Weekly roundup: Laguna Beach High students cultivate sustainability with new edible garden, and more

Laguna Beach High School students are taking a hands-on approach to sustainability with the opening of a new edible garden on campus, an initiative designed to support environmental education and student wellness.

The garden, located near the school’s administration building, officially opened in December, according to reporting by Andrew Turner of the Los Angeles Times’ Daily Pilot.

The project was funded by a $5,000 grant from Laguna Beach nonprofit education foundation SchoolPower, with additional support from Orange County Waste and Recycling, which provided soil and compost. The garden was developed as part of the Sustain SoCal Challenge, a yearlong program in which students evaluated the school’s sustainability practices, including energy use, waste, transportation, water and student health.

According to the Laguna Beach Unified School District, the high schoolers played a central role in proposing the garden, with the goal of creating a space that supports learning while promoting healthier campus environments. Students enrolled in a junior master gardener program will be responsible for maintaining the garden, where everything grown will be seasonal and edible, aside from companion plants used for pest control.

“Honoring Laguna’s longstanding tradition of caring for shared green spaces, this inclusive garden welcomes everyone to learn and be creative with nature as we work toward helping the Earth thrive,” said Gloria Harwood, environmental literacy coordinator for the district. “I can’t wait to spend time here and am deeply grateful for the partnerships that share this vision. We could not have done it without them.”

Here are the other stories we’ve been following this week:

• Orange County’s 2026 academic event season kicks off Jan. 24 with the Academic Decathlon and continues through June with competitions in STEM, history, literacy and more for students in grades four through 12.

• Orange County United Way launched the Workforce Accelerator Program to guide high school juniors in developing post-graduation plans through dual enrollment, career exploration, mentoring and paid internships, with support from the Anaheim Union High School District and the North Orange County Community College District.

• A third-grade class at Hope View Elementary in Huntington Beach returned from winter break to find their classroom transformed into a modern learning space, thanks to a $22,000 renovation won by teacher Jamie Serafin through a furniture company’s contest.

• A federal judge ruled that California teachers have a constitutional right to inform parents if a student expresses a different gender identity at school, challenging state guidance intended to protect student privacy and prompting an appeal from state officials.

• California lawmakers are expected to introduce new legislation in 2026 that would make kindergarten mandatory for all 5-year-olds.

• Inside the Outdoors will host its annual MLK Jr. Day of Service on Jan. 24, inviting volunteers to help clean and restore Upper Newport Bay, a key ecological and educational site visited by thousands of Orange County students each year.

• A state pilot training high schoolers to support their peers is showing early success, with students reporting stronger mental health, leadership skills and school engagement, according to a new report from the Children’s Partnership.

• Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing a restructuring of California’s education system that would shift control of the Department of Education to the State Board of Education — whose members are appointed by the governor — and redefine the role of the elected state superintendent.

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, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.