HUNTINGTON BEACH : Students Put Their Mark on Housing Project

Students at Ocean View High School’s Business Academy have been toiling for months on a real-world project. Now they are jubilant: Their work has been accepted and will be part of an exhibit next month at the Main Street branch of the public library.

Seacliff Partners, a developer that sponsors a business-education program at the school, asked the students to design a logo for Hamptons at Seacliff, an upscale housing project in the city. Glen Polson, a marketing executive with Seacliff Partners, lectures at the high school as part of the company’s business-and-education compact.

Polson said the final logo is a combination of several of his students’ ideas and artwork. “These kids not only did the layout but also the colors.

“It’s been fun to work with them,” he said. “They have completely open minds. They’re not inhibited about ideas as many adults are.”

The logo work of the Ocean View students will be part of a May 6 to June 3 business education exhibit at the city’s public library branch at 525 Main St.

Regular teachers at Ocean View’s Business Academy said the project has been highly educational for the students. “It’s even included a field trip,” said Audrey Hendry, a coordinator at the academy.

Another coordinator, Roy Batelli, added: “It’s worked out really well. The students were kind of thrilled to see the end result.”

“It was a chance to be part of the business world, and it gave us a feeling of importance,” said Jose Luis Lara, 15, a sophomore in the Business Academy.

Polson said business itself benefits too by working with young people. “Kids are really into it,” he said.