Weekly roundup: Foreign exchange students reunite after 45 years, new school year kicks off, and more

The last time these people from far-off places – including Lebanon, Argentina, Ecuador and Iran – were all together, Richard Nixon was president and “The Godfather” just hit the theaters.

This week, nine foreign exchange students who spent the 1971-72 school year in Orange County reunited for the first time. The Orange County Register chronicled the reunion of the former students who were part of an exchange program hosted by the American Field Service, an international nonprofit fostering better relationships among nations. These students attended high schools throughout central Orange County.An image of paper in a typewriter with the words "Orange County Education News"

The reunion took about two years to plan, with the former students reaching out to each other through Facebook, phone calls and hand-written letters.

Here are some other local education stories from the week ending Aug. 11:

  •  Savanna School District students were the first to head back to the classroom Monday and more seats were filled throughout the week as other north Orange County districts start up their new school year.

That’s all for this week. For more education news stories, visit news.ocde.us.