BRIEFLY IN EDUCATION

Zero Trash Laguna cleans district lot

Students from Laguna Beach High School picked up litter around district headquarters and the high school last Saturday with the help of Zero Trash Laguna. About 14 students filled one large recycling bin and three-quarters of another bin, according to Chip McDermott of zerotrashlaguna.org.

The kids competed to see who could collect the most trash, with the first and second place winners getting a $25 coupon to Avila’s El Ranchita. The school has formed a zerotrashlaguna- beachighschool club.

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‘Science to Go’ in second grade

Top of the World Elementary second-grade students recently completed a series of science lessons on water and rocks that helped illustrate how these two key components work. The program, under the direction of Linda Barker, second-grade teacher and district K-5 Science Coordinator, was a multifaceted approach for students of every learning style.

An interactive “Science To Go” assembly sponsored by the Irvine Ranch Water District and the Discovery Science Center kicked off the program, where students learned about the physical properties and types of rocks, erosion, weather effect and soil composition.

In the classroom, students created rock sample boards with rocks purchased via a Pacific Life Insurance grant and rocks provided by the Discovery Science Center. Concluding the unit study will be an investigative Science Share Fair where students will identify a mystery soil by using the scientific process to determine how much sand, humus or clay is in their soil.

Students smell success with contest

Sixteen students from Laguna College of Art & Design who participated in a design competition for Hanae Mori Parfums were honored at a reception held recently at Bloomingdale’s in South Coast Plaza. Twenty-four entries were submitted, and 17 were chosen for an exhibition at the store.

Of the finalists, three winners were selected: Senior Pernille Damgaard, Junior Dawn Davidson and Junior Melody Duenas. First-place winner Damgaard will go on to compete with other regional winners at the final judging to be held in New York in January. Other participating colleges nationwide include Hofstra University, Ramapo College, the State University of New York at Stony Brook, as well as schools in Florida and Illinois.

“The story of how we chose Laguna College of Art & Design is quite amusing,” said Adam Brecht, Vice President of Corporate Communications for International Cosmetics and Perfumes, Inc. “I had originally thought of UCLA, pairing it with the Bloomingdale’s store in Century City. But our chief executive, Emmanuel Saujet, a French-born U.S. citizen and Beverly Hills resident, said, ‘Laguna is where the visual creativity is. Move it there!’ Thus we found you!”

Bloomingdale’s and Hanae Mori Parfums created the art competition for the students as a part of their curriculum. The contest offered LCAD students the chance to compete to have their original artwork incorporated into the national product packaging of Hanae Mori Parfums, one of the most elegant and enduring perfume lines, made in France.

The line is named for Madame Hanae Mori, Japan’s first female fashion designer to show her collection on the runways of Paris and New York and the first Japanese woman in France’s haute couture club.

“The Hanae Mori competition was eagerly embraced by Laguna College of Art and Design in that it provided our students with an opportunity to display their creativity in a real-world context. The selected entries elegantly show the students’ talent as well as their ability to respond to a focused assignment,” said Vice President of Academic Affairs Hélène Garrison.