By Irvine City News staff

By ​Irvine City News staff

Though school has been out for a while now, students from Irvine Unified School District schools, as well as Irvine-based students studying elsewhere, are still earning awards and scholarships. Among the most prestigious are National Merit Scholarships, which can be awarded from companies and foundations, individual schools and from National Merit Scholarship Corp.’s (NMSC) own funds.

More than 1.6 million juniors in more than 22,000 high schools entered the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program when they took the 2015 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT), which served as an initial screen of program entrants.

In September 2016, some 16,000 semifinalists were designated on a state-representational basis in numbers proportional to each state’s percentage of the national total of graduating high school seniors. Semifinalists were the highest-scoring program entrants in each state and represented less than one percent of the nation’s seniors.

To be considered for a National Merit Scholarship, semifinalists had to fulfill requirements to advance to finalist standing. Each semifinalist was asked to complete a detailed scholarship application, which included writing an essay and providing information about extracurricular activities, awards, and leadership positions.

Semifinalists also had to have an outstanding academic record, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, and earn SAT scores that confirmed their qualifying test performance. From the semifinalist group, some 15,000 met finalist requirements.

By the conclusion of the 2017 competition, about 7,500 finalists will have been selected to receive National Merit Scholarships totaling over $32 million. Winners are the finalist candidates judged to have the strongest combination of academic skills and achievements, extracurricular accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.

Note, the National Merit Scholarship folks provide this note: “CAUTION: Any attempt to compare high schools on the basis of numbers of Merit Scholarship winners will lead to erroneous and unsound conclusions.

The National Merit Scholarship Program honors individual students who show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies. The program does not measure the quality or effectiveness of education within a school, system, or state.”

Still, one can’t help but note that Irvine students did spectacularly well in winning the prestigious scholarships. Congratulations to some of Irvine’s most meritorious scholars!
 
National Merit-Sponsored Scholarships:
National Merit $2,500 Scholarship winners are the finalists in each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies. NMSC finances most of these single-payment National Merit $2,500 Scholarships.
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Corporations and company foundations that sponsor awards through NMSC also help underwrite these scholarships with grants they provide in lieu of paying administrative fees. Scholars may use their awards at any regionally accredited U.S. college or university.
 
Vicki M. Chen
UNIVERSITY H.S.
Probable career field: Finance
NATIONAL MERIT $2,500 SCHOLARSHIP

Hemal Madaan
WOODBRIDGE H.S.
Probable career field: Business Management
NATIONAL MERIT $2,500 SCHOLARSHIP

Shilpa Rajagopal
NORTHWOOD H.S.
Probable career field: Biology
NATIONAL MERIT $2,500 SCHOLARSHIP

Akanksha Sah
UNIVERSITY H.S.
Probable career field: Law I
NATIONAL MERIT $2,500 SCHOLARSHIP

Phillip H. Seo
UNIVERSITY H. S.
Probable career field: Economics
NATIONAL MERIT $2,500 SCHOLARSHIP UNDERWRITTEN BY THE UPS FOUNDATION

Alan B. Shi
NORTHWOOD H.S.
Probable career field: Healthcare
NATIONAL MERIT $2,500 SCHOLARSHIP

Vicki Wang
IRVINE H.S.
Probable career field: Biology
NATIONAL MERIT $2,500 SCHOLARSHIP

Nancy Wu
UNIVERSITY H.S.
Probable career field: Design
NATIONAL MERIT $2,500 SCHOLARSHIP

Younjin Song
ARNOLD O. BECKMAN H.S.
Probable career field: Business
NATIONAL MERIT $2,500 SCHOLARSHIP

Ethan R. Davis
CRANBROOK KINGSWOOD SCHOOL, BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI
(Ethan, an Irvine resident, is attending school in MI.)
Probable career field: Academia
NATIONAL MERIT $2,500 SCHOLARSHIP

Richard A. Grannis-Vu
HOMESCHOOL
Probable career field: Computer Science
NATIONAL MERIT $2,500 SCHOLARSHIP
 
University-Sponsored National Merit Scholarships:
Officials of each sponsor college selected their scholarship winners from among the finalists in the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program who plan to attend their institutions. These awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship.
 
