Message from Orange Unified

In this Message

• Exposition of the Arts
• CIty of Orange May Parade
• Orange High School Time Capsule
• Canyon High School's Drumline Placed in the SCPA Championship Finals Top 5
• May Employees of the Month
• Middle School Track Meet
• McPherson Magnet and Crescent Elementary Project Lead the Way Distinguished Schools
• Canyon Rim Elementary Celebrates 25 Years
• Parent Workshops
• #OUSDAttend&Achieve
• Athletics Update
• Class Of 2023 Senior Banners
• Employment Opportunities
• Now Enrolling For 2023-2024
• OUSD's YouTube Channel

Upcoming Events

• May 10: Employee of the Year Celebration; California Day of the Teacher; School Nurse Day
• May 23: California ES Open House; Nohl Canyon ES Open House; Villa Park ES Open House; Crescent ES Open House; Esplanade ES Open House
• May 24: Retiree Event
• May 29: Memorial Day - All Sites Closed
• May 31: Richland HS Showcase/Open House

On May 8, artwork from our elementary, middle, and high schools was showcased at our Exposition of the Arts at the District Office. Student work —including drawings, paintings, photographs, mixed media, and sculptures—was judged by board members, principals, and community members.

Congratulations to the following award recipients:

Best of Show

Student: Rachel Sirbu

School: Villa Park High School

Instructor: Andy Edlund

Title: Untitled

President of the Board Award

Student: Gabriela Cardenas

School: Prospect Elementary School

Instructor: Sandy Jimenez

Title: Value Forms

Superintendent’s Award

Student: Avery Yoast

School: El Rancho Charter

Instructor: Todd Puchalski

Title: Octopus

Founders’ Award

Student: Alexis Hardy

School: Richland High School

Instructor: Holly Clarke

Title: Caviera

High School Principals’ Award

Student: Charlotte Wagner

School: El Modena High School

Instructor: Emmy Wang

Title: Miyazaki

Middle School Principals’ Award

Student: Leyna Hoang

School: Portola Middle School

Instructor: Rick Blake

Title: Mona Lisa In The Modern World

Elementary School Principals’ Award

Student: Kayla Martinez

School: La Veta Elementary School

Instructor: Andrew Clifton

Title: Sunset Painting

Community Award

Student: Emily Lopez

School: Orange High School

Instructor: Deborah Jollineau

Title: Untitled

Honorable Mentions - Elementary School

Student: Yasmin Soto

School: Jordan Elementary

Student: Klover Hatcher

School: La Veta Elementary School

Honorable Mentions - Middle School

Student: Cash Loyd

School: El Rancho Charter

Student: Caitlyn Disparte

School: El Rancho Charter

Student: Leyna Hoang

School: Portola Middle School

Honorable Mentions - High School

Student: Cameron Sa

School: Canyon High School

Student: Haley Sadowski

School: Canyon High School

Student: Indy Wright

School: El Modena High School

Student: Charlotte Wagner

School: El Modena High School

Student: Kaylani Nunez

School: Orange High School

Student: Daniel Gavino-Cardenas

School: Orange High School

Student: Chariya Son

School: Orange High School

Student: Eden Porter

School: Villa Park High School

Student: Andrea Marques

School: Villa Park High School

We were excited to once again participate in the Orange May Parade! Our Trustees, Employees of the Year, and students represented OUSD in our community.

Congratulations to our awarded student groups:

Funkiest Band

Winner – El Modena Vanguard Band/Santiago Charter Middle School

The Boogie Down Award

Winner – Santiago Charter Middle School Cheer and Spirit

Honorable Mention – Orange High School Spirit Squad

Originally called the May Festival Parade, the Orange May Parade was a fixture in the City of Orange from 1933 until 1991. It was revived in 2019 but subsequently delayed due to COVID-19. Initially, the parade marked the beginning of the Valencia orange packing season. It later evolved into a showcase of the many fine organizations that call the City of Orange home.

