Of the 162 middle school and high school campuses announced this week as California Distinguished Schools, 25 are in Orange County.
The state recognition highlights public schools for “achieving exceptional student performance for two consecutive school years or closing the achievement gap between two school years,” the announcement said.
“It’s exciting to win because it is recognizing how hard the teachers work,” Dana Aguilera, principal of Carl Hankey K-8 Academy in Mission Viejo, said. It is the first time the campus has received the designation.
“It really reflects a lot of working together and the strength of the model program,” she said.
Once schools show the achievements in data that make them eligible for the program, Aguilera said, they then submit an application highlighting their signature program – in Hankey’s case, the International Baccalaureate program in the middle school grades.
“My teachers make sure the kids are given the opportunity to reflect and take action,” she said. “Our kids learn to take action with their learning.”
California Distinguished Schools are called on to share their successful programs and practices with other educators.
The top honor is rotated annually between naming elementary schools and upper grade schools. Last year, 43 elementary schools in the county received the recognition.
The California Distinguished Schools program has been around for about 30 years, though it recently took a three-year hiatus as the state Education Department rolled out a new accountability system.
“Distinguished School award winners represent examples of not just excellent teaching, learning and collaboration, but also highly successful school climate efforts ranging from real-time conflict resolution to positive behavior intervention,” the press release said.
Here are the local schools, by district, honored in 2019:
Anaheim Union High School District:
Lexington Junior High
Oxford Academy
Capistrano Unified School District:
Bernice Ayer Middle
Carl Hankey Middle
Fountain Valley School District:
Harry C. Fulton Middle
Kazua Masuda Middle
Samuel E. Talbert Middle
Fullerton Joint Union High School District:
Sunny Hills High
Garden Grove Unified School District:
Bolsa Grande High
Garden Grove High
Pacifica High
Huntington Beach City School District:
Ethel Dwyer Middle
Isaac L. Sowers Middle
Huntington Beach Union High School District:
Edison High
Marina High
Irvine Unified School District:
Irvine High
Rancho San Joaquin Middle
Sierra Vista Middle
Woodbridge High
Laguna Beach Unified School District:
Thurston Middle
Newport-Mesa Unified School District:
Early College High
Ocean View School District:
Mesa View Middle
Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District:
Yorba Linda Middle
Santa Ana Unified School District:
Nova Academy
Tustin Unified School District:
Arnold O. Beckman High