Shourya Chawla
IRVINE H.S.
Probable career field: Finance
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SCHOLARSHIP

Richard Hua
UNIVERSITY H.S.
Probable career field: Biology
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SCHOLARSHIP

Jenny Ji
UNIVERSITY H.S.
Probable career field: Medicine IRVINE
UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA SCHOLARSHIP

Chuangqi Lao
UNIVERSITY H.S.
 Probable career field: Computer Science
VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
SCHOLARSHIP

Jeremy S. Pan
ARNOLD O. BECKMAN H.S.
Probable career field: Medicine
BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIP
 
Corporate-Sponsored Scholarships:
Corporate sponsors provide National Merit Scholarships for finalists who are children of their employees, who are residents of communities the company serves, or who plan to pursue college majors or careers the sponsor wishes to encourage.

Most of these awards are renewable for up to four years of college undergraduate study and provide annual stipends that range from $500 to $10,000 per year. Some provide a single payment between $2,500 and $5,000. Recipients can use their awards at any regionally accredited U.S. college or university of their choice.
 
Isabelle S. Zhou
UNIVERSITY H.S.
Probable career field: Business Administration
Citizen Watch Company of America, Inc.

​By Irvine City News staff

Each year, Irvine Public Schools Foundation (IPSF), awards scholarships to students who exemplify the qualities of leadership, community service and academic excellence.
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“IPSF is proud to award over $28,000 this year through our scholarship programs in support of students planning to pursue post-secondary education,” says Neda Eaton, president and CEO of IPSF. “We were so impressed by the caliber of submissions this year, and continued to be inspired by the students’ ability to not only achieve educational excellence, but also sustain a well-rounded experience that enabled them to explore their passions.”

This year’s scholarship recipients include:
 
Ryan Nhu, Northwood High School- Dr. Kevin Armstrong Memorial Scholarship – $5,000
Ryan was on the varsity volleyball team and involved in clubs including Aid for Africa. He is passionate about social justice and community service, serving on student government where he teaches others the importance of understanding, open mindedness, and acceptance when faced with adversity. In the fall, Ryan will be attending University of Southern California, double-majoring in Law, History & Culture and English.

Logan Prock, Woodbridge High School- Lee Bryn Brooks Community Service Scholarship – $5,000
Logan has had a passion for volunteering ever since she visited Tijuana for her first house-build trip at age eight. Since then, she has worked with various nonprofits as a part of National Charity League, and has learned that having a servant’s heart is a lifelong commitment. Logan plans to major in Neuroscience or Human Biology at Vanderbilt University this fall and plans to pursue community service through Doctors Without Borders, volunteering abroad.

Stephen Chen, Woodbridge High School- IPSF Student Athlete Scholarship in partnership with SoCal Elite – $5,000
In addition to his academic and athletic accomplishments on the varsity tennis team, Stephen is a passionate musician, has been active with the Red Cross Club and has been volunteering for the IPSF Instrument Rental Program since he was 11 years old. Stephen plans to attend UCLA as a Statistics major.

Lauren Spear, Woodbridge High School- Rising Moon Scholarship on behalf of the Crescent Moon Foundation – $3,000
As captain of her high school water polo team and a dedicated volunteer at the Blind Children’s Learning Center, Lauren is extremely passionate about helping others and leading with integrity and compassion. Lauren will be attending Texas Christian University in the fall, and is interested in studying speech and language pathology.

Ryan Lee, Irvine High School - IPSF Scholarship for the Arts – $10,000
Ryan discovered his passion for the arts at the age of five when his mother drove him to Los Angeles to tag along for his sister’s meeting with a talent agency. The agency signed him and from that day on, Ryan was hooked. Participating in numerous commercials, improv performances and musicals inspired Ryan’s second love, writing music and screenplays. During Ryan’s sophomore year, he learned the power of the arts, and its ability to heal and help after the tragic loss of a friend to suicide. Having the ability to write and perform allowed Ryan to express his emotions in a healthy way, which enabled him to move forward and also inspire others.

