Southern California Schools

Southern California schools have been shut out of a high-profile federal grant competition, according to results announced Tuesday. The one regional finalist for the latest round of Race to the Top grants was a charter school organization, Green Dot Public Schools, that could have received $30 million. But its bid fell just short. The charter's proposal included expanding student wellness centers to provide social, physical and mental health services in support of academics; purchasing new technology, including tablet computers; and instituting a system to track and support high school graduates in college.

Art bookstore Ooga Booga opened its second location earlier this month. Located in Boyle Heights, Ooga Booga 2 made its debut with an exhibit of paintings by post-conceptual artist Laura Owens, known for her large, airy, angst-free paintings. A handmade Ooga Booga-published book by Owens, titled "Fruits and Nuts," eschews her usual animal and plant subjects, featuring a silk-screened alphabet of illustrated fruit and nut letters on hand-glued pages made from California newspapers from the 1960s (including the San Francisco Chronicle, Berkeley Barb and the Los Angeles Times )

The school locker, long feared as a repository of drugs and weapons, is making a comeback. Some administrators are returning the metal boxes to campus, figuring it's better than creating a generation of students with back problems. In one Orange County school district, a board member who watched a student wobble and fall over from the weight of her backpack has proposed reinstalling lockers in middle schools.

It's time to peer into my crystal ball and see what 2013 has in store for Southern California athletes, coaches and fans: Adoree' Jackson of Gardena Serra will reach 26 feet in the long jump, appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated and start wearing a Superman T-shirt around campus. Catcher Jeremy Martinez of Santa Ana Mater Dei will hit three home runs in a game. Sarah Baxter of Simi Valley will receive a phone call from President Obama after setting another cross-country record and going four years without losing a high school race.

Maybe Joycelyn Elders should have come to California before she opened her mouth. The surgeon general was fired earlier this month, ostensibly because she said masturbation is "something that perhaps should be taught" in schools. In California, it often is. State guidelines for sex education suggest that teachers talk about masturbation "in such a way as to dispel common myths associated with it . . . sterility, blindness, or feeble-mindedness."

Retired teacher Gerri Kimmick was honored by the Los Angeles Dodgers last month as a Dodger Hero in the field of education. Kimmick taught elementary and junior high school for 21 years before retiring, and is a consultant and volunteer at Grandview School. Focusing mostly on at-risk students, she is a tutor, an adviser for the Friend to Friend group, and has organized a reading program to assist parents.

Art bookstore Ooga Booga opened its second location earlier this month. Located in Boyle Heights, Ooga Booga 2 made its debut with an exhibit of paintings by post-conceptual artist Laura Owens, known for her large, airy, angst-free paintings. A handmade Ooga Booga-published book by Owens, titled "Fruits and Nuts," eschews her usual animal and plant subjects, featuring a silk-screened alphabet of illustrated fruit and nut letters on hand-glued pages made from California newspapers from the 1960s (including the San Francisco Chronicle, Berkeley Barb and the Los Angeles Times )

A covered bridge, two vintage post office-courthouse buildings and the '70s-era headquarters for the United Farm Workers of America are among five new California sites added to the country's list of national historic landmarks, the Department of Interior announced Wednesday. The U.S. Post Office and Court House in downtown Los Angeles built between 1937 and 1940 in Art Moderne style was singled out for high-profile cases heard there, including a court decision in the mid-1940s that allowed Latino children to be admitted to Southern California schools.

Separated by time and geography, students at Christopher Columbus Middle School nonetheless learned lessons in tolerance Tuesday as they listened to what it was like to be a young Jewish girl in Europe before and during the Holocaust. A one-woman performance, supplemented by slides and a recorded soundtrack, told the story of Sarah, a character based on an actual friend of Anne Frank. It followed the girls from their early, happy childhood to a time when their families hid from the Nazis.

Teachers from 230 Southern California schools were among thousands across the West who flipped burgers Thursday at McDonald's restaurants to raise money for their schools. The annual event expanded this year to 1,200 restaurants and as many schools in 14 Western states. Franchises that take part donate 20% of the evening's sales from designated registers to neighborhood schools. Barb Stokke, principal of Woodbury Elementary School in Garden Grove, said the money is welcome.

