Oceana High School spotlight: student honored and campus programs highlighted

The board received a spotlight presentation from Oceana High School Principal Maritza Torres, who opened by honoring Lawrence as Oceana’s student of the year and then reviewed the campus’s academic and programmatic work.

“Lawrence is a respectful and welcoming student who demonstrates exceptional dedication to his courses,” Maritza Torres said while introducing the recognition, citing Lawrence’s leadership in the Future Medical Professionals club, more than 300 hours of community service and plans to attend Skyline College this fall.

Torres reviewed Oceana’s school-improvement alignment and five approved goals for student achievement. She highlighted improvements in chronic absenteeism, an A–G completion rate that has hovered around 80%, and graduation rates above the state average. Torres also described a growth in the special education population (from about 14% to 23% of enrolled students) and said the school is piloting supports, including push-in/push-out services for ninth- and tenth-grade science, increased paraprofessional placements in general education classes, after-school tutoring led by student tutors and an expanded Senior X Seminar.

The principal invited trustees to attend Senior Exhibition on March 27, 2026, where each graduate earns a State Seal of Civic Engagement tied to a sustained civic project. Board members commended Oceana’s disaggregated reporting and asked for ongoing analysis of subgroup trends (including English learners and Latino/Hispanic cohorts) and for data on current-year attendance and graduation progress.

Torres acknowledged areas to improve—specifically A–G rates and outcomes for students with disabilities—and described professional development and collaborative, site-based planning to close gaps. The spotlight concluded with trustees thanking staff and noting that the presentation will inform districtwide practices.

The board took no formal action on the spotlight; trustees and staff praised the work and asked for follow-up data linking attendance and graduation trends for targeted student subgroups.