If you often walk the 500 block of Shaffer St. north of Walnut Ave., you may have noticed that Orange High School is in the middle of a major campus transformation. As part of the Measure S general obligation construction bond passed by voters in 2016, Orange High School received $72 million in funding to repair and modernize its facility and improve campus safety and security.

During the first phase of Measure S, Orange Unified completed over $40 million of work at Orange High School, including major utility upgrades, the creation of a new snack bar building, and the construction of a new 40,000-square-foot state-of-the-art STEM center building — the crown jewel of the Measure S bond program at Orange High — which opened in November 2020.

The second phase of Measure S, anticipated to be completed in 2024, is designed to have an even greater impact on the Orange High School campus. The 100/200 building, consisting of the main administrative offices and several classrooms, was demolished in early April 2023 to make way for a new administration/classroom building and “Alumni Corner” at the corner of Shaffer St. and Walnut Ave.

One of the most important tasks for the District Facilities team prior to demolition was to preserve the many historical artifacts stored and, in some cases, embedded in the foundation of the previous administration suite, which was built in 1952. These artifacts include the cornerstone from the recently demolished administration building, various dedication plaques, trophies, yearbooks, and documentation dating back to the original campus. In addition, the cornerstone from the first building constructed at Orange Union High School in 1905, which had been moved to the administration building on Shaffer Ave. in 1952, was salvaged from the main first-floor stairwell. When the 1905 cornerstone was removed in January 2023, it was a complete surprise to staff to find a small time capsule in great condition embedded in the concrete.

The 1952 time capsule was opened during an event at Orange High School on April 27, and attendees were able to get a first-hand look at the contents, which included documents from as early as 1902. The items are currently in the process of being photo-documented and will be shared with the Orange Community Historical Society at its May 16, 2023, regular meeting. It is the District’s hope that the historical society and, possibly, retired Orange High School staff, will be able to shed some light on the significance of the artifacts and help tell the story of one of the oldest schools in Orange County.

Read more at https://www.orangeusd.org/about-us/news/release-article/~board/2023/post/orange-high-school-time-capsule

Congratulations to Canyon High School's Drumline for placing in the top 5 during the 2023 Southern California Percussion Alliance (SCPA) Championship Finals! SCPA is the largest percussion competition in the western United States. Top high school and independent percussion ensembles from across the west coast, including eight previous World Champions, vying for top honors as 2023 SCPA Champions. Go Canyon!

“YOU’VE GOT THE EDGE” Employee of the Month Recognition program has been designed with the District’s Core Values in mind. This program encourages outstanding customer service in the workplace in fulfillment of the District’s Strategic Plan.

Certificated and Classified employees who have been nominated by their peers, co-workers, and/or supervisors are selected for exemplifying our core values: Integrity, Equity, Respect, and Excellence.

The recipients of the “YOU’VE GOT THE EDGE” award for April 2023 are Sandra Yi, second-grade teacher at Prospect Elementary School, and Minh Le, Maintenance Specialist/Painter, in the Maintenance & Operations Department.

Both Sandra and Minh go above and beyond to serve the staff and students of the Orange Unified School District in ways that reflect the core values of OUSD’s EDGE.

Prospect Elementary Principal, Mary Hinton, had this to say about Sandra:

Ms. Sandra Yi is a second-grade teacher at Prospect Elementary who demonstrates all of the district's core values each and every day. When you walk into Ms. Yi's classroom, you will immediately notice a classroom environment that is welcoming and inviting to all of her students. All students in Ms. Yi's class are engaged and actively involved in their learning. As a result of Ms. Yi's high standards and dedication, her students continue to grow and thrive with a focus on communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking. Student work is celebrated throughout the classroom on the walls, and student growth is evident in the leadership roles students take. Prospect is fortunate to have Ms. Yi as a part of the teaching team as she continues to positively impact her students learning year after year!