Southern California schools have been shut out of a high-profile federal grant competition, according to results announced Tuesday. The one regional finalist for the latest round of Race to the Top grants was a charter school organization, Green Dot Public Schools, that could have received $30 million. But its bid fell just short. The charter's proposal included expanding student wellness centers to provide social, physical and mental health services in support of academics; purchasing new technology, including tablet computers; and instituting a system to track and support high school graduates in college.

A covered bridge, two vintage post office-courthouse buildings and the '70s-era headquarters for the United Farm Workers of America are among five new California sites added to the country's list of national historic landmarks, the Department of Interior announced Wednesday. The U.S. Post Office and Court House in downtown Los Angeles built between 1937 and 1940 in Art Moderne style was singled out for high-profile cases heard there, including a court decision in the mid-1940s that allowed Latino children to be admitted to Southern California schools.

Lee Childress, who touched the lives of thousands of Southern California high school drama students through a theater awards program she co-founded with her husband, John, more than 40 years ago, has died. She was 95. Childress, a former publicist, real estate agent and occasional actress, died Sept. 21 at a hospital in Mission Viejo, not far from her home in Laguna Woods, said her daughter Cathe Drino. She had suffered a heart attack, her daughter said. In 1969, Lee Childress and her husband, who was then a teacher and coach in the Los Angeles Unified School District, were invited by a former student of his to attend a student production of "Flower Drum Song" at Venice High School.

To go from bitter high school rivals to college roommates doesn't happen very often, but it's taking place at the University of Pennsylvania, where freshmen football players Dylan Muscat (Santa Monica High) and Cameron Countryman (Beverly Hills) have suddenly found themselves sharing a microwave, television and refrigerator in their dorm room. "We're trying to get a bean bag," Muscat said of his new friendship with Countryman. For four years of high school they went head to head on opposite sides of the ball.

Kickers to watch Tony Bumatay, Peninsula, 6-0, 170, Sr. Made 53-yard field goal Jordan Dascalo, Taft, 6-1, 180, Sr. Averaged 46.7 yards a punt Roger Howard, El Toro, 6-0, 170, Sr. Made 10 of 12 field-goal tries Ben Kreitenberg, Chaminade, 5-9 165, So. Will be best in SoCal by 2014 Bret Miller, San Clemente, 6-1, 195, Sr. Made nine field goals as a junior Robbie McInerny, Laguna Beach, 5-10, 170, Sr. Solid on kickoffs Jose...

TUCSON — In its season opener, Encino Crespi faced a stern test from a quality opponent Saturday night and passed with flying colors. Senior quarterback Cody Cordell completed 17 of 25 passes for 240 yards, three touchdowns and one interception as the Celts overcame three first-half turnovers and cruised to a 35-20 victory over Salpointe Catholic in Tucson. Sophomore Okalani Langi rushed for 142 yards in 20 carries and caught a 12-yard swing pass for Crespi's first touchdown.

The Times today is publishing key scores from the California Learning Assessment System (CLAS) tests, which were designed to measure students' knowledge and abilities against objective standards. To do that, CLAS establishes six performance levels in each of the three subject areas covered by the test--reading, writing and math--and every student scores at one of those levels.

It's hard enough to find good child-care. But what happens when your toddler becomes a teen-ager? What kind of supervised care can working parents plug into when their children reach that crucial age? Precious little, say parents, child-care consultants and other experts. "Teen years are the most dangerous time, yet there's not much available out there for older kids," concludes Choral Brown, president of Childcare Consulting Services in Culver City.

Armed with a press pass, a full tank of gas and a determination to see the very best in high school basketball, I spent night after night last week trying to get a big-picture view of the Southern California scene just three weeks before the playoffs begin. It was an exhilarating but exhausting endeavor. There's more to life than who wins or loses a game, but people love their sports experience, whether they're a fan, coach or player. And I get paid to write about it, so who's the luckiest person in Los Angeles?

Top high school offensive linemen (Name; school; height; weight; class; comment.) Travis Averill; Servite; 6-4; 280; senior; Boise State commit is stronger, quicker. David Barajas; St. Bonaventure; 6-3; 307; senior; best in the Marmonte League. Colby Cyburt; Mission Viejo; 6-5; 275; senior; gaining interest rapidly among college recruiters. Taylor Hindy; Chaminade; 6-4; 300; senior; a pancake maker. John Lopez; Orange Lutheran; 6-5; 315; junior; ready to be Trinity League standout.