Seven schools in Orange County were recognized by the College Board for their work toward equal gender representation by engaging more female students in computer science.
Troy High School in the Fullerton Joint Union High School District, Cypress High School and Oxford Academy in the Anaheim Union High School District, Ocean View High School and Huntington Beach High School in the Huntington Beach Union High School District, Foothill High School in the Tustin Unified School District and the Orange County High School of the Arts were recognized with the 2022 AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award on Tuesday, Jan. 17.
Since 2016, the College Board has honored schools that have either reached 50 percent or higher female examinee representation in one or both AP computer science courses. A total of 1,105 schools are being recognized for their work during the 2021-22 school year.
The College Board commended the schools for diversifying computer science education and for preparing female students for the high-paying, in-demand jobs of the future.
Here are the other stories we have been following this week:
- Students in Orange County can explore as many as 58 different pathways through career technical education, starting in middle school, with elective courses. These programs prepare students to enter the workforce with skills and competencies necessary to succeed.
- A national program called the Great Kindness Challenge, dedicated to recording as many acts of kindness as possible in a single week, kicks off Monday, Jan. 23. Last year, more than 18 million students from nearly 36,500 schools participated in the celebration of goodwill.
- A high school student who was once given a 4 percent chance of surviving neuroblastoma found refuge in a culinary program. Enrolled at the Orange County School of the Arts, Anaya Green wants to make people happy with her food.
- Students from the Irvine International Academy are using an immersive augmented reality tool to learn science, technology, engineering, art and math.
- Starting Feb. 1, students who ride electric bikes to Oak and McAuliffe middle schools in the Los Alamitos Unified School District must have a permit earned by taking an e-bike safety course offered by the local police department.
- Campus supervisor Cleveland “Bud” Jones was honored as McAuliffe Middle School’s “Hero of the Heart”. The annual award recognizes district employees who exemplifies a commitment to serving students.
- Los Alamitos High School unveiled the campus’ new WellSpace, a supervised room for students to take a break when they are feeling stressed, anxious or overwhelmed during the school day. As Spotlight Schools reported, the district opened its first WellSpace centers during the 2020-21 school year as part of its investment in student wellness.
- According to the terms of his proposed contract, Orange Unified interim Superintendent Edward Velasquez is expected to initiate a review or audit of the district’s instructional and education programs within 30 calendar days of his appointment, the Orange County Register reported.
- The Capistrano Unified school board is looking to retain a consulting firm to guide trustees in their search for a new superintendent following the dismissal of Kirsten Vital Brulte in late December.
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.