The girls’ varsity basketball squad at Marina High made history on March 7 by earning its first California-Interscholastic Federation State Southern California Regional Division V title.
After heading into the playoffs with a losing record, the Marina Vikings won 10 of 11 games and upset the San Pedro Pirates 51-43 on Tuesday to clinch the regional championship, KCAL News reported.
Most of the Huntington Beach Union High School District’s juniors and seniors lacked prior experience in the playoffs. But players clamped down on defense and senior Tiana To led the way with a game-high 19 points during Thursday’s game, according to the Daily Pilot.
“I’m really happy with how my team played,” team captain and senior Mia Grasse told the Pilot. “Mostly, I’m just happy for the rest of the seniors like me that get to experience this championship, get to win.”
On Saturday, March 11, the team will play against Bret Harte Union High School from Angels Camp in the CIF State Finals at Golden 1 Center Arena in Sacramento.
Head coach Danny Roussel told KCAL that even if the Vikings don’t win their next game, “we will hold our heads high and walk out of there with class knowing that we did our best.”
Here are the other stories we’ve been following this week:
- Securing victory with the word “gallivat,” eighth-grader Aaron Lim spelled his way to first place at the 2023 Orange County Spelling Bee on March 4.
- Educators, survivors of human trafficking and anti-trafficking experts engaged in talks and led workshops at this year’s Ensure Justice conference hosted by the Orange County Department of Education and Vanguard University.
- The California Department of Public Health recently issued updates to pandemic-era public health orders — including reduced isolation time for individuals recovering from COVID-19.
- With an increased need for classroom educators, OCDE hosted a substitute teacher recruitment fair Thursday to share information on teaching careers and set up interviews for its alternative education and special education programs.
- On March 7, student teams from Fountain Valley, Fullerton Union, Newport Harbor, Rancho Alamitos and Valley high schools along with Orange County School of the Arts competed in a three-course cooking contest at the California Restaurant Foundation’s 2023 ProStart Cup.
- Starting March 10, over 300 young historians will present their original papers, performances, podcasts and more at the 2023 National History Day – Orange County contest.
- The Orange Unified school board has appointed Ernest Gonzalez, assistant superintendent of human resources, as the district’s second acting superintendent.
- This summer, OCDE’s Pacific Coast High School is offering courses for all Orange County high school students that meet A-G requirements, can be completed independently, and qualify as NCAA-approved classes for student-athletes.
- Increasing family engagement in schools can help boost grades, attendance and graduation rates, according to a Harvard education expert.
- In collaboration with 28 local school districts, charter schools and county-run campuses, OCDE is supporting efforts to teach students social-emotional strategies, which are listed among the World Economic Forum’s top 10 job skills of tomorrow.
- High school seniors who experience homelessness would receive $1,000 a month of guaranteed income under proposed legislation. Another proposed bill would require state approval before school districts ban curriculum, textbooks or other instructional materials.
- The Santa Ana Unified superintendent said a formal independent investigation is underway after a parent alleged that another student directed an offensive comment toward her daughter.
- After 46 years in operation, the Assistance League of Laguna Beach continues to support Orange County families with infants who are developmentally delayed through its free early intervention program.
This is the part where we encourage you to keep up with local education news stories by bookmarking the OCDE Newsroom, subscribing for emailed updates and following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.