Panorama Elementary Principal, Erin Rosselli, had this to say about Minh:

Minh exemplifies OUSD's core values and provides exemplary customer service. Every interaction with him ends with a smile and an appreciation for his work ethic and spirit. He recently came to Panorama to work on a specific painting assignment. He not only courteously explained what needed to be done, he exuded friendliness to all staff he encountered and went out of his way to provide assistance in other areas by fixing things and doing touch-ups in areas that needed it. This shows the pride he has in every school he supports. His impact is felt by all school site principals, and I am just an example of one who has had the honor of working with him. We are thankful for Minh and his integrity, excellence, and respect will continue to have a lasting positive impact on OUSD.

We want to thank Sandra & Minh for representing OUSD’s EDGE values. The Board of Education thanks you for your dedication and devotion to the Orange Unified School District.

On May 3, OUSD held its 2nd annual Middle School Track Meet at Fred Kelly Stadium. All six of OUSD’s middle schools participated in this great opportunity for our middle school student-athletes to be celebrated and have the opportunity to compete at our fantastic stadium. The event was fantastic as it was great to see our students working together while engaged in friendly competition.

We witnessed a great track meet and great competition! We also celebrated the success of our nearly 250 student-athletes, enjoyed the beauty of Fred Kelly Stadium, and reminded all of our athletes that this great stadium is their home stadium, and this is what they had to look forward to in high school in Orange Unified!

Thank you to all of the middle school coaches who served our student-athletes, Villa Park High School Coach Teddy Vo for all his amazing support, the Villa Park High School Track Team for all of their support in organizing the track meet events, and Middle School Sports Coordinator Scott Clark for all of his dedicated work for middle school athletics. We are already looking forward to next year’s meet!

Congratulations to Crescent Elementary and McPherson Magnet School for being honored as the only two public schools in Orange County awarded as Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Distinguished Schools this year.

Crescent Elementary was recognized for its Launch (elementary) biomedical-focused program. McPherson Magnet received the distinction for its Launch (elementary) and Gateway (middle school) programs.

The PLTW Distinguished School recognition honors schools committed to increasing student access, engagement, and achievement in their PLTW programs.

Crescent and McPherson are two of only eighteen schools across the state of California to receive the honor for PLTW Launch. McPherson is one of six schools across the state of California to receive the honor for PLTW Gateway. A complete list of recognized schools is available on the Project Lead the Way website.

To be eligible for the Launch designation, Crescent Elementary and McPherson Magnet had to offer at least two PLTW Launch modules at each grade level during the 2021-22 school year and have more than 75% of its student body participate in the program. For the PLTW Gateway designation, McPherson Magnet had to offer at least one PLTW Gateway unit at each grade level, have more than 50% of the student body participating in the program during the 2020-21 school year, and have 25% of students advancing to high school participate in two or more PLTW units.

“We are proud to recognize Crescent and McPherson Magnet for their commitment to providing students with exceptional educational experiences while ensuring equitable access to PLTW programs,” said PLTW President and CEO David Dimmett. "We congratulate them on this achievement and celebrate their important work empowering students with the knowledge and skills to succeed, not only in STEM subjects but also more generally in life and career."

For more information on the Project Lead the Way program, please check out the highlight video below or visit the Orange Unified Office of Innovation and Excellence online at https://www.orangeusd.org/departments/educational-services/innovation-excellence

How to Connect Assertively with Your Child and Teen

Saturdays, 09:00 AM -10:30 AM

• May 13, 2023
• May 20, 2023
• May 27, 2023
• June 3, 2023

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85174546658
Meeting ID: 851 7454 6658

The Post-Pandemic Children’s Challenges, Healing, and Resilience (Best for parents of children ages 1-6.)

Thursdays, 09:00 AM - 10:30 AM

• May 11, 2023
• May 18, 2023
• May 25, 2023
• June 1, 2023

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86919327394

Meeting ID: 869 1932 7394

Orange Unified School District continues to strive for high overall student attendance rates, school connectedness, and student achievement. In our quest to improve attendance and, therefore, student connectedness and achievement, the Orange Unified School District Attendance Improvement Initiative will be known as #OUSDAttend&Achieve.

