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Hello and Talofa! Like Mother's Day and Father's Day here in the United States, in Samoa for the Methodist Church, on the second Sunday of February of every year, we celebrate youth Sunday or Aso Sa Tupulaga. On this day the youth show all there God-given talents in singing traditional hymns, acting in bible skits, praying, preaching, playing instruments, and more. The Samoan Methodist youth motto is "Christ Above All" or "O Keriso Ole Tumutumu O Mea Uma." Our goal is to try to keep the youth off the street and away from the sinful life and closer to our God, by having lot's of youth activities. (bible studies, choir singing, traditional dancing and sporting activities). so feel free to stop by and visit, wWe are located at 604 West Q St., in Wilmington. From all of us to all of you, God bless you, Tofa Soifua.
Submitted by Lala Faraimo Jr., President of MYF youth
In response to the earthquake and devastation in Haiti, the Madison Student Council coordinated two ways for our students to give to those who are in need.
One of our efforts was to collect cash to donate to the American Red Cross. Our students and their families donated over $1,500, which we proudly gave to the American Red Cross.
The second effort was to partner with Sport Chalet and collect gently used shoes. The Madison student body heard the call and donated 735 pairs of shoes.
These are just two examples of the big hearts and generous spirits of our Madison community!
Since Bryant Elementary school in Long Beach missed last year's Green Nose Day... USA fundraiser last March, they kept the little money boxes that contained the clown noses and used the boxes to collect money for those who are not so fortunate. The students and their parents decided that more loving thing to do would be to have a fundraiser outcome be sent to Habitat for Humanity for the Haiti relief efforts. The fundraiser began March 5.
One of our efforts was to collect cash to donate to the American Red Cross. Our students and their families donated over $1,500, which we proudly gave to the American Red Cross.
The second effort was to partner with Sport Chalet and collect gently used shoes. The Madison student body heard the call and donated 735 pairs of shoes.
These are just two examples of the big hearts and generous spirits of our Madison community!
Submitted by Patricia S. Jernigan, Principal
Madison Elementary School
Madison Elementary School
Since Bryant Elementary school in Long Beach missed last year's Green Nose Day... USA fundraiser last March, they kept the little money boxes that contained the clown noses and used the boxes to collect money for those who are not so fortunate. The students and their parents decided that more loving thing to do would be to have a fundraiser outcome be sent to Habitat for Humanity for the Haiti relief efforts. The fundraiser began March 5.Submitted by Doris Robinson, Bryant Elementary
Best Steps Family Child Care in Lakewood shared their love with those in need, Saturday, November 21, by contributing nine boxes of food to the Box of Love Food Drive sponsored by The Rock Christian Fellowship a local Long Beach ministry. Best Steps is a four star Los Angeles Universal Preschool Site and has served the Long Beach-Lakewood community for 15 years. Children participated in this community outreach as a part of a learning activity to teach about the meaning of giving and being thankful. Pictured with the children are their teachers Sandra Dennis, left and Elizabeth McGhee, right. Children are: front row, left to right: Dominic Filippi, Zaire McGhee, Samara Bruce, Teyler McCloud, Gavin Geib. Back row, l to r: Jaila Paulette, David Moran, Preston Hyner, Sierra Guiterrez, Sierra Vanderlip, Amira Young, Abigail Lodge, Jackson Creary.
On November 18, 2009 Dustin Starr, a Senior at Wilson Classical High School became an Eagle Scout. He has been in Boy Scout Troop 74 out of the Long Beach Area Council, Los Fieros District since the 5th grade. To become an Eagle Scout, you have to attain the rank in succession through Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star and Life.
The basic requirements for Eagle Scout include having 21 Merit Badges (some are required and some are elective), the six months of leadership in the troop after becoming a Life Scout and then plan, design, go before the Eagle Board of Review to get approval and carry out a Community Service Project. After your Service Project is complete you have to go through a Scout Master Conference followed by your Eagle Board of Review.
Dustin's project idea came from his old Alma Mater at a Long Beach Unified School District site. The volunteers demolished old wooden flower boxes and replaced them with new planter boxes with a bench in between them so the students would be able to relax during the lunch period. The project itself has to be carried out by volunteers, who happened to be Scouts, friends and family. Dustin is the supervisor and had to delegate the work while supervising safety and time management.
In all, the project took Dustin from start to finish 154 hours. His family and friends are very proud of his accomplishment and the school lunch area looks beautiful!
Congratulations to Dustin Starr!
The basic requirements for Eagle Scout include having 21 Merit Badges (some are required and some are elective), the six months of leadership in the troop after becoming a Life Scout and then plan, design, go before the Eagle Board of Review to get approval and carry out a Community Service Project. After your Service Project is complete you have to go through a Scout Master Conference followed by your Eagle Board of Review.
