And the Grammy goes to … IUSD’s Northwood High School.

Earning one of the most highly prized accolades for music education, Northwood High learned Thursday that it was one of only 10 schools nationwide to be selected as a Grammy Signature School for 2013, courtesy of the Grammy Foundation.

Good afternoon. Here’s a Friday roundup of some recent IUSD-related stories you might have missed from the Orange County Register’s website:

The Irvine Unified School District has once again been named one of the nation’s Best Communities for Music Education by the prestigious NAMM Foundation.

“Scherzo.” That was the word that officially clinched the Orange County Spelling Bee for Sierra Vista Middle School’s own Alan Shi, who will go on to compete in the 86th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee at the end of May.

A pair of high school newspapers from Irvine took first and second place at this year’s Orange County Journalism Education Association Write-Offs, which were held March 2 at Fullerton College.

Plaza Vista School recently found itself in the pages of the Irvine World News after celebrating a successful jogathon fundraiser with some good ol’ fashioned pie-throwing and beard-dying.

The Irvine Public Schools Foundation is once again putting out the call for its Parents Appreciating Teachers and Staff recognition program, which allows families to recognize their favorite IUSD employees.

At a Feb. 12 award ceremony, Woodbridge High’s Academic Decathlon team learned that it placed fourth overall in the 45th annual Orange County Academic Decathlon, and that wasn't the only good news. The school also earned an invite to compete at the state competition in March.

So we're in the office a little early this morning, and for good reason. Irvine’s three Teachers of the Year, representing the district’s elementary, middle and high schools, will soon be revealed during surprise visits to their respective campuses.