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Seven Irvine Schools Earn 2026 California Distinguished School Honors

Issue # 0587

Author

Joshua Tjia
12 Mar

In this Irvine Insider Issue . . .

😁 Laugh of the Day

🌤️ Irvine Weather

🍳🥗 $15 Lunches to Four-Course Tastings: Irvine Restaurants Join OC Restaurant Week

🩰🥼 From Pointe Shoes to a Lab Coat: UCI Grad Begins New Chapter in Medicine

📚📖 Share Your Ideas for Irvine’s Future Library at Great Park Meeting, Mar. 23

🍕 Celebrate Pi Day with $3.14 Specialty Pizzas at Pizza Press

🚌🌟 Seven Irvine Schools Earn 2026 California Distinguished School Honors

🩺 UCI Health Oncologist Offers Guidance for Living Well During Cancer Treatment

🪺🐦‍⬛ Sharpen Your Bird ID Skills with Sea and Sage’s California Land Birds Workshop

☕️🎶 Enjoy Live Music, Tea, and Coffee at Portola’s Chords & Coffee, Mar. 13

🎼🎼 Upcoming High School Music Calendar

🐾🦷 Why Puppies and Kittens Chew Everything: Understanding Pet Teething

🏐 UC Irvine Men’s Volleyball Opens Big West Play With 3-1 Win Over UCSB

🏀🏐🎾⚽️ UCI Anteaters Upcoming Home Games

🏀🏀 Upcoming home games for the IVC LASERS

⚾️ Woodbridge Baseball Scores Late to Defeat Laguna Beach 3–2

🏈🎾 High School Athletics Calendar

🚓📱 Police Arrest Suspect After Multiple iPhones Stolen from Apple Store at Irvine Spectrum

🍏🥭🍑 Local Farmers Markets

🌟🏪🎉Irvine’s Best Kept Secrets: Is Your Business One of Them?

📅📅 Lots of Local Events

📞💡 Useful Contact Information

Why did the dog cross the road?

To get to the “barking” lot.

We hope this joke brings some laughter to your day! 😁

$15 Lunches to Four-Course Tastings: Irvine Restaurants Join OC Restaurant Week

Orange County Restaurant Week (March 8–14) brings special dining deals to about 150 restaurants across the county, including many in Irvine. Diners can enjoy $15 lunch specials at Pepper Lunch for Japanese teppanyaki or Georgia’s for Southern cuisine at Irvine Spectrum Center, while Warehouse 72 at Hyatt Regency Irvine is offering a $99 four-course dinner with wine pairings featuring dishes like scallops, duck breast, and steak. Visitors can browse participating restaurants and compare menus by price range, cuisine, and location on the OC Restaurant Week website.

From Pointe Shoes to a Lab Coat: UCI Grad Begins New Chapter in Medicine

UC Irvine graduate Cassidy Doan is beginning a new chapter, transitioning from a professional ballet career to medical school this fall.

  • She gave her final performance as the Dew Drop Fairy in Festival Ballet Theatre’s The Nutcracker at the Irvine Barclay Theatre, the same stage where she first performed 16 years ago.

  • Doan began dancing at age 3 at Southland Ballet Academy and later earned a full scholarship to the Houston Ballet after placing at the Youth America Grand Prix.

  • After losing her uncle to COVID-19 and seeing her mother hospitalized, she decided to pursue medicine to make a broader impact.

  • She enrolled at UC Irvine in 2021, double-majoring in dance and biology, while also conducting pediatric oncology research, shadowing physicians, and teaching ballet.

  • Doan graduated in 2024, and she credits ballet’s discipline and perseverance for helping her succeed academically and prepare for a future in medicine.

Share Your Ideas for Irvine’s Future Library at Great Park Meeting, Mar. 23

The City of Irvine and Irvine Public Library invite the community to help shape the vision for a new library planned for the Great Park. A public planning meeting will be held Monday, March 23, from 6–7 p.m. at the Great Park Studio, where residents can share ideas and feedback on what could become Irvine’s future main library and a central community gathering space.

Celebrate Pi Day with $3.14 Specialty Pizzas at Pizza Press

The Pizza Press is celebrating Pi Day on March 14 (3.14) with a special deal for one regular specialty pizza for $3.14. Grab this tasty deal by redeeming it through the restaurant’s app.

