Countywide : 6 County Schools Get National Honor

Cited as some of the best schools in the nation, six Orange County high schools and intermediate schools have been selected as finalists in the 1992-93 National Blue Ribbon Schools Program.

Brea-Olinda, Westminster, Laguna Hills and Los Alamitos high schools, along with La Paz Intermediate and Hewes Middle School are among the 260 public and private secondary schools across the country honored recently in the program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education.

Of the 33 California schools selected as finalists, six had been honored as Blue Ribbon schools before, including Los Alamitos High.

“These schools exemplify some of the most successful programs in the California educational system, and they are to be congratulated for their achievements,” said acting State Supt. of Public Instruction Dave Dawson, in announcing the state’s finalists last week.

The Orange County schools honored are found in the Brea-Olinda, Huntington Beach Union, Saddleback Valley Unified, Tustin Unified and Los Alamitos Unified school districts.

“This is the top award that schools compete for nationally,” Saddleback Valley Unified School District Supt. Peter Hartman said. “It doesn’t get any better.”

Both Laguna Hills High and La Paz Intermediate are part of the Saddleback Valley Unified School District.

“I’m very excited for our schools and our kids and the community,” said Laguna Hills High Principal Wayne Mickaelian. “Our teachers and staff have worked very, very hard to ensure success for our students. This is probably the greatest award we could receive.”

Schools were selected using a variety of criteria, including school leadership, teaching environment, curriculum and instruction, parent and community support and exemplary programs in science and math, according to state officials.

A total of 488 public and private schools were nominated nationwide for the recognition. Of those schools, officials visited 286.

This is the highest number of Orange County schools to be recognized as Blue Ribbon schools in one year, said Nancy Jenkins, coordinator of curriculum and instruction for the Orange County Department of Education.

“It’s really good recognition that they’re doing an excellent job and that they’re truly outstanding schools, especially in this day and age with so much bad publicity in general about public education,” Jenkins said.