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A lawsuit filed by the city of Costa Mesa claiming a $32-million theater planned for Estancia High School did not undergo proper environmental review will move forward, despite attempts by Newport-Mesa Unified officials to have the case thrown out.
In a Jan. 15 legal complaint, Costa Mesa City Atty. Kimberly Hall Barlow said school board members supported building a 46,000-square-foot performing arts complex with a 350-seat theater, black box theater and lobby at the Costa Mesa campus in October 2019.
More than one year later, with plans already submitted to the State Architect’s office, trustees determined in a Dec. 9, 2020 meeting the two-year construction project would be exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act a move the city has challenged.
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If there’s anything Hollie Keeton has learned in 25 years of pulling off large-scale productions as owner of Newport Beach’s First Class Events, it’s that the show must go on.
That lesson was driven home last spring, when the coronavirus pandemic began dropping atomic bombs on even the best laid plans. Keeton was organizing 50 different high school proms when she began to see the writing on the wall.
“Every single one of them canceled,” the Newport Beach resident recalled. “I, like everybody, was completely in the spin cycle I had no idea what to.”
Her first instinct was to postpone the events to later in the year. But as the pandemic wore on, and plans for 30 winter formal dances were dashed, Keeton knew she would have to retool.
School Talks of Hybrid Success Amid California’s Tug-of-War on the Issue
As California Gov. Gavin Newsom has pushed a proposal to incentivize school reopenings this month using grants, he has faced opposition from teachers’ unions, as well as some legislators and district leaders.
But Orange County school districts have been more receptive to hybrid- and in-person-learning than those in some neighboring counties.
On the state’s map showing the status of school closures, districts open for in-person or hybrid learning are colored blue. Districts with distance learning only are a sandy yellow. Orange County looks like something of a watering hole in the desert, surrounded by sandy-colored Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties.
It’s been tough for students this year.
With schools closing in March and remaining that way through much of the rest of the calendar year, parents, teachers and students have grappled with what is the best way to learn in the midst of a pandemic and how to bring kids back into classrooms safely.
But, in spite of the obstacles, people have found ways to still celebrate the accomplishments of their children this year.
Here are some of the top stories in education in Orange County in 2020:
Corona del Mar High School was closed, along with all other Newport-Mesa Unified School District campuses, in March. Secondary schools didn’t reopen until November.