After being awarded the California Green Ribbon Award for three consecutive years, Katella High School in the Anaheim Union High School District was chosen as a Green Ribbon School by the U. S Department of Education.
On July 26 at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., the Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten named the honorees which included 27 schools, five school districts and four postsecondary institutions. They were recognized for their sustainable facilities, health practices and effective environmental education.
“More than half of these schools are located in under-resourced communities,” said Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “All are delivering on equity, creativity and a high quality education for students through a focus on sustainability.”
For years, Katella High has continued to model and educate students about the importance of being stewards of their environment through site improvement and education programs like the KHS Sustainable Garden and Learning Center. It serves as a place to extend teaching and learning in context with hands-on activities.
“Students embrace the importance of the health and wellness of their school community,” said Dr. Roxanna Hernandez, principal of Katella High School. “Katella’s efforts in teaching about sustainability has empowered their students to hone the skills they will use to equip, lead and inspire their local communities to act on behalf of the environment.”
The campus achieved a 28 percent reduction in non-transportation energy use from 2016 to 2021. The campus reduced greenhouse emissions during the same period by 57 percent. It reduced water consumption by redesigning the school to include native plant species and water-wise irrigation.
Click here for the complete list of honorees.
Here are the other stories we’ve been following this week:
- Summer plans look different for every student, but nearly 80 rising seniors from the Garden Grove Unified School District maximized their weeks off from school by interning and gaining work experience.
- There are obvious benefits to raising tech-savvy children, but researchers suggest students are missing out on opportunities to nurture brain development and strengthen mental health when we close ourselves off from nature.
- Four Orange County students were chosen as Bank of America Student Leaders this summer for their work with community-focused initiatives and their passion for helping others. Every year, the corporation selects 300 juniors and seniors across the United States.
- A Laguna Beach High School student is raising money to purchase 60 new pairs of shoes for children experiencing homelessness. This is one of 17-year-old Nicolo Cambruzzi’s latest campaigns to help underserved youth in his community.
- Orange County teachers were nearly 5 percent more likely to be fully credentialed to teach their course compared to the state average. As the OC Register reported, the California Department of Education recently released data on teacher credentialing for the 2020-21 school year.
- Parents and families of children attending the Newport-Mesa Unified School District participated in a robust conversation with education leaders about the measures in place to protect students.
- An Orange County-based organization is giving away back-to-school supplies to students in an effort to help parents with increasing costs of preparing school amid inflation. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated the prices of books and supplies increasing by nearly 4 percent since last June.
- Nearly 300 animals were entered in the OC Fair’s junior livestock auction this summer as it returned live and in person for the first time since 2019. Orange County students who have raised the animals will educate curious fairgoers about their animals and participate in the showmanship events leading up to the auction.
- A new class of cadets are beginning their journey at Sunburst Youth Challenge Academy, a voluntary alternate education program to help teens learn discipline and life skills.
- Before KLTA 5’s Vera Jimenez became a familiar face to families in the Southern California, she was a student attending the Garden Grove Unified School District. The meteorologist shared her fond memories about growing up in Orange County with viewers this week.
- New research shows that elementary students are regaining the ground they lost during the pandemic at a faster pace than older students. As EdSource reported, K-12 students are still years away from a full recovery.
- The 2019 state law that says middle schools cannot begin before 8:00 a.m. and high schools can’t start before 8:30 a.m. are receiving mixed reactions from parents in San Diego County.
- New federal guidance warns schools that certain disciplinary measures taken against students with disabilities could violet their right to a free, appropriate education.
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.