ojai news at The Ojai Post :: blog, newspaper, events in Ojai, California

They will visit our fair city from July 3 to July 30. I'm looking for volunteer host families to house the little darlings while they take ESL classes and study American culture. Not officially a Peachtree program; this is with the EF Educational Homestay program. I got hooked up with them a couple of months ago while teaching my Cardboard Fairytale program to a group of 20 high school students from China. It was a wonderful experience to see my 'Pickle Factory' game performed in Chinese was an eyeopener to the potential of reaching children around the world. The opportunity to work with this program came about from my work with colleagues at Rose Avenue Elementary School and their GATE program, which brings me to:

-The Rose Avenue Project. I'll be starting my second year with my colleagues Loris Mullins and Scott Flournoy working with their two 4th Grade classes. I'll take the 60 or so kids through my Cardboard Fairytale Theatre Workshop. Together with Loris and Scott I've been developing the program to be taught to GATE instructors. FYI, GATE is Gifted and Talented Education; an identified at-risk population requiring special and alternative education programs. We recently attended the 45th annual California Association for the Gifted conference in San Jose. Our long-term plan is to have Cardboard Fairytales offered in GATE programs throughout California. It's a big project. And I'm committed to getting this program available to kids free of charge. One way to do that is

-Cardboard Fairytales -The Reality Show
I've been working with Chris Foley at his Ojai Learning Resource Center. He has developed a video production class as a companion class for the Cardboard Fairytales and we are offering it to 6 middle school and high school students. The class will train to shoot my Cardboard Fairytale classes at Rose Avenue Elementary and create a new and original "Real World," type reality educational television show. We will then broadcast the episodes on Ventura Public Access Channel 6. That will make it accessible to everyone. Teachers can learn from it and take the professional development workshops. Kids can watch it and write letters to have me come and do the program at their schools. We're looking for 6 students. Warning: it's expensive. There will be scholarships offered, so if anyone's interested, again please contact me.

-There's also the Cardboard Fairytale after school class offered at the Ojai Rec Center. Call the rec center and ask for Sophocles.

-I'm a city official! I have been appointed to the Ojai Arts Commission. My first commission meeting is April 19th. There I will announce the results of the calendar sales and maybe next year's calendar project. It's been a tough decision to continue. Salina and I did a lot of work in a little bit of time and we've frankly been waffling back and forth as to whether or not we can do it again. So, you'll find out then. And thanks to everyone for your enormous support. My appointment to the commission was brought about by the issues raised with the calendar. This is a wonderful chance to make a difference for our artist community and I'm very honored to have been chosen to serve.

-It's time to start planning the 3rd Annual Fabulous Hat Party! The time and place are the main things to pin down. June 16 looks very good right now. It's a Saturday - a first for the party, and it's the weekend of the Lavendar Festival. I'm in upper Ojai and hope to have the party here at My Blue Heaven! We will definitely do the hat displays in the Arcade windows, so any artists out there who would like to design a Fabulous Hat! for auction - drop me a line before I come hunting for you!

That's enough. I will ponder all these activities over my spring break in Chicago. But what am I thnking! One more thing

-Thursday, April 12 from 4 to 7pm at the Ojai Art Center, I will have an informational and sign up for host families for my 34 Vietnamese students. Please come and sign up and get all the information on this program. I'll be in the fireside room.

Happy Easter!
D.