GAY GEISER-SANDOVAL -- Educationally Speaking

Life is about making choices. Right now, one of the choices is whether

to put outdoor holiday lights at public schools. Another choice is

whether to burn electricity on outdoor lights when the state is

experiencing an energy crisis.

If people need electricity in their homes to run a machine for their

health, is it selfish for a school, home or business to turn on outdoor

lights that might lead to a blackout?

What do the lights mean to someone who sees them on the public school,

as opposed to what the decorative lights mean to the person who put them

up? If a parent doesn’t agree with a decision about the lights, should

the parent withdraw support for the school? If so, what message does that

send to their kids?

Although kids seem to be able to discuss issues that involve religion,

even tangentially, with a level head, I can’t say the same for adults.

This might be a good year to turn off the lights for energy conservation

reasons. Then, initiate dialogue, in a calm manner, about what the lights

might symbolize to others. Let’s not expect that the minority person is

willing to face an ugly mob on this issue. Let’s try to put ourselves in

each other’s shoes when deciding what to do for future years.

***

If you would like your child to take a serious look at a career in

science, go to Ask the Scientists Night from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesday.

This event, sponsored by the Joint Costa Mesa-Estancia High School

Science Fair Initiative, will be held at Estancia High’s science court

this year. It is open to anyone, and it’s free.

This year, 16 scientists are scheduled to be there. There will be men

and women, and people of different ethnicities, so kids can know that

successful scientists come in all shapes and sizes. The scientists’

disciplines cover ecology, developmental and cell biology, physics,

anatomy, neurobiology, chemistry, entomology, zoology, neurology, and

civil and environmental engineering.

That means that scientists can talk about whether species are becoming

extinct and the effect on the Earth or whether the chemicals that end up

in the water cause mutations in animals and humans. They will talk about

black holes and genetic engineering. Instead of a lecture, these

scientists will be here to answer kids’ questions and interact with them.

Because it is predicted that more and more of our labor force needs a

science background, these scientists are taking the time to spark the

flame in a young student. That way, the student can take the right

courses in high school to lead them to a successful scientific college

career.

***

We’ve been reading a lot about school vandalism lately, but the

problem is not new. The high schools get hit almost every weekend.

But who does it hurt? It hurts the students when they don’t get the

benefit of other regularly performed school maintenance because the

maintenance people have to spend time each Monday ungluing doors and

cleaning up graffiti, the pool and school grounds.

My suggestion is to have a caretaker live on each high school campus.

Install a mobile home on each site. Let a willing caretaker stay in it

rent free in exchange for just being the eyes and ears of the community

right on site. Let’s stop the ruination of our school campuses from

becoming a regular Saturday night activity.

* GAY GEISER-SANDOVAL is a Costa Mesa resident. Her column runs

Tuesdays. She can be reached by e-mail at GGSesq@aol.com.