Southern California Schools

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.

On some campuses, there were tears. On others, relief. But frustration was another overriding sentiment at many Southern California high schools Friday, as officials scrambled to pin down whether their students were aboard the ill-fated bus that crashed in flames en route to a college tour. In Los Angeles Unified, Supt. John Deasy said a number of issues complicated efforts to determine which students were on the bus to Humboldt State. A day after the fiery crash, district officials still had not accounted for all 19 students from 16 high schools who took the trip.

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.

Not only does Mater Dei have perhaps the best player in California, it also has the best team.  On Saturday night, the Monarchs proved that where it counts: on the court. Mater Dei won its 11th state title, its fourth in a row and its second straight in the Open Division with a 71-61 victory over Bishop O'Dowd, a team the Monarchs edged 63-59 at the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas in December. Arizona-bound Stanley Johnson led the charge with 25 points, eight assists, three steals and two blocks and his spectacular two-handed dunk early in the second quarter ignited a 10-4 run that put Mater Dei in front.

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.

Not only does Mater Dei have perhaps the best player in California, it also has the best team.  On Saturday night, the Monarchs proved that where it counts: on the court. Mater Dei won its 11th state title, its fourth in a row and its second straight in the Open Division with a 71-61 victory over Bishop O'Dowd, a team the Monarchs edged 63-59 at the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas in December. Arizona-bound Stanley Johnson led the charge with 25 points, eight assists, three steals and two blocks and his spectacular two-handed dunk early in the second quarter ignited a 10-4 run that put Mater Dei in front.

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.

It's time to look into my crystal ball and see what the new year has in store for Southern California high school athletes and teams: Khalil Bedart-Ghani of Los Angeles Loyola and Stanley Johnson of Santa Ana Mater Dei will engage in an epic dunk-a-thon, with the winner getting a new shoe from Nike named Air Ghani or Air Stanley. The comeback players of the year in football will be running back Malik Roberson of Gardena Serra, coming back from a torn ACL, and running back Leo Lambert III of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, coming back from jaw surgery.

D.J. Beavers; Crespi; 6-2, 215; Jr.; A hitter with great physical ability. Tayon Blockmon; Venice; 6-1, 210; Sr.; All-City honoree. Steven Galvan; El Dorado; 6-3, 225; Sr.; Versatile and fierce tackler. Jabril Frazier; Verbum Dei; 6-5, 225; Sr.; Trying to reach potential. Rick Gamboa; Chaminade; 6-0, 215; Sr.; Committed to Colorado. Cameron Griffin; View Park; 6-3, 220; Sr.; Committed to San Diego State. John Houston; Gardena Serra; 6-3, 200; Jr.; Outside linebacker makes plays.

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 )

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.

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.

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.