GGUSD Celebrates its Class of 2022 Valedictorians

GGUSD's Board of Education celebrated the district’s 12 Class of 2022 high school valedictorians during its meeting on May 17 with a video spotlight of each of the accomplished scholars. Watch the video below.

Click here to learn more about our valedictorians and salutatorians including their plans for the future and most memorable high school experiences.

GGUSD and GGPD Partner to Bring Support Dogs to Schools

GGUSD and the Garden Grove Police Department (GGPD) announced a new program that is bringing trained police support dogs to schools across GGUSD to provide an extra layer of social-emotional support for students. The program was announced to fourth through sixth graders at Mitchell Elementary School during a Mental Health assembly on Monday, May 16. 

GGUSD Superintendent Dr. Gabriela Mafi credits Garden Grove Police Chief Tom DaRé, Sergeant Jon Wainwright and School Resource Officers Patrick Julienne and Derek Link for having the vision to make the program a reality.

Julienne adopted Canine Misha and Link adopted Canine Nellie, both who have gone through specialized training to be able to provide social-emotional support for students dealing with anxiety, de-escalation support for students experiencing heighted emotions or behavior, and other instances of trauma or tragedy when students need additional social-emotional support.

GGUSD Recognizes May Employees of the Month

At its meeting last week, the Board of Education recognized our May Employees of the Month, including Marlene Miramontes, Accounting Tech II in the Business Office and Jay Heck, Coordinator of the Assessment and Registration Center. Watch our video to learn more about these fabulous employees.

Doig Intermediate School Recognized with Civic Learning Award

California Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye and State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SSPI) Tony Thurmond announced the 2022 Civic Learning Awards and three Garden Grove Unified School District schools were among 26 schools recognized across the state. Garden Grove and Santiago high schools were honored with Awards of Merit, while Doig Intermediate School was one of three schools statewide to receive the prestigious Award of Excellence.

The Award of Excellence is the highest honor a school can receive in the Civic Learning Award Program which, this year, honors programs, projects, classes, and individuals engaging students in civics, particularly during the pandemic.  Click here to learn more.

GGUSD’s 51st Special Games Event Showcases Student Abilities

Approximately 700 Garden Grove Unified School District (GGUSD) students with disabilities competed in Olympic-style competitions during the district’s 51st annual Special Games on May 20 at the stadium at Bolsa Grande High School. The event is organized by the district’s Adapted Physical Education Department.

Despite the rain, when the district’s 700 student athletes arrived at the stadium, they were greeted with roaring cheers and high-fives from high school student leaders. Jordan ATP student Kevin Doan sang the National Anthem to kick off the event followed by the popular high school mascot race. Pacifia High School student Evelyn Nguyen sang Unbreakable by Janelle Monae and Kelly Clarkson during the torch relay to officially kick off the games.

Approximately 400 student leaders from the district’s eight high schools volunteer to run Special Games events, including relays, softball toss, soccer kick, football throw, volleyball, basketball, face painting, and more.

GGHS Hosts College-Signing Day Event

Garden Grove High School hosted its College Signing Day event last week to celebrate its college-bound Argos! Congrats to these three outstanding ladies who are going to UCLA and UPenn for biology and neuroscience!