SIGN welcoming students to the 2020-2021 school year is at Mitchell School in Garden Grove (Orange County Tribune photo).

Garden Grove Unified School District started its 2020-21 academic year on Monday, operating on a “distance” rather than in-person basis. How did it go? According to Abby Broyles, public information officer for the GGUSD, “School principals, teachers and staff were thrilled to see their students and create welcoming and engaging virtual classrooms during this time of distance learning. We’re excited about our ‘Start Strong’ initiative which ensures the first few weeks of school are focused on our students’ social-emotional well-being.”

Is the coronavirus pandemic putting you under financial stress? One firm is claiming that Huntington Beach is among those communities with the greatest financial worries in the nation. Seems unlikely to us, but SmartAsset.com ranks Surf City at 21st among 25 cities. According to the rankings, among the reasons that HB makes the list is that 15.6 percent of residents are spending 50 percent or more of their income on housing costs. The most-stressed city is New Orleans, followed by Las Vegas. Other California cities making the roster are Bakersfield (13th), Modesto (17th), Long Beach (18th) and Los Angeles (22nd). The data for the study comes from The U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse survey from July 16 to 21 of this year.

If you’re the kind of person who likes to plan meals ahead, here’s a good opportunity. Garden Grove Lions will have a free community service “grab and go” event on Sunday, Sept. 13 from 8 to 10 a.m. at the Host Lions Club facility, 9860 Larson Ave. Pancakes, eggs, sausage and juice to go will be served to the first 200 attendees.

The Boys and Girls Club of Stanton is having a donation drive in the wake of the impact that the coronavirus pandemic is having on the ability of charities to raise money. Any donation will be matched up to $20,000. Here’s the link: https://tinyurl.com/bgcstanton

Westminster Mall is scheduling a Back to School Parade Party on Saturday, Sept. 5 from 11 a.m. to noon. It’ll be a drive-through event, with goodie bags, balloons and a back-to-school 30-piece pack for the first 100 kids. Everyone must stay in his or her vehicles and practice social distancing. The mall is located at Goldenwest Street and Bolsa Avenue.

Two students from the West Orange County area were named to the dean’s list at Columbia College. The main campus of the school is in Columbia, Missouri, but it has satellite locations across the U.S. including one at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos. Honored were Johnny Evans of Stanton and Emerson Harris of Westminster.

Our Towns is a place for honors, announcements, “slice of life” bits and other newsworthy or amusing stuff about the communities of Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Stanton and Westminster. Send your items to orangecountytribune@gmail.com. This column posts each Thursday.