Natasha Senjack’s high school counselor says she’s wise beyond her years, and it’s no surprise considering all she’s been able to overcome in her young life. Her troubles started when she lost her mom to cancer at age 11.

Osvaldo Jimenez is the son of Mexican immigrants who made sure he knew the value of education at an early age. In his elementary years, they took him to the local library for tutoring in English and math. And they worked overtime in their jobs at restaurants and construction sites to make sure he’d be able to attend college.

Graduating from high school at age 16 is impressive enough, but Brinda Garikapati is doing it after arriving in the US as a seventh grader who spoke little English. Brinda had been living in India with relatives before moving to Simi Valley to be with her parents.

Joey Hazlett was diagnosed with autism in sixth grade. “It makes it so that my brain is kind of running nonstop,” he says. “Even when I’m trying to stop thinking, my brain just comes up with something new to think about and it makes me hyper-focused on stuff.”

This story is part of a series of profiles the Ventura County Office of Education is presenting about outstanding graduating seniors in the Class of 2023. When Sinthia Cardenas landed the prime role of Wednesday Addams in the Ventura High School production of The Addams Family, it was a particularly meaningful accomplishment. Since childhood, she had struggled to pronounce her Rs and Ls and often found people had difficulty understanding her. Speech therapy and lots of hard work p...

Teachers from throughout Ventura County are being honored with grants for developing innovative lessons for their students. At a ceremony tonight in Camarillo, the Ventura County Office of Education presented 9 IMPACT II grants to 15 teachers. Individual winners received $500 each and teams received $1,000. The winning entries cover a variety of subject matters, including history, language arts and social sciences. Detailed lesson plans prepared by each of the grant winners w...

Dr. César Morales, Ventura County Superintendent of Schools, is pleased to announce that Debbie Dogancay from Newbury Park High School (NPHS) in the Conejo Valley Unified School District is the 2023 Ventura County Teacher of the Year. Dogancay found out about the honor today when a group of local education officials made a surprise visit to a school faculty meeting. Dogancay is a veteran educator who has taught at NPHS for 22 years. She currently teaches chemistry in grades 11 and 12...

A powerful new video about the dangers of fentanyl is now available for Ventura County teens and parents. The video, Real Talk: Fake Pills, 100% Danger, was produce by the Ventura County Opioid Abuse Suppression Taskforce (COAST) and lunched on National Fentanyl Awareness Day. It features real stories about lives that have been devastated by this dangerous opioid and interviews with young people who have successfully overcome their addiction. We encourage families to use this video as ...

Fighting Fentanyl Use Among Students • Science Fair Returns In Person • Migrant Students Shine at Tournament • Equity Conference Uplifts Students • Mock Trial Makes History • Free Computer Courses • Upcoming Events and Workshops

Fentanyl is now responsible for more overdose deaths in Ventura County than any other drug. That’s according to a new report from the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office which found that fentanyl claimed 181 lives in Ventura County last year – a sobering new record. Most of those who died were between 30 and 50 years old. But the victims also include 13 people between the ages of 18 and 24 and one who was under 17 years old.