Author Ian Hanigan

Ian Hanigan
Ian Hanigan serves as chief communications officer for the Orange County Department of Education, overseeing the Communications and Media Services unit. Along with producing stories and videos for the OCDE Newsroom, this team facilitates copywriting, video production, media relations, graphic design, web design and event support for OCDE. Prior to joining the department in 2015, Ian spent eight years as public information officer for the 30,000-student Irvine Unified School District. Before that, he was a local journalist, writing for the Long Beach Press-Telegram from 1999 to 2003 and the South Bay’s Daily Breeze newspaper from 2003 to 2006. His beats included education, city government, business and aerospace.
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OC Pathways partners with OpTerra Energy Services, which will sponsor 10 paid STEM internships

Ian Hanigan
We’ve received word this week that OC Pathways, the countywide initiative that’s working to expand career pathways for students from kindergarten through college, has a new partner. OpTerra Energy Services, a national leader in alternative energy solutions, is joining the effort by sponsoring 10 paid summer STEM internships for high school students in the Santa Ana Unified School District. It’s part of the company’s continued focus on building educational opportunities and workforce development strategies. [...]

Graduation rates for Orange County and the rest of the state climb for the fifth straight year

Ian Hanigan
High school graduation rates for California and Orange County have increased for the fifth year in a row, with English-learners accounting for the biggest overall spikes in 2014, according to data released this week. In Orange County, students who started high school in 2010-11 posted a graduation rate of 88.6 percent in 2014 -- up from 87.5 percent in 2013. That number has been climbing steadily. [...]
Equipping an emerging generation invite

Educators invited to register for OCDE’s ‘Equipping an Emerging Generation’ conference

Ian Hanigan
Seats are still available for an upcoming education conference featuring a pair of highly influential academic leaders. “Equipping an Emerging Generation,” hosted by OCDE and County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Al Mijares, will include presentations by renowned author and researcher Michael Fullan and College Board Senior Vice President Trevor Packer from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19 at the Hyatt Regency Orange County. [...]

OC students team with law enforcement to improve traffic safety and reduce underage drinking

Ian Hanigan
Students participating in Friday Night Live programs at Bolsa Grande and Santiago high schools in the Garden Grove Unified School District were invited to present youth-led traffic safety and underage drinking projects at the recent Orange County DUI Forum. Hosted by the Orange County DUI Task Force, the three-hour forum on Friday, April 24 focused on the issue of impaired driving by teens at the Clifton C. Miller Community Center in Tustin. [...]