Dustin's project idea came from his old Alma Mater at a Long Beach Unified School District site. The volunteers demolished old wooden flower boxes and replaced them with new planter boxes with a bench in between them so the students would be able to relax during the lunch period. The project itself has to be carried out by volunteers, who happened to be Scouts, friends and family. Dustin is the supervisor and had to delegate the work while supervising safety and time management.
In all, the project took Dustin from start to finish 154 hours. His family and friends are very proud of his accomplishment and the school lunch area looks beautiful!
Congratulations to Dustin Starr!
Submitted by Susan Starr
Waite Middle School is participanting in the "Million Word Challenge." The Million Word Challenge is a community-wide literacy campaign promoting reading outside of school time but we at Waite Middle School promote reading during school every day. The initiative challenges students to read Millions of Words throughout the school year. The "Challenge" is sponsored by Los Angeles County Office of Education, LaOpinion, Target, Southern California Gas Company, Literacy Network and many more.
At the end of each month the total words read will be tallied and announced. At the end of April one winner from each grade will have a chance to win a $50.00 gift certificate at Feria del Libro: A Family Book Fair, which will take place on June 5, 2010 on the grounds of Los Angeles City Hall. We at Waite Middle School will also acknowledge our winners with gift certificates from Barnes and Noble and Target.
At the end of each month the total words read will be tallied and announced. At the end of April one winner from each grade will have a chance to win a $50.00 gift certificate at Feria del Libro: A Family Book Fair, which will take place on June 5, 2010 on the grounds of Los Angeles City Hall. We at Waite Middle School will also acknowledge our winners with gift certificates from Barnes and Noble and Target.
Submitted by Marsha Chotiner
Waite Middle School Librarian
Waite Middle School Librarian
Long Beach Job Corps Center Business Technology students visited the Long Beach Press-Telegram last week for the Job Shadow Day. They were allowed to meet with the staff members and they enjoyed the discussions about journalism. A few are thinking more seriously about future careers in journalism or photojournalism after their visit.
The students are pictured here with Press-Telegram Executive Editor Richard Archbold, far right kneeling.
Submitted by Sandy Annino
Here are pictures from "Jump for the Record." On Monday, February 1, at exactly 9 a.m., Lowell School joined approximately 80,000 children throughout the State of California in a mass attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the, Most People Jumping/Skipping Rope at the Same Time.
From 9 a.m. to 9:10 a.m. on the Lowell playground, our students skipped rope along with other schools to break the existing Guinness World Record of 59,000 people, held by Australia. Our participants were among 80,000 Californians to jump over the record from down under. This event was a great and fun reminder that it doesn't require a great deal of money or expensive equipment to be healthy, fit and fight childhood obesity. All it requires is perhaps a good pair of shoes and a jump rope. Since this was a joint effort with the American Heart Association, donations were also collected for the American Heart Association.
From 9 a.m. to 9:10 a.m. on the Lowell playground, our students skipped rope along with other schools to break the existing Guinness World Record of 59,000 people, held by Australia. Our participants were among 80,000 Californians to jump over the record from down under. This event was a great and fun reminder that it doesn't require a great deal of money or expensive equipment to be healthy, fit and fight childhood obesity. All it requires is perhaps a good pair of shoes and a jump rope. Since this was a joint effort with the American Heart Association, donations were also collected for the American Heart Association.
Submitted by Laurie Murrin
Principal
Lowell Elementary School
Long Beach
Our school, Grace Christian Schools of Long Beach recently collected shoes from our school families for the Soles for Souls program through Sports Chalet. Here are some of our 6th graders with the shoes they collected for the people of Haiti.
The same week the cold mornings were felt, I read in the Parkcrest Church bulletin the high school department was having a jacket drive. I contacted the high school director, Rachel Oblon and inquired if the McKinley students could benefit from the jacket drive. She told me one of the high school students, Katie Kelly, was coordinating the drive and then she generously offered to dedicate the entire jacket drive to our school.
We sent a flyer out to parents telling them they could come to our school cafeteria on a specific Saturday with their student and pick out a jacket. Rachel and Katie brought a team of dedicated Parkcrest volunteers down to McKinley with 430 jackets early on that Saturday morning. The line of parents and students stretched down the block. Our community along with Parkcrest Church, really came through for our kids and beautiful jackets were handed out to the students and their families.
It takes a village.
Submitted by Barbara Davis
Grace Christian Schools
Early Wednesday mornings finds my colleague, Jill Hoover and I on playground duty. At the beginning of the school year the mornings are very pleasant. However, when the cold frosty mornings began, it was evident by the lack of jackets that our students were not prepared for the cold. Some students were even staying home because of the lack of warm clothing.The same week the cold mornings were felt, I read in the Parkcrest Church bulletin the high school department was having a jacket drive. I contacted the high school director, Rachel Oblon and inquired if the McKinley students could benefit from the jacket drive. She told me one of the high school students, Katie Kelly, was coordinating the drive and then she generously offered to dedicate the entire jacket drive to our school.
