Briefly In Education

Colonial Days at El Morro

El Morro Elementary students took a journey back in American history during Colonial Days 2010, held Monday and Tuesday at the school. It was the 20th annual Colonial Days at the school.

The PTA-sponsored event included the reconstruction of an American colonial village and a rich variety of hands-on opportunities, which helped students experience for themselves what life was like in the early days of the United States. Students made candles, sewed a pillow, made a wax seal, played colonial children’s games, sampled colonial foods, and had their profile drawn in the silhouette booth.

“Living Off of the Land” was this year’s theme and students, staff, and volunteers dressed in colonial day attire for the events that took place in the transformed multipurpose room. This is the second year Colonial Days has been planned over a six-year cycle so students experience something different every year, according to school officials.

“Colonial Days is an opportunity to give our children/students ‘hands-on experience’ from days gone by. Nothing thrills me more than when a child says ‘that’s how they did that?” said Colonial Days PTA Chairwoman Juliana Gambrell. “We take for granted our way of life — this puts it in perspective.”

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Brighter holidays for boys and girls

The Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach and its volunteers collected gifts for all 62 low-income children at the club for the holiday season.

Club board member Paula Hornbuckle led the charge to brighten the season for the preschool children and their siblings by calling on volunteers and the community to help out. Within a couple of days, she collected enough promises from members of the 100 Women and BG’s Club auxiliary groups to meet the club’s goal.

The Laguna Beach Police Department, book clubs, church groups, Hobie Sports, Coco’s Restaurant, Laguna Beach parents and other members of the community have joined the holiday spirit by sponsoring additional Club and preschool children and families.

“The generosity of our wonderful community has been amazing” Hornbuckle said. “We would not have been able to provide gifts for this many children without their support.”

Club preschool director Terry Anne Barman said it was wonderful to see how people have reached out in these stressful economic times.

“It is the true spirit of Christmas at work,” she said.

The club is still looking for a few of Santa’s elves to show up at the gift-wrapping party at 10 a.m. Dec. 13 at the Main Branch. For more information, contact Hornbuckle at mgmlvlioness@msn.com or call (949) 494-2535, ext. 103.

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Students tour recycling plant

In honor of America Recycles Day, St. Catherine’s eighth-grade class recently toured Waste Management of Orange County’s Irvine Processing and Transfer Facility to learn more about recycling.

For bringing recyclables, the students were rewarded by Waste Management with recycled school supplies.

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‘Race to Nowhere’ film showing

The Laguna PTA will feature “Race to Nowhere,” a documentary that highlights the high-stakes, high-pressure culture that has invaded the lives of our youth, at 7 p.m. Thursday at South Coast Cinemas, 162 S. Coast Hwy.

Directed by a mother-turned-filmmaker, the film describes a disturbing undercurrent in schools where cheating has become commonplace; students are disengaged; stress-related illness and depression are rampant; and many young people arrive at college and the workplace unprepared and uninspired.

“Race to Nowhere” is intended to inspire families, educators, and policy makers to re-evaluate current assumptions on how to best prepare the youth of America to become healthy, bright, contributing and leading citizens, according to a press release from the PTA.

Tickets are $10. For more information, visit https://www.racetonowhere.com.

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Library sponsors creativity contest

The Orange County Public Library is sponsoring a new monthly contest for local teens ages 12 to 18.

“OC Voices & Visions” will showcase the creative works of prose, poetry, art and film. A new theme will be announced at the beginning of each month, with entries due by the last day of the month. Winning entries will be published on the OC Public Libraries website.

December’s theme is “What Moves Me?” Entries must be the teen’s original work, using only non-copyrighted materials in their production, and will be judged by panels of librarians.

Winners of the December contest will be on the library’s website in February 2011.

Teens may enter only one work per category each month, but can enter more than one category. They must have a valid OC Public Libraries library card to enter, which they can get, with parent’s signature, at the Laguna Beach Library. Information on the contest and on how to get a card can be found at https://www.ocpl.org. All OC Public Libraries branch libraries will have entry forms as well.

For more information, call the Laguna Beach Library (949) 497-1733.

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Alumni launch historic calendar

The Laguna Beach High 2011 Alumni Assn. calendar is now available. Alumni are invited to revisit memories with the collection of historical photographs and old shots of Laguna Beach.

All proceeds will benefit scholarships for LBHS students who are descendents of the schools’ alumni—taking into account need and achievement. To place an order, visit https://www.lulu.com.