Schools Salute Volunteers, Partners as Integral to Education

District leaders thank Chuck Wootton for his dedicated volunteerism at Loma Portal Elementary

The district’s most dedicated volunteers and partners in education from local business and community groups were honored at the End-Of-Year Partner/Volunteer Awards Ceremony, presented by the Community Relations Department on May 25, at the Harold Ballard Parent Center.

More than 150 attendees were on hand for the festivities. Sponsored by California Coast Credit Union, the event offered an opportunity for the district to thank those who continue to put kids and their neighborhood schools first – from retired teachers to Naval officers and local retail stores. 

2011 Volunteer of the Year Awardees include: Trudy Lederer (Bird Rock Elementary), Charles “Chuck” Wootton (Loma Portal Elementary), Shirley Altieri (Washington Elementary), Maria Gibson (Millennial Tech Middle) and Becky Breedlove (Crawford CHAMPS High).

2011 Partners of the Year include the Fleet Anti-Submarine Warfare Training Center-Pacific (Cabrillo Elementary), the San Diego Bar Association Children at Risk Committee (Porter Elementary), SeaWorld San Diego and Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute (Pacific Beach Middle), the National Association of Women in Construction San Diego Chapter (Construction Tech Academy at Kearny High), and Pfizer Inc. (district-wide). Ten-year, 20-year and 25-year partners across the district were also honored.

View the End-of-Year Partner/Volunteer Awards Ceremony program for volunteer bios and a complete list of honorees.

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Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Border Patrol Meet With Crawford Students

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol Officers from the Department of Homeland Security recently presented at a school-wide assembly at Crawford High Educational Complex about the increased use of children as drug smugglers.

The officers explained the law and told students how the lives of these young people have been destroyed by involvement with drug dealers. Those caught face a minimum of two felonies (possession and smuggling) risking their entire future for as little as $50 or a nominal amount of drugs.

Some of the stories involved children as young as 8 years old. The students were also told about the work involved and what is required to enter the ICE or Border Patrol Officer professions.

For more information, please contact Steve Luttbeg, CCTE Teacher.

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What Can Be Done With 10,400 Boxes of Bendaroos?

Allstar Products Group has donated more than $200,000 worth of its Bendaroos product to San Diego Unified, part of the company's Bendaroos Building Creative Classrooms Initiative.

Packs of the colorful flexible building sticks will be distributed to elementary schools for art projects where students will bend, twist and shape 2- and 3-D creations.

The donation is a result of work by San Diego Unified's Community Relations Department, which last year brought in nearly $6 million in contributions to the district in cash, goods and volunteers.

"It's so important for children today to have opportunities for hands-on, open-ended play and learning," said Karen Harris, a Kindergarten teacher at Walker Elementary.  "We're excited to dig into the boxes of Bendaroos and the creative lesson plans."

Company officials said the goal of the program is to stretch a child's imagination and support local schools.

"Bendaroos® Building Creative Classrooms is about supporting teachers and fostering kids' imagination through tactile, creative play," said Anne Flynn, Vice President of Marketing for Allstar Products Group.

"We really appreciate the contribution by Allstar Products to our district," said Superintendent Bill Kowba. "To many people, a box Bendaroos might be a small thing, but to our teachers and students, these can be the key to learning."

For more information, contact Kathy Gartland, Community Relations Department, (619) 725-5592.

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Local Businesses Help Jumpstart the New School Year

On Sept. 1, teachers, students and parents made the trip to the Scripps Mesa Conference Center for a special district give-away. Disguise, Ltd., American Specialty Health, Callaway Golf, Carpenter’s Union Local 1506, Sony Corporation and Sky River Communications were just a few of the major contributors.

Halloween costumes, pens, pencils, markers, highlighters, three-ring binders, various desktop accessories, filing cabinets and furniture were among the items distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. One anonymous donor donated more than $5,000 in office supplies. In addition to the Sept. 1 event, Pfizer, Inc. has donated more than 58 pallets of science and lab supplies to our schools in the past few months. The estimated value of all of these combined donations totals approximately $500,000.

A special thank you to several members of the Scripps Ranch High School Boys Water Polo team who volunteered their time to help set up the donation site. For more information, please contact the Community Relations Dept. at (619) 725-5592.

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