High Schools

A 15-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of bringing a loaded handgun to a high school in Lancaster, authorities said Thursday evening. The student told a deputy that he was carrying the .45-caliber pistol "for protection when traveling to and from school," Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department officials said in a statement. School officials at Desert Pathways High School confronted the boy Thursday morning after learning that he was allegedly carrying a handgun, according to authorities.

You won't be surprised to hear that a movie called "Fists of Legend" boasts plenty of hand-to-hand (and foot-to-body) contact. But the title of this overlong yet involving Korean actioner is a wink too. It refers to a fictional TV show that recruits middle-aged citizens to relive their high school fighting days in hyped-up mixed martial arts battles, all for the chance at fleeting reality fame and quick cash. Lured to perform are three long-estranged buddies - noodle shop-owning widower and ex-boxer Deok-kyu (Hwang Jung-min)

State officials Tuesday reported slight improvements in dropout and graduation rates and continued gains made by Latino and African American students. Overall, the state dropout rate declined by 1.5 percentage points to 13.2% for the class of 2012, when compared to the class of 2011. For Latinos, the improvement was 2.1 percentage points; for African Americans, it was 3.1%. The state graduation rate was 78.5%, up 1.4 percentage points from 2011, with larger gains among Latinos and African Americans.

Rank, School (Record), Playoff division 1. MATER DEI (14-1) SS-Division 1 2. FOUNTAIN VALLEY (16-1) SS-Division 1 3. ANAHEIM CANYON (13-2) SS-Division 1 4. HARVARD-WESTLAKE (13-3) SS-Division 1 5. ORANGE LUTHERAN (12-4) SS-Division 1 6. CYPRESS (12-4) SS-Division 2 7. EL TORO (11-5) SS-Division 1 8. BONITA (14-2-1) SS-Division 3 9. OAKS CHRISTIAN (12-3-1) SS-Division 4 10. AGOURA (13-5) SS-Division 1 11. CAPISTRANO VALLEY (15-6) SS-Division 1 12. NOGALES (14-1)

A 45-year-old assistant high school principal in Hemet was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of sexual battery and other crimes involving three boys who attend the school. Erin Henton, who works at Tahquitz High School, allegedly had sexual relations with the boys over a period of several months, according to the Hemet Police Department.  Police said she was placed on administrative leave when an allegation was made March 8. The three boys are students at the school, but none of the alleged acts occurred on campus, police said in a statement.

Almost a year ago, a former standout football player at Long Beach Polytechnic High School trembled in Los Angeles County Superior Court as a judge dismissed his rape conviction. Outside the courtroom that day, Brian Banks offered cautious hope that one day, he could restart his athletic career. Wednesday, Banks signed a contract with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, a major step in his quest for redemption. "I can't believe this is happening," Banks told reporters shortly after signing.

After one month of the high school baseball season, there have been more no-hitters than triples, more strikeouts than doubles and more shutouts than .400 hitters. In conclusion, pitchers have been in complete command. "There's just not a whole lot of hitting going on," said Granada Hills Coach Steve Thompson, whose pitchers threw four consecutive shutouts in winning the Babe Herman tournament championship. Among City Section teams, the lack of hitting is particularly prevalent.

Re "Time to revive 'career tech,'" Column, March 21 I appreciate George Skelton's advocacy of Career Technical Education (CTE), but some of the language he uses perpetuates the widespread misconception that CTE is a fancy term for "shop. " When vocational education morphed into CTE, the point was to address the high level of literacy required for 21st century careers by infusing rigorous academics into the CTE curricula. No longer do students need to opt for academic or vocational; instead, their participation in CTE leaves them prepared for work, UC Berkeley or working their way through UC Berkeley.

This post has been corrected. See the note at the bottom for details The Long Beach school board voted Monday to push start times at the district's middle schools from 8 to 9 a.m. -- a cost-cutting move officials believe will also boost student success. The board unanimously approved the plan, spearheaded by Supt. Christopher Steinhauser. Beginning in the fall, students at all of the district's middle schools will start class at 9 a.m. and get out at 3:40 p.m. The change will save the district about $1 million in transportation costs, Steinhauser said.