LA QUINTA High School’s Team Rizette won the eSport competition and will go on to compete at UCI on Nov. 11. From left: Mikey Nguyen, Louis Le, Randy Chung, William Le, Brandan Tran.

Nearly 125 La Quinta High School students competed in a cutting-edge eSport tournament held at the school last week.  The winning team from La Quinta will go on to compete at a California Interscholastic Federation-sponsored eSport tournament on Nov. 11 at the University of California, Irvine.

“It is exciting to see CIF expand its reach and sponsor this new genre of eSports, which continue to gain popularity from young people across the nation,” said Denise Halstead, La Quinta High School principal.  “The high school experience is evolving by the day and we are committed to offering students so many new and different opportunities to get involved.”

La Quinta’s League of Legends video game competition attracted 25 teams of 100 students with Team Rizette taking first place.  Students on the winning team who will compete at UCI include Mikey Nguyen, Louis Le, Randy Chung, William Le, and Brandan Tran.

The school’s classrooms, cafeteria and multipurpose room on any of the given nights were filled with students watching a live broadcast of the competition.

New Community Services Director takes over

Garden Grove City Manager Scott Stiles has announced the appointment of Community Services Manager John Montanchez, to serve as the city’s new community services director. Montanchez begins his new position on Friday, Nov. 3.

JOHN MONTANCHEZ

He will oversee one of the largest departments in the city that includes the operation of 17 parks, all rental facilities, the H. Louis Lake Senior Center, and the Garden Grove Community Foundation.

Montanchez joined the City of Garden Grove in 2002 as assistant community services supervisor, becoming Community Services Supervisor in 2010. In 2014, he was appointed division manager for the Community Services Department.

He will fill the vacancy left by retired Community Services Director Kimberly Huy.  Montanchez is married and has two children.  He spends his free time relaxing with his family and playing hockey.

Early Kindergarten option starting in OVSD

A parent information meeting is set for Wednesday, Nov. 8 regarding the Early Kinderegarten program set to begin on Jan. 8, 2018. The meeting will be held at Westmont Elementary School at 8251 Heil Ave. near the border of Westminster and Huntington Beach.

The Early Kindergarten program is planned to “jumpstart” kindergarten readiness skills including language development, math and social emotional development.

For more information, go to www.ovsd.org .

Testing for gifted and talented offered

Garden Grove Unified School District is offering free Gifted and Talented Education program testing for students who live within GGUSD boundaries.

The GATE Program’s next testing cycle takes place January-February 2018, and requests for student testing must be submitted by December 1, 2017. To download a parent referral form for testing, visit the GATE Department’s webpage at www.ggusd.us/GATE or contact the GATE Department at (714) 663-6488 for more information.

Children in grades kindergarten through 11 who reside within GGUSD boundaries and are homeschooled, attending a private school, or who may have transferred to another district are also eligible to be tested for the GATE program.

The GGUSD GATE program is aligned to state GATE program standards at the elementary level; with advanced, honors, and Advanced Placement coursework offered at the secondary level. Classroom instruction by trained educators is designed to meet the academic, social, and emotional needs of gifted students. This instructional support provides the necessary challenge for gifted students to reach their full potential, which often extends beyond advanced levels of district and state standards.

The GGUSD serves most of Garden Grove and portions of Anaheim, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Santa Ana, Stanton and Westminster.