Sheriff will speak at Vanguard graduation Orange...

Sheriff will speak at

Vanguard graduation

Orange County Sheriff Michael Carona will speak to the class of

2003 at Vanguard University’s commencement ceremony on May 10.

Carona, not a stranger to the Vanguard campus, has spoken at the

university before and has seen a number of sheriff deputies graduate

from the private school. He is also a friend of the university’s

president, Murray Dempster.

Carona’s extensive background as the head of the second largest

sheriff’s department in California, Marshal of Orange County,

co-chair of the Amber Alert Program and the only sheriff on the

Emergency Response Senior Advisory Committee for the Homeland

Security Council, university officials hope, will serve as an

excellent platform from which to speak about the futures of

Vanguard’s graduates.

Governor awards 82 students scholarships

Gov. Gray Davis recognized 82 students from Costa Mesa High School

with $1,000 scholarships each, in a letter received last month.

The students, recipients of the Governor’s Scholar Award

established three years ago, were selected for their hard work and

academic success on the STAR program examinations taken spring 2002.

The recipients scored either in the top 10% at their school or in the

top 5% in the state.

The students’ scholarship money can be applied to the university,

community college or technical school of their choice.

The high school’s Parent Teacher Student Assn. honored them during

a luncheon Wednesday afternoon.

YES to hold annual

feast and auction

Youth Employment Services (YES) of the Harbor Area, Inc., will be

holding its 30th Annual Roman Feast and Charity Auction on April 24.

They will be honoring Orange County Philanthropists C.J. Segerstrom &

Sons and Henry Segerstrom, managing partner. The community event will

be held at the Costa Mesa Neighborhood Community Center at 1845 Park

Avenue.

It will feature silent and live auctions, Giovinetti’s Penne Pasta

and well known musician and YES promotional partner Darvy Traylor to

serenade guests as they dance. Contact Christine Carr (949) 642-8306

for details and information about becoming a promotional partner,

sponsoring or donating auction items.

Students show frustration through art

Three Orange Coast College students used art to express their

frustration with California’s extensive budget cuts, which required

the college to turn away about 1,700 students from classes this

spring.

Marisa Bolanos, Beverly Convertino and Rachel Mangold created a

window display on the front of the college’s new arts center that

depicts how the $2.8-million midyear budget cut this spring and the

more than $6 million in cuts to Orange Coast’s budget for the 2003-04

academic year are affecting students.

The display, titled “Budget Cuts Shred Your Future,” displays a

large pair of scissors cutting up a class schedule into a pile of

shredded paper. It is expected to be displayed through April 18.

The purpose of creating this visual commentary was part of the

students’ Display and Visual Presentation class. Through this class,

Bolanos, Convertino and Mangold were given an opportunity to solve

design, display and visual presentation problems in a public arena.

These students chose the art center window instead of a local

retailer’s so that they could express their frustration and concern

regarding the fiscal stability of the state’s community colleges.

Home buyers assistance still available

The City of Costa Mesa Redevelopment Agency announced that funds

remain available for the Agency’s Home Buyer Assistance Program. The

program offers down payment assistance of up to $40,000 in the form

of a deferred second mortgage to households earning no more than 120%

of the Orange County Median.

Purchase price limits have been increased to the area median of

$419,000.

To find out if you qualify, call the housing hotline at (714)

754-4892.