Conejo Valley Unified School DistrictDr. Mark McLaughlinTo the Class of 2020…you did it! This is not the way we imagined we would celebrate your thirteen years of growth, hard work, and mastery of academic and extra-curricular interests. However, none of that takes away from the accomplishment you have achieved today…culmination. And how did we get here? TOGETHER. Together with the support of family, friends, teachers, administrators, coaches, community partners, and countless...

By the time she was sixteen, Destiny Sausedo had lived through the death of her brother in a drive-by shooting and the loss of her mother to a drug overdose. Before she died, her mom was often incapacitated by drugs and Destiny was her primary caregiver. “I was a little girl taking care of my mom when it was supposed to be my mom taking care of me,” she says. “I would have to feed her, bathe her, change her. She was there, but she wasn’t all there.”

Jesus Martinez remembers taking trips to Malibu with his mom when he was younger – not to enjoy the beach or the restaurants, but to help with her job cleaning houses and hotel rooms. “I grew up fast and I lost a lot of my childhood because I had to work at a really young age,” he says.

When Jamie Gregory was 11, her beloved uncle Jimmy died of a heroin overdose at the young age of 31. "I was super close to my uncle," she says. "It was really hard for my whole family because he was battling drug addiction for years. He would get better and then he would relapse so many times. It was a hard hit when he passed away."

Ventura County Public Health (VCPH) today released a revised protocol regarding vehicle celebrations for graduations and other special observances. The protocol has been modified to allow graduates to briefly exit their vehicles on a timed schedule to receive their diplomas. Diplomas may be distributed using a no-contact pick-up method, maintaining physical distancing of six feet or greater. The protocol allows school personnel to take photos of graduates outside of their vehicles. Family member...

After an extensive search, the Somis Union School District Board of Trustees has selected Dr. Jesus Vaca as their new district Superintendent/Principal.   Dr. Vaca has 29 years of experience in education. He has served as a teacher, assistant principal, principal at the Elementary, Middle and High School levels, and as an administrator in multicultural and bilingual programs. Most recently, Dr. Vaca served as the Assistant Superintendent, Human Resources, for the Oxnard School Dis...

On April 29, 2020, the California Department of Education announced it is studying options for reopening school campuses after Governor Newsom suggested they could open as early as July or August. Many questions remain about the safety, fiscal and labor implications of reopening campuses before the traditional start of the next school year. For now, there has been no alteration to existing school calendars. The Ventura County Office of Education will be working closely with local school dis...

Teachers in Ventura County are invited to apply for a share of $10,500 in grants that reward innovative teaching methods. The IMPACT II grant program is accepting applications through April 2, 2020. Successful applicants will receive $500 for individual entries and $750 for team entries. Winning teachers will be honored at an awards dinner and their lesson plans will be shared online as resources for other teachers to use.Important Dates Application Deadline: Thursday, April 2nd, 2020 Narrative ...

St. Bonaventure High School in Ventura is the winner of the 2020 Ventura County Mock Trial. St. Bonaventure emerged victorious after four days of competition that included teams from 26 high school throughout Ventura County. The Mock Trial results were announced this evening at an awards ceremony at Buena High School in Ventura. Here is how the top eight teams placed:  St. Bonaventure High School Oak Park High School - Black Team Westlake High School Santa Susana High School - Lincoln Tea...

Four local high school teams emerged victorious from Wednesday night’s semifinals of the 2020 Ventura County Mock Trial competition. The final four teams that will face off in tonight’s last round are: Oak Park Black St. Bonaventure High School Santa Susana Lincoln Westlake High SchoolThe four remaining teams are among 26 from throughout Ventura County participating in this year’s Mock Trial. Tonight’s final round of competition is open to the media and the public.  ...