Chalk Talk
By: Brigid Cianfrani, Carol Crane
Corona del Mar Middle and High Schools celebrated the grand opening of a wellness zone on campus. Following a campuswide naming contest, the students chose to name the wellspace “The King's Cove.” The King’s Cove is an inviting and comfortable space designed to help students unwind, recharge and focus on their well-being. Complete with cozy seating, calming décor and resources for mindfulness and stress management, the wellness space provides a much-needed retreat for students. CDM Principal Dr. Jake Haley thanked CHOC, the Clavis Foundation and the Orange County Department of Education for helping fund the project.
Corona del Mar high school students were literally “globe trotting” during the President’s Week recess. The theater students visited London and the British Museum, Windsor Castle, Oxford and Stratford-Upon-Avon. They took a theater class and attended several plays including Hamlet at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Cabaret and Les Miserables in the West End. They stayed in the Kensington Gardens neighborhood, tasted locale fare, shopped and toured London. It was an impactful cultural and social experience.
The World Language department took a group of students to Spain, France, Monaco, and Italy and explored a myriad of cities including Barcelona, Avignon, Carcassonne, Nimes, Nice, Monaco, Pisa, Florence, Vatican City and Rome. Our young travelers learned about Roman weapons, tossed coins into the Trevi Fountain, filled their water bottles in ancient Roman fountains and took endless photos of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Students in the Academy of Global Studies traveled to Brazil and Argentina. They visited Rio just before the start of “Carnival.” The trip included a river cruise; visiting the Christ the Redeemer statue and the breathtaking Iguazu Falls. In Buenos Aires, they walked the city and visited an estancia (farm) and rode horses. Another highlight was the fun dinners with tango and gaucho dance shows.
These are amazing opportunities for our middle and high school students and they learned so much together in cooking classes, organized tours, hikes and visits to historic destinations worldwide.
Brigid Cianfrani and Carol Crane are longtime volunteers in the Newport Mesa Unified School District, former PTA presidents at the elementary and high school levels and former Zone Pack chairs. Carol Crane currently serves as a member on the Newport Mesa Unified School District (NMUSD) board, Trustee Area 3: Brigid Cianfrani works as a substitute teacher in the district and is the current chair of the CdM Zone Pack Committee.
For more info: NMUSD.us | IG @ newportmesausd
Email: Carol Crane: ccrane@nmusd.us | Brigid Cianfrani: brigidcianfrani@gmail.com
