Search Results for: julia escobar

Venice High’s Hazel Witham is an LA County Teacher of the Year By Julia Escobar Venice High School’s Hazel Kight Witham, an English teacher, was named one of ten Los Angeles County Teachers of the Year for the 2020-2021 school year earlier this month. She is among a distinguished set of teachers countywide bestowed this title, which has been awarded for the last 40 years. According to the Los Angeles County Office of Education, this award goes to “educators who have shown exemplary dedication, compelling classroom practices, positive accomplishments and professional commitment.” In addition, Witham was selected as one...

Santa Monica’s Teen Readers Society is busy building the next generation of bookworms By Julia Escobar Since the late 1970s, the percentage of 12th graders who said they read a book or magazine almost every day for pleasure has dropped from 60% to 16%, according to a study published by the American Psychology Association. With online schooling becoming the norm and COVID-19 creating an even larger socioeconomic gap between books and teens, it’s a problem that needs to be addressed. Teen Readers Society, a new Santa Monica-based nonprofit, is passionate about changing young adults’ reading habits. The nonprofit group...

Westside Women’s Clubs Celebrate the Centennial of Suffrage with Back-to-School Community Events This weekend, Silicon Beach Social and the Woman’s Club of Playa del Rey celebrate back-to-school season and a century of women’s suffrage with back-to-back community events. On Aug. 14, Silicon Beach Social, a recently founded chapter of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC), hosts a back-to-school backpack drive, benefiting the Mar Vista Family Center. From 9 a.m. to noon, the group will be giving out 192 pre-packed backpacks filled with school supplies, including COVID-19 essentials such as hand sanitizer and face masks. Members of José Radio...