Class notes

Five students chose to volunteer in Salinas at Dorothy’s Place a service organization that serves the poor and homeless of Monterey County, especially families of migrant workers. This year they will be visiting the labor camps to speak to the youth, work at the soup kitchen, community garden and women’s shelter. Dorothy’s Place, which is run by a community of Franciscan workers, is named after Dorothy Day, a journalist and social activist who co-founded of the Catholic Worker movement. The students going to Dorothy’s Place include Diana Enriquez, Mark Estigoy, Paul Parker, Elene Gekker and Steven A. Scoles.

Another five students will go to Tijuana to help build a house for a family in need. Last year’s trip to Mexico was successful having just 11 people complete one small two bedroom house. Campus Chaplain the Rev. Thomas Splain will lead this trip again. Students going to Tijuana include Brittney Engelland-Gay, Jeznia Flores, Yanci Penate, Oumou Ly and Carrie-Ann Agag.

A new addition to the NDNU alternative spring break program is the Blue Mountain Project in Hagley Gap, to help one of the poorest communities in Jamaica. Six NDNU students will assist a small international team to deliver a variety of programs and services to meet the local needs. These students are Alex Bethea, Rizwana Khan, Nicole Misley, Deja Kono, Jesus Garcia and Brianne Crabbe.

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Beginning this summer, the San Carlos School District announced a range of fun, exciting and enriching camps and classes for children in first through eighth grade. The new summer program will run from July 12 through Aug. 6 and will be offered at Arundel Elementary and Central Middle School in San Carlos.

SMART-E Camps are offering full- and half-day camps with extended care offerings including tennis, soccer and golf clinics. Classes include robotics, digital media and more.

Parents can now register online for the new summer program at: https://secure.rec1.com/CA/san-carlos-school-district. You do not need to have a student enrolled in the San Carlos School District in order to sign up for SMART-E Camps. For more information call 508-7333.

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Menlo School’s 60th annual benefit, DREAM, will be an all-day party March 19 to celebrate the graduating senior class. Featuring a luncheon and dinner fashion shows where seniors will model the latest lines from Bloomingdale’s, the show is the main fundraiser for financial aid, supporting a fifth of the school’s student body.

Traditionally, 1,600 students, alumni, teachers, staff, students and community members attend both shows housed in a large decorated tent on campus. All proceeds, including funds raised during an accompanying online and live auction, will go toward financial aid.

The catered luncheon will begin at 11:30 a.m. and the black tie-optional dinner show starts at 6 p.m. In addition to the fashion show, a group of 35 seniors will perform production numbers on a special stage built for the event. The evening gala beings with cocktails and a selection of hors d’ oeuvres. Those who participate in the drawing, which will take place during both shows, have a chance to win a $1,000 shopping spree at Bloomingdale’s, a touch screen HP computer and jewelry. The night is capped off with dancing.

Reservations for the benefit are open to call. Tickets are $100 for the luncheon show and $200 for the dinner show. To make reservations visit www.menloschool.org and click on Benefit. Bidding for items on the online auction begin March 12. To make a bid visit http://www.biddingforgood.com/auction/AuctionHome.action?documentId=101665338.

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On Saturday, March 20, College of San Mateo’s Ethnic Studies Department will present an Asian Pacific American Film Festival in the college’s theater. The event begins at 1 p.m. with an afternoon matinee featuring a series of California Civil Liberties Public Education Program (CCLPEP) films that show images of the Japanese American concentration camp experience during World War II. The matinee will be followed by an evening program beginning at 7 p.m. that includes a sing-a-long version of "Colma: The Musical,” by CSM alum Richard Wong and H.P. Mendoza, and a short documentary, "Big Drums: Taiko in the United States.” Admission is free for the matinee; the evening program fee is $5 for general admission and $3 for senior/student.

The matinee program includes: "Piecing Memories: Recollections of Internment,” directed by Dianne Fukami; "Ruth Asawa: A Community Artist,” produced by Fukami; "Hidden Internment: The Art Shibayama Story,” directed by Casey Peek; and "Stand Up for Justice: The Ralph Lazo Story,” directed by Amy Kato and John Esaki with Visual Communications and Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress. A question and answers session with the filmmakers will follow each screening.                  

The films shown during the matinee are funded by a grant from the CCLPEP. For more information about the festival visit collegeofsanmateo.edu/calendar/csmapaff.

Class notes is a twice weekly column dedicated to school news. It is compiled by education reporter Heather Murtagh. You can contact her at (650) 344-5200, ext. 105 or at heather@smdailyjournal.com.