Seven Irvine Schools Earn 2026 California Distinguished School Honors

Seven schools in the Irvine Unified School District — Lakeside, Rancho San Joaquin, Sierra Vista, South Lake, and Venado middle schools, along with Irvine High School and Woodbridge High School — have been recognized as 2026 California Distinguished Schools, the state’s highest honor for public schools. They are among 408 schools statewide and 44 in Orange County selected for their innovation and success in supporting student achievement.

UCI Health Oncologist Offers Guidance for Living Well During Cancer Treatment

Cancer treatment can be physically and emotionally demanding, making it difficult to keep up with daily responsibilities and commitments. UCI Health integrative oncologist Dr. Gary E. Deng offers guidance to help patients conserve energy, maintain independence, and find small moments of comfort during treatment.

  • Prioritize essential tasks: Patients are encouraged to focus on the most important responsibilities and postpone or let go of less urgent tasks.

  • Decline invitations thoughtfully: Expressing appreciation while politely acknowledging limited energy can help set healthy boundaries.

  • Choose gentle, rewarding activities: Low-energy activities such as reading, listening to music, or spending quiet time in nature may provide comfort and enjoyment.

  • Practice mindfulness for better rest: Stress-reduction and mindfulness techniques may help calm the mind and support deeper, more refreshing sleep.

  • Let go of perfectionism: Accepting that not everything must be done can help protect energy and support overall well-being.

Sharpen Your Bird ID Skills with Sea and Sage’s California Land Birds Workshop

The Sea and Sage Audubon Society is offering a new workshop, “Learning More California Land Birds,” designed to help participants improve their bird identification skills. Beginning March 23–26, the course expands on the Birds of Southern California series and explores commonly seen species, additional plumages, and special-status birds found in coastal Southern California. The program includes weekly Zoom classes over approximately 10–20 weeks along with planned field trips.

Registration closes March 13, and space is limited.

Enjoy Live Music, Tea, and Coffee at Portola’s Chords & Coffee, Mar. 13

Chords & Coffee is happening Friday, March 13, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Portola High School, featuring performances by students in Guitar 1, Guitar 2, and Studio Music. Students and families are invited to come enjoy live music, bring games or homework, and grab tea or coffee during the event.

Upcoming Northwood High School’s Music Calendar

  1. March 13: Night of the Arts – Jazz Ensemble I, Wind Symphony, Philharmonic, NHS Theater

For the latest updates or additional details, please visit https://timbmusic.org/events/

Upcoming Woodbridge High School's Music Calendar

  1. March 12: Orchestra Music Festival Concert, WHS Performing Arts Center

  2. March 13: Band Music Festival Concert, WHS Performing Arts Center

  3. March 16: Wind Ensemble & Philharmonic Festival, IHS Performing Arts Center

  4. March 20: WHS Carnival

For the latest updates or additional details, please visit https://www.whs-music.org/

Upcoming Woodbridge High School’s Vocal Music Calendar

  1. March 20, 7:00 PM: Spring Concert, WHS Performing Arts Center

For the latest updates or additional details, please visit https://woodbridgechoirs.weebly.com/calendar.html

Upcoming Irvine High Choral’s Music Calendar

  1. March 13: Spring Rally

  2. March 15, 3:00 PM: Plotkin Foundation Performance, Plotkin Art Gallery

  3. March 17, 7:00 PM: Spring Concert, Irvine High PAC

For the latest updates or additional details, please visit https://www.ihschoralmusic.org/calendar.html 

Upcoming Portola High School Music’s Calendar

  1. March 13, 4:00 - 6:00 PM: Chords and Coffee, PHS student union

For the latest updates or additional details, please visit https://www.phsmusicbooster.org/buy-ticket

Why Puppies and Kittens Chew Everything: Understanding Pet Teething

If a puppy or kitten suddenly seems extra nippy, chew-happy, or determined to bite everything in sight, they’re likely teething. Just like human babies, young pets experience sore gums as their baby teeth grow in and later fall out. Understanding this stage can help pet owners keep their furry companions comfortable while protecting household items from those sharp little teeth.

• Teething starts early: Puppies and kittens typically begin teething at around 3 weeks old, and the process can continue up to about 6 months.

• Chewing helps relieve discomfort: Young pets often chew to soothe sore gums, which means they may bite toys, furniture, shoes, or even electrical cords if not redirected.

