Briefly In Education
Whalen will continue on Emeritus board of Boys, Girls Club
The November elections turned out well for the Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach.
Boys & Girls Club past president and board of directors member Bob Whalen was elected to the Laguna Beach City Council. He will continue to serve the club as a founding member of the Emeritus Board.
“It has been an amazing honor to work alongside and learn from Bob,” said Pam Estes, executive director for the Boys & Girls Club in a release. “He has been a transformational leader to the Boys & Girls Club. Bob has empowered our Club to strive and achieve new heights in terms of impact, finances and standing in the community.
“What makes his contributions even more meaningful to me is that they are driven by his personal connection to young people and understanding that a caring relationship in a child’s life can make all the difference in the world.”
Whalen has served on the Board of Directors since 2004, during which time he lead the board to establishing a balanced budget while building reserves.
He also started the Community Partners Breakfast, where officials from different community organizations came together to share their connections with the club.
He could be found at many club events and fundraisers like Family Fun Night and TLC’s Pancake Breakfast.
*
Lots of Toys for Tots from Girl Scouts
A Laguna Beach Girl Scout troop collected more than 200 toys for underprivileged children last week.
Troop 8095 put on a “Caroling on the Trolley” event from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Dec. 14 to collect donations for Toys for Tots. The girls sang while riding the trolleys in downtown Laguna.
Toys for Tots is a Marine Corps Reserve program that seeks donations of new, unused toys to give as Christmas gifts for children in need.
The toys are distributed to children in the community they were collected.
For more information about Toys for Tots, go to https://www.toysfortots.org.
*
Students bone up on becoming waste-free
Students learned how easy recycling is and stepped up their efforts to become waste-free.
Waste Management’s Michelle Clark hosted a recycling presentation on Nov. 27 for National Recycling Day with the students of the Boys & Girls Club’s TLC Branch at Bluebird Park.
“The children are excited to recycle and want to do a good job,” said TLC assistant Director Monica Silva in a press release. “They are conscientious of putting trash in the right place and the fact that they are ‘helping the Earth’ is that much more appealing to them.”
The elementary and junior high students learned about sorting trash, what can and can’t — Styrofoam, for instance — be recycled and that food waste can be composted to use as fertilizer. The branch was given a yellow-topped bin specifically for food waste that Waste Management trucks will pick up and process.
The branch already recycled most of its paper and plastic waste and saves bottles and cans, but it is not recycling 100% of its waste.
*
Laguna High student honored for service
The Rotary Club of Laguna Beach honored high school student Jared Boetes.
The club recently honored Jared as Laguna Beach High School’s November Student of the Month with a certificate of recognition. He will receive a scholarship at the Honors Convocation at the end of the year. Jared was accompanied at the recognition by his math instructor, Gary Shapiro.
A varsity tennis player and member of the National Honor Society and California Scholarship Federation, Jared also serves as the president of the Mission Hospital Club, where he organizes many fundraisers.
Outside of school, Jared is involved with Mission Hospital Laguna Beach as the president of the student board. He is also a member of the election board at California Boys’ State.
Jared plans to major in business in London and pursue a master’s in business administration.
— Britney Barnes
Twitter: @britneyjbarnes