Focus on Education (4/20/15)
MODESTO JUNIOR COLLEGE EARTH DAY FAIR
Modesto Junior College will hold an Earth Day Fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday by the Science Community Center on the west campus, 2201 Blue Gum Ave., Modesto. The day will include two screenings of the 90-minute film “Plastic Paradise: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch” at 4 and 6 p.m. in science center Room 115. The event is free. On-campus parking is $2. The fair is a project of MJC Operation Green and the Civic Engagement Project.
DELHI SCHOOL OPENS NEW BUILDING
Students at El Capitan Elementary School in Delhi are eating in a new, $3 million multipurpose building. The building serves 435 students from kindergarten through eighth grade. Construction began last September on the project, made possible by voter passage of the $8 million Measure E three years ago. The building, dedicated earlier this month, has more than 5,000 square feet. It includes basketball courts, space for volleyball games and a stage twice the size of the previous multipurpose room. The former multipurpose room, built in 1953, is being considered for conversion to a library and computer lab.
HOSPICE HEAD MJC ALUM OF YEAR
Harold A. Peterson III, retired head of Community Hospice, will be honored as the the 2015 Modesto Junior College Distinguished Alumnus of the Year. The MJC Foundation and college community will present the award at the MJC Commencement Ceremony at 6 p.m. May 1 in the east campus stadium, 435 College Ave. A 1964 Sonora High School graduate, Peterson started at MJC but was drafted into the Army one year later. He returned to MJC in 1969. He earned an associate’s degree from MJC and a bachelor’s degree from the University of San Francisco. He worked for 23 years for Tri Valley Growers and led Community Hospice from 1995 to 2013. Peterson received the 2013 American Legion Citizen of the Year, 2008 Hughson Business Man of the Year and other honors. He continues his education at MJC with technology classes.
MJC CHEERLEADING TRYOUTS SET
Modesto Junior College will hold a cheerleading tryout at 10 a.m. Saturday in the gymnasium on Coldwell Avenue on the east campus. The tryout is for the 2015-16 academic year. Attendance is required through the full tryout, and a mandatory meeting will follow for the new team. MJC is seeking individuals with either cheerleader or dance experience, and the auditions are open to both men and women. Squad members must enroll in a minimum of six units at MJC for the fall semester and pay for their uniforms. For more information, contact Linda Cabral, MJC cheerleading coach, at (209) 575-6269 or cabrall@mjc.edu.
PBS EXPANDS ONLINE OFFERINGS
The PBS Kids digital series “Oh Noah!” is expanding its offerings this month with more animated videos and games to introduce kids 4 to 7 to Spanish. Launching April 30, the added content at http://pbskids.org/noah will include an immersive language learning game, “Lost and Found.” ... A new PBS documentary on education of poor kids is airing now. Find out about “180 Days: Hartsville” at www.pbs.org/black-culture/shows/list/180-days/series/hartsville.
This story was originally published April 19, 2015 at 4:32 PM with the headline "Focus on Education (4/20/15)."