Briefly In Education

Laguna woman to teach in Tanzania

A Laguna Beach resident and Cal State Long Beach lecturer is going to Tanzania for a 10-month fellowship.

LeeAnne Langton, who teaches in the English department, was selected for the Senior English Language Fellowship for 2012-13 at St. Augustine University.

The fellowship is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and administered by Georgetown University, a press release said.

“This is a dream come true for me. I worked in East Africa as a member of the Peace Corps, and when I returned to the U.S., I enrolled in graduate school at CSULB. Ever since then, I’ve wanted to go back,” Langton said in a statement. “When my daughters went away to college this year, I was recruited for the fellowship by the State Department. The CSULB English department gave me permission to accept and I’ve been excited ever since.”

The fellow program is intended to foster understanding, promote English learning and enhances educators’ ability to teach English as a second language.

Langton is fluent in Swahili and also speaks French, German, Japanese, Spanish and Vietnamese, which she thinks led to her acceptance in the program.

Last summer she attended a fellowship orientation in Washington, D.C., and met with members of the Bureau of African Affairs to discuss educational and diplomatic aims, the release said.

“I’ve come to understand that ESL is a universal issue and a tool for economic development,” she said in the release. “I really think my participation in this fellowship will strengthen my commitment to education and my pedagogy. I also think this fellowship will make me an even more creative and effective teacher.”

She leaves for Tanzania in January. She has her master’s degree in linguistics from Cal State Long Beach.

*

PSAT and NMSQT testing at high school

Laguna Beach High School juniors have the opportunity to take the PSAT and National Merit Scholarship qualifying test on Wednesday.

It will occur during instructional hours, a press release said.

Students in grades 9 or 10 can take a mock PSAT and prep with the Princeton Review on Oct. 20.

The test preparation is sponsored by Laguna Beach PTA and the Laguna Beach Unified School District.

“The PSAT is a valuable assessment for our students that enables them to reach college and career readiness goals,” Laguna Beach High School Principal Joanne Culverhouse said in a statement. “With the support of our PTA, we are able to fund the cost of the test for all 11th grade students. It is unusual for a high school to offer this assessment during the school day and we are fortunate to have such a strong partnership with our outstanding PTA. “

Juniors can check at the Artist’s Theatre at 7:30 a.m.

*

“Girls Night Out” hosted more than 200

The Boys & Girls of Laguna Beach held its fourth annual Girls Night Out at the Wilson Family Estate Sept. 27 in Laguna Beach.

The night included a catered dinner by Starfish and wine by The Woodhouse Winery. South Coast Plaza had people modeling some of the latest collections, a press release said.

A live auction offered vacations, fitness memberships and clothing.

“We know that every child is special and their potential is waiting to be unlocked,” Executive Director Pam Estes said in a press release. “I am in total awe of this incredible group of women who came together in such a meaningful way to make the future brighter for our kids.”

*

Dodgeball Tournament next week

SchoolPower’s third annual Dodgeball Tournament is Wednesday.

All 24 slots for the junior division teams sold out and more slots were added for a total of 30, which will compete at Laguna Beach High School, a press release said.

Junior division begins at 3:15 p.m. and the adult division starts at 5:30 p.m.

Spectators get in for free and get to watch members of the community such as students, teachers, parents and law enforcement compete for the Dodgeball II championship.

For more information and to pre-order the meal, call (949) 494-6811.

— Joanna Clay