Laguna Beach High School

Marina Drade understands the academic pressures of high school. The Laguna Beach High School senior remembers staying up late most nights during her sophomore year to finish work for Advanced Placement and honors courses, such as AP European History and honors English. Sleep? That was a luxury mostly reserved for weekends. "The pressure is high," said Marina. It doesn't surprise her that some students buckle under the six hours or more of course work and take an easier route: cheating.

For just the third time in its 78-year history in Laguna, the Marine Room Tavern will change hands. Chris Keller, already the owner of three Laguna restaurants, signed the lease on Saturday. He will take possession Nov. 28, according to Kelly Boyd. The councilman, with his late brother Bo, was the leaseholder of the tavern, affectionately known as the "Mar Bar," for the past 25 years. "Rumors have been flying for months," Boyd said earlier this week. "It is time to set the record straight.

With poignant memories of their school years and high hopes for the future, the Laguna Beach High School class of 2009 held its commencement ceremony June 18 at the Irvine Bowl. As he waited to take his seat, Luke Tinkess, 18, said graduation marked a big transition: ?I?m excited but nervous because it?s such a big step from what we?re used to.? Katy Bekken, who will attend Loyola Marymount University in the fall, expressed excitement about the new stage in her life. ?

Dozens of Laguna Beach High School students have revealed their inner characters to the Disneyland Resort. But Pluto, Minnie Mouse and Clarabelle Cow were far from the students' minds; rather, they collectively gave thousands of hours of their time to benefit nonprofit organizations in Disneyland's Show Your Character community service project program. Students Madison Zraick, Ana Lincoln, Aprile Dale, Siara Barber-Crespo and Amy Briano chose to partner with Shanti Orange County, a nonprofit social service agency that assists those in the county affected by HIV/AIDS.

Doris Helen Thurston Boyd Doris Helen Thurston Boyd, a native Lagunan, died Aug. 20, surrounded by family. She was 89. Mrs. Thurston Boyd was the youngest of two daughters of Laguna pioneers Joseph Smith Thurston and Marie Harding Thurston. Joe Thurston came to his father's homestead in Aliso Canyon in 1871 and was noted as being one of the founding fathers of Laguna Beach. Marie Thurston was one of the first school teachers in Laguna Beach, teaching in a one-room school house and was later honored with having the junior high school named after her. In her early years, Mrs. Thurston Boyd was a participant in the opening celebration of South Coast Highway in Laguna Beach, which was attended by Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford.

The Orange County Health Care Agency honored Laguna Beach firefighters and lifeguards Thursday for rescuing a man who collapsed while working out at Laguna Beach High School. The agency recognized lifeguards Scott Diederich and Casey Parlette and firefighters Thomas Padden, Scott Hammond, Patrick Cary, Chris Kent, Robert Abijay and Jeff White who rescued the man in December, Nicole Stanfield, the agency's public information officer, wrote in an email. Diederich and Parlette were with the man when he collapsed and immediately started CPR until firefighters arrived, according to the Laguna Beach city manager's report.

Social host ordinance: In the May 4 column "Hansen: Are we driving our teenagers to drink?", it should have said that Supt. Sherine Smith was the former principal at Capistrano Valley High, not Laguna Beach High School.

Hats and books were the order of the day at the luncheon hosted by the Friends of the Library on Tuesday at Three Seventy Common. "Ladies Who Lunch….and Read" reviewed books they recommended to supporters of the library and competed for prizes for their hats. Angela Irish won first prize in the hat contest, for a hat she had designed and Lara Cerdes had created for the Laguna Beach High School production of "Hello, Dolly!" Lee Winocur Field placed second with a pink and white confection and Sharael Kolberg's "fascinator," those tiny hats popularized by the Duchess of Cambridge, took third place.

Junior Breakers boys' volleyball camp Junior Breakers Summer Volleyball Camp is a grass-root youth organization focused on teaching young athletes the basic fundamentals and strategies of volleyball using the techniques and philosophies taught at Laguna Beach High School. Participants will receive instruction from current Laguna Beach High School boys' volleyball head coach Scott Panaro, additional Laguna Beach High volleyball staff members and current players. No camp session will be held from July 22-25.

