Honors and awards

2015 California Classified School Employees of the Year from Orange County Janelle Cranch and Alfredo Perez

Two Orange County Classified School Employees of the Year win state honors

Staff reports
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced the selection of the 2015 California Classified School Employees of the Year, including two winners from Orange County. The 2015 California Classified School Employees of the Year from Orange County are Janelle Cranch, buyer technician from the Irvine Unified School District’s main office, and Alfredo Perez, head custodian at Rea Middle School in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District. [...]
Gold Ribbon School sign in front of school

45 OC middle and high schools honored as California Gold Ribbon Schools

Staff reports
The state Department of Education has announced the winners of its newly established California Gold Ribbon School Awards, including 45 from Orange County. In total, 373 public middle and high schools were recognized Tuesday for gains in implementing the academic content and performance standards that have been adopted by the State Board of Education for all students, including English learners. [...]
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OCDE’s Academic Decathlon, Inside the Outdoors participate in day of giving

Staff reports
The Orange County Department of Education is joining the Orange County Community Foundation in an effort to raise money for 345 nonprofit organizations during the first-ever i♥OC Giving Day. This year’s goal is to raise $2 million in a 30-hour span, and OCDE has not one but two programs participating – the Orange County Academic Decathlon and Inside the Outdoors. [...]
An image of a student displaying her National History Day project

Top performers from National History Day-OC competition now headed to state finals

Ian Hanigan
The results are in from the 2015 National History Day-Orange County competition. Capping months of research and preparation, student projects were displayed and judged at OCDE’s main campus on March 14, and an awards ceremony followed two days later. A breakdown of all the medalists by division and category has since been published on OCDE’s National History Day webpage. [...]
An image of the 2015 Orange County Spelling Bee winners

OC’s champion speller headed to Washington D.C. to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee

Staff reports
“Foreordained” – meaning to dispose or appoint in advance – was the final word that officially clinched the title of Orange County Spelling Bee champion for 12-year-old Sarika Rau, a seventh-grade student from Sierra Vista Middle School in the Irvine Unified School District. After four hours and 18 rounds of intense competition on Saturday, Rau walked away with a large trophy and a copy of Webster’s Third New International Dictionary. She also earned a bid to compete in the 88th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee, which will take place in Washington, D.C. in May. [...]