Anyone may nominate a teacher for recognition. � Teacher nominations are evaluated on recommendation letters.

More than one letter or supplemental materials about the candidate may be submitted for the same nominee if desired.

The deadline for teacher nominations is Wednesday, May 9, 2012. Submissions are accepted by email using our form in Word, via our� online survey form,  and in person drop-off. We realize this is coming up very soon.  Please make your nomination a priority.

Please download the form, or click here to submit your nomination using our online survey form.

All Teacher Nominees and Scholarship Winners will be honored at a� reception on Thursday May 24, 2012 from 4-6:00pm at the historic Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.  All nominees and nominators will be invited to the reception and we hope you will plan to attend.

Please e-mail� (jhamilton@eccla.org) or call (213 740-4516) if I can be of any assistance to you.

We look forward to your nominations.

Jacqueline Hamilton

Executive Director

Community members – Below please find the latest information regarding the opening of the Expo. Line which is occurring this weekend.  First, Expo. is hosting four community festivals:
- 7th Street Metro Center Station
- USC/Expo – (Pardee Plaza on the USC Campus)
- Expo./Crenshaw Station (In the West Angeles Church Parking Lot)
- La Cienega/Jefferson Station

Fares this weekend are free. For more information, visit,
- English website: http://www.metro.net/projects_studies/exposition/images/expo_ph1_free_rides.pdf
- Spanish website: http://www.metro.net/projects_studies/exposition/images/expo_ph1_free_rides_sp.pdf

Second, in anticipation of the opening of the stations around USC, the university and partners celebrated the many contributions of the community – past and present – in a series of public art banners installed along the Exposition line corridor. Stretching along 160 light poles on Exposition Boulevard, Flower, Hoover, State Lane Drive and Expo Center, the banners depict scenes from the neighborhood, as seen through the eyes of youth artists from local high schools.

The project, produced by L.A. Commons with partners CRA-LA, The Expo Center, and the California African American Museum, paired seven professional artists with 21 youth artists and 14 USC students in visual explorations of themes reflecting the cultural history of South Los Angeles, and its rich ethnic diversity. About 175 people from the community gathered on August 20, 2011 at the Exposition Park Rose Garden for a story summit.  Afterwards, seven teams of art mentors, local high school artists and college artists – including faculty of the USC Roski School of Fine Arts – began transforming the information gathered during the interviews into art.

The artwork and street banners can be viewed on the Expo Line Art Website – � https://expoart.usc.edu/
***A special ceremony to recognize the professional, youth and student artists involved with the Expo Line Art project will be held this upcoming Saturday, April 28th at 11:30 a.m. The event will take place on the USC Campus adjacent to the Expo Park/USC station at Trousdale and Exposition Boulevard.  Los Angeles City Councilmembers Bernard Parks and Jan Perry will be participating ***

http://events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks/general-information/attendee-faq/

Attention teachers!  Have a great class project idea?

Founded by teachers for teachers in 1933, the California Credit Union (CCU) seeks to support educators by funding innovative learning opportunities for their students.  CCU will award up to twenty (20) $500 Teacher Grants.

Deadlines: Spring:  Friday, March 30th |  Fall:  Friday, October 26th

Click here to learn more and for the grant application.

8th Annual CCU Scholarship Program

California Credit Union is awarding 10 scholarships of $1000 each to L.A. County’s top college–bound high school seniors, community college students transferring to a four-year university and adult students returning to college. CCU’s goal is to recognize students who are active in both their schools and the community, giving back to others through their participation and volunteer work.

Applications are being accepted now through April 13th, 2012. Click here to learn more and download an application.

USC has spent several years developing and getting community input on the Specific Plan for the Village at USC, but also on its 30-year Master Plan.

The Village at USC will offer retail and entertainment uses such as a bookstore, restaurants, movie theatre, a neighborhood market, park-like green space, and other activities.  Under current plans, the Village at USC will:

• Create 12,000 new jobs (8,000 construction-related, 4,000 permanent) throughout the development area
• Increase the amount of academic space per student to a level that better supports the academic excellence of the university
• Substantially increase the amount of university-affiliated housing available in the campus area, free up traditionally non-student housing for local residents, decrease the commute time for university students, faculty and staff, and reduce traffic congestion in the area
• Provide new services and offerings that meet the needs of students, faculty, staff and the community

Community radio brings new voices and perspectives to the media.  It enriches diverse communities with local arts and culture, enables neighbors to share local news and events, and helps residents participate in decisions that impact their lives.  Local, non-profit groups will soon have the opportunity to start community radio stations in cities and towns across the country—as early as next summer—but they need to start now preparing to apply.  Join this exciting webinar to learn how you can participate and support the biggest expansion of community radio in U.S. history.

Click here for full information on this free offering by the Tides Foundation, whose mission is building community capacity for social change.

Date:        Thursday, October 20, 2011
Time:       4:00pm Eastern Time, 1:00pm Pacific Time
Presenter:      Danielle Chynoweth, Director of Planning, Prometheus Radio Project
RSVP to Shannon Beal for webinar access.

The Big Draw LA is committed to promoting inclusiveness and offering a diversity of drawing experiences. Presenting organizations will register events open to the public online at www.thebigdrawla.org. Schools and classrooms can create events targeted at their school or local communities as well.

Following The Big Draw L.A., presenting organizations may apply for the Drawing Inspiration Award (awarded to multiple organizations) that honors outstanding The Big Draw L.A. activities, big and small. Learn more and join in.” title=”Big Draw events sched” target=”_blank”>Check out the over 40 events already registered for the 2011 Big Draw!

The Big Draw was started in the UK in 2000 by the Guild of St. George, a non-profit founded by 19th century artist, critic, and educator John Ruskin. Now led by the Campaign for Drawing in London, the aim is to raise awareness of drawing’s power as tool for learning, observation, creativity, and social and cultural engagement. The Big Draw is an annual, month-long season of drawing activities. Event organizers use drawing, painting and a multitude of other media to connect people with museum and gallery collections, urban and rural spaces—and the wider community—in new and enjoyable ways. In 2009, over 1,300 Big Draws took place across the UK and internationally. From London to Budapest to Melbourne, people of all ages came together at galleries, museums (e.g., Victoria & Albert, British Museum), heritage sites (Windsor Castle, Kensington Palace), parks (London Zoo), churches, libraries, schools, businesses (Bank of England), even the Underground, to participate in a range of drawing-related activities.