​Irvine City News staff

UCI will add a $120 million state-of-the-art convergent science building to its campus, expanding the university’s capacity to conduct collaborative and cross-disciplinary research involving engineering, computing and physical sciences. A $30 million donation from Henry and Susan Samueli will help fund the project.

The new convergent science buildings should enable and inspire research, with goals including educating future leaders and making groundbreaking discoveries, according to UCI. Possible research ideas include developing chemical and material sensors to better diagnose and treat cancers; using big data, environmental engineering and organic chemistry to improve water supply or solar energy; testing driverless vehicles; and having cybersecurity coders and mathematicians collaborate on military or medical challenges.

The new facility is made possible by the $30 million gift from the Samueli Foundation that will help fund it. The Samueli donation enables UCI to obtain $50 million in state funds allocated by the UC Office of the President, and UCI will contribute an additional $40 million.
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“This vital project demonstrates the enduring power of partnerships,” said Chancellor Howard Gillman. “We are so thankful to have generous partners in Susan and Henry Samueli, who share UCI’s and California’s vision of a space that will facilitate transformative innovations in health, the environment and other boundary-breaking grand challenges. Combining their commitment with public support ensures that UCI will expand its interdisciplinary science, educate more students, and find solutions to complex global and regional problems.”

Construction of the planned 100,000-square-foot facility could begin as early as this fall and be completed in three years. It will accommodate more than 50 faculty members – including high-profile new hires – and hundreds of students. A community observatory with a powerful telescope may be built on the roof.
Engineering will oversee about half the space, physical sciences about a third, and information and computer sciences about a sixth, with graduate students from all three schools working together in laboratories, offices and meeting areas.

Computer sciences expertise will be key, said Marios Papaefthymiou, dean of the Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences.

“Everyone wants to work with us, because we enable what medicine does, we enable what social sciences does, and physical sciences and engineering – you name it,” he said in a UCI statement. “We’re thrilled to be part of this game-changing piece of UCI.”

Henry Samueli, co-founder of semiconductor giant Broadcom Corp., said that he and his wife, Susan, “are deeply committed to supporting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education at all levels along the learning pipeline, from kindergarten through higher education.”

“Addressing today’s grand challenges in society requires collaborative research across a multitude of disciplines, aligning with our STEM ecosystem concept. We hope this gift to UCI can be a catalyst for accelerating cross-disciplinary research and scientific innovations that benefit society.”

The Samuelis have been longtime supporters of UCI. Their new donation ties with one from Paul Merage in 2005 to create a business school as the second-largest in campus history. The Henry Samueli School of Engineering received $20 million from the couple in 1999, and the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine was established in 2001 with a $5.7 million gift. Henry Samueli is also a distinguished adjunct professor in UCI’s electrical engineering & computer science department.

​By Irvine City News staff

​Five Irvine Unified School District teachers were awarded a total of $100,000 from the nonprofit Irvine Public Schools Foundation to enhance and improve the experiences of their students through innovation.

The recipients were recognized at a reception at TAPS Fish House & Brewery in Irvine. “It is such an honor to have the opportunity to take a glimpse into the imaginations of Irvine’s most innovative teachers,” says Neda Eaton, president & CEO of IPSF. “Helping to bring these ideas to life, and seeing the impact that they have on student learning, is truly rewarding. We are so thankful to our community and sponsors who help make these grants possible for our students.”

