A talk and book signing by a hot new author of young-adult fiction were the highlight of a LACOE workshop for school librarians held Jan. 17 in the Ed Center.

 

Lissa Price, whose debut novel "Starters" is an international bestseller, capped off the half-day event that drew at least 40 teacher-librarians and library staff. Workshop participants were visibly excitedly as they stood in line to get their personally autographed hard-copy edition of Price's futuristic thriller. 

 

Organized by eLibrary Services, part of Instructional Technology Outreach, the workshop featured presentations and lively discussion about the challenges of building digital collections and the future of textbooks. Also on the agenda was a look at how the new Common Core State Standards pertain to California's Model School Library Standards.

"The big issue for our group is to get the buy-in and support of their boards and top administrators for libraries and librarians in these lean budget times," said Jennifer Ormsby, information resources coordinator for eLibrary Services. Ormsby organized the event and worked with the publisher to secure free copies of Price's novel for workshop participants.

Learn more about ITO's eLibrary Services by clicking here.

Photo: Author Lissa Price (r) poses with Kamilah Jackson of LAUSD during the book signing held as part of the eLibrary Services workshop on Jan. 17 at LACOE.

Incarcerated youth in L.A. County are benefiting from of a series of mural projects made possible through a partnership among LACOE, the Probation Dept. and the nonprofit group Theatre of Hearts/Youth First.

The latest effort was recently completed at Camp Mendenhall in Lake Hughes. Titled "The Freedom of Knowledge," the large-scale mural was produced by more than 100 students following 14 weeks of instruction with a professional artist.

"This was a very positive experience for our young men to express themselves in constructive and creative ways," said Rene Wheeler, Mendenhall interim principal. "Their artwork has beautified our campus and will serve as a motivator for future students detained here."

Through the program, students were encouraged to think about issues that were most important to them. "Overcoming adversity and finding success were the themes that emerged," Wheeler said.

The training guides students on a process of discovering how the theme can be expressed through images and brought to life in the mural design. They learn about various artistic styles, explore the lives and works of artists and receive instruction in the basic skills of drawing and use of materials.

Mural projects also have been completed at Central and Nidorf Juvenile Halls and at the Road to Success Academy at Camps Scott-Scudder.

Read more on the Santa Clarita Valley News website.

 

More than 100 parents of children with special needs attended the recent "Building A Foundation for the Future" conference organized by the Downey-Montebello and Mid-Cities SELPAs, their Community Advisory Committees and Early Intervention Support Services.

Held at LACOE's Pace School in Bellflower, the event offered a wealth of free resources and information on how parents can better support their children with disabilities at home and at school.

"I enjoyed the honesty and candid point of view from the presenters," said one parent. "This helps me so much when working to support my son with special needs."

Some 20 dynamic breakout sessions were offered in both English and Spanish on topics such as building social skills for children with autism, basics of sign language and deaf culture and transition to adult services.

A community health and resource fair featured 22 agencies that included St. Francis Medical Center's Mobile Health Unit, Club 21, Fiesta Educativa, The Arc and the Braille Institute.

Students from Downey High School were on hand to help facilitate the event while earning valuable community service hours.

Kostas Kalaitzidis joined LACOE's Communications Department Dec. 17 as public information officer.

Kalaitzidis previously served as communications administrator for the Pinal County (Arizona) Attorney's Office since 2008. He also brings more than a decade of experience as a journalist covering K-12 education for the Tucson Citizen and business issues for the Athens News Agency in Greece.

"I am very happy to be here," he said. "Education has always been a focal point of my life and my career. I studied education in college, covered education for the press and directed a county attorney's office outreach and education programs, so being given this opportunity to work for the biggest educational organization in the country is a dream come true for me."

Kalaitzidis will be serving LACOE programs and divisions previously handled by PIO Rick de la Torre, who retired June 30. These include all programs in the Educational Services administrative unit. He can be reached at 562/922-6492 or by email.