Get ready to drop, cover and hold on. (And no, this isn't another state budget story.)

Over the summer, Terry Walker became just the seventh superintendent in the history of the Irvine Unified School District, succeeding Gwen Gross.

The Orange County Register would like to expand its coverage of Irvine schools – and you can help. To supplement the work of its staff of professional writers and photographers, the newspaper is calling on you, the citizen journalists of the world, to submit photos and short stories about campus events, festivals and honors.

The latest list of America's top cities has Irvine at No. 5, citing in part the quality of local schools.

Students looking for an edge on their science projects will be able to consult with some pretty sharp experts next month, as IUSD is once again sponsoring “Ask-A-Scientist Night” at Rancho San Joaquin Middle School. This year's event will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 19.

IUSD recently bid farewell to Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Lisa Howell, who after 11 years in Irvine – including the last three as the district’s fiscal chief – has accepted a job much closer to her Palm Springs-area home.

Ninety-six IUSD seniors are in some very elite company this week, having been named semifinalists in the annual pursuit of scholarships through the National Merit Scholarship Corp. Overall, 16,000 earned the prestigious honor in the U.S., representing less than 1 percent of all high school seniors.

In recent years, IUSD has engaged in an ambitious campaign to harness solar power, cut electrical consumption, reduce waste and promote sustainability while adding an 18-lesson curriculum on sustainable energy in grades five and six.

Congratulations to Hari Garg of Rancho San Joaquin Middle School and Rae Holcomb of South Lake Middle School.

The Assistance League of Irvine has announced that its annual Operation School Bell program will kick off on Aug. 22.