La Mirada Kiwanis, a Community Service Organization, allocated $5,000 for its Community Outreach Program designed to benefit students in the Middle Schools in La Mirada. Its purpose is to provide funding up to $1,000 for a project to be used by the whole school, a classroom or a grade level. Ten teachers from Benton, Los Coyotes and Hutchinson Middle Schools sent requests, and judging took place on Saturday, February 6, 2016. Results were as follows:
- BENTON MIDDLE SCHOOL – ERIN STRAUSS, DRAMA DIRECTOR/EDUCATOR Need: Lighting Equipment for the MPR – Award amount: $935.26
- LOS COYOTES MIDDLE SCHOOL – JANET RAMONT, TEACHER. Need: an Apple TV with connector cable and 50 inch LCD TV to benefit 5 classrooms of students per year. Award amount: $850.
- LOS COYOTES MIDDLE SCHOOL – MELISSA VALDEZ, SCIENCE teacher. Need: Microscopes for science classes. Award amount: $1,000
- LOS COYOTES MIDDLE SCHOOL – DANIEL MEYERS, TEACHER. Need: Projector for Language Arts and Drama classes. Award amount: $500
- LOS COYOTES MIDDLE SCHOOL – DANIELLE CARLISLE, SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER. Need: LCD projector and a 1TB passport. Award amount: $650
- HUTCHINSON MIDDLE SCHOOL – OLIVIA ORTIZ, TEACHER. Need: to service the STEM program which takes the students from grades 6 through 8 for the study of scientific information about polar powered cars through building prosthetic limbs to robotics,. Award amount $1,000.
Scholarship Chair, Pat Ruiz, said, “This project is an exciting addition to our awarding of $5000 in college scholarships to our High School Seniors. We congratulate the teachers who are providing new and stimulating methods that involve our students on their path to success.” Benjamin Franklin said,” “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”