Learning Outside the Textbook

Middle school students at Chatsworth Hills Academy have been breaking in their hiking boots for next week’s trip to Yosemite National Park. The 53 explorers and six teachers will spend the week studying the park’s ecosystems, geology and animal life.

The nature and ecology trip will be led by Yosemite’s educational faculty. The students will hike and conduct experiments at the popular Sierra Nevada park during the day and sleep in cabins at night.

“Any time we’re able to bring our students into the environment they’re studying, it brings alive the curriculum, rather than relegating it to the pages of a textbook,” said Principal Laura Bell.

KUDOS

Worldly Teachers: Holmes International Middle School teachers Helene Stevenson and Hugo “Bucky” Schmidt will be honored as 1999 Perryman Award winners at a dinner later this month. The Southern California Social Science Assn., in conjunction with UCLA, selected the Northridge teachers based on their creative approach to teaching global education. Using handmade passports, the students “visited” China and other Asian nations to learn about their cultures.

Dina Alexander, a science teacher at Holmes’ Humanities Magnet, is celebrating her selection for the 1999 Smith/Calder Computers and Educational Technology Award from the Department of Secondary Education at Cal State Northridge.

EVENTS

Arts Festival: The Music Center will hold its 20th annual Very Special Arts Festival on May 12 at the Music Center Plaza downtown. The event celebrates the artistic achievements of young people with mental and physical disabilities. It features student art exhibits and performances, workshops and other activities. Free. Call (213) 202-2286.

Journalism Conference: Cal State Northridge and George Washington University in Washington will host a live, bicoastal satellite conference Thursday featuring ABC-TV correspondent Sam Donaldson, Los Angeles Times television critic Howard Rosenberg and other prominent journalists. The conference, titled “News vs. Entertainment: Does It Matter if the Line Disappears?” will examine the impact of stories involving murders, car chases and other sensational events. The live broadcast will be available to all colleges and universities nationwide from 10 a.m. to noon. For information, call (818) 677-3135.

Spaced Out: To finish off a study of the solar system, third-graders at Vintage Magnet School in North Hills will celebrate “Space Day” Thursday. Exhibits on the planets, the sun and the moon will be on display all day in the auditorium.

END NOTES

Pacoima Middle School Television, Theatre and Fine Arts Magnet will present the Pacoima Dancers Spring Show on Thursday at 7 p.m., 9919 Laurel Canyon Blvd. All seats are $3. . . . Germain Street Elementary School will host a May 12 informational meeting about the Chatsworth school’s new designation as a School for Advanced Studies, a program for gifted students. The 7 p.m. meeting will be held in the school auditorium. . . . Burbank Adult School will hold workshops on faux-finish wall painting Saturday and May 15. For information call (818) 558-4611.

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Class Notes appears every Wednesday. Send news about schools to the Valley Edition, Los Angeles Times, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth 91311. Or fax it to (818) 772-3338. Or e-mail them to diane.wedner@latimes.com