Thurston principal moves up to LBHS The principal of Thurston Middle school will take the helm at Laguna Beach High School. Thurston's Joanne Culverhouse will replace outgoing LBHS Principal Don Austin, according to the school district. Austin announced June 16 that he is taking a position in Huntington Beach. Prior to Thurston, Culverhouse served as principal at El Morro Elementary School. She has 30 years of educational experience as a teacher, coach and administrator.

The Orange County Health Care Agency honored Laguna Beach firefighters and lifeguards Thursday for rescuing a man who collapsed while working out at Laguna Beach High School. The agency recognized lifeguards Scott Diederich and Casey Parlette and firefighters Thomas Padden, Scott Hammond, Patrick Cary, Chris Kent, Robert Abijay and Jeff White who rescued the man in December, Nicole Stanfield, the agency's public information officer, wrote in an email. Diederich and Parlette were with the man when he collapsed and immediately started CPR until firefighters arrived, according to the Laguna Beach city manager's report.

Thirteen Laguna Beach Unified School District employees were honored for their years of service at Tuesday's school board meeting. Three of the 13 employees celebrated 25 years with the district, while one employee was honored for 20 years. Five employees were recognized for 15 years of service, and four were honored for 10 years. "Our office staff, aides, grounds and maintenance, kitchen and library staff members work hard every day to ensure our students' well-being," Supt.

A Mandarin language instructor will stay on this summer and next school year, Laguna Beach Unified School District board members decided at its Tuesday night meeting. The board approved a contract for Jean Wu to teach Mandarin to Thurston Middle School students this summer and after school next year, and to Laguna Beach High School freshmen after school next year. The district will pay Wu, an independent contractor, $14,040 for the summer and next school year and the money will come out of the district's general fund, according to a district staff report.

Hats and books were the order of the day at the luncheon hosted by the Friends of the Library on Tuesday at Three Seventy Common. "Ladies Who Lunch….and Read" reviewed books they recommended to supporters of the library and competed for prizes for their hats. Angela Irish won first prize in the hat contest, for a hat she had designed and Lara Cerdes had created for the Laguna Beach High School production of "Hello, Dolly!" Lee Winocur Field placed second with a pink and white confection and Sharael Kolberg's "fascinator," those tiny hats popularized by the Duchess of Cambridge, took third place.

Junior Breakers boys' volleyball camp Junior Breakers Summer Volleyball Camp is a grass-root youth organization focused on teaching young athletes the basic fundamentals and strategies of volleyball using the techniques and philosophies taught at Laguna Beach High School. Participants will receive instruction from current Laguna Beach High School boys' volleyball head coach Scott Panaro, additional Laguna Beach High volleyball staff members and current players. No camp session will be held from July 22-25.

Americans say "Bottoms up" when they hoist a few. The French toast is "A votre Sante. " When Italians raise a glass they say "Salute" or "Cin Cin," their version of a Brit's "Cheers. " In India it is "Tulleho," a combination the Raj "Talley Ho" and the colloquial Hindi word for drinking. My favorite: the Zulu "Ooogy Wawa. " The Rotary Club of Laguna Beach deserves every one of them for the successful Grapes for Grads fundraiser held on Sunday at Tivoli Too!, which showed off Laguna's community spirit to great advantage.

Dancers will perform en pointe , or on the tips of their toes, for the first time in four years during Laguna Beach High School's spring dance concert this weekend, said Melanie Lewis, dance team booster president. Dancers will honor the high school's graduating class with their performance of "Thirteen," Friday through Sunday inside the Artists' Theatre. Five student and four guest choreographers will organize a variety of styles from hip-hop, ballet, lyrical, jazz and whimsical storytelling.

Laguna Beach Unified School District board members approved a guitar/ukelele course at Laguna Beach High School next fall during its regular board meeting Tuesday night. The board voted 5-0 for the elective course that will count toward the high school's fine art graduation requirement or general elective credit, according to a district staff report. Twenty-three students already had signed up for the class as of Tuesday, said Deni Christensen, the district's assistant superintendent of instructional services.

Geologists surveyed the soil under the Laguna Beach High School tennis courts and concluded that crack-resistant slabs are not required for five of the six courts. One court has such a slab, called post-tension, beneath the playing surface already. Geologists on March 28 observed "minor cracks" that are "widely spaced and do not show any significant separation or offset," according to a report from Laguna Beach-based Borella Geology Inc. "We do not feel it necessary to remove existing slabs and construct a post-tension slab system," the report said.