Laguna Beach’s most exclusive art gallery, Top of the World Elementary School’s Dolphin Gallery, opened its doors for the second time on Friday, Feb. 8. The exhibition featured over 680 visual artists and an assortment of TOW student instrumentalists, who provided the musical backdrop for the evening. The one-night exhibition featured a visual art piece [...]
Soon residents in the Top of the World neighborhood heading to the fire road and students ambling to their cars from the Laguna College of Art & Design may be treading new pathways. The City Council paved the way for new paths this week, awarding a total of $155,500 for two design contracts to the [...]
A new seed of interest is sprouting among Top of the World students thanks to a recent arrival on campus: a garbanzo bean bush deposited by Debra Appel, the district’s nutrition services director. After she described how garbanzo beans are a central ingredient in hummus, students sampled raw beans and asked for samples to bring [...]
Last Friday morning, students and teachers at Top of the World Elementary received an inside look at the district’s disaster planning. At least one detail apparently needs work. Administrators placed the campus on lockdown about 9:11 a.m. due to a report by a third-grader that evolved darkly into a suspicious character on campus wearing a [...]
Enrollment climbed this year at Thurston Middle School and Top of the World Elementary by 41 and 28 students respectively, though district-wide enrollment only rose by seven students. El Morro Elementary experienced an unusual 60-student drop in enrollment, while Laguna Beach High School’s student census fell by 12. Even so, school officials reported that they [...]
Citrus trees, herbs, vegetables and flowers in Top of the World Elementary’s outdoor classroom create a popular hands-on learning experience. In addition to horticulture lessons, students also have the opportunity to learn about nutrition. “Garden discussions include comparing and contrasting textures, taste and appearance of food that is available during the current season,” said Terry [...]
Thirty-five fifth grade finalists from El Morro and Top of the World Elementary faced off in the Laguna Beach Spelling Bee Finals, held at TOW’s multi-purpose room at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 26. The fifth year of the friendly competition, where TOW will defend its 2011 title, will be judged by Asst. Supt. Nancy [...]
Laguna’s newest art gallery, the Dolphin Gallery at Top of the World Elementary School, will open its doors for the first time on Friday evening, Feb. 10, with an exhibition featuring over 600 visual artists and an assortment of live instrumental performers offering musical ambiance. Don’t be late because doors to this one-night-only engagement close [...]
Laguna Beach parent Amy Jackson, whose youngest child of four is a high school sophomore, expressed dismay after visiting the remodeled Top of the World Elementary library. “Where have all the books gone?” she asked, admitting a fear that “librarians, teachers, school administrators are no longer the keepers of books the way they used to [...]
An unofficial poll among Thurston Middle School sixth graders, who spent their third week of school at an outdoor science camp on Catalina Island, preferred snorkeling, kayaking, and hiking to more routine classroom exercises. While science-based learning provided the trip’s backbone, the opportunity for students to bond in an off-campus environment provided the heart and [...]
Jane began second grade reading about 20 correct words per minute, far from the benchmark for her grade level. Since she had trouble decoding words and needed extra help with spelling patterns and letter sound combinations, her teacher assigned her to an intensive intervention group for four weeks. By then, Jane, a pseudonym to protect [...]
Laguna Family Night at Angels Stadium was cooked up by resourceful parents at a neighborhood barbecue as a fun-with-kids outing that also benefited Laguna schools. Now in its third year, the event planned for Saturday, June 11, comes with all the fixings of a full-blown annual community tradition. As a result, when Laguna residents settle [...]
By Kathleen McKeown, Special to the Independent Makena Augenstein from Top of the World Elementary out-spelled her competition to win this year’s elementary school spelling championship. Twenty nine fifth-graders from the district’s two elementary schools competed in the annual competition, held in the El Morro multipurpose room last Thursday, April 14. Filled with cheering family [...]
Monday, Jan. 17: Martin Luther King Jr. Day. School holiday. El Morro: Wednesday, Jan. 26, Talent show. TOW Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2:30 p.m. talent show rehearsal. Thurston Thursday and Friday, Jan. 27-28, semester finals, block day Hometown Scoreboard Tues., Jan. 18, 6:15 p.m., girls soccer v. Godinez HS 7 p.m., girls basketball v. Godinez Wed., [...]
Ill Prepared Hiker Rescued from Hillside
A sheriff’s helicopter was used to extract a hiker who suffered an anxiety attack and was unable to move from a steep trail in Laguna Beach’s open space about 6 p.m. Sunday, June 9, police said. Lifeguards in an all-terrain vehicle coordinated the extraction from thick brush and a steep slope between Alta Laguna Park [...]
