Briefly In Education

No layoffs planned at Laguna Unified

Laguna Beach Unified School District announced last week that, for the second consecutive year, no faculty or staff will be handed pink slips.

The deadline for announcing layoffs in the public schools was Monday.

Unlike most school districts in California, Laguna Beach is a “basic aid” district, and receives most of its funding from local property taxes instead of relying on a per-pupil allotment from the state.

For districts that depend on the state for funds, it’s a different story.

Pink slips were issued to 21,905 teachers and other staff in California’s public schools this year, according to a news release from the California Department of Education, eliminating not only jobs but classes like art, music and physical education for students.

High school track dedication set

The Laguna Beach Unified School District Board of Education voted unanimously last January to name the Laguna Beach High School Track the Eric Hulst Track, in honor of the alumnus and track and field athlete.

A track dedication ceremony will be at 4 p.m. Saturday during the 42nd Trophy Invitational at Guyer Field.

Hulst is the first student honored with an official naming of a Laguna Beach High facility.

Open house honors club donors

The Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach will host an open house from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday to honor donors who have given recurrent annual donations for five or more years.

A special recognition ceremony will take place at 5:30 p.m.

Everyone in the community is invited to stop by the main branch, 1085 Laguna Canyon Road, and check out the club’s award-winning youth development programs in action.

The club offers more than 30 enrichment programs designed to help young people achieve academic success, increase creativity, make healthy lifestyle choices and gain character and leadership skills.

For more information, call Michelle at (949) 494-2535 ext. 103 or e-mail micheller@bgclaguna.org.

Spring fundraiser nets $5,000

Thurston Middle School’s annual PTA spring fundraiser raised $5,000 for PTA programs.

The Out on the Town event attracted about 100 Thurston parents, alumni, staff and several members of the school board, who ventured downtown to enjoy appetizers and wine at two of the event’s participating restaurants, which included the Lumberyard, Nick’s Laguna, Nirvana Grille, Sorrento Grille and Sundried Tomato Café.

A celebration followed at Romeo Cucina with a light buffet supper and dancing, with desserts provided by Zinc Café.

At the end of the evening, some attendees took advantage of the $3 city taxi vouchers, available at the Recreation Department, and rode home in chauffeured style.

Chairwomen Melissa Cavanaugh and Kathleen Moore, who worked on this event for their third and sixth years, respectively, said they are grateful to the parents, staff and businesses that helped make the event a success.

“At a time when so many individuals and business are still feeling the effects of a down-turned economy, it was amazing to see the unwavering support of our downtown restaurants, and to have a turnout that enabled us to raise just as much as we did in 2009,” Cavanaugh said.

The pair were shadowed throughout their planning for this year’s event by Christy Addis, who plans to take over next year when Cavanaugh and Moore’s eighth-graders move on to the high school.

Scholarships offered to students

The Orange County Community Foundation recently launched online scholarship applications for the more than 80 scholarship programs it offers to Orange County high school and college students. Application deadlines are in March.

Provided by funds established by donors who have a commitment to higher education, the scholarship program matches applicants to scholarship opportunities based on specific criteria such as their school, major and extracurricular activities.

In 2009, more than 300 scholarships worth more than $600,000 were awarded to help students pay for tuition, books and fees.

Most scholarships administered by the Community Foundation are available only to students in Orange County; however, there are a few exceptions.

Founded in 1989, the mission of the OCCF is to encourage, support and facilitate philanthropy in Orange County.

It works with donors, strengthens the capacity of local nonprofit organizations, and incubates new solutions that address the community’s unmet needs.

The foundation has granted more than $150 million since its inception.

For more information about the program, to view deadlines or apply, visit www.oc-cf.org/scholarships.