Each $20,000 grant supports one of IPSF’s main areas of focus: science and engineering; technology; health and counseling; arts; and music. According to an IPSF media release, he winning teachers and their areas of innovation include:
 
Archana Jain, Irvine High School
Extreme 3D Printing

Imagine if high school students could have the ability to visualize an idea, design it, and then be able to create working prototypes of their vision. Students at Irvine High have wanted to create parts for robots, prosthetic limbs for a competition, jewelry, gears, props for a video project, art pieces, and so much more. Such high resolution, extremely accurate creations could only be possible with a superior quality 3D printer. In order to enhance student’s educational experience and expand their capabilities with current curriculum, IPSF will award Irvine High with an EnvisionTEC Micro EDU package, valued at $20,000, thanks to a generous donation from EnvisionTEC, a global 3D printer manufacturer headquartered in Detroit with a production facility in Gardena. This educational tool will have widespread applications in Irvine High’s engineering classroom, as well as throughout the school. When students are able to create through project-based learning, they are more likely to see the benefits of their education and pursue careers in engineering or related fields, studies show.
 
Karen Whippo, Deerfield Elementary School
Flipping PE

Increasing concentration and focus in primary classrooms by providing kinesthetic learning tables and seating to support action-based learning is the primary goal of the proposal. The use of movement will facilitate cognition, assist memory retention, support behavior goals and anchor learning while developing healthy bodies. As childhood obesity rises and physical activity decreases throughout the United States, it becomes increasingly critical to teach children that a healthy body supports a healthy mind. Research shows that physical education and exercise affect academic achievement in children. In this project, TK and Kindergarten students will choose from a variety of kinesthetic seating options that will improve gross motor skills, brain function, and behavior choices while students learn.
 
Cynthia Rothman, Cypress Village Elementary School
STEAMing Forward in Elementary Education

This project will turn an average, sterile classroom into a S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) lab. The space will be intentionally designed to build critical thinking, creativity and innovation. Students and teachers alike will take part in the engineering process of ideation, creation, testing and revising of projects. In addition, students will use this space as a deconstruction lab to investigate how current everyday objects work by taking them apart. The intention is to draw teachers and students into a space where they can be challenged to develop divergent thinking and develop problem-solving skills as extensions to their already existing mathematic, scientific, social and literacy instruction. This coincides with constructivist approach that children learn best by constructing their own learning through experiences. This lab will offer such hands-on learning by allowing students and teachers’ exposure to materials and tools otherwise uncommon in the classroom. With this lab, the school seeks to promote innovation, risk-taking, failing, and believing in our abilities to change the world through empathy, problem solving, collaborating, and divergent thinking.
 
Kim Kinnaird, Lauren Taylor, and Jennie Bolinger, Alderwood Elementary School
Explore, Challenge, Create, Imagine: Our Innovation Lab

This project will provide a dedicated safe space for all students to explore, ask questions, problem solve, and imagine solutions. This Innovation Lab will be a classroom where collaboration is encouraged and making mistakes is embraced and celebrated. While teachers strive to provide these opportunities in their individual classrooms, this project recognizes the need for a more comprehensive school-wide space that promotes Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math education. This lab will be full of resources, technology, seemingly unlimited materials, and inspiration.
 
Corey Heddon, University
High School
​
The Rhythm Buzz – An Innovative Freshmen Transition Music Initiative
The Rhythm Buzz initiative is a dynamic teaching program, full of energy and drive with a focus on assisting in the transition of at-risk students from middle schools to high school, using percussion training as the vehicle. The school plans to expand a small existing program where current 8th graders (incoming freshmen), in the last few weeks of middle school, participate in introductory percussion training. It combines fast paced, loud, dynamic drumming exercises with the rigor and discipline associated with the artistry of percussion exercises in a five-week, afterschool series of workshops.
 
The grant program is in celebration of the 20 years IPSF has impacted education in Irvine. Since 1996, IPSF has awarded over $1 million to teachers and counselors, benefiting over 100,000 students since the program’s inception. Each year, IPSF provides millions in funding to IUSD to support STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) education, small-group learning, after-school and summer programs, grants for classroom innovation, and support for athletic trainers and school nurses. IPSF sponsors enrichment programs and provides financial support to ensure a world-class education in Irvine schools.

