VILLAGE NEWS
Scott Appleby & Kerry ApplebyPayne
LA JOLLA
New businesses are cropping up all over La Jolla. For a list of some recent additions, turn to
Page 11
A Family Tradition of Real Estate Success
858-775-2014
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San Diego Community Newspaper Group
THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012
DRE#01197544 DRE#01071814
www.SDNEWS.com Volume 17, Number 33
60 years of BY MARIKO LAMB | VILLAGE NEWS In honor of a milestone birthday, Bird Rock Elementary School (BRE) has been preparing for an unrivaled celebration and open house on May 24 — a party that has been 60 years in the making. Since its establishment in 1951, BRE has been an integral part of the fabric in the tight-knit Bird Rock neighborhood. The school is more than a place of learning. It is a cornerstone where longtime residents began their friendships and share fond memories, a rallying point when it comes to difficult times for schools, and a place where all people, young and old, can learn the meaning of community. Over the years — through the efforts of countless volunteers — Bird Rockers have helped ensure their local elementary school has not only survived through difficult times, but has thrived in spite of them. This year’s efforts were no different. Under the leadership of Celebrate 60! Committee chairwoman and kindergarten teacher Lorene LaCava and a dedicated group of volunteers, the school has undergone a number of campus beautification projects, BRE fundraising efforts and celebratory community events throughout the year to pay homage to the school’s 60 successful years at its La Jolla Hermosa Avenue location. “Celebrate 60! has been a school yearlong opportunity for our entire community to celebrate 60 years of excellence in education and community building,” said LaCava. Festivities began in July with the neighborhood’s annual Fourth of July Parade, which was appropriately themed “Happy Days on Beaumont” to commemorate the school’s inception in 1951. Community celebrations continued at the Birdstock music festival, where guests made a mark on their neighborhood school by purchasing tiles for the Waverly gate BY KENDRA HARTMANN | VILLAGE NEWS entrance and help raise much-needed Every year, the outgoing fifth-grade funds for the class at Bird Rock Elementary creates school. a work of art to donate to the school. More memories Every year, the projects are unique, were created and year after year, former students throughout the come back to see that their past cre- season, culminatations are still standing. ing in the school’s This year, local artist Shannon Cun- Halloween parade ningham took on the responsibility of — a tradition that being in charge of the art project — an first began in the opportunity she jumped at, given her fall of 1951. profession as a clay artist. So last fall, At this year’s Cunningham, the mother of a fifth- first school assemgrade student, took a walk around the bly, students were campus with kindergarten teacher welcomed by a Lorene LaCava to scout locations for “blast from the this year’s installment. Deciding that past” slideshow of there was a lack of color on an outside photos, along with wall between two bathrooms, they set- 1950s music and tled on a spot and Cunningham went pop culture, from to work devising ideas for the project. BRE’s earliest days. “I came up with about six different When it came time options, which I brought to the fifthfor students to turn grade committee,” she said. “They all SEE PROJECT, Page 7 SEE BRE, Page 7
2012’s 5th-grade legacy
La Jolla High School staff members protest for fewer cuts to education in San Diego. MARIKO LAMB | Village News
Rallying for the future of education BY MARIKO LAMB | VILLAGE NEWS
Class of 20 00’s set
Class of 2011’s mosaic, of thr below the school’s sign ee be nche s
Each fifth-grade class creates an art project every year as a legacy to the school. Here are just a few on display on campus. ench ard b o b f r su 2007 s of s a l C
Teachers, students, parents and local civic leaders joined hands early in the morning on May 14 in a unified effort to urge the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) to stop nearly 1,700 teaching and staff positions from getting the ax. Rallies were held at five schools — La Jolla High School (LJHS), Muirlands Middle School, and La Jolla, Torrey Pines and Bird Rock elementary schools — to demonstrate solidarity against proposed teacher cuts that could potentially blow classroom sizes up to nearly 50 students and affect teaching quality in schools across the district. “They’re thinking about pink slipping one out of every five educators in the district,” said Port of San Diego Commissioner Scott Peters at the LJHS rally. “That’s just not a way to educate kids, and that’s not a way to compete in the brainpower economy … If the country’s going to be competitive in the future, we can’t let a generation of kids go by without providing them a good education.” Peters stressed the detrimental long-term effects that would result if SDUSD moves forward with the proposed teacher and staff cuts.
SEE RALLY, Page 5
NEWS briefs La Jolla hosts three pit stops for Bike-to-Work Day
Class of 19 99’s curve d mu ral
More than 6,000 bicyclists will hit the streets on May 18 for San Diego Association of Government’s Bike to Work Day. For this year’s ride, cyclists can stop by any of the 85 pit stops along routes throughout San Diego County for free refreshments, energizing snacks, and complimentary “Bike to Work Day” T-shirts. Most stops will be open from 6 to 9 a.m., although some will open as early as 5:30 a.m. or will reopen later in the afternoon for cyclists returning home. Some of the pit stops will host hot breakfasts, massages, bike tune-ups or other special gifts for cyclists’ participation. La Jolla pit stops include Riviera Euro-Comfort Footwear, located at 7777 Girard Ave, UCSD’s Parking Lot 406, located at 9500 Gilman Drive, and Whole Foods Market, located at 8825 Villa La Jolla Drive. For a full list of pit stops or more information about Bike SEE BRIEFS, Page 18