During the months of May and June, eight schools will be recognized in two attendance categories- “Most Improved” and “Highest Overall.” Two elementary schools (one school with <450 enrollment and one school with >450 enrollment), one middle school, and one high school will be recognized for each category.

We would like to congratulate the following schools for being recognized in May:

“Most Improved” indicates increased overall student attendance rates during the first eight months of this school year compared to last year’s attendance rates for the same period.

“Highest Overall” recognizes the attendance rate for the first eight months of the 2022-2023 school year.

Perfect Attendance Tuesdays will also begin on Tuesday, May 9, and end on Tuesday, May 30, to encourage our schools to strive for Perfect Attendance on Tuesdays. Two elementary schools (one school with <450 enrollment and one school with >450 enrollment), one middle school, and one high school with the highest attendance rate on Tuesdays will be recognized.

Canyon High School

• Division 4 Baseball: Canyon HS (15-12) @ Oak Hills HS (16-7), May 5, 3:15 p.m.; Canyon wins 11-2; Northwood HS (17-10) @ Canyon HS (16-12), 3 pm, May 9
• Division 2 Girls Lacrosse: Woodbridge HS (14-6) v. Canyon HS (8-11) @ Fred Kelly Stadium, May 3, 6 p.m.; Canyon won 16-2; Canyon HS (9-11) @ Crescenta Valley (16-5), 3 pm, May 5, Canyon lost 14-7—Season Concluded.
• Division 3 Boys Lacrosse: Woodbridge HS (11-5) v. Canyon HS (13-4) @ Fred Kelly Stadium, May 4, 6 p.m.; Canyon won 12-6; Oaks Christian (6-10) @ Canyon HS (14-4) on May 6; Canyon won 12-9; CIF Division 3 Quarterfinals, Canyon (15-4) @ Cate HS in Santa Barbara County (10-1), 3 pm, May 9
• Division 2 Softball: Agoura Hills HS (15-12) @ Canyon HS (16-10), May 4, 3:15 p.m.; Canyon Won 4-3, JSerra HS (18-10) @ Canyon HS (17-10) 3 pm, May 9
• Division 2 Boys Volleyball: Round 1--Valley Christian HS (9-9) @ Canyon HS (19-3); Canyon won 3 sets to zero; Round 2—Canyon HS (20-3) @ San Marcos HS (30-7); Canyon lost 3 sets to zero—Season Concluded.
• Golf Individuals—Week of May 1; Team qualified for CIF Playoff berth on May 15 at 3 pm.
• Swimming CIF Prelims—Week of May 1: Canyon Diver Shayna Gayer qualified for CIF and competed last Thursday, April 27. Swimmers Advanced to CIF Finals week of May 8: Boys 100 Free Drew Herbel; Boys 200 Free Drew Herbel; Boys 200 Free Relay Drew Herbel, Ethan Ragadio, Jacob Gayer, Jake Winsberg; Boys 400 Free Relay Drew Herbel, Ethan Ragadio, Jacob Gayer, Jake Winsberg
• Track and Field—CIF Prelims—May 6; Advancing to CIF Finals on May 13 are the following athletes: Girls 4X100 Jade Badua, Keira Ezell, Jenna Onestinghel, Taylor DeBarros; Girls 1600 Makena Oliva; Boys 4X100 Evan Coates, Taye Newman, Kumar Chawla, Ivan Chang; Boys High Jump Evan Coates; 400 Alternate Ivan Chang; 1600 Alternate Taye Newman; Discus Alternate Sean Artist
• Division 1 Boys Tennis: Redondo Union HS (9-5) @ Canyon HS (13-2), May 3 at 3:00 p.m.; Canyon won 10-8; Canyon HS (14-2) @ Westlake HS (16-3) on Friday, May 5; Canyon won 9-9 (Won in a tiebreaker); CIF Division 1 Quarterfinals, Canyon HS (15-2) @ San Marino HS (11-4), May 8, 3 pm
• Spring League Championships: Boys Volleyball

