Back and Forth to the Future

In 1990, students from Laurence 2000, a private elementary school in Van Nuys, predicted that in 10 years people would live on other planets, talk on video telephones and drive around town in electric cars.

The students sealed their predictions in a time capsule and have since graduated.

School officials opened the plexiglass container last week and unveiled the students’ predictions at a celebration attended by alumni and current students alike.

“Their predictions were pretty right on,” said sixth-grader Danny Houghton, 12.

Some of the predictions, such as the popularity of the Internet, came true. But others, such as clean air and water and an end to war and starvation, haven’t been realized yet.

“This is an exciting way for children to learn,” said school founder and Director Marvin Jacobson. “[This project] teaches kids to think, and that’s what learning will be all about in the 21st century.”

During the celebration, current Laurence students made plans for their own time capsule, with predictions to be opened in 2010.

One class predicted that within 10 years, the United States will elect its first female president, who will be an African American and Jewish.

“For all the girls in my class, that is a dream,” said sixth-grader Hilary Meyer.

Other predictions include the colonization of Mars, robots taking over household chores and the advent of “virtual reality” books.

“I think the future will turn out really well,” Danny said. “I think we’ll find a cure for AIDS and cancer, and we will continue getting more and more technology. I think we’re going to do pretty well.”

The Laurence School, which was founded in 1953, changed its name to Laurence 2000 in 1975 as a way to encourage forward thinking.

Now the school is considering another name change--possibly Laurence 3000, Jacobson said.

KUDOS

Adding Up: Students at Chatsworth’s Sierra Canyon School racked up 3,682 acts of kindness and justice over two weeks in January, to honor the ideals of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Good deeds recorded by the elementary and middle school students included returning overpayment of allowance, picking up neighborhood trash and passing the basketball to another player for the game-winning shot.

Students ran the challenge as part of the “Do Something League,” a national leadership learning program.

Coin An Idea: Students from Kadima Hebrew Academy, a preschool-through-eighth-grade school in Woodland Hills, are busy finishing special projects made of coins to help raise funds for the Make A Wish Foundation and a camp in upstate New York for terminally ill children.

Among the projects--decorated with spare change--are a top hat, heart box and birdhouse. Each project’s “worth” is tallied and the item is taken apart. The funds are then given to the two charities.

Last year, the school donated nearly $1,000 to the charities. This year’s goal is $2,000 to commemorate the new century.

The Next Ted Turner? Time Communications and the Southern California Cable and Telecommunications Assn. are taking applications for scholarships from graduating Southern California high school seniors interested in the telecommunications industry. Applications are available from high school guidance counselors or by calling Time Warner at (818) 407-3141. Five $5,000 scholarships were awarded last year from more than 100 applications. Deadline is March 24.

Online Learning: A research scientist from New Mexico, an architect from Virginia and a park ranger from Idaho are just a few of the professionals who will be profiled online through the end of the month with “Virtual Job Shadowing” at https://www.jobshadow.org.

The online access--sponsored by Monster.com, an employee recruiting site--is a new element to Groundhog Job Shadow Day, when students across the country visit the workplace. Now, career-minded students can peek at professionals through a computer and ask questions of these online mentors. Included is Ret. Gen. Colin Powell, who will host a chat room today from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

EVENTS

Race Issues: Julian Bond, chairman of the NAACP, will speak on “Race and Rights in the New Millennium,” Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. at Soka University of America. Free and open to the public. 26800 W. Mulholland Highway, Calabasas. For information, call (818) 880-6400.

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.