A new Orange County Department of Education initiative will invite students in grades three through 12 to explore local issues and design solutions using Minecraft Education, with an optional Battle of the Counties competition offering students a chance to put their ideas to the test.
Thirty-seven Orange County high schools landed among the top 300 in California and top 1,700 nationally in the latest U.S. News & World Report Best High Schools rankings, led by Oxford Academy, which ranked No. 3 in California and No. 17 nationally.
For students at Pacific Drive Elementary School in Fullerton, the school day now begins with a side of breakfast. The Fullerton School District gives more than 600 students the opportunity to enjoy a free, nutritious morning meal right in their classrooms, thanks to the expanded Breakfast in the Classroom program. The initiative launched at Pacific Drive on Aug. 17, building on its introduction at Commonwealth Elementary during the 2023-24 school year and expansion to Richman Elementary the following year.
OCDE will launch the 2026-27 National History Day-Orange County season with a free virtual kickoff Sept. 10, giving new and returning coaches an introduction to the competition, this year's "Innovation in History" theme and resources to guide students through the months ahead.
Brea Junior High School seventh-grader Logan Thielen will represent California at the National Civics Bee Championship in Washington, D.C., after taking first place at the state competition with a proposal focused on bringing creative learning approaches into classrooms.
In an Aug. 13 Orange County Register feature, reporting intern Lillian Ashworth profiled Charlu's efforts to advance bilingual education in California, including her work on proposed legislation that would formally recognize translanguaging as an instructional approach.
