Weekly roundup: Air Force dad surprises daughter at school, preview offered of Mendez v. Westminster memorial, and more

U.S. Air Force Sgt. Jason Reed paid a surprise visit to his daughter’s kindergarten class on Thursday. It was the first time the dad had stepped into his daughter’s school.

The Orange County Register covered the dad’s visit to Nelson Elementary School in Tustin Unified, where daughter Mia was receiving her kindergarten promotion certificate. Mia hadn’t seen her dad, who had been deployed in Iraq, for the entire school year.

News graphicThe Register described how Mia screamed out “Daddy!” as Reed appeared through a side door. The two embraced and wiped away tears.

This was Reed’s third deployment. Stationed at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, he helps build airfields as a civil engineer. In honor of Memorial Day, Mia and her classmates sent Reed thank you notes, according to the Register.

So what’s first up for the reunited father and daughter?

“Daddy is taking me to Disneyland and Universal Studios,” Mia told the Register.

Here are some other news items from the region for the week ending May 31.

  • Nicholas D’Sa survived through 12 tough rounds of the finals of the 2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee held in Washington, D.C., but was eliminated after misspelling “jalap.”
  • Dozens of parents and community members got a preview of a new memorial honoring the historic Mendez v. Westminster case that ended segregation in California public schools.
  • Westminster High is transforming into an art gallery, one mural at a time. Over the past week, as more than 100 students took paint brushes to a wall along an outdoor corridor, the school’s fourth masterpiece came to life.
  • Newport-Mesa Unified School District this week recognized six seniors who exemplify “the six pillars of character” — caring, citizenship, fairness, respect, responsibility and trustworthiness — with its annual Character Trait Awards.
  • The Orange County Friday Night Live Partnership recently honored a pair of clubs from Garden Grove high schools as well as a local advisor for their efforts to promote youth leadership and facilitate alcohol and other drug prevention projects that benefit students, schools and communities.

This is the part where we encourage you to keep up with local education news stories by bookmarking the OCDE Newsroomsubscribing for emailed updates or following us on FacebookTwitter or Instagram.