Weekly roundup: Local thrift shop provides scholarships to high school seniors, elementary school waiver guidance, and more

As a way to give back to the community and give a much needed boost to the class of 2020, Coral Thrift Shop in San Clemente has awarded $50,000 in scholarships to South Orange County high school seniors.

According to a recent article in the Capistrano Dispatch, Coral Thrift Shop started the program to help young residents in the community better themselves, give them an extra boost and help students succeed."In the News" logo

Scholarship recipients include graduating seniors from Dana Hills High School, San Clemente High School, JSerra Catholic High School and San Juan Hills High School, all of whom plan to pursue “any kind of postgraduate education,” according to Walter Switzer, chair of the Coral Thrift Shop scholarship committee.

Since the establishment of the scholarship program in 1974, Coral Thrift Shop has awarded nearly a half-million dollars in scholarships to local graduating students.

Here are some additional stories we’ve been following this week:

  • The California Department of Public Health this week released new guidance on the elementary school waiver process that could allow some schools located in counties on the state’s monitoring list to reopen for in-person instruction.
  • Updated guidance for youth sports and physical education released this week by public health officials states that youth sports will only be permitted when physical distancing of at least six feet between participants can be maintained and stable classes or cohorts can be established.
  • State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond held a special digital webinar Wednesday to announce a partnership with Apple and T-Mobile to provide internet-enabled iPads at a discounted price to districts across California.
  • As students and families prepare to begin the school year remotely, OCDE Community Home Education Program Director Machele Kilgore provides five essential tips to help students and families successfully navigate distance learning.

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