• Safe chew options help: Providing nylon or rubber chew toys for puppies and soft silicone toys for kittens can help ease teething discomfort safely.

• Cold foods can provide relief: Frozen carrots or celery may help soothe sore gums in puppies.

• Baby teeth may disappear: Some deciduous (baby) teeth may be found on the floor, but many are swallowed while pets eat or chew, which is normal.

UC Irvine Men’s Volleyball Opens Big West Play With 3-1 Win Over UCSB

UC Irvine men's volleyball defeated UC Santa Barbara 3–1, improving to 13-2 overall. Freshman Andrej Jokanovic led the Anteaters with 20 kills, while libero Shane Aitken recorded a career-best 15 digs.

UCI Anteaters Upcoming Home Games

Women’s Water Polo

  • Thur, Mar 12 – vs Cal State Fullerton, 6:00 PM

  • Fri, Mar 13 – vs California Baptist, 6:00 PM

Men’s Tennis

  • Fri, Mar 13 – vs Navy, 10:00 AM

  • Fri, Mar 13 – vs Army, 2:30 PM

  • Sat, Mar 14 – vs Air Force, 12:00 PM

🏐⚽🏀 Upcoming home games for the IVC LASERS 

Women’s Flag Football

  • Thu, Mar 12 – vs Cypress, 4:30 PM

  • Sat, Mar 14 – vs Long Beach State, 12:00 PM

Women’s Beach Volleyball

  • Fri, Mar 13 – vs Santa Ana, 10:00 AM

Baseball

  • Fri, Mar 13 – vs Riverside, 1:00 PM

Men’s Volleyball

  • Fri, Mar 13 – vs Orange Coast, 6:00 PM

Woodbridge Baseball Scores Late to Defeat Laguna Beach 3–2

Woodbridge defeated Laguna Beach 3–2 after scoring two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning in their Pacific Coast League opener. Caleb Camacho hit a walk-off single to drive in the winning run, while Kyle Underwood pitched a strong complete game with nine strikeouts.

High School Athletics Calendar

**

Updated With March Schedule

Upcoming Irvine High School’s Varsity home games:

March 2026

Thursday, March 12

  • Volleyball, Boys - 5:15 PM vs Aliso Niguel

Friday, March 13

  • Swimming and Diving, Girls - 3:30 PM vs El Toro

  • Swimming and Diving, Boys - 3:30 PM vs El Toro

  • Beach Volleyball, Girls - 3:30 PM vs Montebello

  • Baseball - 3:30 PM vs Northwood

Police Arrest Suspect After Multiple iPhones Stolen from Apple Store at Irvine Spectrum

On Sunday, officers responded to the Apple Store after loss prevention detained a man who walked out with two display iPhones. During the investigation, officers found seven additional iPhones in his backpack that had been stolen from Apple Stores across Southern California. The suspect, 18-year-old Serigne Fallou Niang from New York, was arrested on charges of burglary, grand theft, and receiving stolen property.

Irvine’s Best Kept Secrets: Is Your Business One of Them?

We know our community is brimming with businesses that have fascinating stories and big hearts. If you’re a local business owner making waves, crafting unique experiences, or simply putting a smile on our faces, we want to chat with you! “Irvine Insider” is eager to shine a light on the unsung heroes of our city. Let’s collaborate and let the community know what makes your business special.

Click the link below and fill out the Local Business Spotlight Application Form to be featured and let’s celebrate the spirit of Irvine together!

Irvine Insider is sent to a local audience of Irvine residence Monday through Friday with 50% - 60% open rate. Our newsletter is a great way to reach Irvine residents.

  • Kaiser Permanente Irvine Farmers Market

  • Saturday Farmers Market at Mariners Church Irvine

    • When: Saturday, 8 AM - 12 PM

    • Where: 5428 Bonita Canyon Dr, Irvine, CA 92603

  • Great Park Certified Farmers Market

  • Manassero Farmers

    • When: Daily, 9 AM - 4:30 PM

    • Where: 33 Irvine Valley, Irvine, CA 92604

  • Tanaka Farms

    • When: Daily, 9 AM - 5 PM

    • Where: 5380 3/4 University Dr, Irvine, CA 92612

    • More Info:Tanaka Farms

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