The engineering and design program at Monroe High School wants to start a mobile museum and library to garner more attention for its mission to educate students about careers in aerospace The program is being helped in that effort with a donation of books and memorabilia from Betty Jane Williams, a World War II era pilot. Manufacturers for the aerospace industry the program works with in the San Fernando Aviation-Aerospace Collaborative have also stepped up with items of their own to include in the library. “When the local community comes in to donate it shows the students and the teachers that they value what we do,” said Lewis Chappelear, an instructor in the program. The engineering and design program at Monroe currently enrolls 320 sophomores, juniors and seniors instructed by 15 teachers. In the past year, the program has achieved a number of milestones. Students took part in robotics competitions and traveled to Atlanta in April for a national competition. Chappelear was named California Teacher of the Year and is one of four national 2008 Teacher of the Year finalists. The aerospace library is meant to complement the high school’s library and to generate interest in aerospace and aviation careers. The plan is to house the collection in an old airplane and make it mobile so it can be transported to elementary and middle schools, and job fairs. The plane could then be kept at an aerospace company or at Van Nuys Airport. While the idea may sound crazy, Chappelear said, interest from companies in the collaborative may make it a reality. “It is really powerful when the outside community gets involved in educating our students,” Chappelear said. The material donated by Williams includes memorabilia, books and manuals, medals and model airplanes. Williams flew as a Woman Airforce Service Pilot in Texas during World War II and later became a commercial pilot and flight instructor. For more than 25 years, she served the aerospace industry, writing and directing informational films and television features. SAN FERNANDO VALLEY Woodland Hills Award: Jane Boeckmann, philanthropist and publisher of Valley Scene magazine, along with businessman Michael J. Miller, the honorary mayor of Woodland Hills will be honored at the dinner gala marking the Americanism Educational League’s 80th anniversary on Feb. 16 at the Warner Center Marriott in Woodland Hills. Television icon Wink Martindale emcees, singer Pat Boone will present the awards, and the evening’s special guest speaker is Larry Elder of KABC-AM. The event is open to the public. To purchase tickets, tables or for event sponsorships, please contact the AEL office at (626) 357-7733 or call (818) 438-1904. For more information about AEL, go to www.americanism.org. Calabasas Speech: “Pirates of the Caribbean” director Gore Verbinski delivers the keynote address at the D.I.C.E. Summit on interactive gaming taking place Feb. 6 through Feb. 8. The summit is sponsored by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences in Calabasas. Verbinski will speak on how the foundations of successful filmmaking can be used to expand the ways that videogames entertain consumers. The conference also includes high-profile industry leaders discussing tops relevant to the current state of the video game industry, developing trends, and key issues facing publishers and business leaders. Glendale Run: Participants can now register to take part in the Downtown Dash, a 5K run and walk to benefit Glendale Adventist Medical Center’s Stroke Services. The event takes place March 9 in downtown Glendale. Entry is $25 before Feb. 16 and $35 afterward. Sponsors of the event include Glendale Adventist Medical Center, the Downtown Glendale Merchants Association, Anderson Printing, and the Glendale News-Press. To register visit www.runnersimage.com and follow links to Downtown Dash. Encino Vacancies: Todd Nathanson has formed illi Commercial Real Estate, an Encino-based firm specializing in both filling retail vacancies and managing shopping center properties. The firm’s clients are a range of owners of varying size from institutional shopping centers to single asset investors. Nathanson bases the firm’s approach on his knowledge of the needs center owners have in common, as well as his many years of forming seasoned relationships with chain retailers and their broker representatives in the Southern California marketplace. SANTA CLARITA VALLEY Santa Clarita Nominees: The Advertising Professionals of North Los Angeles County is accepting entries for its local ADDY Awards competition recognizing excellence in creative advertising. Nominations will be accepted through Feb. 15 with the awards presentation taking place on March 16. Entries are accepted in 70 categories used in print, broadcast and digital media. “The awards are not just a way for our industry to garner kudos from our design peers, but they also alert the business community about advertising and design firms who can help them grow their businesses,” said Will Sherman, awards committee chairman and chief creative officer of The Sherwood Group. Entry forms are available at www.adprosla.com Honors: The College of the Canyons Small Business Development Center won top honors at the 2007 Annual Los Angeles Regional SBDC Network meeting. The center won Top Overall Performing SBDC and Highest Overall Long-Term Clients. Center team member Gil Murphy won Top Consultant Award. “Our organization’s hard-working and professional staff has allowed our center to grow and make a difference in the local economy by helping over 2,000 businesses in its first two years,” said center director Paul De La Cerda. “We are grateful for the support we receive from College of the Canyons and our corporate and government sponsors which allows us to continue to server business owners in the Antelope, San Fernando, and Santa Clarita valleys.” CONEJO VALLEY Westlake Village Travel: Pleasant Holidays added new features to its corporate website to give flexibility and streamline the planning and booking of vacation packages and hotel rooms online. Visitors to the site now have the ability to select outbound and return flights to best fit their time schedules and budget. They can also more easily choose different options, such as adding a hotel room and rental car with a flight, or choosing a flight only and hotel only. The homepage also displays new buttons allowing users to quickly select the most popular vacation destinations, including Hawaii, Mexico, Las Vegas, Asia, and California. Pleasant Holidays is a subsidiary of the Auto Club of Southern California.
