2024-2025 VCOE Education Report

standing Academic Decathlon, in which high school students compete in teams in a series of ten academic events, ranging from art and science to speech and interview.

STUDENT COMPETITIONS

The Ventura County Office of Education is excited to offer another year of countywide student competitions! These events provide interactive, hands-on experiences that encourage students to have fun while they learn. Popular Student Events Make Learning Fun This year, the popular Battle of the Books competition returns as one of our fastest-growing events since it started in 2023. Battle of the Books is a trivia-style game in which students answer questions about books they have read from the official list. There’s one division for 3rd to 5th grade students and another for 6th to 8th graders. The event encourages students to read a variety of genres and books and have fun!

Mock Trial

Middle and high school students are invited to participate in the Ventura County Mock Trial, one of our most popular events where students play the roles of attorneys, witnesses, court clerks, and bailiffs before a presiding judge in a real courthouse setting at the Ventura County Government Center. Finally, the ever-growing Ventura County Science Fair invites students in grades 6-12 to use their Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) skills to find answers to a wide variety of questions and problems. To find out how your student or school can participate in Ventura County’s student competitions, visit vcoe.org/competitions or contact VCOE’s Student Competitions Coordinator, Jennifer Gorin, at 805-437-1502 or jgorin@vcoe.org .

Battle of the Books

For the first time this year, we are introducing Batalla de los Libros, a Spanish-language version of Battle of the Books. Batalla de los Libros will feature original works written in Spanish by Spanish-speaking authors as well as translations of works originally written in English. Also in store this year is the Visual and Performing Arts Showcase which gives students of all grade levels an opportunity to display creative artwork from the classroom. It will also feature performance art in a public space that honors their work as an effective path to learning and knowledge.

Event

Date

Visual & Performing Arts Showcase

Dec. 9, 2024

Academic Decathlon

Dec. 7, 2024 – Feb. 1, 2025

Mock Trial

Feb. 22-23, March 1-2, 2025

Science Fair

March 19, 2025

Battle of the Books (Elementary)

April 29 & 30, 2025

Battle of the Books (Middle School)

May 13, 2025

Batalla de los Libros (Elementary)

May 22, 2025

In addition, VCOE will continue to host its long-

10 ● VCOE EDUCATION REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY

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