The State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson recently announced that 275 middle schools and high schools are being honored under the Gold Ribbon Schools Awards Program.

Schools applied for the award based on a model program or practice their school has adopted that includes standards-based activities, projects, strategies, and practices that can be replicated by other local educational agencies. The award acknowledged elementary schools last year.

“These terrific schools are leading the way in embracing our new rigorous academic standards and showing others how to help students succeed on their way to 21st century careers and college,” Torlakson said. “I look forward to traveling the state to honor these schools and to help share the programs, methods, and techniques that are working.”

The Gold Ribbon Awards recognize California schools that have made gains in implementing the academic content and performance standards adopted by the State Board of Education. These include the California Standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics, California English Language Development Standards, and Next Generation Science Standards.

The 2017 Gold Ribbon Schools as well as the 2017 Exemplary Program recipients, Title I Academic Achieving Award Schools, 2017 Green Ribbon Schools, 2017 Civic Learning Award Schools, and the National Blue Ribbon Schools from 2016, will be honored in May during regional ceremonies held in Costa Mesa, Santa Clara, Los Angeles, Visalia, and Sacramento.

Click here to read the California Department of Education full News Release.

The public is invited to view some of Costa Mesa’s finest homes decked out for the holidays as well as the new Heroes Hall museum at the OC Fair & Event Center at the third annual Costa Mesa Home Tour on Dec. 1.

The event dubbed “Home for the Holidays” is presented by the Costa Mesa Middle and High School Foundation and takes place from 3 to 8 p.m. and will finish with a closing reception at the Room & Board store at SOCO.

Tickets to the event are $50 and proceeds will benefit high school arts programs as well as help provide transportation for Orange County students who are visiting Heroes Hall on field trips.

In addition to Heroes Hall, those taking part in the event will get to visit five local homes that are decorated for the holiday season.

Sponsors for this year’s event includes the City of Costa Mesa, Greenleaf Gourmet Chop Shop, Room & Board, Gatehouse, SOCO, Pottery Barn and realtors from RE/MAX and Star Real Estate.

For more information on the Home Tour please click here.

Below is a video of last year’s Home Tour

Mariners Christian School has earned the highest accreditation status, a six-year renewal from the dual accrediting organizations of Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

“Dual accreditation is often more difficult to achieve because there are broader and deeper evaluations of school performance, including a higher requirement for teacher and administrator training, and a detailed focus on biblical elements of instruction and organizational practice,” said Head of School Troy Moore. “When a school achieves dual accreditation, it has demonstrated its ability to meet rigorous standards, both secular and biblical in nature.”

The entire accreditation process required two years of preparation, with Vice Principal Megan Shahabi leading the effort.

The visiting committee from ACSI/WASC, which included delegates from other private schools in the Southern California region, toured the school extensively in April, with a formal accreditation being granted on May 4.

Newport-Mesa Unified School District (NMUSD) recognized and honored six high school seniors for their character and  leadership traits.

“We have a wealth of incredible students and it is gratifying to annually recognize a few of them,” said Superintendent Dr. Fred Navarro. “Getting to know students and their genuine good natured approach to life is something I look forward to each year,” he added.

The Character Trait Award Programs aims to highlight six seniors, one from each high school, who symbolize one of the six pillars of character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.

Staff members from the six NMUSD schools nominate a student for each category and the final award choices are decided on by a small committee steered by Superintendent Dr. Fred Navarro.

Kaitlynn Kistler, Early College High School – Trustworthiness

Selected for the Character Trait Award of Trustworthiness, Kaitlynn is a dedicated, thoughtful, and hardworking student. She is a member of the National Honors Society and dedicates her time to assist struggling classmates and goes above and beyond to offer her support.

Ryan Kassel, Corona del Mar High School – Respect
Selected for Character Trait Award for Respect, Ryan is unfailingly courteous, kind and respectful to his peers, teachers, and coaches. He is captain of the Varsity Cross Country team and participates as an intern in the Biorobotics Lab at UC Irvine.

Menzin Echols, Back Bay High School – Responsibility
Selected for the Character Trait Award for responsibility, Menzin has maintained excellent attendance, stellar grades, and earned the respect and friendship of his peers as well as the Back Bay faculty and staff.

