The October 9 regular meeting of the Board of Education was filled with celebration as multiple student groups were honored. The Board of Education highlighted our National Merit Scholars Semifinalists including from Beckman High School, Brian Chang, Devon Chang, Ian Cheng, Stephen Chien, Amudhan Gurumoorthy, Joelle Kim, Vishaal Krishan, Sydney Osako, Aayush Sehgal, Adrienne Tang, Lindsey Tom, Tashu Vakil, and Ivan Yu and from Foothill High School, Saahil Sinha.

In addition, the Board celebrated Foothill Girls Lacrosse for their CIF Division 1 Championship win, a three-peat for the team under the leadership of Coach Christina Johnson. The Board of Education also honored Foothill Boys Lacrosse and Head Coach Jon Fox for their CIF Division 1 Championship win. The celebration of outstanding athleticism continued with recognition of Foothill Softball and Head Coach Jeff Wright, honored for their CIF Division 4 Championship win. Congratulations to these stellar student athletes and coaches!

The Board of Education was also joined by the Tustin Area Council for Fine Arts (TACFA) who presented a generous check in support of arts education at our Title I schools. We are grateful to TACFA for their ongoing support of our students, staff and programs.

The Board was also excited to hear from our Student Board Members as they highlighted recent events on their campuses. Sharing their reports were Ethan Erickson (Beckman), Riley Macias (Foothill), Valerie Carrillo (Hillview), Zenji Van Zutphen (Legacy) and Chriscelle Mangahas (Tustin). In addition, Olivia Ramirez (Beckman) celebrated events across our elementary and middle schools through her report.

The evening closed with a presentation by Senior Director, Maintenance and Operations Sal Sanchez, highlighting the work of our Maintenance and Operations staff. This summer, they completed multiple deferred maintenance projects across our sites as seen in this month's Board Bright Spot.

Our Communications Survey closes today. A huge thank you to our community for sharing your feedback. If you have not already, please take a moment to share your feedback on our communication efforts and outreach endeavors. The survey is available in English and Spanish. We thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.

The Tustin Tiller Days is a beloved tradition, having been an annual event in our community since 1957. This three-day festival includes a parade that TUSD was honored to be a part of. Board of Education Members Jonathan Abelove, Allyson Muñoz Damikolas and Lynn Davis joined Teachers of the Year Vivian Chang (Red Hill), Colleen Driscoll (Utt) and Chelsea Dehn (Foothill) and Classified Employee of the Year Carol Moore (Pioneer) in the parade. Also a part of the excitement were our high school marching bands, cheerleaders, football players and the Tustin Public Schools Foundation. It was a great morning in Old Town Tustin that we were proud to be a part of!

This week, we celebrated our Food Services staff and their commitment to serving outstanding meals to our students. Last year alone, our Food Services team served more than 3 million meals to students in TUSD. Happy National School Lunch Week!

The Tustin Public Schools Foundation loves a parade, especially our hometown Tustin Tillers Day Parade. TPSF board members took the lead in creating a fun float entry that highlighted many of the partnerships with Tustin Unified. Robotics, grants, scholarships, Teacher of the Year Recognition, after-school sports, and Summer Academy were all included along with the "Better Together" Dino Dash theme. Young TUSD students and families participated along with members of the TPSF Teens Clubs representing all TUSD high schools. Learn more about TPSF as well as the Dino Dash at www.tpsf.net.

Join us at Pathways to Success on November 1, for an evening of resources, information, knowledge and tools to support and inspire you as you plan for your future. Held at Tustin High School, the event is open to all middle and high school students and their guardians. Attendees will be able to choose from a variety of sessions including: 

• College Admissions 
• Career Trends & Pathways 
• Careers in the Military 
• Skills for the Modern Workforce 
• And more! 

Additional information will be shared in the coming weeks. We look forward to seeing you at Pathways to Success on November 1!