Sixth-graders head for Catalina Island

Cindy Shopoff

The Holidays are approaching quickly and we are in our own type of

frenzied activity at the middle school.

The sixth-grade students are packing their gear -- even as I write

-- to get ready to jump on that big boat that will ferry them to

nonstop learning and fun at Catalina Island for the annual Outdoor

Science School, Sunday through Tuesday. The students and parent

volunteers will be studying at the Catalina Island Marine Institute

at Toyon Bay, two miles west of Avalon. The beautiful Catalina

setting mimics our natural environment here in Laguna. Students will

participate in island ecology activities and labs including

snorkeling, oceanography exploration of the kelp forest.

We also have many students participating in this year’s national

PTA contest. The theme is “A Different Kind of Hero.” The children

think about what this theme means to them, and respond with a work of

art in one of the following mediums: literature, visual arts, musical

composition or photography. The deadline for entry is Dec. 10.

Red Ribbon Week took place the last week in October. This

anti-drug and healthy choices campaign includes information on

smoking, alcohol and drugs for elementary and middle school students.

At Thurston, the leadership classes decorated the campus and the

Peer Assistant Leadership students gave out the popular red bracelets

to kick off the week. Seventh-grade science classes worked on content

information about drug use, while the art classes initiated a poster

contest. The theater group created interactive plays in the Black Box

Theater. PE classes joined in as well with breathing exercises

targeted to dramatize the effects of smoking. This meaningful event

was brought about by our hard-working long time counselor Kay

Ostensen, thank you Kay for all your hard work.

From Dec. 7 to 13 we will be holding our semi-annual Scholastic

Book Fair in the library, for the benefit of the library, this should

be a great event which was started just a few years ago at Thurston

to encourage the kids to read. Which is the foundation for all

knowledge in my opinion.

Last but certainly not least, Principal Joanne Culverhouse and

Vice Principal Jenny Salberg have been reminding all the parents of

the importance of having the kids be there as many days as possible

to provide continuity in their learning experience. The campus looks

great, the kids and staff have clearly defined goals and the year is

shaping up to be one of Thurston’s best.

Hope you take a moment, in the start of the holiday madness, to

give thanks for the generation that is now being trained, right here

in Laguna Beach, to be leaders in the world of which we are all part.

Wishing you peace for the holidays.

* CINDY SHOPOFF is the president of the Thurston Middle School

PTA.