BRIEFLY IN EDUCATION

Teachers, district receive over $250,000

A $100,000 check was presented to the district as the final portion of its $250,000 annual gift.

Another check for $189,971 from the Endowment Board went to fund teacher grants, including the purchase of iPods, computers and other electronics; reading and writing programs; and a collection of animal skulls for use in a science class.

College event raises $96,000 for studentsLaguna College of Art & Design raised $96,000 to benefit student programs and scholarships at the 18th Annual Collector’s Choice Fine Art Event and Exhibition on June 2 at the college’s campus. The sold-out event was attended by more than 350 people.

This year was the college’s largest and most successful fundraiser to date.

Special guests attending the gala event were Chamber of Commerce President Dave Sanford, City Councilman Kelly Boyd, city Cultural Arts Coordinator Sian Poeschl, and founding president of AIDS Services Foundation Orange County Al Roberts and guest Ken Jillson.

The evening included a speech by LCAD student Nicholas Enevoldsen, a silent auction and a raffle, with a live auction led by Master of Ceremonies Mike Tauber. Gourmet cuisine was provided by Sundried Tomato Café, with beverages by Laguna Culinary Arts. The event was attended by many local artists, who collectively donated 110 pieces for raffle and auction.

John Barber, John Eagle, Regina Jacobson, Louis Longi and Andrew Myers were among those in attendance at the artist reception, as well as contributing artwork to the live auction.

A new feature of this year’s event was the addition of state-of-the-art audio visual technology, provided by John Brown and the Showpros.

For more information, call (949) 376-6000, ext. 241.

SchoolPower honors Don CrevierSchoolPower held its final meeting of the school year on June 4, where outgoing president Tom Addis passed the torch to incoming president Jennifer Meiswinkel.

Meiswinkel lightheartedly promised to better Addis in fundraising.

The organization also awarded its SchoolPower Hall of Fame Award (also known as “The Claes Award”) to Don Crevier, who has made contributions to SchoolPower for more than 20 years.

SchoolPower cofounder Barbara Painter said that when the organization first decided to host a gala, they printed up invitations and let Crevier invite his friends. The rest was history.

Claes Andersen, who received the first SchoolPower Hall of Fame Award in 2006, planned an extraordinary menu and offered attendees the treat of selecting bottles of wine from his cellar.

Trustees Carol Normandin and Gail Haglund were acknowledged for their special contributions to SchoolPower, and Addis thanked outgoing Program Director Kristin Thomas for nearly four years of service to the organization.

New Endowment President Bill O’Hare and School Board member Theresa O’Hare were also in attendance.

Chamber, Rotary award scholarshipsThe Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce and Laguna Beach Rotary Club announced the recipients of scholarships to Laguna Beach High School seniors Marshall Thomas and Charlotte Bell on June 1 at the monthly Rotary Luncheon, held at the Hotel Laguna.

Two $2,000 scholarships were presented to the students, who were selected based on criteria that included an essay submission, academic excellence and exemplary philanthropic service in the community.

Marshall Thomas, who will attend UCLA in the fall, stood out among his peers for spearheading the Surfrider Foundation’s water safety testing program at local beaches.

On average, Thomas will dedicate up to sixteen hours per week to run the program.

Most notably, he logged over 600 volunteer hours this academic year.

Charlotte Bell is involved in charity work with organizations that include Laguna Presbyterian Church, Relay for Life, and assisting teachers at neighboring schools.

In addition to her demanding schedule of academics at LBHS, Charlotte finds the time to contribute an average of 11 hours a week, totaling more than 400 hours this year.

Charlotte will be attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the fall.

The scholarships were made possible by funds raised at the April 29 Grapes for Grads wine tasting event at Tivoli Too, which was attended by more than 400 people and featured over 20 local and regional wineries.

Teacher honored by two companiesTeacher Steven Sogo of Laguna Beach High School has been honored by BP and Coca-Cola for outstanding teaching.

Sogo received funds from BP’s A+ for Energy program to develop a Storing Solar Energy curriculum for his students.

Global energy provider BP will underwrite more than 130 projects submitted by California teachers that are designed to raise awareness about energy, through creative ideas about conservation and alternative energy.

Applications were reviewed and selected by an independent panel of California state educational and environmental leaders.

A+ for Energy recipients will receive awards in $5,000 and $10,000 increments.

As part of the program, BP will award grant recipients with a $500 all-inclusive scholarship to attend the NEED Project’s three-day training conference in California in July.

He also was one of 250 teachers nationwide named a 2007 Coca-Cola Educator of Distinction by the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation.

Sogo was one of only 250 educators across the country chosen to receive the award.

Sogo will receive a commemorative crystal gift and a plaque inscribed with a personal dedication written by Andrew Lyon, a 2007 Coca-Cola Scholar and a senior from Laguna Beach High School, who nominated Sogo.

Girl Scouts earn Silver AwardsNusheen Goshtasbi and Kaitlyn Waidley, both members of Laguna Beach Girl Scout Troop 283, received recognition at a ceremony last week for earning the Girl Scout Silver Award, the second highest award earned in Girl Scouting.

They both received a letter from the Governor commending them on their hard work, and also a certificate from Secretary of State Debra Brown.

Gov. Schwarzenegger stated that “the Silver Award celebrates outstanding service and sacrifice on behalf of one’s community and country.

This honor highlights your commitment to working and achieving your goals.”

In addition, they were both recognized with certificates from the Orange County Girl Scout Council. The girls worked for two years to earn the award, completing several requirements related to learning about their community. They both had to earn 15 hours in leadership activities, and completed 40 hours of community service at the Ronald McDonald House in Orange.

They learned about children with cancer and the effects it has on family members, and each did a special project that benefited the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House.

Both girls plan to earn the highest Girl Scout award, the Gold Award, before they graduate from high school in four years.

Parents Club hosts dinner eventThe Laguna Beach Parents Club held its first annual Bar B Q & Baby Blankets Evening on Tuesday.

The parents collected baby blankets and other items for distribution by the Laguna Beach Community Clinic.

SchoolPower and its endowment fund gave $289,971 to the Laguna Beach Unified School District and many of its teachers at Tuesday’s school board meeting.