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From left, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, Raelene Velasquez, Command Sgt. Maj. Richard Aller, Sunburst Youth Academy Director Lt. Col. Sarah Rambo, Principal Dinah Ismail, OCDE Executive Director of Special Education Dr. Amita Cloke and OCDE Manager of Human Resources Support Services Lorena Villa pose for a photo during the 2026 California Classified School Employees of the Year recognition ceremony in Sacramento.

Sunburst Youth Academy paraeducator honored as California Classified School Employee of the Year

Vicky Nguyen May 26, 2026
An aerial view shows emergency crews cooling a large industrial storage tank with water at the site of the Garden Grove chemical leak as mist rises from the facility.

Chemical tank update: Officials reduce evac zone; some schools to reopen Tuesday

Staff reports May 25, 2026
Sierra Vista Middle School students Aryan Shah, Krish Marfatia, Kaito Yamashita and Davis Barbee win the Stephenson Family Award for Sports History at the NHD-CA contest earlier this month.

Orange County claims state-leading honors at National History Day, sends 21 students to finals

Madeline Gray May 22, 2026
Students participating in the OC GRIP program gather at Angel Stadium before the Los Angeles Angels’ May 19 game against the Oakland Athletics.

Weekly roundup: Sports Illustrated highlights OC GRIP mentorship event at Angel Stadium, and more

Vicky Nguyen May 22, 2026
From left, Rebekah Rylant of Don Juan Avila Middle School in the Capistrano Unified School District, Rolando Vivar of Fulton Middle School in the Fountain Valley School District and Pam McShea of Dysinger Elementary School in the Centralia Elementary School District were recognized with 2025-26 Outstanding PAL Advisor Awards from the Orange County Department of Education.

OCDE PAL team honors six campuses, three advisors for building positive school environments

Vicky Nguyen May 21, 2026
News graphic

Weekly roundup: Kind wrestling, classified to credentialed, student scientist and more

Staff reports January 6, 2017
It’s a brand new year, so why not a brand new title for our weekly post of Orange County education...
The principal of Cook Elementary School leads an outdoor assembly

Sealed and delivered: Garden Grove’s Cook Elementary School celebrates its National Blue Ribbon

Ian Hanigan January 6, 2017
Fifth-grader Tommy Nguyen will tell you that A.J. Cook Elementary School in Garden Grove is a special place — and...
Teacher with students in a classroom

OCDE earns state grant to help classified employees become credentialed teachers

Ian Hanigan January 5, 2017
Here’s one way California is responding to a statewide teacher shortage: OCDE and two dozen other agencies have been awarded grants to help classified school employees pursue their teaching credentials. The California Classified School Employee Teacher Credentialing Program, established by...
High school wrestlers

In the news: Brea Olinda High wrestler demonstrates kindness after controversial call

Ian Hanigan January 3, 2017
Competitive wrestling and kindness don’t generally go hand in hand. So this Orange County Register story caught our attention. It’s about a Brea Olinda...
Crossroad sign 2016 2017

That’s a wrap: The top OCDE Newsroom stories of 2016

Staff reports December 29, 2016
Before we finish the 2016 chapter, let’s flip back through the pages and revisit some of the top Newsroom stories from...
Graphic of Dean West and OCDE

Laguna Beach fiscal chief tapped to be OCDE’s next associate superintendent of business services

Ian Hanigan December 24, 2016
The Orange County Department of Education has hired a new associate superintendent of business services. Dean West, who has led the Laguna Beach Unified School District’s business services department since 2012, will succeed Wendy Benkert, who retired in December after...
Kindness Korner logo with an image of a girl writing in a book

Kindness Korner: A gift that keeps on giving for the mom that does everything

Staff reports December 22, 2016
Do you remember that Walt Disney cartoon, Goofy’s How to Play Baseball? Essentially, Goofy ends up playing many positions on the...
Students running

Latest physical fitness scores show OC kids outpacing state averages

Ian Hanigan December 20, 2016
Orange County students in grades five, seven and nine have once again outperformed state averages on an annual fitness assessment....
Trabuco Hills High School's mock trial team

Trabuco Hills High School wins county mock trial championship

Staff reports December 19, 2016
The Trabuco Hills High School mock trial team won the Constitutional Rights Foundation’s Orange County High School Mock Trial Competition Saturday and will go on to represent the county at the state finals in March. Finishing with a perfect 8-0 record on...
A blurred image of a broadcast newsroom

In the news: Mock trial, new bikes, new shoes and more

Staff reports December 16, 2016
O Orange County education news, O Orange County education news, how lovely is thy roundup. Yep, it’s that time of year, when...
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