The Orange County Department of Education has announced the top classified school employees for 2015.
Established in 2008 by the California Department of Education, the Classified School Employees of the Year program annually highlights the contributions of employees who have performed exceptionally in support of public school students, from preschool through grade 12. Classified workers with a minimum of five years of service are eligible for the recognition, whether they serve at traditional schools, charter schools, district offices or county offices of education. […]
Local prevention organizations are joining forces to raise awareness about the dangers of underage drinking by staging a “Reality Party for Parents” in Lake Forest this Saturday.
Teen actors from the Santiago de Compostela Church Youth Ministry’s Friday Night Live chapter plan to portray typical party scenes exposing the perils of underage alcohol consumption, as well as the culture of binge-drinking. Participants will also voice concerns about adults who host drinking parties for minors. [...]
Working through a program called Friday Night Live, some enterprising students from Orange County are taking it upon themselves to promote traffic safety and prevent underage drinking.
And now they’re about to get a little extra help -- in the form of a $17,500 grant from the California Friday Night Live Partnership. […]
Marking a first in the 47-year history of the Orange County Academic Decathlon, five O.C. schools have been selected to advance to next month’s state decathlon in Sacramento.
Cheers rang out in a packed Orange Coast College auditorium on Feb. 17 night as perennial powerhouse Westminster High was named the overall team winner with 50,981.8 points. Along with a special plaque, individual medals and local bragging rights, the school will receive a $4,000 travel stipend from the Orange County Academic Decathlon Association, which joined OCDE in announcing this year’s winners. [...]
On a day for roses, it was all about STEM at UCI on Saturday.
More than 650 students from 17 middle schools and 28 high schools spent a good part of Valentine’s Day competing in the 30th Annual Orange County Regional Science Olympiad on the campus of the University of California, Irvine. […]
Next-generation assessments are coming soon to a classroom near you. Over the last few years, California has introduced new instructional standards emphasizing critical thinking, problem-solving and analytical writing in addition to subject knowledge. And with those new standards comes the...
In education, we often talk about the factors that contribute to academic achievement.
We talk about quality teaching, family support, high expectations and the role we all play in the success of our students. We dialogue about poverty, crime and how a lack of access to health care and basic services can stand as barriers to college and career readiness.
Yet there’s another factor that research suggests is a major gauge of growth and development. In fact it’s a personal trait we know as grit. […]
They enter the gym dressed in matching outfits, some carrying pom-poms, others with painted faces. They look nervous and excited.
Students spend months preparing for this day. In fact, the average Orange County Academic Decathlon participant reports spending about 20 to 25 hours a week practicing.
Staged over two weekends in January and February, this year's Decathlon drew 41 high schools and more than 500 students who competed as individuals and teams for top honors -- and a chance to represent the OC at the state-level contest. […]
OCDE, in partnership with the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force and Vanguard University, hosted a Human Trafficking Summit for nearly 200 educators and school-based professionals on Jan. 29 at the department’s headquarters in Costa Mesa.
The summit’s objective was to teach those working at the frontlines of education about human trafficking, how to identify it and how to report suspicious activities. Experts say that could be the difference in saving a life. [...]
This is the first year that all teams will be combined in one competition location, with 18 middle schools and 28 high schools registered to participate. The winning teams from the competition will move forward to compete in the State Science Olympiad in April. [...]