Parents Learn How to Pass That Artistic Touch on to Pupils

PARENTS TEACH ART: San Pedro parents received a crash course on the fine points of teaching graphics and architectural drawing to elementary school children Wednesday, using crayon markers and cardboard panels to build miniature houses.

The 30 parents, all of them volunteer art teacher-trainees in the Art To Grow On program,

were trained by Joan Kenney, an art teacher at Rolling Hills Country Day School. Kenney showed the parents the finished prototype, a colorfully decorated house of cards made by former students, and encouraged the parents to create their own designs.

Eventually, each parent will make a similar presentation to children in one of the 11 San Pedro elementary schools participating in the program, teaching the youngsters how to create their own structures.

Art To Grow On is a nonprofit program designed to provide art instruction in schools that cannot afford to offer art classes. Now in its sixth year, the program is a spin off of “Art at Your Fingertips,” a school-art program begun in 1976 in the Palos Verdes School District.

“The public schools can’t teach art now because there is no money, and no materials unless the teacher buys (them),” said Kenney.

For art materials, the program relies on donations. Kelley Paper in Gardena donated 6,000 sheets of cardboard for the current project, and Delux Printing of Gardena cut the cardboard into 5-by-7--inch panels.

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TRUANT TIPS: In an effort to help corral errant students, the Los Angeles Unified School District has started an attendance hot line.

Students, parents and community members can call a toll-free number, anonymously, to help identify students who are ditching school.

The number, (800) 865-2873, will be answered from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday by members of the district’s attendance office staff. Staff members speak English, Spanish and several other languages. After hours, tipsters can leave a recorded message.

Once a tip is received, the staff will call the student’s school to find out if he or she has an attendance problem.

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STUDY HALL: The Manhattan Beach Teen Center, open to seventh- and eighth-graders, has expanded its services to fill the gap created by the closing of the Manhattan Heights Library.

The center, operated by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, now offers more space for study and a larger selection of books. It will be open Monday through Saturday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., and is located at the Manhattan Heights Community Center, 1600 Manhattan Beach Blvd.

Coordinator Moses Gonzales said he is seeking donations from the community to buy computer equipment and reference books. Information: Parks and Recreation Department at (310) 545-5621, Ext. 321 or 338.

Items for the weekly Class Notes column can be mailed to The Times South Bay office, 23133 Hawthorne Blvd., Suite 200, Torrance 90505, or faxed to (310) 373-5753 to the attention of staff writer Carol Chastang.