The Crowd

B.W. Cook

Times have changed. It used to be a given that California public

schools were the finest in the nation. Today, they struggle to be ranked

at the bottom of national averages. There are many factors contributing

to the decline. Not all of them are related to the school system itself.

Communities, parents and children must all accept responsibility for

their educational process.

One factor, however, is very clear to all. There is simply not enough

money to provide the best available education in an up-to-date

environment. The irony is, of course, that we live in very flush times,

in a very affluent community.

Local parents have taken the reins and are attempting to make a

difference. One such example of parents getting involved took place this

past week in Newport Beach as the families of students attending Mariners

Elementary School threw a fund-raising bash at The Crean Estate on the

Back Bay.

“I have to ask where is the lottery money?” said Mariners’ graduate

and parent Laurie Veitch of Westcliff/Dover Shores. Veitch, a Newport

native who attended Mariners is now the mother of three children who also

attended the school and have now graduated to upper-division Newport

public schools. She came to help serve the dinner and support the

parents’ effort to raise funds to supplement education in the community.

“My children have moved on, but as a member of the community who cares

about the future for all children and families in the region, I wanted to

be here tonight,” added Veitch, who enjoyed mingling with teachers from

Mariner’s who taught her as well as her children.

“We have quality teachers,” she added. “We need money to support them,

give them the supplies and tools they need, provide aides to alleviate

overcrowded rooms, and money to simply provide a decent physical plant.”

Randy Friend, a local attorney and another Newport native who serves

as chairman of the Mariners Foundation Board, said, “A decent physical

environment is important to the overall disposition to learning. If

children are attending a school that is run down, what kind of an

attitude would you expect to develop? We just replaced 40-year-old rancid

carpet in the kindergarten room. It’s not right.”

Randy and his wife, Susan, have four children ranging from

pre-kindergarten to fourth grade. The quality of education at Mariners is

a first priority for the young family.

“We have confidence in the public system,” Susan said. “We just know

that we have to be involved to make it work for us and for the

community.”

The fall fund-raiser at the Crean mansion was billed as “A Southern

Night of Blues and BBQ” by organizer and hostess Garnet Thompson. The

very attractive, auburn-haired mom shared duties with an equally

attractive co-chair Susan Graham. The pair worked fast and furiously with

a dedicated volunteer committee that included Kay Davis, Gary and Lisa

Gerson, Robin Chesnie, Ann Ramser, Linda Wooters, Paula Durnian, Karen

Martin, Jeff and Kerri Hirsch and Elizabeth Lewis, to name only a few.

“I am really pleased about the turnout tonight,” Thompson said. “This

is great support. Tonight is just one building block to a brighter future

for Mariner’s. Next year, we’ll have more time to plan, we’ll get more

parents involved, and we’ll make even more money for the school.”

The event, only weeks in the planning stage, attracted the support of

some 200 Mariners families, raising more than $50,000 for the foundation.

“We are making a real difference in the lives of children,” said

Thompson, working the party to ensure the success of the evening.

A significant part of the financial success of the evening was due to

the enormous silent auction, which filled several of the main rooms of

the Crean estate. Mariner’s parents worked tirelessly to secure gifts

from local merchants. Prizes ranged from a holiday at the Ritz-Carlton

Laguna Niguel to estate planning services donated by Friend.

The dinner for the evening was provided by generous restaurants Haute

Cakes, Ho Sum Bistro, Scampi Trattorria, Top Hat Productions, Culinary

Adventures Catering, Clayton Shurley’s Texas BBQ, and Bluewater Grill and

Oyster Bar. Major underwriting for the affair provided by Hoag Hospital,

Opulent Media Inc., Rex Transportation, Union Bank, and the Charles

Durnian family.

Other generous donors included Botanicare Landscape, Coors, Northern

Trust, Starbucks and Thomas Printers.

Local celebs in the crowd included Costa Mesa Police kingpin Dave

Snowden with his pretty wife, Ellen. A special treat was the appearance

of Mariner’s teacher Sue White, recently retired after 33-plus years at

Mariner’s.

Also on hand was the much-loved and respected Chuck and Lynda Hughes.

The couple teach fourth and fifth grade respectively at Mariner’s.

Kindergarten teachers Kathy Blue and Ellen Borden were in the crowd with

teachers Joanna Bell, third grade, and Joan Wedland, second grade.

Another proud involved parent, Teri Kerrek, summed up the evening this

way: “You do whatever is needed to be done, that’s why we’re here.”

Funds raised by the Mariners Foundation will support the science lab,

an expanded math program, updated computer lab, teacher’s aides, foreign

language programs, and myriad campus physical improvements.

“We want to be a state-of-the-art learning center for our children,

and we will be just that,” Thompson said.

With the positive energy displayed at the Crean event, there is no

doubt the Mariners parents will succeed. * B.W. COOK’S column appears

every Thursday and Saturday.