LBHS Lauded As Gold Ribbon School In Laguna Beach Unified School District

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson recently announced that Laguna Beach High School was honored as part of the 2017 Gold Ribbon Schools Awards Program.

The California Gold Ribbon Schools Award was created to honor schools in place of the California Distinguished Schools Program. Laguna Beach High School is among 275 middle and high schools to receive the Gold Ribbon Award.

“These terrific schools are leading the way in embracing our new rigorous academic standards and showing others how to help students succeed on their way to 21st century careers and college,” Torlakson said. “I look forward to travelling the state to honor these schools and to help share the programs, methods, and techniques that are working.”

The Gold Ribbon Awards recognize California schools that have made gains in implementing academic content and performance standards adopted by the State Board of Education. These include the California Standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics, California English Language Development Standards and Next Generation Science Standards.

Schools applied for the award based on a model program or practice their school has adopted that includes standards-based activities, projects, strategies and practices that can be replicated by other local education agencies.

Laguna Beach High School featured its chemistry program as its model practice in the category of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The program consists of a “blended chemistry” instructional model and the Advanced Chemical Research (ACR) program.

In the blended chemistry model, LBHS emphasized rigorous real-world problem solving in all levels of chemistry. Rather than offering separate college-preparation chemistry and honors chemistry courses, LBHS blended both classes together in all sections and utilized the honors curriculum for all students.

ACR is a project-based learning capstone class that engages high school seniors in authentic research investigations in fields such as organic synthesis, catalysis, polymer chemistry, and protein chemistry.

The Laguna Beach Unified School District Board of Education will honor Laguna Beach High School at the next meeting held on Tuesday, May 9, 2017 at 6 p.m.

The California Department of Education will also formally recognize the school at the California School Recognitions Award Ceremony on Monday, May 1, 2017.