Local news in the classroom: Weekly roundup March. 12 – March. 18
Good afternoon,
We will announce the winners of the Journalism Scholarship in the latter half of the week, so keep a lookout for that here! We’ll also share the big news on our website and at the 24th Annual Your Future Is Our Business Luncheon this Friday. Even though the contest is over, we are still available for classroom visits. Get in touch today to learn more about our workshops and classroom discussion opportunities.
Current events to use in your classroom
Explore the linked lesson plans below for simple ways to facilitate reflection on these local events. Interested in more stories? Browse all our recent coverage here.
LOCAL NEWS
Economic uncertainty begins to seep into Santa Cruz County housing market
By Max Chun
Data from January and February showed familiar numbers for Santa Cruz County’s housing market, but economic uncertainty introduced by the Trump administration is finding its way into conversations among real estate agents, mortgage advisors and clients.
Teachers say Aptos High School to keep 7-period schedule for upcoming academic year
By Hillary Ojeda
Aptos High School will continue to have a seven-period schedule as opposed to a six-period schedule for the 2025-26 school year after teachers raised concerns that layoffs and district attempts to lower costs put the seven-period schedule at risk. Teachers union president Nelly Vaquera-Boggs said teachers were assured they’ll keep the seven-period schedule for the upcoming year.
Locals’ hard-learned, oft-repeated lessons from 1940s Japanese American experience relevant again as Trump invokes Alien Enemies Act
By Wallace Baine
Santa Cruz County activists Mas Hashimoto and Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston spent their lives telling the story of Japanese American internment during World War II. Now that both are deceased, and in the face of Trump administration immigration policies, their stories need to be remembered.
UCSC looks to cut grad student admissions, alter funding guarantee
By Hillary Ojeda
UC Santa Cruz is reducing how many graduate students it admits for the upcoming 2025-26 academic year, mostly due to President Donald Trump’s attempts to slash federal funding to schools across the country. Faculty and students say reductions to graduate student classes will damage research and undergraduate education.
Federal food assistance cuts may strip $69 million locally, including from Second Harvest Food Bank – tell your representatives you do not support this
By Erica Padilla-Chavez and Dennis Webb
Proposed federal cuts of more than $200 billion to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (CalFresh) will impact 41,000 local residents and strip close to $69 million in local benefits, write Erica Padilla-Chavez, CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank, and Dennis Webb, president of the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau. We must act to save these needed resources by writing to local congressional and state representatives and pushing them to act.
CALIFORNIA NEWS
California Republicans say they’re making a comeback. Can they keep Trump at arm’s length?
By Jeanne Kuang / CalMatters
At their spring convention over the weekend, California Republicans moved to capitalize on their November victories and break the Democratic supermajority in Sacramento while balancing the influence of President Donald Trump.
A loophole in California law makes it hard to prosecute threats against schools. Will lawmakers close it?
By Sameea Kamal / CalMatters
After a man threatened an elementary school in her San Diego district, Assemblymember Darshana Patel wants to close a loophole in the law that makes it harder to prosecute threats against places than individuals.
AI can rip you off. Here’s how California lawmakers want to stop price discrimination
By Khari Johnson / CalMatters
Artificial intelligence can help businesses charge you more based on how it evaluates your personal history and desires. California lawmakers want to end that price discrimination.
How California homeless programs are helping people get fit and off the streets: ‘It’s the bike’
By Marisa Kendall / CalMatters
From biking in San Diego to running in San Francisco, these programs host workout groups specifically for homeless Californians.
Student Opportunities
Student Stories
Student Stories is a place for students to have their voices heard by the community and the rest of Santa Cruz County. It is designed to showcase stories, events, clubs, and opinions authored by students in Santa Cruz County. Students can either submit ideas or completed stories. Learn more here and reach out if you have any questions.
EDUCATOR RESOURCES
Specializing in reading comprehension, ReadWorks provides research-based curriculum and tools to improve student reading abilities and support educators in need of structured reading lessons. Content spans nearly every subject — from architectural art to labor disputes to historic recipes. The site is also a great resource for adult English language learners
Current Event Discussion Guide
- Our current event discussion guide is a great activity to engage with local news and can be used for any article. Below is the lesson plan and the bilingual guide.
- Current Event Discussion Guide Lesson Plan (PDF)
- Bilingual Current Event Discussion Guide (PDF)
Educator Page
- You can find more resources on our Educator Page, including a media literacy guide, specific new quizzes and more.
Reminder on student access
- If any of your students are having trouble with their free access, have them sign up for their free student access with their personal email address at this link.
Thank you for all the hard work you do in the community and for supporting our educational programs, helping the younger generations learn media literacy skills, and become invested community members and democratic citizens. If you’d like to learn more about our school programs, get more involved or have any questions, please reach out.
Best,
Eetai