​By Irvine City News staff

A group of Irvine high school students will join teams from Boston University, the NASA Ames Research Center, Northwestern University, and some 30 other teams chosen by NASA to be eligible to have their small satellites included on upcoming space missions.

It’s the result of a year of hard work by 25 to 30 high school students from each of Irvine’s six high schools, all working together in the CubeSat Program, in partnership with industry experts to design, assemble, test, and hopefully launch a miniaturized satellite for space research made from commercial off-the-shelf components for its electronics and structure.

The team is called Irvine01, and they’ve been working together since early 2016 to launch a full-functioning 30-pound nanosatellite (approximately the size of a milk carton cut in half) 350 miles high into orbit around the earth. Each high school’s team is responsible for a different part of the satellite – avionics, communication, propulsion, etc. – with each group working after school and with leading scientists in various disciplines.

Irvine CubeSat is one of two high schools chosen by NASA among 34 teams selected to participate in the prestigious program. The selected spacecrafts are eligible for placement on a launch as auxiliary payloads on planned NASA or commercial space flight missions, or deployments from the International Space Station.
The Irvine01 team is culturally diverse and 35 percent of its members are female. Nationwide, similar STEM programs average only 22 percent.
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Irvine Public Schools Foundation (IPSF), a nonprofit group that raises money for the Irvine Unified School District, gave $150,000 in seed money to launch the project, with the hopes to raise a total of $500,000. FivePoint, Microsemi, Ingersoll Rand/Trane, Cisco, and Resilient were also sponsors of the Irvine team.

By Irvine City News staff

When Portola High School welcomed its first class this past fall, more than 450 freshmen students began their studies at a remarkable facility with a special group of educators selected and led by Principal John Pehrson. While classes and school activities have been ongoing since, the official Irvine Unified School District dedication of the new school wasn’t held until March 2, in part so civic leaders and community members could experience the school’s performing arts building and 700-seat theater, which wasn’t yet complete last fall.

Attendees at the dedication ceremony of IUSD’s fifth comprehensive high school included Portola teachers, staff and students, the IUSD Board of Education, Superintendent of Schools Terry Walker, Irvine Mayor Donald Wagner, Irvine city councilmembers, IUSD representatives, PTA members, representatives from Fivepoint and Irvine Company, local dignitaries and community organizations.

The campus guests enjoyed a reception and tours of the school prior to the official ribbon-cutting ceremony, then all moved to the impressive theater for an even more impressive performance by the school’s symphonic band, followed by speeches from dignitaries, with videos from teachers and students shown periodically throughout the ceremony.

“This school is more than a beautiful environment, it has been developed to create innovative spaces for learning,” said Superintendent Terry Walker. “Most importantly, it is a symbol of our sincere promise to provide the highest-quality educational experience we can envision.”

“Today’s celebration is not a beginning, nor is it a finish line. But rather the dedication of this amazing facility is an important milestone in providing a world-class educational environment,” said Ira Glasky, president of the Irvine Unified School District Board of Education. “Portola is our first high school built in accordance with IUSD’s award-winning Education Specifications. The result of countless hours spent by our teachers, administrators and architects, these education specs detail the features needed to support instruction and 21st century learning at the highest levels.”

“We’re so excited to take on this monumental task of preparing our students for 21st century college and careers. We have, and will continue to assemble, a world-class staff to meet this challenge with fervor and complete dedication,” said Portola High School Principal John Pehrson. He thanked the audience of students, parents, teachers, staff, the Board of Education, district administrators, the city council, Fivepoint, the Irvine Company and other local dignitaries and community members for their partnership.

“Thank you for your partnership in this journey,” Pehrson said. “We’re so glad you are here to celebrate with us. Go Bull Dogs!”
 
