Students returning to Hermosa Drive Elementary School this fall will be greeted by a colorful new mural that celebrates kindness, community and student voice.
Featuring more than 350 pieces by transitional kindergarten through 12th-grade students, the 2025 Junior Art Exhibit at the Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach opens July 2 in Partnership with OCDE and Arts Orange County. Selected from nearly 1,800 submissions, the display includes works by students with disabilities and 13 student-created films, showcasing creativity, inclusion and the importance of arts education.
Through original lyrics and a familiar tune, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School fifth-grade students used music to share what they learned about saying no to drugs and making healthy choices as part of OCDE’s Youth Substance Use Prevention program.
OCDE hosted its first State of the Student Forum on June 12 to review the latest data on student outcomes with educational and community partners. The report highlights key successes and areas for growth, with the goal of driving positive, data-informed change.
OC student Sydney Tran’s spelling journey took her from El Rancho Charter School in Anaheim to the national stage in Maryland, where the seventh-grader competed among the top young spellers in the country during the 100th Scripps National Spelling Bee.
