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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
Thurston Middle School students at a preschool

Kindness alert: Thurston Middle School PAL students spread holiday cheer

Staff reports December 16, 2016
They stepped out of class to step into kindness. As reported in this Daily Pilot article, a group of students...
Thorman Elementary School students

All 97 third-graders at Tustin’s Thorman Elementary School surprised with brand new bikes

Ian Hanigan December 15, 2016
When the third-graders of Thorman Elementary School in Tustin were asked to write essays on empathy, they were told that...
PCHS mock trial team

Verdict is in: PCHS advances to OC mock trial competition final

Staff reports December 14, 2016
For the first time in school history, the Pacific Coast High School mock trial team has become a finalist in the Constitutional Rights Foundation’s Orange County High School Mock Trial Competition. You may remember them as, arguably, the smallest mock trial...
Teacher with students

Parenting OC magazine seeks nominees for annual Top Teachers of Orange County issue

Staff reports December 14, 2016
Does your child consistently boast about an extraordinary teacher or run home to express excitement about how much he or she liked...
PCHS mock trial team

OCDE’s Pacific Coast High School heads to county mock trial semifinal competition for the first time

Staff reports December 13, 2016
They may be the smallest mock trial team in the county. Nevertheless, Pacific Coast High School’s 10-student squad has moved...
Music Educator Award

Two of 10 national finalists for the 2017 Music Educator Award are from Orange County

Ian Hanigan December 9, 2016
Two local music teachers are in very select company this week, earning their way onto a list of 10 national finalists for a highly distinguished award presented by The Recording Academy and the Grammy Foundation. Keith Hancock of Tesoro High...
illustrated hands raised

There’s still time to take the OCDE Stakeholder Survey for 2016-17

Ian Hanigan December 6, 2016
Got a few minutes to help enhance OCDE’s programs and services? The deadline has been extended for educators, students, parents,...
Fullerton Joint Union High School District working on computer

10 innovative Orange County programs win CSBA’s prestigious Golden Bell Award

Staff reports December 6, 2016
Over the weekend, the California School Boards Association presented 56 Golden Bell Awards to winners from across the state, 10 belonging to Orange...
Students using smart phone

In the news: Robot-assisted surgery, OC Pathways Showcase, flag football and more

Staff reports December 2, 2016
It’s the first Friday in December, which, some might argue, gives you the go-ahead to put up all those holiday decorations — even if you’ve actually had them up since the first Friday in November. We understand. We also understand it’s time to catch...
Students and adults on a football field

Football game featuring OCDE students and CSUF police is a touchdown — with a point after

Ian Hanigan December 2, 2016
There’s usually some pretty decent football played this time of year. But one matchup in particular caught our attention. Ray Green,...
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