Brad Van Patten, IUSD’s coordinator of visual and performing arts, passed along a very noteworthy statistic this week. Of the 102 spots available in the 2014 All Southern California Middle School Full Orchestra, he said, 42 were filled by students from the Irvine Unified School District.

Well, Super Bowl XLVIII wasn’t exactly what we expected, but we’ll spare you our in-depth football analysis. We will say that we liked some of the commercials, and one in particular caught our eye.

Two teams from University High School have earned high honors after participating in an intense mathematical competition that tested their knowledge of algebra, geometry, calculus, programming and other disciplines.

The University High School drama department will bring "A Midsummer Night's Dream" to the stage Nov. 20 through Nov. 23. All shows are scheduled to start at 7 p.m. in Uni’s big theater.

IUSD’s Lakeside Middle School has taken first place among Orange County elementary and middle schools in a competition that tracked the physical activity of students, staff and parents.

Three IUSD high schools have been named semifinalists in the national Grammy Signature Schools award program, which annually recognizes campuses that provide exceptional music opportunities for students.

A University High School junior has achieved perfection on the SAT college entrance exam -- four years after her older sister did the same.

Northwood High’s drama department is getting ready to stage its fall production of “Our Town” Oct. 22 through Oct. 26 in the school’s theater. All shows start at 7 p.m., with an additional matinée performance at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26.