Carlsbadistan

Thanks to the charismatic leadership of music teacher Katie Browne, the Aviara Middle School Band in Carlsbad added 90 beginning music students to its roster this year. The school is scrambling to provide instruments for all those eager students. It will try to use Booster Club funds to purchase instruments, but is concerned that this will take away from the scholarships that it provides for uniforms and materials for students with financial hardship. Mrs. Browne is asking for donations of used band instruments to help get those ninety enthusiastic band geeks playing!

To make a donation please contact Bridget Smith at familyadventureguidebooks-at-gmail.com. Of course monetary donations are also welcome, since some kids are dreaming of playing the less readily available instruments like the oboe or the soprano sax.

Carlsbad is always a generous community and middle school as well all know is not an easy time of life. Let’s show these budding musicians some support!

Bridget Smith is the author of The Unauthorized Legoland Guidebook . She blogs about her family’s adventures in Carlsbad and beyond at http://www.familyadventureguidebooks.com

What purports to be the last legal hurdle between Carlsbadistan and a new high school will reportedly go before a judge next month unless all the groups can come to terms on some kind of settlement according to a Stacy Brandt story in the North County Times.

The property owners suing the district include land developer Bentley-Wing Properties Inc., the Rancho Carlsbad Owners Association and another group of nearby homeowners. They filed their opening arguments in Superior Court on Wednesday, challenging the environmental impact report the district approved in January. . . The lawsuit claims the district hasn’t adequately addressed the environmental and traffic problems that could be caused by the new campus the district plans to build on a 57-acre site near College Boulevard and Cannon Road. . . “All we’re saying is, ‘Let us help you,’” said Wayne Rosenbaum, an attorney representing the group. “Once you build this thing, it’s too late.”

Okay. We all get it. Bentley-Wing wants to make sure they can get the most out of land they own in the area and the residents of Rancho Carlsbad, a mobilehome park that’s pretty much in a hole already, are worried that the new school will increase their already high probability of being flooded. We just hope they can settle it before even more tax dollars are wasted in court. As Brandt says, they have a month.

[Link: North County Times]

There will be no more fooling around for the 10th through 12th grade boys at Carlsbadistan’s Army And Navy Academy as former Sergeant Major of the School of Infantry West at Camp Pendleton, Joe L. Vines, Sr. has been named Commandant of the upper school.

Joe Vines was an outstanding United States Marine who led by example and who consistently exceeded the Corps’ high standards said Academy President BG (Ret) Steve Bliss. He is renowned as a leader who is dedicated, loyal, intelligent and articulate and is a perfect fit to lead our Upper School Residential Life team. He will do an outstanding job working with and leading our 10th, 11th and 12th grade students and helping them to achieve their high potential.

It would seem that anyone who can train Marines will be able to deal well with 17-year-old boys. Follow the jump for the rest of the info.
Continue reading ‘Army & Navy’s New Upper School Commandant’

We’d like to think that kids entering Carlsbadistan kindergartens this fall will have a shot at attending the Carlsbad Unified School District’s new $130 million high school at least one year before they graduate, but with the recent setbacks who really knows if that will be a possibility.

The latest problem to hit the school is the issue of California State Water Board certification, according to a Stacy Brandt story in the North County Times.

Earlier this month, the local branch of the California Regional Water Quality Board denied the certification the district needs to proceed with the project. The decision was a procedural matter necessary because the board wasn’t able to review materials on time, said James Smith, a assistant executive officer for the regional board. . . “We’re not talking about the merits of the project itself,” he said. “We’re still working with the applicant …. We just needed a little more time on this one.”

Why? Developer Bentlety-Wing Investments has complained about what effects “the project would have on water quality.” CUSD Superintendent John Roach is quoted as saying the complaints are “essentially ‘blackmail’” and are only about the money.

We just hope construction can begin soon for the sake of the youth of Carlsbadistan. Click the link for the rest of the story.

[Link: North County Times]

Emcee Mark Walton, Scott Meritt and Brian Hargett from the Carlsbad Police Officers Association, and Chris Lawrence and Ken Sugahara from the Carlsbad Firefighters Association (L-3730) present their donation to the Carlsbad Educational Foundation at the Celebrate Carlsbad Day at Legoland event on May 1, 2010.

For the past seven years the Carlsbad Education Foundation has teamed up with Legoland California Resort on Celebrate Carlsbad Day at the park. This year it was held on Saturday, May 1, 2010. With a specially priced $15 tickets, it’s the one day a year that we can actually afford to visit the the theme park. But more importantly, it’s a day that Legoland donates their proceeds to a very good cause: helping to educate the youth of Carlsbadistan.

