Since relocating to OCDE’s main office in Costa Mesa, staff have continued to educate and inspire students with live animals, including a great horned owl.
“This is an educational opportunity for students to learn about climate, ecosystems and how they recover after fires — a journey that mirrors our program’s resilience,” said Yarib Dheming, ITO’s school and community outreach manager. “Whether it’s outdoors or in the classroom with live animals, we’re showing students that learning can be fun.”
Here are the other stories we’ve been following this week:
- Philip J. Reilly Elementary School in Mission Viejo recently unveiled a sensory garden — created in partnership with the Capistrano Unified School District and the Orange County Department of Education — to support hands-on learning for students, especially those in OCDE’s Connections program for students with significant disabilities.
- California State University is piloting a direct admission program for high school seniors in Riverside County, offering eligible students conditional admission to select campuses without requiring a formal application.
- Two Orange County charter schools have earned top spots in Niche’s 2025 Best Schools report. Orange County School of the Arts ranked No. 1 among charter high schools in California and Oxford Preparatory Academy – Saddleback Valley was No. 3 among charter elementary schools statewide.
- OCDE has updated its online toolkit to support schools hosting activities tied to Red Ribbon Week, which runs from Oct. 23 to Oct. 31, promoting healthy, drug-free lives.
- Los Alamitos High School senior Sydney Forsyte, inspired by her grandparents’ survival of the Holocaust, has brought the “Anne Frank – A History for Today” exhibit to her campus to foster empathy and tolerance among her peers.
- Fullerton Union High School celebrated the grand opening of its state-of-the-art aquatics center, featuring a 32-meter by 25-yard pool with advanced filtration and energy-efficient systems.
- Palomazo Academy, an after-school program at Santa Ana High, offers students free access to instructors and instruments, allowing them to embrace their Hispanic heritage through Regional Mexican music.
- Santa Ana Unified’s Lathrop Intermediate is celebrating Farm to School Month with the Growing Together Farm-to-School Festival. Held in partnership with the California Food for California Kids Network, the initiative marks its 10th anniversary promoting local fresh school meals and food education.
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