Recently named a 2012 California Distinguished School, Culverdale Elementary is home to 30 different languages, and almost a third of its stellar students were born outside the U.S.

They all screamed for ice cream. And chocolate. And whipped cream. And caramel.

A half-dozen elementary schools in IUSD have earned California's highest level of recognition for public schools, state officials announced Thursday.

They came. They saw. They expertly demonstrated their lawyering skills.

Student donations and fees were back in the spotlight at last week’s Board of Education meeting, as the district’s director of secondary education discussed the steps IUSD has taken to ensure compliance of California’s right to a free public education and outlined the impacts of seeking donations to preserve programs and activities.

A Creekside High School student’s artwork is on display at a local intersection after the teen was named one of eight winners in a countywide contest to design anti-smoking posters.

It’s considered one of IUSD’s signature events, an opportunity for some of the district’s most accomplished young musicians to take center stage.

For the second straight year, Irvine High School’s student newspaper has taken top honors at the Orange County Journalism Education Association Write-Offs.