Schools/Education news : COSTA MESA : Retired Teacher Wins ABCDE Award
For her efforts in helping children who are considered to be at high risk for getting involved with drugs or gangs, Leona Sears has won the Newport-Mesa Unified School District’s ABCDE Award.
“She wanted to affect the lives of kids in a real specific way,” said Juan de Jesus, principal of Whittier Elementary School, where Sears donated time and funds to students.
A retired Newport-Mesa school district teacher, Sears created a fund that, through local fund-raising campaigns, provides camp scholarships for fifth- and sixth-graders.
Since starting the fund in 1990, nearly 100 youngsters from Whittier Elementary have attended the school’s Peer Assistance League camp program, which is designed to teach conflict resolution and build self-esteem.
“That is a big help for the kids at Whittier, which is one of the poorest socioeconomic schools in the district,” said De Jesus, who nominated Sears for the award.
ABCDE--which stands for Above and Beyond the Call of Duty for Education--salutes individuals and organizations for extraordinary or financial commitments toward the betterment of educating Newport-Mesa students. The award is presented annually by the district’s Board of Trustees.
--COMPILED BY JOHN POPE, ENRIQUE LAVIN AND DEBRA CANO
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