Dear OUSD Community,
In recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month, Orange Unified School District is proud to have partnered with The Museum of Teaching and Learning (MOTAL) and Santiago Canyon College (SCC) to present to our students and community the exhibit A Class Action: The Grassroots Struggle for School Desegregation in California. This traveling exhibit tells the story of the famous civil rights court case, Mendez et al. v. Westminster School District of Orange County et al., that ended segregation in public schools across the State of California. The court’s decision in this case also had a powerful impact on the 1954 United States Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education that "separate education facilities are inherently unequal” and the subsequent desegregation of schools across the country.
All are welcome to join us at the grand opening/ribbon-cutting event on September 27 at 6 p.m. in front of the library at SCC, named in honor of local activist Lorenzo A. Ramirez, a former resident of the El Modena area of Orange and one of the plaintiffs in the Mendez case. In March of 1945, Ramirez joined Thomas Estrada, William Guzman, Frank Palomillo, and Gonzalo Mendez in a Los Angeles County Superior Court class-action lawsuit suing the El Modena, Santa Ana, Garden Grove, and Westminster School Districts, respectively, for discrimination against Mexican students (Mendez et al. v. Westminster School District of Orange County et al.). Family members of those involved in the case will be at the event’s grand opening event to share their family legacies firsthand.
Orange Unified School District’s Board of Education voted to rename the El Modena High School Library in honor of Ramirez at the May 12, 2011, Board of Education meeting. The Ramirez Family had previously been honored for their “significant and lasting contribution to the quality of education in Orange, California, and across the nation” at an OUSD Board meeting in March 2011.
Canyon High School: Madison Salloum
Madison is a senior at Canyon High School. She is serving as Canyon’s Student Board Member to contribute to the decision-making of our school district and connect Canyon High School with the Orange Unified administration. Madison is involved in the Ambassador program, is a member of the National Honor Society, and volunteers at the Canyon High School Library. Madison plays club soccer and is a babysitter. In the future, Madison would like to attend college, pursue a major in Political Science, and study law in grad school.
El Modena High School: Ruby Hewitt
Ruby is a senior at El Modena High School. Ruby was motivated to become a Student Board Member because of her interest in politics, activism, and advocacy. Ruby wants to explore opportunities for improvement, represent students of El Modena, and advocate for her school as well as elementary and middle students in our district. Ruby is the Elections Commissioner on El Modena’s ASB, the Fundraising and Events Assistant Director on the Vanguard Dance Company, and President of the HALO club. In her spare time, Ruby loves to dance at the Music Room. After graduating High School, Ruby is interested in studying psychology.
Orange High School: Diego Paz
Diego is a senior at Orange High School. Diego feels he has a lot to offer and can use his previous experiences in leadership to help the student body as a Student Board Member. He strives to become an invaluable liaison between the Trustees and the students that they are serving. Diego is currently an ASB Ambassador, in his third year of ASB leadership, and has served at Orange High School’s Site Council for two years. Diego is on the Cross Country and Track team and volunteers for the Red Cross and Environmental clubs on campus. Diego enjoys writing stories and drawing cartoons. Diego plans on majoring in Computer Science and pursuing a career in software development.
Richland High School: Jay’da Douvia
Jay’da is a senior at Richland High School. As a Student Board Member, she wants to be able to represent Richland, contribute towards being part of a larger community, and become Richland’s voice. Jay’da seeks to contribute to ASB and the school through tutoring, her artwork, writing, and providing a unique perspective as a woman of color. Jay’da excels in writing. She looks forward to attending college after graduation and pursuing a nursing or teaching career.
Villa Park High School: Hope Kimera
Hope is a senior at Villa Park High School. As a Student Board Member, he wants to capture the student perspective on how schools run and find opportunities to for improvement, taking every student’s voice and opinion into account. Hope is excited to work together with the other student board members. He is part of Villa Park’s Key Club and played 3 years of baseball for the school. In the future, he plans to attend a Cal State or a UC and major in Computer Information Systems.
SAT Saturday Offerings
OUSD will be offering transportation from Orange High School, El Modena High School, and Canyon High School for SAT testing at Villa Park High School on December 3.
Families must register students for the SAT via the College Board Registration Site and communicate with your student’s counselor to help coordinate transportation if you need bussing. Space is limited – please register ASAP if you are interested in taking the SAT on December 3. The registration window closes on November 3.
Additional SAT test dates and locations are on the College Board’s website at https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/test-center-search
For more information, please visit the Parent Resource page under Student Achievement at https://www.orangeusd.org/departments/educational-services/student-assessment-educational-measurement/parent-resources
Employment Opportunities
Are you interested in a profession that makes a positive impact in the community? If so, please visit our website at www.orangeusd.org/jobs to view a vast array of employment opportunities that span from entry-level to upper management, classified and certificated. Join the Orange Unified family and Inspire our learners of today to be purposeful leaders of tomorrow.
Connect with Us
Email: communications@orangeusd.org
Website: www.orangeusd.org
Location: 1401 North Handy Street, Orange, CA, USA
Phone: 714-628-4000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OrangeUnifiedSchoolDistrictCA
Twitter: @orangeunifiedCA