GGUSD’s First-Ever State of the District Event Showcases Student Success

• Thursday, September 26, 2019

On September 25, Garden Grove Unified School District (GGUSD) hosted its first-ever State of the District event to showcase district accomplishments and student successes.  Superintendent Gabriela Mafi and the Board of Education announced the launch of a district-wide Choose Wellness Campaign, and issued a call to action urging the community to engage in district efforts to increase awareness and resources around student motivation, mental health and socio-emotional well-being, and school culture and climate.

More than 300 parents, students, staff members, community partners, and area leaders attended the event held at the Garden Grove Community Center.  The afternoon began with a reception featuring appetizers prepared by Rancho Alamitos High School culinary students led by Chef Scott Kim, as well as an impressive performance by the Bolsa Grande High School jazz band under the direction of John Miller.

Student alumni including Los Amigos graduate Xavier Valencia, Garden Grove High School graduate Ben Colin, and Santiago High School graduate Leyna Nguyen, as well as Los Amigos junior Mariela Vasquez shared stories about how the district prepared them for lifelong success as well as the significant impact teachers had in providing them with academic and socio-emotional support.

GGUSD Superintendent Gabriela Mafi highlighted the district’s impressive academic accomplishments including test scores and a-g college entrance requirement rates that beat the county and state average, as well as many accolades including being the first district in Orange County to be named a California Exemplary District

Board of Education President Lan Nguyen thanked the community for supporting Measure P, the district’s successful 2016 bond measure which funded district-wide air conditioning, modernization, and two state-of-the-art athletic stadiums.  He also spoke about GGUSD’s popular dual language immersion academies, including Spanish, Vietnamese, and Computer Science.

Board of Education members also highlighted the district’s investment in technology resulting in a better than 1:1 ratio of computers to students, a recent expansion of the School Resource Officer program, a brand new affordable preschool opened this year, dual enrollment courses allowing high school students to earn college credit, an increase in school psychologists and social workers, as well as the district’s fantastic level of parent engagement. 

The event ended with a call to action from Superintendent Mafi encouraging the community to visit www.ggusd.us/choosewellness for a variety or opportunities to participate in the Choose Wellness campaign, as well as a beautiful rendition of “It Takes a Village,” by Santiago High School’s vocal ensemble led by Na-Young M. Shin.

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