Four middle school teams from Orange County will compete in the United States Academic Pentathlon National Finals in Nashville, Tennessee. This year’s competition theme, “The Roaring Twenties,” challenges students in grades six through eight across five academic subjects.
Henry Miller, a music teacher at Sierra Vista Middle School in Irvine Unified School District, has been named a 2027 CMA Foundation Music Teacher of Excellence.
University High School finished seventh in the nation at the 2026 United States Academic Decathlon National Competition in Garden Grove, earning Rookie of the Year honors in Division 1 and multiple individual medals.
South Junior High School in Anaheim has received the 2026 Civic Learning Award of Excellence, the state’s highest honor for civic education. The campus is one of three schools statewide recognized at the top level.
Six Orange County educators were surprised on campuses across the county after being selected through a competitive review process, with K-12 honorees eligible for the state program and all to be recognized Nov. 13 at the Disneyland Hotel.
School Attendance Review Boards — or SARBs — bring together educators, families and community partners to address the root causes of chronic absenteeism. Two local districts were recently recognized by the state, highlighting a broader shift toward early support and student-centered solutions.
