16 Valley Art Teachers on ‘Bravos’ List

Sixteen Valley teachers and four schools have been nominated for the 19th annual Bravo Awards honoring excellence in arts education.

The nominees are among 63 teachers and 10 schools throughout Los Angeles, Riverside, Ventura, Orange and San Bernardino counties. Principals, faculty members and parents made the nominations.

Ten semifinalists will be selected by judges who will visit each school from December through February. One school and two teachers will be selected for cash awards: $5,000 to the winning school, $2,000 each to an arts and general subjects teacher and $1,500 to the teacher who does the most with limited resources.

The awards given by the education division of the Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County will be presented Feb. 26 at a dinner at the Regal Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.

Nominated Valley-area schools are Canterbury Avenue Elementary in Pacoima; Valley Presbyterian School in North Hills; Glendale High School; and Lindero Canyon Middle School in Agoura Hills.

Nominated Valley-area educators are Jeremy Chung of Ernest Lawrence Middle School in Chatsworth; Patty Fernandez of Fenton Avenue School in Lake View Terrace; Carlos Loya of John Francis Polytechnic High School in Sun Valley; Rhonda Magnus of Robert Fulton Middle School in Van Nuys; Kathleen Meske of Fernangeles Elementary School in Sun Valley; Cynthia Nenezich of Robert Fulton Middle School in Van Nuys; and Vincent Houser of Buckley School in Sherman Oaks.

Other nominees are Mary Rago of John Burroughs High School in Burbank; Barbara Eisner of Bret Harte Elementary School in Burbank; Wendy Boyd of Castaic Elementary School; Diane MacInnes of Columbus Elementary School in Glendale; Pierre Odier of Herbert Hoover High School in Glendale; Rubbie Hodge of Almondale Middle School in Littlerock; Debbie Hanson of El Dorado Elementary in Lancaster; Shelby Jay Harris of Quail Valley Elementary in Palmdale; and Debbie Learned of Providence High School in Burbank.

PROGRAM NOTES

Doing Flips: Five students at North Hollywood’s Campbell Hall lobbied school administrators earlier this year and received approval to create the school’s first male stunt team--called the Frontin’ Stuntin’ Five.

The boys--three of whom play ice hockey, basketball and soccer--have been cheering at football games ever since and have plans to continue doing leaps and flips for the crowd at girls’ and boys’ varsity basketball games.

“These kids are pioneers,” cheerleading Coach Patrice Chanel said. “It took a lot of courage for them to do this. They are part of an elite group now.”

At first, Chanel thought the boys were joking when they asked for help to create the team. But after fulfilling her request to see a cheerleading movie that shows how tough high school cheering can be, the boys showed up raring to go at the football home opener this fall.

It really showed their commitment because it was one of the hottest days of the year, Chanel said. “We had to give these boys a chance,” she said.

Chanel set up a special stunt workshop led by a professional for the boys and helped them get uniforms in blue and gold to match the girls’. Now they practice four times a week for an hour and a half a day working on their lifts and flips, and tossing the girls in the air.

Members of the founding stunt team are sophomores Jeff Kaye, Michael Shuman, Alex Brown, Nat Strull and Eric Meyer.

“It’s really cool to start something that no one else has done before at Campbell Hall,” said stunt team member Jeff Kaye. “It’s a lot of fun.”

END NOTES

The Cal State University alternative teacher education program, called CalStateTEACH, is accepting applications through Dec. 15 for the spring term.

Faculty mentors visit the classrooms of accepted students to observe their teaching skills, and students visit CSU regional centers in the Downey area, Fullerton or Pomona on five Saturdays during the 18-month program.

For an online application, see www.calstateteach.net, e-mail calstateteach@calstate.edu, or call (877) 225-7828 . . . The Valley Community Legal Foundation is accepting grant applications through Feb. 15 for potential scholarships for deserving students who are pursing law-related careers. For information, call David Gurnick at the Woodland Hills law offices of Arter and Hadden at (818) 712-0036.

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.