By El Latino newsroom
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The State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond has announced that five Santa Barbara County elementary schools have been named 2023 California Distinguished Schools by the California Department of Education (CDE).
The Distinguished Schools program returned this year, after a temporary suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, only elementary schools were eligible in California. Awardees will hold the title for two years.
Santa Barbara County’s 2023 Distinguished Schools are:
- Cold Spring School in the Cold Spring School District
- Foothill Elementary School in the Goleta Union School District
- Kellogg Elementary School in the Goleta Union School District
- Mountain View Elementary School in the Goleta Union School District
- Peabody Charter School in the Santa Barbara Unified School District
“We are proud of the exceptional education programs and practices demonstrated by these schools. This award highlights their outstanding work, and we are thrilled their incredible efforts have been recognized by the California Department of Education,” said Santa Barbara County Superintendent of Schools Susan Salcido.
“Congratulations to the students, families, and staff!”
The Distinguished Schools program recognizes schools based on their performance and progress on the state indicators, such as test scores, suspension rates, and conditions and climate, as specified by the California School Dashboard.
Every year, two California Distinguished Schools are also eligible to be recognized as a National Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Distinguished Schools awardee.
The 2023 California School Recognition Program Awards Ceremony will take place on February 16.
COUNTY OFFICIALS ARE SWORN
On January 10, in the first County Board of Supervisors meeting for this year, Ventura County officials who were elected to office following the 2022 elections were ceremonially sworn in by Judge Kevin DeNoce.
As a result of the November 8th elections the officials sworn into office were: Supervisor Jeff Gorell, District 2, Supervisor Janice S. Parvin, District 4, Assessor Keith Taylor, Auditor-Controller, Jeffery S. Burgh, Clerk-Recorder, Registrar of Voters Michelle Ascencion, District Attorney Erik Nasarenko and Treasurer-Tax Collector Sue Horgan.
During the meeting, the Board of Supervisors also elected Supervisor Matt LaVere, who represents District 1, as the Chair of the Board and Supervisor Kelly Long, District 3, as Vice-Chair for 2023.
“It’s a pleasure to welcome the new County officials who will be serving the residents of Ventura County across our agencies,” said Chair LaVere.
“I am honored to take on the position of Chair and serve alongside Vice-Chair Long. I look forward to working closely with all of my colleagues on the Board as we start the new year.”
County elected officials not ceremonially sworn in during this first meeting will be sworn in at the Board of Supervisor meeting on the next meeting on January 24.
VENTURA PROCLAIMED EMERGENCY
The City of Ventura has proclaimed a local emergency in response to the latest winter storm.
The state of emergency declaration allows the City to expedite disaster response and seek emergency funding from the state to aid in recovery.
The state of emergency was ratified by the City Council at its meeting on January 9 and it will remain in effect for the next 2 months.
“By declaring a local state of emergency, the City can expand its efforts to protect public health and the environment. The severe storms caused damage within the City and additional heavy rainfall is ongoing this week,” said Acting City Manager Akbar Alikhan.
According to Alikhan the City of Ventura has received storm-related reports of flooding, debris in the roadway, retaining wall damage from extremely high surf, and other potentially dangerous conditions on public property and in the public right-of-way.
It was also informed that the Ventura Pier has also sustained damage and will remain closed until repairs can be made, and safety inspections will continue to be performed to ensure public safety beforere opening.
“During severe storm events, waterfront property owners are encouraged to safely secure
docks, gangways, boats, and boating equipment to prevent property damage and harm
to others,” Alikhan said.
The City also recommends waterfront property owners may be liable for all costs and fees the City incurs in the removal or potential demolition of docks.
The City published a designated webpage on January 4, to provide updates at regular
increments to showcase the latest emergency information relevant to residents at
www.CityofVentura.ca.gov/WeatherAlert.
To stay informed of critical incident updates register to the Ventura County’s Emergency Notification System at, www.VCAlert.org.
HACKATHON WINNERS
More than 100 students from 40 different high schools throughout Ventura County stayed up all night as they competed in the annual Hackathon by the Sea last weekend in Camarillo.
Participants spent an entire night creating apps and websites with the assistance of volunteer mentors, informed the Ventura County Office of Education (VCOE).
Presented by the VCOE and the Hacker Fund, the Hackathon encourages students to use technology in creative ways to solve problems and engage users.
“At the end of the event, student teams presented their creations to judges, who awarded prizes,” said Superintendent Cesar Morales.
It was one team that excelled above all the participants of the Hackathon was a team of three from Nordhoff High School in the Ojai Unified School District.
They built a system that allows remote monitoring and interaction with plants or gardens from anywhere in the world.
By using a special device, real-time data about the plants’ temperature and humidity is sent to the cloud, allowing bidirectional communication from any cell phone or computer.
Users can see trends, set thresholds for text notifications, or even activate a solenoid valve to turn on a water pump.
The device can reduce water waste, ensure the ecosystem stays healthy, and be scaled for use in the agriculture industry.
Also, honorable mentions went to two students from The High School at Moorpark College for developing an app that matches students with advisors who can help them with academic subjects and other issues.
Users create an account by entering their demographic information and the system matches them with a volunteer who is best able to help.More information about the 2023 Hackathon by the Sea and the student projects that were developed visit, www.vcoe.org.
