Students and families participate in National Walk & Roll to School Day on October 8. (Photos courtesy of Westminster School District) 
A student greets an administrator upon arriving at her school in Westminster. 
Administrators, city officials and district partners celebrate National Walk & Roll to School Day on Oct. 8.
On Wednesday, students, families and school staff laced up their shoes and started their commute to campus in celebration of National Walk & Roll to School Day.
For almost three decades, the annual nationwide campaign has encouraged families to get active on the way to school while also reminding drivers and pedestrians to share the road safely. The October event also coincides with National Pedestrian Safety Month, a campaign that highlights how small actions like slowing down, staying alert and using crosswalks can prevent injuries and save lives.
In the Westminster School District, families from campuses including Finley Elementary and Johnson Middle School joined together for morning walks and scooter rides to school where they were greeted by city officials, Westminster police officers and an administrator dressed in a traffic cone costume.
Over in the Los Alamitos Unified School District, students at Oak Middle School got a special visit from KTLA reporter Ginger Chan, who joined in on the districtwide walk-to-school event to spotlight safe and active transportation.
Schools throughout the county joined in the recognition on social media to show students starting their school day in a safe and connected way.
Here are the other stories we’ve been following this week:
- Valley High School’s new performing arts center was unveiled this week, featuring brand-new professional lighting and audio systems along with a 1,000-seat theater showcased to the Santa Ana Unified School District community.
- On Thursday, the annual California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress was released. Results show Orange County students outperformed their peers, with English-language arts scores nearly returning to pre-pandemic levels and similar gains in math and science.
- OCDE recently honored bilingual staff with awards for excellence in language access and spotlighted the critical role of interpreters in schools at the ninth annual Interpreters and Translators Conference.
- Thanks to a new OC Pathways program, industry professionals with three-plus years of experience can now earn a teaching credential, turning their workforce expertise into classroom lessons.
- In his latest column, County Superintendent Dr. Stefan Bean reflects on the 250th anniversary of the United States and the county’s efforts to celebrate the milestone with a student-focused song competition.
- Four students at Trabuco Hills High School recently opened an on-campus thrift store called Monty and Millie’s Exchange, aimed at helping students gain retail and customer service experience.
- Ten Huntington Beach High School alumni — including NFL Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez and pro surfer Brett Simpson — were recently inducted into the school’s inaugural Hall of Fame class for their accomplishments in athletics, the arts and beyond.
- The Anaheim Union High School District is looking for eligible candidates to fill a vacant board trustee seat for Area 3, which includes Magnolia, Savanna and Loara high schools.
- UC Irvine recently announced that it has raised more than $2.4 billion for student financial aid — towards scholarships, fellowships and student awards — through its decade-long Brilliant Future campaign.
- The Anaheim Union High School District has partnered with Fullerton College to offer a new career pathway for students featuring hands-on coursework in game design and esports.
- This week, Gov. Newsom signed a series of education-related bills aimed at strengthening school safety, equity and literacy. The new laws include measures to combat antisemitism in classrooms, prevent sexual abuse in schools and mandate early dyslexia screenings starting in kindergarten.
- In a national survey conducted by the RAND Corporation, nearly 1,000 principals across the United States reported that cellphone bans have aided in stronger school climates, cyberbullying prevention and better studying habits.
- Staff and students at California community colleges will soon receive artificial intelligence assistance on assignment feedback, coursework guidance and other tasks due to a new statewide partnership with the AI company Nectir.
- Students at Orange County School of the Arts transformed dozens of pumpkins into unique works of art for their annual Painted Pumpkin Auction, raising funds to support visual arts programs.
This is the part where we encourage you to keep up with local education news stories by bookmarking the OCDE Newsroom, subscribing for emailed updates and following us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.