14-year-old dies at Costa Mesa High School

Update:

At approximately 4:30 PM on Wednesday, March 10^th, Eric Valdez, an 8^th grader, suddenly collapsed while playing handball on the CMHS campus. Costa Mesa Police Department responded and began CPR. Eric was transported to the hospital by the Costa Mesa Fire Department where doctors could not revive him. The coroner has determined this to be an unexpected natural death. Crisis counselors have been on the CMHS campus this morning and will continue throughout the day. 

A 14-year-old eighth grader died yesterday afternoon on campus at Costa Mesa High School.

The boy, whose named has not been released, was playing handball at the time and suddenly collapsed. First responders immediately began CPR. He was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Authorities have initially termed it an "unexpected natural death."

Crisis counselors are on site at Costa Mesa High School to meet with the grief-stricken students.

Girl from Amazon Becomes Top Student in Costa Mesa ... In 1 year

By Lana Johnson

Receiving a reading award at the school's assembly may seem like a nice achievement, but if you arrived in the U.S. a year ago from the Amazon jungle without knowing a word of English, you will have accomplished an extraordinary feat.

Meet trailblazer Liandra Mendonça da Silva,10, who lives in the Amazon Basin and has just graduated from 4th grade at Kline School in Costa Mesa. Kline School, a private school in Costa Mesa, sponsored her in a unique exchange program in collaboration with the Amazonian Ecological Preserve, whose foundation is dedicated to the preservation of and education about the rainforest.

Liandra's story begins in the village of Boto, named after the boto dolphins that swim in the Amazon. She lives there with her parents, three brothers, two sisters and their dog.

The one-room school she attends teaches just basic math and reading. Schooling is inconsistent: the younger kids attend in the mornings; most only go four hours a day, and students matriculate through the sixth grade.

Her education in America at Kline School has been a little different. She’s become computer savvy (every child has one at his/her own desk), has hammed it up in musical productions and names her favorite subjects as spelling and reading (her favorite books are Shiloh, Dragons and Matilda).

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