Page 5 Foothills Sentry FEBRUARY 2026 OUPSF awards over $50,000 in grants The Orange Unified Public Schools Foundation (OUPSF) proudly awarded its annual Teacher/School Grants on December 11. This year, OUPSF granted $50,000 to support various classroom projects and learning materials across OUSD. Each year, OUPSF board members travel to school sites to surprise the grant recipients and present the checks to help with their teaching goals. It is their favorite tradition, and a meaningful way to celebrate the creativity and dedication of our educators. Building on our tradition of supporting educational excellence, OUPSF recognizes that our educators are true changemakers. We are honored to partner with them as they inspire and empower the students of OUSD. These grants continue to positively impact thousands of students by enriching their learning experiences. OUPSF Teacher Grant Winners are: • Anaheim Hills Elementary - Clarissa Covarrubias, Jenny Win’E; • California iInspire Academy - Jocelyn Diaz, Kimberly Johnson, Juliana Ramirez, Nicole Sanchez; • Canyon High School - Eric Bies, Nira Chandrasekar, Matthew Derham, Alex Graham, Karen Uyematsu; • Canyon Rim Elementary - Rochelle Chanin/Jillian Hendrickson, Kathy Kim, Heather Nevin; • Cerro Villa Middle School - Stacy Baird, Liisa Buchness, Crystal Gore; • Chapman Hills Elementary - Jamie Davis; • Crescent Elementary - Sharon Cecchi, Joy Hernandez, Janis Mauldin; • El Modena High School - Jessica Anderson, Stephanie Quihulz, Enedina Spanner; • Fairhaven Elementary - Rebecca Smith; • Fletcher Academy - Courtney Chidley, Jennifer Greenwalt, Ling Zhao; • Handy Elementary - Izabela Lewis, Tracy McMillen; • Imperial Elementary - Traci Labellarte; • Lampson Elementary - Jordyn Adair, Kristen Aihara; Andrea Gudino; OUPSF presents a $50,000 check to OUSD for teacher grants. From left, Assistant Superintendent Ernie Gonzalez; Chief Business Officer Sulema Holguin; OUPSF Board Member David Scott; OUPSF Board Member Ron Esparza; OUPSF Board Member Kennedy Schaal; OUPSF President Frank Tucker; OUPSF Board Member Wendi Forrest; OUPSF Board Member Anne Truex; OUSD Superintendent Rachel Monárrez; OUPSF Board Member Nicol Jones; OUPSF Board Member Whitney Amsbury; OUPSF Board Member Rosei Goldsmith; OUPSF Board Member Christine Deihl; Assistant Superintendent Matthew Witmer; Assistant Superintendent Olga McCullough. • Linda Vista Elementary - Kim Papac; • McPherson Magnet - Seddigheh Keiser; • Nohl Canyon Elementary - Shannon Granieri; • Olive Elementary - Shannon Catozza; • Orange High School - Brooke Soto; • Palmyra GATE Magnet - Paula Beckman, Adilene Delgado; • Panorama Elementary - Aubree Bova; • Running Springs Academy - Brandi Gower, Lynn Okamura, Lucia Perales; • Serrano Elementary - Linda Walker; • Taft Elementary - Jessica Anguiano, Samantha Mueller, Patty Ruiz; • Villa Park Elementary - Mandy Ballesteros, Aekta Patel, Amanda Victer, Coria Yessenia, Jean Krever; • Villa Park High School - Jeremy Bulrice, Jessica Kim; • West Orange Elementary - Tami Lewis; • Yorba Middle School - Hartley Klement. Parking pitfalls Dear Editor: I see the Orange City Council is dead set on destroying the businesses in the Orange traffic circle area with the parking meters I've seen being installed there. I've lived in Orange for 50 years and I've seen the businesses change from antiques shops to, now, a thriving restaurant area. I've never seen it so busy. We never go there anymore because of the parking. Now, with the addition of meters, another additional expense, and the high cost the eating places now charge, it isn't worth the hassle and cost to go to the Circle anymore. That's my view, and I'm sure others will feel the same. I think it was Ojai a few years ago that tried the same thing, and it has never recovered. People said we will go to another place with no meters. Ojai took out the meters about a year later. But it has never returned to what it once was. I can see it now in a year a Craigslist ad for "slightly used parking meters." Len Musgrave Orange Good samaritan Dear Editor: I wanted to thank the woman who was behind me in line at the Ralph’s in Villa Park. The card reader was not accepting my credit card, and I was getting flustered. That has never happened before, and I wasn’t sure what to do. The woman behind me said not to worry about it and advised the cashier that she would pay for my groceries, which she did. I tried to get her name and address so I could mail her a check, but she waved me off. I am writing in hopes that she will see this and know how much her kindness is appreciated. We seldom hear much good news anymore, so this is certainly worthy of recognition. Mary Lacey Orange Land ho Dear Editor: Re: 30-acres of land donated to Orange for open space Twelve years ago, serving on the planning commission, we reviewed a housing project called Rio Santiago. We all ultimately recommended denial. The lynchpin question was "open space." I became more aware as a planning commissioner, when reviewing the project’s Environmental Impact Report and the General Plan, of an unacceptable deficiency in open space in Orange. At the time, the deficiency was approximately 245 acres. We have slowly chipped away at that since 2023. What really is the lead story of this land donation, is that it further chips away at loss of open space. We should have been doing this for decades. In fact, we committed to solve this deficit when we adopted the 2010 General Plan, but disregarded it when projects were later approved. I’m encouraged to see this donation move forward. I view it as a positive step. This property owner entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the city last year and wants to ultimately dedicate all the Sully-Miller land to the city. Not only is it a good decision from a planning policy standpoint, but also morally. It commits to our community to close the open space deficit. We can move through the hard emotions by staying focused on the end goal. This effort on the balance (66 acres) of the Sully-Miller site is going to be complicated. It won’t be an easy path forward, but we must do it anyway. We have no other option but to chip away at the deficiency and acquire another 200-plus acres somewhere in Orange. That’s the 2030 goal; by 2050, we will still need to add another 280 acres of publicly owned open space. If this work happens, it will be, in my opinion, a legacy accomplishment of our city council (and staff) that the generations ahead will never forget. Adrienne Gladson, AICP Orange
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