El Modena High School

• Golf Individuals—Week of May 1
• Swimming CIF Prelims—Week of May 1; Grace Wharton finished 1st in both of her events 500 free and 100 back at the CIF Finals. She now moves on to the CIF State Swim finals in Clovis, California this weekend.
• Track and Field—CIF Prelims—May 6

Orange High School

• Division 4 Baseball: Arrowhead Christian HS (14-9) @ Orange HS (16-11), May 5, 3:15 p.m.; Orange lost 8-0—Season concluded.
• Golf Individuals—Week of May 1; Team qualified for CIF Wildcard berth on May 15 at 3 pm.
• Swimming CIF Prelims—Week of May 1
• Track and Field—CIF Prelims—May 6
• Division 5 Boys Tennis Wild Card: Orange HS @ Santa Monica Prep HS, May 2 at 3:00 p.m., Orange lost 11-7—Season concluded.

Villa Park High School

• Division 1 Baseball: Damien HS (18-6) @ Villa Park HS (18-10), May 4, 3:15 p.m.; Villa Park won 3-0; Defending State Champions Huntington Beach HS (21-8) @ Villa Park HS (19-10), 3 pm, May 9
• Division 1 Softball Wild Card: Villa Park HS @ Chino Hills HS, May 2, 3:15 p.m.; Villa Park lost 3-0--Season concluded.
• Division 2 Boys Volleyball: Round 1—Trabuco Hills HS (19-13) @ Villa Park HS (11-11); Villa Park lost 3 sets to zero—Season Concluded.
• Golf Individuals—Week of May 1; Golf CIF-SS Individuals (Today, Bear Creek GC, Murrieta): Jason White
• Swim Prelims, May 1. The following swimmers placed in CIF Finals and are going forward to CIF State (Saturday, Clovis HS): Alison Mann, Lucy Flynn, Jake Hickman
• Track and Field—CIF Prelims—May 6; Going forward (Saturday, May 13 at Moorpark HS): Jewel Villaescusa, Estelle McLeary, Amelia Gray, Harmoni Brown, Dylan Poteat, Spencer Handorf, Carter Christie, Blythe Dahl and Eli Sickles.
• Division 1 Boys Tennis: Villa Park HS (7-6) @ Arcadia (15-2), May 3 at 3:00 p.m.; Villa Park lost 13-5—Season concluded. Individuals-- Boys tennis CIF individuals are taking place Thursday, May 18th. Gavin Kuo, and Greg Gamal will be representing VPHS. Eli Vu and Ryan Yun, doubles team, made 1st team and finished their season last Thursday.

Spring League Championships:

• Baseball
• Boys Volleyball
• Boys Track
• Girl Track
• Boys Swim
• Girls Swim

Thank you for celebrating with us the achievements of our student-athletes!

Celebrate your senior's accomplishments with a custom banner! Banners will be on display at Fred Kelly Stadium during our graduation ceremonies and can be picked at a later date.

All proceeds from your purchase help support educational programs and initiatives through Orange Unified Public Schools Foundation’s grant program. Don't miss this chance to show your support for the Class of 2023 and our local schools! Order your banner for $100 at https://order.prepressgroup.com/tdgraphics/

Are you interested in a profession that makes a positive impact on 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.

Give your child the Orange Unified EDGE! orangeusd.org/enroll

If you missed any of our PreK-12 Showcases and would like to book a personal tour of one of our schools, please complete the interest form or call Dr. Ken Miller at 714-628- 4350.

Did you know that we have a YouTube channel? Check out our videos featuring programs throughout the District, Board Meetings, school highlights, Measure S progress, graduation ceremonies and more at https://www.youtube.com/OrangeUnifiedCA

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

We invite you to take a moment to follow Orange Unified on social media to receive the District’s latest news and announcements. Social media may also be a critical line of communication during emergencies and will be an excellent place for you to get up to date information: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube