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Drill Team 'Sparkles' in Hurricane Relief

Posted on: Monday, 19 September 2005, 15:00 CDT

They've been campus celebrities ever since they appeared in the "Hollaback Girl" music video with singer Gwen Stefani, and last week the White Middle School drill team cashed in on its status to help raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

On Friday during lunch, the 50-member drill team screened the video, which they shot in February, and performed the routine live for their Carson classmates -- minus the platinum blond bombshell, of course. Then they passed the can to collect donations.

"We had a packed auditorium -- I think we took in close to $800," said drill team co-adviser Lupe Pedroza. "It was exhausting ... but it was great."

Leslie Gutierrez, 13, was one of the 44 girls who performed on the music video. She said meeting Stefani was "really cool." The team also performed with the singer on the televised Teen Choice Awards in August.

"She calls us her little sparkles, because we're sparkly -- our uniforms are sparkly red and silver," Gutierrez said. "She's really nice."

Crystal de la Rosa, 13, said the girls were excited that their first schoolwide performance of the song was for a good cause.

"Once we heard about everything that happened, everyone was pretty hurt," de la Rosa said. "I have friends, and their family lives out there. So this will help."

Speaking of relief: San Pedro High School students also are heeding the call for help on the Hurricane Katrina front.

At 7 p.m. Wednesday, the school will present "Voices that Care," featuring performances by the Pirate Dancers, the band, drill team, flag teams, choir, cheerleaders, Junior ROTC, drama team and other student groups.

A $5 donation is suggested, and all proceeds will benefit the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. For more information, call Joanne Cherry Booth at 310-547-2491, Ext. 340, or Liz Joynt at 310-530-4254.

Forget the giant pig: Some award-winning student work from the Centinela Valley Union High School District is on display at the Los Angeles County Fair.

A handful of students from Leuzinger High School in Lawndale earned first-, second- or third-place recognition from the fair for ceramics projects crafted during the 2004-05 school year.

They are Lizzett Torres, Omar Berganza, Alex Chio, Kelly Nguyen, Betsabe Torres, Michael Woolley, Juanita Cruz, Zergay Bashir, Lupe Chavez and Abbey Juarez.

Likewise, Hawthorne High School students Denise Esparza, Andrea Estrella, Cristina Hernandez, Nalleli Vasquez and Araceli Gomez won praise for three-dimensional artwork -- including sculptures, masks and basketry -- that is being showcased, according to teacher Carrie Yoshida.

In addition, Hawthorne High's student newspaper, The Cougar, earned an honorable mention, Yoshida said.

The teacher said the projects will be displayed at the Fairplex in Pomona until Oct. 2.

Tuition solutions in Torrance: A free presentation designed to teach high school students and their parents how to get money for college will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Barnes & Noble Booksellers in the Del Amo Fashion Center, 21500 Hawthorne Blvd., Torrance.

College finance experts Gen and Kelly Tanabe host the "Get Into and Pay For College" national tour, conducting more than 150 presentations across the country each year. The Tanabes also have written nine books, including Sallie Mae's How to Pay for College.

According to their news release, more than $122 billion worth of financial aid was awarded to college students last year, but 8 million eligible scholars didn't even try to get their share.

For more information, check out www.supercollege.com.

That'll buy some groceries: Four local scholars have won $1,000 awards for college, through the California Grocers Association Educational Foundation.

Megan Young, a 2004 Peninsula High graduate, will use her scholarship to pursue a mathematics and economics degree at the University of California, Santa Barbara this fall. Erin Caudle, a 2005 graduate of Torrance High, will also attend UCSB.

Narbonne Math/Science Magnet 2005 graduate and award recipient Staci Yamanishi will attend UCLA this fall and major in Asian American Studies. And Ashley Skeen, a 2005 graduate of Torrance's West High, will use her award at California State University, Long Beach.

The annual scholarships are open to employees or children of grocers association stores, and are based on academic merit, character and leadership potential.

Meetings and elections: Several local Los Angeles Unified School District campuses are inviting parents and community members to get involved in their children's education by serving on committees. The following orientation meetings are coming up:

* Barton Hill Elementary School will hold a parent orientation meeting at 8:30 a.m. Friday. Elections for representatives to the School Site Council and English language learners and Title I committees will be held at 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 30.

Both meetings will be held in the school's auditorium, 423 N. Pacific Ave., San Pedro. For more information, call 310-547-2471.

* Broadacres Avenue Elementary School will hold a parent orientation meeting at 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Elections for representatives to the School Site Council and Title I committee will be held at 3 p.m. on Sept. 30.

Both meetings will be held in the school's Parent Center, 19424 Broadacres Ave., Carson. For more information, call 310-537-1980.

* Dana Middle School in San Pedro will hold a parent orientation meeting at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Elections for representatives to the School Site Council and English language learners and Title I committees will be held at 5 p.m. Sept. 28. Both meetings will be held in the school's cafeteria, 1501 S. Cabrillo Ave., San Pedro. For more information, call 310- 833-5235, Ext. 149.

* Dolores Street Elementary School will hold a parent orientation meeting at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Elections for representatives to the School Site Council and English language learners and Title I committees will be held at 2:45 p.m. on Sept. 29.

Both meetings will be held in the school's auditorium, 22526 Dolores St., Carson. For more information, call 310-834-2565.

* Narbonne High School will hold a parent orientation meeting at 4 p.m. Thursday. Elections for representatives to the School Site Council and English language learners and Title I committees will be held at 4 p.m. on Oct. 5.

Both meetings will be held in the school's multipurpose room, 24300 S. Western Ave., Harbor City. For more information, call 310- 326-0929, Ext. 2541 or 2597.

* San Pedro High School will hold elections for representatives to the School Site Council and English language learners and Title I committees at 6 p.m. Thursday in the school's auditorium, 1001 W. 15th St., San Pedro.

For more information, call 310-547-2491.

-- Melissa Milios and Ian Hanigan

Source: Daily Breeze

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