Briefly In Education

Angels player visits elementary schools

Thurston Middle School welcomed Angels center fielder Peter Bourjos to the campus for a special presentation Tuesday.

Bourjos also visited Top of the World and El Morro elementary schools during the week.

He spoke to students about the importance of studying, getting good grades and goal-setting.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have partnered with the district for three years for the Laguna Family Night fundraiser at the stadium. Laguna Beach families will gather June 11 at the stadium for a game against the Kansas City Royals.

The district receives 50% of the proceeds for each ticket sold, and Laguna Beach families get their own seating area.

The Laguna Beach High School valedictorian will throw the first pitch, the elementary school chorus will sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” and a Thurston student is going to yell “Play ball!” to get the game started.

Raffle winners will get the opportunity to steal third base.

To top it all off, British singer/songwriter Taio Cruz will be doing a live performance after the game.

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LBUSD address cyberbullying and sexting

On Monday, the Laguna Beach Unified School District is hosting “Cyberbullying, Sexting and Unwise Social Networking.”

The presentation will be focused on the extent and consequences of cyberbullying and parenting strategies for addressing sexting and other social behavior that seems inappropriate.

Director of Technology Victor Guthrie will be there to speak to parents about the role they have in influencing the choices their children make when it comes to social networking and technology.

Thurston Principal Joanne Culverhouse and Laguna Beach High Assistant Principal Bob Billinger will also be there.

“The parents’ role is extremely important in preventing problems,” Billinger said in a statement.

Parents that would like to attend should e-mail Billinger at rbillger@lbusd.org.

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LBHS debuts ‘Eleven’

Laguna Beach High will debut its dance production “Eleven” at the Artists’ Theatre from Thursday to May 7.

The dance performance is intended to shed light on graduating seniors and will involve multiple styles such as ballet, contemporary, jazz, hip-hop and tap.

To buy tickets, contact the box office at (949) 497-7769.

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LCAD students partner with OC Arts Center

Two students from the Laguna College of Art & Design, Hannah Cosner and Tierney Moses, are organizing community classes at OC Arts Center in Dana Point focused on sustainability.

They unveiled their first piece during the 50th birthday celebration for the city of San Juan Capistrano. The piece used recycled materials and donations from OCAC supporters, the Green Cube Gallery in Laguna Beach and San Clemente Art Supply.

“From there we chose to create a model of downtown San Juan Capistrano using the recycled materials, including cardboard food boxes, milk cartons, beans, seeds, bamboo and many other household items,” Cosner said in a statement.

Cosner and Tierney are also working on a life-size sculpture for the Surfrider Foundation made from trash collected on Orange County beaches. It’ll be unveiled on International Surfing Day in June.

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Free Zumba at Boys & Girls Club

The Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach is now hosting one free Zumba class a month in partner with Coast Dance Center.

Adults and children can take part in the morning workouts.

Zumba fitness classes are popular in gyms all over the country. The workout involves Latin dance moves with cardio for a fun way to burn up to 500 calories, according to a club press release.

The classes are from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Wednesdays. The first class is free and class cards can be bought for $50 for five classes or $90 for 10 classes.

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LCAD senior show

LCAD graduating fine arts seniors will present their original artwork in an exhibit Tuesday.

Hosted at [seven-degrees], the community can view the art and meet the artists during the showcase. Many of the pieces will also be for sale.

Instructor Brad Coleman guides the production of the exhibit, which is entirely student-run. The showcase is unique in that it allows students to do art that reflects their personal aesthetic versus pieces they might produce for their curriculum.

“This is an opportunity for the students to finish off their time at LCAD on a successful and very positive note,” Coleman said in a statement. “They know that this exhibition showcases their work for the art community, and so they always rise to the occasion. I’m continually amazed at the level of work that is produced for the show, and the often remarkable breakthroughs that the students make in preparing for it.”

For more information, visit lagunacollege.edu.