We sent a flyer out to parents telling them they could come to our school cafeteria on a specific Saturday with their student and pick out a jacket. Rachel and Katie brought a team of dedicated Parkcrest volunteers down to McKinley with 430 jackets early on that Saturday morning. The line of parents and students stretched down the block. Our community along with Parkcrest Church, really came through for our kids and beautiful jackets were handed out to the students and their families.
It takes a village.
Submitted by Christy Cleveland
Counselor
McKinley Elementary
Counselor
McKinley Elementary
On October 29, 2009 the Fire Dragon troop of Camp Fire Long Beach Area Council came to Comprehensive Child Development with dozens of books for the preschool children at the Pacific Avenue Child Development Center. They are a troop of 10 boys who are all in 2nd grade at Longfellow Elementary School, in their third year together. The troop began when the boys were in Kindergarten. The book drive was part of the "Kiniya" service project. The boys are: Casey, Ben, Jacob, Willem, Raphael, Nathan, Jack, Aidan, Owen and Gabriel. The troop leaders are Cynthia DeCure and Nora Mueller. The boys collected then delivered the books and then divided up and went to all four classrooms and each troop member read a book to the children, who sat in rapt attention in a circle at their feet.Comprehensive Child Development, Inc. (CCD) is a nonprofit organization providing high quality early childhood education for the preschool children of low-income working parents in the greater Long Beach area. Being primarily state funded, there is always a need to find ways to supplement classroom supplies and materials because of the gap in funding between state contracts and the actual cost of early childhood education. Many of these families have no money to buy books to read with their children. The reading experience is very important for future success as they enter into the school system. The families of CCD are very grateful to the boys of the Fire Dragon Troop. They are going to be great future leaders. For more information about CCD, go to www.ccdlb.org.
Submitted by Louise Cunningham, Development Director
The Bellflower High Marching Band is comprised of only 38 members and a handful of parent supporters. Their band director, Mr. Omar Vidana, has only been at the helm for a year and a half. Last year they did not make either of the state championships. This year has been a very different story. These kids have worked their very hardest to turn this band around and that they have done indeed. They have competed in a total of 10 field shows during the 2009 marching season and have won eight first places and two second places. They also won first place at the Southern California Judging Association Field Show Competition November 21 to earn the title California State Band Champion. The Bellflower High Marching Band beat out five other bands in Division 1, from around the state. They competed in the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Associations 2009 field championships against 11 other schools at Warren High in Downey and took home the 3rd place bronze medal. We are very proud of both bands. They both should get the recognition that they have earned.
Submitted by Mrs. Nicole Freeman-Wright
A case manager with We Care, left is pictured with Anthony Mejia II, center, and Holden Maney, right, two blessed 12-year-old friends who live in the Rossmoor/Seal Beach area. Anthony and Holden celebrated their 12th birthday with 25 of their closest friends at Deft Touch Soccer in Los Alamitos. The boys were overwhelmed with the generosity of their friends. Their parents thought it would be the perfect time to remind them that there are others less fortunate. The boys decided to take a generous portion of their gift certificates and shop for children sponsored by We Care in Los Alamitos. Mrs. Maney and Mrs. Mejia-Espinosa took the boys shopping and were touched by how excited the boys were to buy gifts for children they did not know. The boys look forward to helping those less fortunate in the near future by volunteering their time and giving to organizations like We Care.
Bellflower Elementary Ensemble
I had the privilege of hearing our daughter, Claire Wood, and 75 others perform Thursday night at the Bellflower Civic Auditorium. The show was amazing. She sings with a group known as the Bellflower Elementary Ensemble under the direction of Mr. Brian Dennis. The Elementary Ensemble is a gem within the Bellflower Unified School District. It is an ensemble group comprised of 5th and 6th graders selected from the 11 elementary schools of the Bellflower district. The group includes 64 singers as well as 11 dancers. In the last two weeks, the Ensemble has performed for various shows including the Bellflower Chamber of Commerce, the Bellflower Women's Club, their annual Christmas Concert and at Knott's Berry Farm. Many more concerts are scheduled for the new year including Disneyland and their annual Spring concert. These children work hard and practice long for Ensemble while still required to maintain their schoolwork and grades. The result is a group of talented children that have found their place to flourish. It is a breath of fresh air to find a district, program and director that are dedicated to supporting the arts in a serious and meaningful way. To the Bellflower Elementary Ensemble, we are so proud of you! Keep up the good work.
Submitted by Gary & Sharon Wood
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