When the pandemic made it impossible to hold new school dedications in the traditional way, seven Orange County Public Schools pivoted to a different format – virtual dedications. Starting Friday and continuing through May 21, each school will stop at a designated time to watch a dedication video with ribbon cuttings, remarks from VIPs and special contributions from students.
Three of the schools – Summerlake, Sunshine and Vista Pointe elementaries -- were new for the 2020-21 school year, and four were replacements of aging campuses -- Pinar, Rolling Hills and Winegard elementary schools and Magnolia School, a middle/high school for students with physical, cognitive and other disabilities.
In total the projects represent a $255.7 million investment in students by Orange County taxpayers. As Superintendent Barbara M. Jenkins tells the students in her remarks, “You are worth every penny.”
Nine-year-old Antony Duran-Arias recites a poem in the dedication video for Pinar Elementary. The third-grader said his new school is spacious, and described the fully-equipped TV studio in the media center as “full of magical things.”
His mother, Ninoska Arias, said the old 1975 Pinar campus initially made her question the school’s quality. The teachers and staff won her over, and now the campus reflects the school’s excellence, she said. “The people, the principal – and now the school looks beautiful inside and outside as well.”
For footage from the dedication videos, please contact Lauren Roth, senior manager of Facilities Communications, at [email protected]