From a three-court gymnasium with 2,000-seat bleachers to a weight training suite with outdoor plyometric exercise zones, the new Griffin Center at Los Alamitos High School officially opened its doors Wednesday with a celebration that brought together students, families and community members.
Sitting on the north end of campus, the state-of-the-art athletics facility spans 34,000 square feet and creates a designated space for athletics while supporting the district’s four priorities: academics, athletics, activities and the arts. Built with community-supported funding, the center incorporates modern touches like efficient HVAC systems, LED lighting and design elements that bring in natural light and improve air quality.
The Aug. 27 ribbon-cutting doubled as a community celebration with performances by the Los Alamitos High pep band, drum line, varsity song and cheer teams, and the award-winning SoundFX show choir. Alongside the music and spirit, district leaders including Los Alamitos High Principal Christiana Kraus and Board of Education President Marlys Davidson reflected on what the new space will mean for students and the broader community.
“Standing here today, you can feel the energy and excitement this new facility brings to our campus,” said Superintendent Dr. Andrew Pulver. “The Griffin Center is more than a gym — it’s a place where our entire community will come together. Whether it’s cheering at a big game, celebrating at a rally, or gathering for a performance, this building represents the pride and spirit that define Los Alamitos Unified.”
With a Griffin Hall of Champions in its glass-enclosed lobby and a track-and-field video display board, the district aims for the space to become a hub for games, rallies, performances and celebrations for future generations of Los Alamitos students.
Here are the other stories we’ve been following this week:
- In a visit to his alma mater, ABC7 reporter David Gonzalez shed light on the ways Garden Grove’s Los Amigos High School is working to supply students with additional resources, from earning early college credits to receiving vision and dental screenings.
- Cypress High School senior Parsmi Rajput and educator Shelley Hawkins have been named 2025 Bezos Scholars, one of just 17 global student-educator teams selected for the prestigious, yearlong leadership program focused on community change.
- State Superintendent Tony Thurmond recently unveiled the California Attendance Guide, an online resource including key strategies for reducing chronic absenteeism across the state — including evidence-based prevention templates created by the Orange County Department of Education.
- From balloon arches and chalk art to walk-up song videos, Orange County school districts from Orange Unified to Fullerton School District led back-to-school celebrations encouraging school spirit and community engagement, as featured by Spotlight Schools.
- After graduating through Santiago Canyon College’s Juvenile Justice Program last year, a former student in OCDE’s Otto Fischer School has set his sights on graduating from UC Berkeley and providing support to those who have also faced obstacles in life.
- The Laguna Beach Unified School District Board of Education recently swore in sophomores Ivy Dabbs and Logan Marshall as its newest student representatives, where they will serve as the voices of school communities throughout the 2025-26 academic year.
- In other news at Laguna Beach Unified, the district recently reviewed its mobile device policy at a recent board meeting before discussing potential plans to update the guidelines based on student well-being across its four campuses.
- At Santiago Canyon College, all four Lopez sisters have taken on, or plan to take on, leaderships roles in the Associated Student Government. The Orange County Register recently featured their passion for service and making a difference in their community.
- With ongoing immigration enforcement activity creating community concern, some Santa Ana families are enrolling their children in Santa Ana Unified’s Virtual Academy as a safe remote learning alternative to in-person schooling.
- This week, first lady Melania Trump announced the launch of a nationwide AI Challenge contest inviting K-12 students to use artificial intelligence tools to find solutions to issues in their communities.
- To increase financial literacy among children and young adults, the nonprofit Junior Achievement of Orange County and Inland Empire is offering free classes on topics like budgeting, credit scores and saving for college, featured in Spectrum News.
- Orange County families are encouraged to claim CalKIDS scholarships as the school year begins, with over $148 million already invested in the county and half of all public school students grades two through 12 eligible for up to $1,500 each.
- A 13-year-old Newport-Mesa Unified School District student died Saturday after a shooting outside a gas station in Pico Rivera.
- The Capistrano Unified School District saw the rate of students passing their AP exams increase by 3.7 percent last school year, totaling 8,952 exams with a score of three or higher.
- Education funds totaling $6.8 billion will now be released to multiple state-funded programs, following an agreement reached Monday between the current administration and more than two dozen state officials across the country, according to the LAist.
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