Schools Orange County

Every Halloween, principals at Orange County schools have to balance the interests of students eager to dress up and celebrate against strict rules that generally ban masks and anything resembling a weapon, including plastic swords and squirt guns. For preschoolers, Halloween observances are sometimes encouraged, sometimes not. Some, like the Kindercare in Costa Mesa, have pre-Halloween costume parties with treats and activities.

Orange County pioneer Juan Pablo Grijalva and the well-known Segerstrom family will have new elementary schools named after them, while a new high school will bear the name of former postmaster Hector Godinez. Santa Ana Unified school board members also gave Santa Ana High's auditorium the name of former Righteous Brother Bill Medley, and Walnut Street, which runs in front of the auditorium, will be renamed after the 1960s rock 'n' roll group the Chantays.

What's in a name? About three months, 100 phone calls and letters, a few petitions and a lot of local history. At least that's what has gone into Santa Ana Unified School District's process for naming up to 14 campuses that will begin popping up over the next five years. The district launched the name campaign in July, calling on residents to offer suggestions. Officials were clear on the matter: They want to choose names that mean something to the community.

The Tustin Planning Commission weighed in Tuesday on the Santa Ana Unified School District's attempt to obtain a chunk of the former Tustin Marine base, saying there's no room on the property for three new schools. Tustin and the school district are engaged in an escalating feud over the land, a 75-acre parcel in the base's southwest corner that falls within the district's boundaries.

Five schools with a commitment to promoting understanding among cultures received the Orange County Human Relations Commission's Building Bridges award Friday. The schools demonstrated their commitments in a variety of ways, from adding bilingual teaching aides to creating clubs to fight racism head-on. "These students and faculty, as well as parents and administrators, are the hope of the future," said Lin Fujitsubo, president of the Human Relations Commission's Board of Directors.

One of Orange County's consistently high-performing school districts earned overall good marks in state rankings released today but fared less well when compared to schools with similar characteristics. An enviable 14 of 38 schools in the Capistrano Unified School District met a state-set benchmark for performance, compared with 12% across California.