More than 40 of Irvine’s brightest teaching stars were honored Friday night during the 24th annual Excellence in Teaching Awards Dinner at The Irvine Marriott.

It’s official. Eight elementary schools in the Irvine Unified School District have earned the state’s highest level of recognition for public schools, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell announced today.

One of IUSD's own was honored this morning as Educator of the Year by the California D.A.R.E. Officers’ Association during the organization’s annual conference.

Over the course of his 22 years in IUSD, Paul Mills has developed and implemented a vision for alternative education, based on the core principle that all students can succeed. And his work hasn’t merely impacted Irvine.

A Lakeside Middle School student recently won first place in the art category of the 11th annual Holocaust Art and Writing Contest, while a classmate was named one of five finalists.

Lights, camera, accolades. Northwood High School students recently earned first-place honors in four separate divisions of a national competition that recognizes excellence in filmmaking, video production and broadcast journalism.

Risha Shukla, a Sierra Vista Middle School eighth-grader who co-founded an organization that brings cheer to children with serious medical issues, was recently named California’s top middle school volunteer for 2010 through the Prudential Spiri

University High Athletic Director Mark Cunningham has been named a 2009-10 CIF Model Coach Award winner – a distinction earned by only 13 coaches in the state.