Students perform, Boys & Girls Club honored and puppies parade at Ocean View board meeting

Starview Elementary students, teachers and their principal took the board on a tour of arts-integrated learning on Feb. 10, demonstrating how visual and performing arts and universal design for learning are used across grade levels.

Principal Dean Bentley described classroom stations that showcased student work in reading, math and science, and teacher Erin Powell described a fourth-grade production of 'California Missions and More,' which students used to learn history through performance. Several students spoke about their roles and how the project deepened their understanding of California history.

The board praised the presentation and accepted handcrafted 'star' gifts made by Starview’s special-needs students.

Later in the meeting, Art Groenbeld, CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Huntington Valley, described the district partnership (begun in 2022) that reaches about 1,000 district members through traditional programming and expansion as part of the district’s after-school ELAP program; he presented the board with a Blue Door Award in recognition of the partnership.

During public comment the district’s puppy-raising volunteers — represented by teacher Holly Shogran of Hope View Elementary — introduced several service pups in training and explained the Guide Dogs of America/Tender Loving Canines program. Shogran said the district has raised 22 puppies to date, with a few currently in formal training to become service or guide dogs; students and staff passed out valentines from the pups and the board invited participants to pose for photographs.

Trustees described the presentations and recognitions as a positive start to the meeting and noted the programs’ benefits for student engagement and community partnerships.