"Biretta" the Winning Word at 47th Solano County Spelling Bee

Solano County Office of Education’s 47th Annual Solano County Spelling Bee saw 40 local schools in participation. The top 13 spellers advanced to the championship round held at Journey Downtown in Vacaville.

Lily Glotzbach, a 6th grader from Travis Elementary in Travis Unified School District, earned first place. The winning word was “biretta”, a hard square, ceremonial hat with three or four vertical projections and sometimes with a pompom or tassel at the top, worn by Roman Catholic clergy. Second place in the competition was awarded to 5th grader Sophia Alexis Regacho from St. Catherine of Siena School in Vallejo. Both qualified to advance to the California Spelling Bee Championship. Congratulations Lily and Sophia!

Student-led Forum Addresses Well-being of Solano Youth

SCOE's Solano Youth Coalition (SYC) hosted a student-led forum regarding the well-being of youth in the Solano County community. The panel included district Superintendents Dr. Damon Wright from Benicia USD and Brian Dolan from Dixon USD, as well as School Board President David Bowen (Dixon USD), and Dr. Valerie Garrett, Director of Educational Options from Solano County Office of Education.

Students posed questions to the panel inquiring about actions districts are taking to mitigate student access to tobacco products, how schools/districts are addressing the increased needs of student mental health, how violence prevention and teen dating violence are being addressed, and how students can stay connected with the district to ensure their voices on issues are heard.

The forum was the result of a hands-on civics engagement training the SYC received from the League of Women Voters Solano County (LWVSC). This is part of an ongoing partnership with LWVSC and SYC, to help encourage more youth involvement and interest in civics, government, and policy work.

285 Students Join Academic Decathlon Competition

Solano County Office of Education hosted the North Bay Region Academic Decathlon at Solano Community College in Fairfield. This year’s competition registered 285 students from 17 schools across eight bay area counties.

The Academic Decathlon includes tests in art, music, language and literature, mathematics, economics, science, and social science. In addition, there are communication tests that include writing an essay, delivering prepared and an impromptu speeches, and an interview.

The rigorous competition resulted in Vanden High School winning first place overall. Campolindo High School took second overall and third place was awarded to Basis Independent Silicon Valley Charter from Santa Clara County. The top teams from eight counties were invited to go on to compete at the state level.

Special thanks to Travis Credit Union for their ongoing sponsorship of the event, providing checks to the winning teams to help cover the costs associated with traveling to the state competition. SCOE also thanks the multitude of volunteers who support the event and serve as coaches, interview and speech judges, room monitors, runners and super quiz assistants.

Golden Hills Community School- June 2023

SCOE was honored to celebrate students who earned their high school diploma from Golden Hills Community School and Evergreen Academy. These students showed hard work, resilience and perseverance as they worked toward their diplomas. The possibilities are endless for all of our amazing graduates!

Adult Program Completion Ceremony- June 2023

Many remarkable young people in SCOE's adult program earned their certificates of completion. This program aids in the development of young adults as they transition from high school into more independent and thriving members of their communities. We are so proud of these wonderful young adults, and cannot wait to see what they accomplish next!