Briefly In Education

No Square plans theater workshop

Children are invited to perform in the original production of “The Nutty Nutcracker” at No Square Theatre’s Legion Hall. Miss Linda Haylett will teach a six-week workshop beginning Nov. 3 and prepare kids as young as 2 to appear onstage for a 3 p.m. Dec. 12 performance.

The show is a child-friendly version of the classic ballet that includes tap-dancing mice and other surprises. Workshop classes will be held at Legion Hall on Wednesday mornings and after school hours. The cost is $100 per child. This includes six weekly classes and the child’s costume to keep. Tickets for the production will be $5 and will be sold at class and at the box office. To register, call (949) 715-0449.

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Students work with Meals on Wheels

First- through fifth-graders at Top of the World Elementary School participated in a PTA Community Services Program-sponsored project benefiting their local Meals on Wheels Program on Oct. 6. During the lunch period, the students decorated more than 100 boxes, placing messages of kindness and encouragement inside. The boxes will be delivered to Richard Arguile from the Laguna Beach Meals on Wheels Program at Mission Hospital and to Larry Arms from the Suzi Q Senior and Community Center today.

Meals-on-Wheels home-delivers two meals a day, for seven days a week (including holidays), and provides modified diets, to seniors ages 60 and older. Meals-on-Wheels are delivered to seniors’ homes by volunteers. Frequently the volunteer may be the only person the senior sees all day, providing human contact and a safety net, particularly for those seniors living alone.

Working to make the event a success were Carol Mindte and Missy Palino, co-chairwomen for the PTA Community Services Program, Maryann Thomas and Jennifer Chaney.

PTA officials said the activity focuses on the importance of charity and giving and encourages the students to use their creativity and talents to help make the world a better place.

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Anger is topic at Coffee Break

Ari Novick will discuss “Anger: How to Use It, Not Lose It” at a PTA Coffee Break meeting from 8:15 to 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Surf & Sand Hotel in Laguna Beach.

Novick, is a licensed marriage and family therapist and anger management expert. He has been a consultant for the Discovery Channel, CNN, CBS and Fox Television. He also conducts workshops and seminars for corporations in both the public and private sectors. He is the co-author of “Anger Management for the Twenty-First Century” and an adjunct professor of psychology at Pepperdine University’s Graduate School of Education and Psychology. For more information, visit https://www.ajnovickgroup.com.

Novick’s one-hour presentation will address how parents can control anger, including proven tools and interventions. The $5 charge includes coffee and pastries.

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Brigitte Naughton honored by Rotary

Brigitte Naughton was honored as Student of the Month on Oct. 8 at the Laguna Beach Rotary Club luncheon. Brigitte was recognized for her outstanding achievements in English, and excellence in other subjects as well as community service activities. Laguna Beach High School Principal Don Austin accompanied her to the luncheon at Aliso Creek Inn. Brigitte is seriously considering a career in medicine.

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Girls learn to stay safe

Chief Pat McKinley from the Fullerton Police Department visited Laguna Beach High School on Oct. 7 during a Girls’ Night Out with teenage girls and their mothers. He discussed safety techniques and illustrated real-life scenarios to assist the girls in making smart decisions.

McKinley’s book, “She Bear,” teaches girls to how to avoid unsafe situations, including evasive maneuvers against would-be attackers.

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Alumni champion teams to be honored

Alumni from Laguna Beach High School’s football league championship teams will be recognized at this year’s Homecoming game on Oct. 22, school officials announced. Events for the honorees will begin at a tailgate party at 5:30 p.m. in the main quad. All team members, including players, coaches and managers, will be admitted to the game free of charge and receive a commemorative program. At 6:35 p.m., the alumni championship teams will be individually introduced in chronological order, starting with 1936. Homecoming kickoff is 7 p.m.

Since the high school’s inception in 1934, only 12 varsity football teams — 1936, 1941, 1946, 1947, 1950, 1952, 1959, 1968, 1980, 1987, 2006, and 2009 — have won their league championships. Retired teacher Walt Hamera, who helped coordinate the event, coached the 1980 LBHS league championship football team.

“I appreciate the value the high school places on its history,” Hamera said. “The recognition is important to those of us who lived it and it is important to those who are living it now.” Hamera was also instrumental in creating the school’s Wall of Honor, which recognizes students, faculty, and staff who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, and the Education Wall, which honors the service of retired certificated and classified staff members who have dedicated at least 10 years of their professional careers to education.

High School Health Clerk Heidi Winegard, who has also been a part of the event’s planning committee, remembers cheering for the winning football team.

“In the summer of 1968, we barely had enough players to make a football team. As cheerleaders, we worried that there might not be a team to cheer for,” she said. “But we just made it with 17 players by the time football season started. That little team proved to be one of the best teams we ever had. It was an exciting time to be a cheerleader and I’m still proud of all of those players. It will be great to see many of them again at this Homecoming game.”

School Principal Don Austin said he is looking forward to meeting the championship alumni. “More importantly, I am looking forward to seeing them reconnect with each other. This should be a special night for everyone involved.”

Varsity football alumni league championship players, coaches and managers interested in attending the festivities should RSVP by Wednesday to Winegard at lagunabeachhighschoolalumni@Gmail.com.

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Tabu hosts benefit for club

Tabu Grill will host “Wine & Dine Night,” a benefit for the Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach, on Oct. 27. The event will feature the creative culinary delights that Tabu Grill is know for with a spectrum of wines from Justin Winery. Dinner tickets are $130 per person and seating is limited. To make a reservation, call (949) 494-7743.

Club board member Keith Gallo spearheaded the event, envisioned as the first in a series.

“The concept for Wine & Dine Nights is a win-win-win scenario,” Gallo said. “Guests get a superb dining experience, funds are raised to invest in local youth, and local establishments gain visibility and commerce. We expect this to become a city-wide event in the future.”