Clarissa Barragan, Estancia High School – Fairness
Selected for the Character Trait Award for fairness, Clarissa is good-natured, open minded and patient. She is respectful toward peers and staff and carefully listens to others viewpoints to ensure fairness among peers.

Peyton Espley-Jones, Newport Harbor High School – Caring
Selected for the Character Trait Award for Caring, Peyton regularly displays a caring, positive, optimistic approach to things. She is personable, compassionate, and driven to succeed. She is president of a student body of more than 2,500 students and consistently spends time and energy to improve the lives of others through her genuine caring nature.

Nora Vartanian, Costa Mesa High School – Citizenship

Selected for the Character Trait Award of Citizenship, Nora maintains a 4.3 GPA, while balancing her academic activities and activities outside of school. She is a member of the Madrigal Choir and the varsity cheer team. She advocates for the needs of herself and others and is active in her church and numerous community service activities.

The winning high school seniors reflect strong leadership traits and exuberate kindness.

Winners are applauded with a six foot banner showcasing their photo, winning character trait and school they represent displayed in the district lobby for one year. Students will also be recognized at a special ceremony June 7, 2016 at 6 p.m. in the Corona del Mar High School Performing Arts Theater.

The Costa Mesa High School Foundation will hold its annual meeting on Friday, March 25 from 4 – 6 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Fireside Lounge.

The annual meeting, which is open to the public, will include an introduction of the new Foundation Board of Directors, a CMHS Arts Academy update, artist showcase and special performances by the CMHS Madrigals and Music Department.

The Foundation was formed in 2003 to manage an endowment donated by CJ Segerstrom & Sons that funds enhanced educational opportunities at Costa Mesa Middle & High School. The Foundation has contributed more than $500,000 in teacher grants directly from the interest earned on the endowment.  In 2013, the Foundation began to fundraise for additional discretionary funding with the annual Gala and Home Tour.

The CMHS Board of Directors includes parents, alumni and teachers, as well as business and community leaders.  Click here for more information about the Costa Mesa High School Foundation, and click here to RSVP to the annual meeting.

Rea Elementary will be the first school in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District to convert to an AVID Elementary and Technology School.

Beginning in the 2016/17 school year, Rea Elementary with the adoption of the AVID program will better prepare its students for college and career success in a global society.

Advancement Via Individual Determination is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to preparing all students for college and other postsecondary options.  AVID brings research-based strategies and curriculum to educational institutions that develop students’ critical thinking, literacy and math skills across all content areas throughout the entire campus.

Key components of AVID include: student success skills, organizational skills and partnerships. Areas of focus include communication, note-taking strategies, critical thinking, time management and goal setting.

To prepare for the AVID implementation and refinement, Rea Elementary teachers will participate in various training courses and continue to collaborate weekly throughout the academic year.

Specifically they will address content areas in reading, writing and math and the alignment to WICOR (writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization and reading) lessons with a strong emphasis on formative data collection to ensure students are meeting their individual goals.

Along with implementing the core AVID components into lesson plans, Rea Elementary will continue to focus on enrichment opportunities in Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art and Math (STREAM), Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) and Leadership, aligning all learning opportunities to preparing Rea students for college and career readiness.

For more information, please contact Rea Elementary Principal, Dr. Kalim Rayburn, at 949-515-6905 or krayburn@nmusd.us.

Every school day at Adams Elementary is filled with services to help students learn and grow.

This year thanks to the extraordinary coordination efforts of school community facilitators, Adams has added another service for its school community to expand its wrap around services.

The Second Harvest food bank is a monthly program where families come to the school and participate in a farmers’ market style food pantry.

There is no cost for the program, and families leave with more fresh fruits and vegetables than they can carry.

Additionally, representatives from The California Champions for Change provide families with healthy recipes and training on reading nutrition facts on food labels.

Each month, the food bank becomes a gathering place for families to meet each other, connect with their children’s school and develop healthy habits that will last them a lifetime.

The food bank is run by volunteers from within the Second Harvest organization and parents from Adams Elementary School.

To find out more about Second Harvest at Adams, please contact Ilse Taborga in the Adams front office.