Scenes from Schools

•	Ribbon-cuttings here, ribbon-cuttings there! Many school sites have been holding special ceremonies to mark the completion of Proposition MM-funded libraries, computer labs and more. - At Clay Elementary, librarian Diane Castro snuggled up with Clifford the Big Red Dog as he helped lead the festivities celebrating Clay's brand-new library. Diane was presented with a new library cart from the staff as a surprise gift. - At Gage Elementary, students, teachers, and parents officially opened the doors of their new 3,000-square-foot facility May 1. Gage principal Lynne Batchelor had a lot of help with the official ribbon-cutting, including Chris Lavache, SDCS construction manager; Katherine Nakamura, board trustee; Scott Patterson, deputy chief operations officer for Facilities Management; Jeff Hudson, SDCS project manager; and Lou Smith, chief operations officer for Facilities Management. - Marvin Elementary celebrated the grand opening of its new library and computer lab May 2. The ceremony including a ribbon-cutting, musical entertainment, and many other activities. More than 100 school libraries are funded by Proposition MM. If you have a project being completed soon and would like to plan your own ribbon-cutting event, please take advantage of checklists, invitation ideas and other resources available on the Proposition MM website.
•	Students in Sue Herz's first grade class at Ocean Beach Elementary have been really hands-on with science! The class took on the school garden as part of their science curriculum, meeting all life science standards. The class has planted, explored, cultivated, weeded and watered the garden all year. They've also had the exciting opportunity to study some slimy worms and big, fat caterpillars under a microscope! As a result of their collective green thumbs, the garden has been awarded a Golden Garden Award Certificate for superior work in the California Youth Garden Recognition Program. Some of the judge's comments: - Allowing children to choose the plants was great - Wonderful partnerships - Excellent nutrition education - Outstanding outdoor classroom experience for students Ocean Beach's partners; SeaWorld, ARCO Navy dry-dock and Ocean Beach People's Food Co-Op contributed time and materials to make the project a success. Way to grow!
•	Keiller Middle School students are learning how to build character one "swing" at a time. Golf pros Steven Kaese and Dave Graffigna from the Mission Trails Golf Course joined Coach Jason Quillin's classes for two days this to teach students golf. They taught students basic golf techniques, swinging techniques, hand/eye coordination, safety techniques and the general excitement of playing golf. The clinics were sponsored by the Nike Golf Learning Center at Mission Trails Golf Course.
•	E.B. Scripps Elementary School recently hosted acclaimed illustrator Nancy Velick Smith during its Illustration Day celebration. Smith, the illustrator of "Elfinbright, the Tale of the Forever Present" and "The Christmas Eve Journey of Mrs. Claus", conducted two workshops for students to give them insights into the illustration process. Students were shown the correlation between the writing process they study in school and the drawing process necessary for completing the project.