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His Mr. Wizard Dazzles Young Science Buffs

Posted on: Monday, 11 July 2005, 12:01 CDT

Even though he's spent nearly the last half-century as an educator, Dapplegray Elementary School Principal Fred London isn't content to spend his entire summer break lying on a beach.

In fact, this summer -- and the last two -- he's been donning a white lab coat and becoming his alter-ego, Mr. Wizard, to introduce 4- and 5-year-olds to the wonders of the Dapplegray science lab.

London said the program gives pre-kindergartners at the Rolling Hills Estates school a jump on school and an introduction to the campus before the fall, preparing them with lessons in language, reading and social skills. He and three language teachers run the program, which costs parents $495 per month.

Last week, London led the young scientists in a space-themed experiment reminiscent of NASA's satellite missions. The 63 students launched helium-filled balloons into space, carrying scrawled messages to far-off planets.

London said that every year he tells the tots to hold tight to their balloons, but inevitably some will end up on the ceiling or drifting away before the actual launch. "I say, 'If you lose your satellite -- too bad, so sad,' " London said. "But then when they look so sad, you just have to give them another."

Alabama, the final frontier: A Torrance teacher recently got to go where, uh, only a select few have gone before.

Jeff Sussman of Magruder Middle School joined a group of 144 science and math teachers from 17 countries and 32 states at the Honeywell Educators at Space Academy program at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala.

From June 25 to July 1, the educators participated in astronaut- style training exercises and received extensive lessons focused on space science and exploration.

During 40 hours of classroom, lab and field training, Sussman and his colleagues got to take part in high-performance jet simulations and mock space missions. They were also schooled on land and water survival strategies.

All of the participants received scholarships following a competitive application process.

The program, fully sponsored by Honeywell and its employees, is aimed at helping teachers learn new and innovative ways to inspire students to pursue careers in science, math and engineering, said Honeywell spokesman Jim O'Leary.

Come as you are: First-time runners and Olympic hopefuls alike are invited to the All-Comers Track & Field Meets, held each Tuesday night through Aug. 2 at San Pedro High School.

Youth events for middle school students and younger start at 6 p.m., with events for high school age and older beginning after the youth meet concludes, around 7:30 p.m.

There is no charge for the events, and no limit on the number of entries. For more information, call the Los Angeles Unified School District's Beyond the Bell Branch at 818-904-2003.

In conjunction, for the more serious and competitive athletes, USA Track and Field is also running a Grand Prix Track and Field Series at San Pedro High with $4,900 in prize money. For more information, visit www.scausatf.org.

San Pedro High is at 1001 W. 15th St.

Get an E-education: The California Virtual Academies -- a network of public, online charter schools serving more than 2,000 kindergarten through eighth-grade students statewide -- are hosting a series of free informational sessions for parents and students interested in a tuition-free alternative to their local public schools.

At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and again Aug. 23, CAVA representatives will give a free, one-hour presentation at the Torrance Marriott Hotel at 3635 Fashion Way. Parents and students can view the school's curriculum, books and materials, and learn how to enroll.

For more information, call CAVA at 805-581-0202 or visit www.caliva.org.

Hawthorne gets hooked up: The Hawthorne School District has entered into an agreement with SBC Communications Inc., which plans to install high-speed Ethernet equipment to boost communications throughout the 10,000-student district.

Under the terms of the deal, SBC will provide its GigaMAN Service -- a fiber-optic Ethernet system -- to eight elementary schools, three middle schools and a charter high school.

-- Melissa Milios and Ian Hanigan

Source: Daily Breeze

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