Portola Pride
 
The 43-acre Portola High School will eventually be home to about 2,400 students, as each year another class of freshmen joins, until the school has all 9-12 grades for the 2019-2020 school year. The high school is a state-of-the-art education facility designed to meet the criteria developed by the Collaborative for High-Performance Schools, which helps establish campuses that are comfortable, energy efficient and aligned with modern teaching and learning.

The school’s technology features and amenities include:

• A student center featuring collaborative learning environment, a library with dedicated quiet rooms and an Innovation Lab
• An elective building that houses video production, 2D and 3D art, music rooms and more
• Makers Space: a collaborative workspace for students and teachers
• 21st-century classrooms with common areas and flexible furniture for collaborative learning
• Dedicated science labs
• A special education facility to facilitate essential life skills
• A green roof that will enable hands-on, sustainable learning
• A 2,044-seat gymnasium that includes training facilities and dedicated team rooms
• A 2,940-seat stadium with rubberized track and artificial turf​
• An aquatics center with a 50-meter pool
• Eight tennis courts
• Varsity and JV baseball and softball fields
• Track and field facilities
• Two full soccer fields

​By Irvine City News staff

Woodbridge High School’s Academic Decathlon team won the 49th annual Orange County Academic Decathlon title and is heading to Sacramento for the state-level competition. Woodbridge was named the winner Feb. 10 in the Bill Medley Auditorium at Santa Ana High School. The school prevailed over some 40 OC high schools competing, winning with a healthy margin of some 3,000 points over the second place school. The score places them in the top 10 in California, and the top 15 in the United States.

The Woodbridge team includes Seniors Angela Gadon, Sabrina Tubb, Farnoush Sohbati, Krupa Prajapati, Alan Huang and Paiam Moghaddam; Juniors William Tong, Emily Kim, Patrick Park and Daniel Kang; and Sophomores Hannah Hui and Kaaviya Sasikumar. William Tong had the highest overall score in the entire competition.

This is the first time Woodbridge HS has won the county Academic Decathlon title since 2006, though the school’s teams are perennial contenders.

The team came in third last year and in 2012, second in 2015 and 2014, and fourth in 2013, advancing to the state competition each year as one of the wild card teams invited based on high overall scores.

Founded in 1968 by former Orange County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Robert Peterson, the first decathlon was held at Bolsa Grande High School in Garden Grove in 1969.

Academic decathlons are 10-event scholastic contests staged at the county, state and national levels. Nine-member teams compete for the highest scores on multiple-choice exams, speeches, interviews and essay assignments, concluding with the Super Quiz Relay, a Jeopardy-like competition. Each team must include three “Honor” students (those with GPAs of 3.75 or above), three “Scholastic” students (GPAs of 3.00 to 3.74) and three “Varsity” students (GPAs of 2.99 or below).

This year’s academic theme is World War II. Students are tested in the areas of art, language and literature, mathematics, music, science, and social science. And less any adults out there imagine they could fare well in the competition, here are just a few of hundreds of topics from the 2016-17 curricula students are expected to master:
​

1.  Art: Abstract Expressionism and the American Artistic Response to WWII
2.  Economics: International Capital Flows in an Open Economy
3.  Literature: Interpret W. H. Auden’s, “September 1, 1939”
4.  Mathematics: The Graph of a Linear Function y = ax + b
5.  Music: Fanfare for the Common Man (1942), by Aaron Copeland
6.  Social Science: Key features of Fascist ideology and practices
7.  Science: The Mathematics and Detection of Radioactive Decay 

Good luck to Woodbridge High School Warriors at the March 23 competition in Sacramento! 

By Irvine City News staff

Thanks to a $40 million gift from the William and Sue Gross Family Foundation and approval by the UC Board of Regents, UCI’s already highly ranked nursing program will be officially updated to a nursing school.

The foundation gift, the largest in UCI history, will fund construction of a state-of-the-art building, dramatically increasing classroom and research space. The Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing also plans to double faculty size and student enrollment and to expand nurse-managed community clinics.