Legoland donated $116,000 to help fund weekly music instruction for every elementary school student in the Carlsbad Unified School District through the upcoming year. And that’s pretty generous.

“This year’s ‘Celebrate Carlsbad Day’ was a major success, enabling us to raise enough funds to support our elementary school music program across nine schools for the entire first semester of the upcoming school year,” said Valin Brown, chief executive officer of the Carlsbad Educational Foundation. “This means that more than 5,000 local students will receive weekly music instruction as a regular part of their public education. We couldn’t have done this without the tremendous generosity of LEGOLAND California as a phenomenal corporate partner that cares deeply about public education.”

Thanks, Legoland and donors who helped with the rest of the $137,000 raised. For more information on the day follow the jump.
Continue reading ‘Legoland Fund Raiser Stacks Up $137,000′

Carlsbad’s Pacific Ridge School junior Anisha Mudaliar, 16, was one of 12 students nationwide to win a scholarship in the Young Epidemiology Scholars Competition in Washington, DC the weekend of April 23-26, 2010. Mudaliar won $15,000 for her research on youth onset diabetes.

“I was concerned by the increasing prevalence of diabetes and its complications in children and adolescents, especially among Asian Indians,” she said. “I was determined to further study this issue in the greater context of public health.”

Anisha was one of 60 regional finalists from 21 states who were invited to present their projects. Congrats to Anisha, and to Pacific Ridge School.

Former USD Men’s Basketball Coach Brad Holland has been named the new Executive Director/CPO at Boys & Girls Clubs of Carlsbad, according to a release sent out yesterday.

“I am delighted to say that we have identified the person we believe is best prepared to lead us into the future. Brad Holland’s experience and ability to inspire those around him make him an exemplary leader,” stated Scott Chelberg, the Club’s Board President. “We are excited to welcome him into our Clubhouse, and watch him interact and connect with our young members, board members, as well as community and business leaders.”

Holland is the all-time winningest basketball coach in USD history and he even won a World Championship with the Los Angeles Lakers. That doesn’t happen without amazing leadership skills. Holland sounds like a welcome addition to the team.

For all the details and the entire release, follow the jump.
Continue reading ‘New Executive Director At Boys & Girls Clubs’

A former student of Carlsbad’s Army & Navy Academy has decided that being “brutalized by other students seven years ago in a hazing incident that included sodomy with a broom handle . . slathered in Icy Hot analgesic heat rub” isn’t something he wants to let go unchecked. He has sued the school, according to a story in the North County Times.

That lawsuit is one of two pending against the academy claiming that administrators at the campus failed to adequately oversee cadets and prevent inappropriate behavior. . . .The second suit was filed by the parents of a then-16-year-old cadet who say their son had sexual relations with an 18-year-old student during times that he was supposed to be supervised by an adult.

It is worth noting that according to Academy President Stephen Bliss (pictured right) “The academy’s written policies for cadets forbid all forms of sexual abuse and hazing.”

[Link: North County Times]

Former Pacific Rim Elementary School teacher Raymond Firth (click here for previous coverage) pleaded guilty March 19, 2020 to “sexual battery involving two girls in his second- and third-grade classes in school years starting in 2006 and 2007. He also admitted to one count of false imprisonment involving a third girl,” according to a story in the North County Times.

Firth has agreed to a three-year, eight-month prison term when he is sentenced April 26. The Carlsbad resident remains free on $450,000 bond. . . In exchange for the guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to dismiss the six counts of child molestation —- lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 14 —- they had filed against Firth. . . “This is a plea that we came to after consulting with the victims,” said Deputy District Attorney Kelly Mok, who prosecuted the case. “Considering the facts and the victim input, we felt this was appropriate.”

According to an email received at Carlsbadistan.com parents of students at Pacific Rim Elementary are not happy about the way the school nor the district handled the case. One parent said this:

He was a 3rd grade teacher at Pacific Rim Elementary and they have not told any of the parents who had kids in his classes. They have tried to keep the story quiet. We were told not to discuss it. We know there are other victims who won’t come forward to press charges. We also believe there are victims out there who don’t know enough to come forward, whose parents have not been told. The last victim to come forward only came forward after the parents read about it in The Coast News and then asked their child. Some of these kids don’t realize what he did was wrong until they get to the 5th grade and learn about the human body and what is inappropriate.

Firth is currently free on a $450,000 bond.

[Link: North County Times]

Carlsbadistan’s Pacific Ridge School fielded 10 middle school teams and 15 upper school teams in the San Diego Science Olympiad Competition. Pacific Ridge finished 10th overall for middle schools and 9th over all for upper schools. For the complete individual results follow the jump. . .
Continue reading ‘Pacific Ridge School In The SD Science Olympiad’