GAINS & LOSSES

GAINS

SPILLING OUT CASH

Huntington Beach will receive $3.8 million from a lawsuit for damage

caused by the 1990 American Trader oil spill. The money, part of an

$11.6-million countywide settlement, will go toward improving the South

Beach area. That means new restrooms and security lights, as well as

better bike and pedestrian trails.

VVRA, VVRA, VROOM!

Marina High School seniors Kelly Hatada and Colin Harris are competing at

the National Automotive Competition in New York City this week. They are

vying for $45,000 each in scholarships against 39 teams, mostly from

technical high schools. Kelly is the second girl to ever qualify for the

8-year-old event, which is held at the National Auto Show.

OLYMPIC HOPE

Huntington Beach gymnast Jeanette Antolin, 18, is in the running for a

berth on the six-member U.S. Olympic women’s gymnastics team. Antolin, a

senior at Marina High School, is ranked No. 5 nationally. The UCLA-bound

student is on the last legs of a tour that will end with the Olympic

trials. We wish her luck.

LOSSES

THE BAND PLAYS ON

The instruments played by students in the Huntington Beach Union High

School District are in a state of disrepair, school band boosters say.

Dented tubas, taped tambourines and soldered French horns compete with

22-year-old band uniforms for much-needed funds. Booster club members

have asked the school board to help provide money for instrument repair

and uniforms. “You will be investing in generations of students,” said

Nick Le Bail, an Edison senior. The district said the proposal will be

taken into consideration come budget time.

HOLDING BACK

A student assessment taken 24 weeks into the school year shows that 46%

of Oak View Elementary School students are at risk of being held back.

That number is expected to drop to 30% by the end of the school year,

Ocean View School District Supt. James Tarwater said. Most of Oak View’s

students are Latino, and English language proficiency is a problem area,

he said. The district hopes to get a $545,000 preschool program grant to

help Oak View students prepare for school at a younger age. The

elementary school retention rate for the district overall is 8%.