“The campus has long desired to have our nursing program become a school, and we are thrilled that the day has come,” said UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman. “A terrific combination of public and private support will ensure a top-quality education for many more talented students – and enable us to hire nursing field leaders to train them – to help fill the pipeline of prepared healthcare professionals.”

The school will grow rapidly to address a nationally identified need for 1.2 million new nurses in the next five years. As Baby Boomers grow older and veteran caregivers and professors retire, California and other parts of the Southwest are already seeing shortages.

California’s nurse-to-population ratio has ranked a dismal 48th in the nation for the past 10 years. In 2013, California had an estimated 657 RNs for every 100,000 population, well below the national average of 874 RNs per 100,000. The Nurse Workforce Report Card gave California’s RN supply a “D” grade and projects that by 2030 the state will be more than 193,000 nurses short of its nursing needs.

UCI’s Nursing Science Program has earned a strong reputation since it began in 2007. NurseJournal.org named UCI nursing as one of the top 10 programs in the western United States, and its nurse practitioner faculty is consistently ranked in the country’s top 25. At UCI, nursing ranks as one of the most competitive majors with an acceptance rate of only 3.6 percent, according to reports. The campus received more than 2,450 applications in the fall for 40 freshman slots.
​
The UCI nursing school’s enrollment will double in the next decade, from about 200 to about 400 students.

By ​Irvine City News staff

​IUSD’s annual Mathletics Night featuring a UCI men’s basketball game will take place on Feb. 18 at the Bren Events Center. The game between UCI and UCSB is free for IUSD middle school teachers, students and their families (four tickets are free, more can be purchased). The math aspect of the evening challenges the students to keep track of the game statistics and use them to calculate percentages. The students whose calculations are correct (or closest) will be announced at halftime. IUSD, UCI and the Irvine Public Schools Foundation sponsor the evening. Register for tickets by Monday, Feb. 13, at:
ucirvinesports.com/iusd2017
 
A student-teacher team from University High School will be one of only 15 teams from throughout the country to participate in a National History Day program that includes travel to and research in Washington, D.C., and Normandy, France. University High student Sonia Kelly and teacher Judy Richonne will tell the story of a fallen World War II hero as part of the Normandy: Sacrifice for Freedom program. The goal of the program is to teach a new generation of students about the sacrifices and challenges faced during World War II. The Uni High team will research the war, D-Day and other aspects of the era while focusing on one WWII “silent hero” who died and is buried in the Normandy American Cemetery. During their time in France, each student will deliver a eulogy at the grave of the hero they spent a year studying and getting to know. “When they read their eulogies they are reading a eulogy for someone they know, someone whose story they are responsible for telling,” said Dr. Cathy Gorn, executive director of National History Day. “It results in a powerful, and often tearful, understanding of the sacrifice these Silent Heroes made in World War II.” The student-teacher teams will create websites as a lasting legacy to the year they spent, and to the hero they honor through the program. The teams will also make presentations to local community groups, schools and classes, and veterans organizations. Albert H. Small funds the program. A veteran himself, Small’s donation covers overseas travel, courses, and room and board for each student/teacher team. The University High team is the only one from a California high school participating this year.
 
As reported in the OC Register, Irvine Unified School District is planning for Measure E upgrades at 21 of the 28 schools to be improved with funds from the $319 million bond approved by voters in the June 2016 election. Construction on the first improvement projects will start after school lets out for summer.
 
Irvine’s excellent and deserving public school teachers are receiving a 3.7 percent raise this academic year, thanks to a new collective bargaining agreement with Irvine Teachers Association approved by the Irvine Unified School District board in November. Teachers who are working for the district on Feb. 1 will also get a 1.2 percent of salary bonus. The bonus and the pay bumps are necessary to retain and attract the top-level teachers Irvine families expect and deserve, and are designed to help make up for furloughs and salary freezes necessitated by the recession. Though fewer than 20 percent of Irvine teachers live in Irvine, according to reports, we hope any bonus celebratory spending takes place at least partly within the city. Restaurant servers, chefs and bartenders need love (and tips!), too.