Local news in the classroom: Weekly roundup 5/13/26
Good afternoon,
With spring underway, this week’s featured stories consider the county’s produce, highlighting local efforts to better connect residents with the systems that sustain them. In the Pajaro Valley, a UC Santa Cruz researcher is working to respond to the health impacts of pollution in the region on community farmers. Meanwhile, at Live Oak School District, a thriving student farm is bringing fresh produce directly from the field to school lunch trays, giving students hands-on agricultural experience while expanding access to healthy food.
I have one quick note before the stories. With the end of the school year nearing, we would greatly appreciate you filling out a survey we’re conducting to learn more about teachers’ experience who have been using or who want to use Lookout Santa Cruz in their classrooms.
We are excited to offer another year of this program and will use this feedback to improve our education services. We also have a survey you could share with your students so that we can learn about their experience with Lookout as well. Thank you in advance!
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Highlighted Stories
UCSC researcher aims to fill gaps in Pajaro Valley air monitoring data, help farmworkers deal with pollution health impacts
Why it matters: Javier González-Rocha, assistant professor of mathematics at UC Santa Cruz, works to keep Pajaro Valley farmworkers informed and empowered to safeguard their health by identifying air monitoring data gaps. Among his key findings, he discovered a higher concentration of air pollutants during the early morning hours, the impact of prescribed burns happening north of the valley, and air quality at times reaching unhealthy levels.
In the classroom: Why did González-Rocha and his team start monitoring this area specifically? What are the three dangerous pollutants he names that farmworkers are exposed to? At what time is pollutant concentration the highest and why? Why is this valuable information, and how can farmwork adjustments be made given this new information? Why is it important to catch these polluting factors earlier rather than later? Why do you think being able to communicate the data is just as important as the data itself?
From field to lunch tray: Live Oak’s thriving school farm grows thousands of pounds of produce for students
Why it matters: The school farm for Live Oak School District produced almost 5,000 pounds of organic produce in its first harvest year, supplying fresh fruits and vegetables to student meals across seven schools while also donating surplus to local families. Beyond feeding students, the farm gives kids hands-on experience with agriculture and healthy eating, showing how schools can improve nutrition, sustainability, and community food access all at once.
In the classroom: How might hands-on experiences like farming and cooking change students’ attitudes about healthy eating? How have other school departments been using the farm? In what ways can projects like this help communities beyond the school itself? How is this school farm different from other educational gardens in the state? Do you think more schools should invest in programs like these? Why or why not?
LOCAL NEWS
More current events to use in your classroom
Here’s a roundup of recent articles you could use in your classroom. Interested in more stories? Browse all our recent coverage here.
Battery storage developer will seek state, not county, approval for new Watsonville plant
By Tania Ortiz
May 6, 2026
New Leaf Energy, the Massachusetts-based developer behind the proposed battery storage facility in Watsonville, will withdraw its application from Santa Cruz County to instead seek approval through the state.
UC workers prepare for systemwide open-ended strike on Thursday, with local impacts to patients, buses, dining services
By Hillary Ojeda
May 11, 2026
More than 40,000 University of California workers, including about 530 at UC Santa Cruz, are preparing for an open-ended strike beginning Thursday. Campus officials warned students and staff to expect disruptions to dining, transportation and health services.
Santa Cruz candidates discuss the city’s most pressing issues in last forum before primary
By Max Chun
May 8, 2026
Homelessness, development, hurdles to local business and the city’s budget were among the topics as candidates for Santa Cruz mayor and city council Districts 4 and 6 joined […]
A parent and a high school senior are running for Pajaro Valley school board
By Hillary Ojeda
May 7, 2026
Parent advocate Mads Realmuto and graduating Pajaro Valley High senior Eriberto Estrada have announced campaigns for the Pajaro Valley Unified School District board, challenging incumbents Misty Navarro and Daniel Dodge Jr., respectively, in the November election.
CALIFORNIA NEWS
Tribes want Cal State to return Native remains and artifacts. Here’s why it’s not so easy
By Brittany Oceguera / CalMatters
May 11, 2026
California State University campuses have mixed records in returning Native remains and artifacts to tribes. Campus officials say they are working diligently to follow legal mandates but that the process can be arduous, especially […]
California to provide free diapers to newborns at more than 60 hospitals
By Sophie Austin / Associated Press
May 8, 2026
California families welcoming newborns will soon receive hundreds of free diapers before leaving the hospital under a first-in-the-nation program announced Friday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
STUDENT STORIES
UCSC’s student success lies in the college system. Now the university is gouging it.
Two UC Santa Cruz students are concerned that university budget cuts are stripping resources from […]
Connecting climate science and storytelling at Mission Hill Middle School
Working with seventh grade science teachers Sallie Corbin and Christy Fairbairn, Lookout developed a science […]
Celebrating Soquel High’s rising student journalists
Five Soquel High students earned finalist spots in Lookout Santa Cruz’s 2026 Student Journalism Scholarship […]
Journalism shines bright at Diamond Technology Institute
At classrooms across Santa Cruz County, students are discovering the power of local journalism through […]
Thank you for all the work you do in our community. Your efforts help younger generations build media literacy skills, engage with their communities, and grow as active democratic citizens. If you’d like to learn more about our school programs, get involved, or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at interns@lookoutlocal.com or my mentor Jamie Garfield (Director of Student and Community Engagement) at jamie@lookoutlocal.com
Best,
Ava Salinas
Educational Program Assistant
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