With all the pressure to make friends, get good grades and get into college, high school is often a stressful experience. Throw in a worldwide pandemic that’s lasted for years, and it’s no surprise that students are feeling it.

When schools were closed due to the pandemic, Alex Loza decided to make good use of the extra time he had on his hands. He got a job delivering meals to the elderly and remembers how some of the recipients were so grateful they were brought to tears. “That really made me feel good about myself,” he says. “It made me realize the good I was doing in my community.”

Dr. César Morales, Ventura County Superintendent of Schools, is pleased to announce that Shannon Klemann from Adolfo Camarillo High School (ACHS) in the Oxnard Union High School District (OUHSD) is the 2022 Ventura County Teacher of the Year. Klemann and her students found out about the honor today when local school administrators made a surprise visit to her classroom.Klemann is a veteran educator who has taught in OUHSD schools for 23 years. She currently teaches biology in grades 9 thr...

He hasn’t even graduated from Adolfo Camarillo High School yet, but Hans Bach-Nguyen has built an enviable resume that spans five pages. In addition to stellar grades and test scores, it lists an impressive array of activities and achievements. 

Maggie Melendez’s road to high school graduation hasn’t been an easy one. The daughter of Guatemalan immigrants, she started school without knowing a word of English. When her family lost their housing in Fresno, she moved to a converted garage in Simi Valley with her mom and brother – the place she still calls home.

In light of the horrific school shooting in Texas, many students will have questions and fears about their own safety. We are offering the following resources to help parents and educators respond in the most appropriate way.

Our hearts are broken by the tragic news of today’s mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. We send our sincerest sympathies to the families whose lives have been forever shattered. School shootings are a plague on our society that have been happening for far too long. I call on decision-makers at every level of government to take all necessary measures to put an end to these senseless acts of violence in our schools. Dr. César MoralesVentura County Superinten...

Teachers from throughout Ventura County are being honored with $16,000 in grants for developing innovative lessons for their students. At a ceremony tonight in Camarillo, the Ventura County Office of Education will present 11 IMPACT II grants to 16 teachers. The grants are funded by local businesses and organizations that wish to promote unique and creative teaching practices The winning entries cover a variety of subject matters, including history, language arts and social s...

Students graduating this year have had more than half of their high school experience impacted by the pandemic. In addition to the regular pressures of adolescence, they’ve experienced the stresses associated with school closures and quarantines, and the debates over masking and vaccinations. They’ve also missed out on all types of activities, from dances to sporting events to school plays.

Beth Bowers, a dedicated and innovative teacher who has spent much of her career serving students with disabilities, has been named the 2022 Teacher of the Year for schools and programs operated by the Ventura County Office of Education (VCOE). Bowers will now be in the running for the Ventura County Teacher of the Year award, which is open to all teachers countywide.After a career in banking and becoming the mother of a son with Down syndrome, Ms. Bowers joined VCOE in 2012 as a paraeducator, p...