EDUCATION Newport-Mesa students see books come to...

EDUCATION

Newport-Mesa students see books come to life

Artist Susan Ahrend, who illustrated the book “How Willy Got His

Wings” and was one of 34 authors who took part in the Newport-Mesa

Unified School District’s Author Festival. She shared the tale of the

paralyzed dog, Willy, with the students.

As a bonus, students at Paularino Elementary met Willy’s

girlfriend, an 11-year-old Maltese therapy dog named Dolly.

Willy himself had a prior engagement, but Ahrend brought along her

drawings and plenty of slides showing Willy dressed in a sailor suit,

in a sombrero and in an Elvis costume.

* An elementary school principal who has been the target of harsh

parental complaints for weeks announced an immediate leave of absence

on Wednesday. Newport-Mesa Unified School district officials

announced to parents Thursday that Newport Heights Elementary School

Principal Judith Chambers was taking an immediate leave to work on

her dissertation. Rea Elementary School Principal Ken Killian, a

33-year veteran of the district, will serve as interim principal for

Newport Heights.

* School officials have no plans to beef up security despite two

shootings in four months near elementary schools, saying children’s

safety is not at risk. Though the shootings took place close to

Wilson Elementary School in October and Rea Elementary School Friday,

Newport-Mesa Unified School District spokeswoman Jane Garland said

they have not instructed schools to take any extra precautions.

* Despite budget cuts, Orange Coast College added 220 class

sections to the schedule for spring. Monday, the first day of class,

saw 21,659 students enrolled -- a 4.69% increase over the fall.

-- Marisa O’Neil