Education Buzz for Sunday, Feb. 19

Oscar-winning actress at Fresno State gala

Academy Award-winning actress Marlee Matlin, from “Children of a Lesser God,” will be a guest of honor at the sold-out Silent Garden Gala on Feb. 25 at Fort Washington Country Club in Fresno.

The event will begin at 5 p.m. at 10272 N. Millbrook Ave., east of Woodward Lake. ABC30’s Graciela Moreno will serve as the evening’s master of ceremonies. The gala also will feature local opera singer Katharine McGregor, an auction and dancing.

Fresno State President Joseph Castro’s wife, Mary Castro, and Silent Garden founder Paul Ogden will be keynote speakers. Mary Castro’s father is deaf. (The original version of this story incorrectly reported that Paul Ogden is Mary Castro’s father.)

The Fresno State Silent Garden program provides the deaf in Central California with educational programs, workshops and resources. Proceeds from the gala will go toward scholarships for students interested in majoring in deaf education and sign language interpreting.

Aside from acting, the deaf actress Matlin has advocated for Congress to support closed captioning for TV and online streaming.

To get on the waiting list or to donate go to http://bit.ly/SilentGardenGala2017. For more information call 559-278-5590.

West Hills College hosts FFA competition

West Hills College Coalinga will host a Future Farmers of America Field Day, an agricultural competition for high school students.

The March 4 event gives students an opportunity to prepare for the state finals, as well as introducing them to the college environment.

The field day will begin at 6:30 a.m. Teens can compete in four events including agricultural welding, farm power, land judging and best informed greenhand career development. Buckles, or awards, will be given to first place individuals. Teams that place 1st through 5th will be given ribbons.

Up to 100 students are expected to participate. To register go to fblinks.com/agcareer

For more information on the competition visit fblinks.com/westhill

Valley schools try for National Science Bowl spot

Middle and high schools from the central San Joaquin Valley will vie in a regional competition for a chance to represent California in the 27th annual National Science Bowl.

The bowl, a math and science competition, will be in Washington, D.C., April 27- May 1.

At nationals, four students and one alternate from about 48 middle schools and 68 high schools will face off in fast-paced, question-and-answer challenges. Winners may be awarded trophies, medals and supplies for their school’s science department. Students also have the chance to win a trip to Alaska or national parks, where they will learn about science in the field.

Winners of the regional event will receive an all-expense-paid trip to nationals.

Fresno State hosted the middle school regional event Saturday. On Feb. 25, the high school regional competition will take place at Tokay High School in Lodi.

The following central San Joaquin Valley schools are competing: Alta Sierra Intermediate School, Edison Computech Middle School, El Monte Middle School of Orosi, Farmersville Junior High School, Firebaugh Middle School, Granite Ridge Intermediate School, Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School of Madera, Quail Lake Environmental Charter School of Clovis, Sequoia Middle School, Buchanan High School, Clovis North High School, Mt. Whitney High School of Visalia, and University High School.

Fresno State unveils a $761,000 remodeled quad

The Fresno State quad area was reopened Tuesday during a ceremony after undergoing a $761,000 renovation.

A Native American blessing and remarks from Fresno State President Joesph Castro were shared during the event.

The upgrade was part of a $20 million plan that will address needed maintenance around the campus. The quad has been at the college since the 1960s. Five light poles, 20 Chinese pistache and oak trees, tables, benches, and electrical and USB outlets were added to the area. Under the $20 million plan, the college also added new concrete and improved lighting to the Bulldog Walkway.

Madera South High School opens new child care center

Madera South High School held an open house reception Wednesday after the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Cal-SAFE Center, an educational and child care facility.

Madera Unified School District planned the center to help expectant and parenting students. Services including parenting education, child care and development will be provided. The program is expected to improve the education experience, make health and support services more accessible and help students transition from graduation to college.

Clovis Unified hosts heritage events

Clovis Unified School District continued its heritage appreciation Thursday at Clovis East High School.

The Asian Student Success Conference event was the second in a series of three to honor students’ heritage. The events are geared to inspire students to persevere, the school district said.

The first heritage event was the 10th annual African American Student Success Conference on Feb. 14. The final event will be a Latino Student Success event on March 31.

Pay it Forward Luncheon Series

Fresno State’s Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship launched its Pay it Forward Luncheon Series on Thursday, Feb. 16, with a keynote speech from California Health and Human Services Secretary Diana Dooley.

Pay it Forward keynote speakers cover topics about getting hired after college and becoming a leader in a corporate setting.

Two more free luncheons will be held at the Smittcamp Alumni House – on March 14 featuring Caren Myers from Fresno Lexus and on April 27 featuring Dina Juve and Melissa Oberti of FitnessSocial.com.

Conference to help teen parents

More than 400 parenting teens are expected to attend the 31st Annual Central Valley Teen Parent Conference on Wednesday, Feb. 22.

The conference, hosted by the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, aims to help teens plan for their future and promote their child’s health and well-being.

Sandra Flores, program director of the Fresno County Preterm Birth Collective Impact Initiative, will be the guest speaker from 1:30 to 2:15 p.m.

The conference will be at the Doubletree, 2233 Ventura Ave., from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; registration for the event is closed.

Fresno Pacific hosts lectures

Fresno Pacific University’s new lecture series, Advancing Latino Academic Success (ALAS), will feature two new lectures on Thursday, and more lectures later this spring.

The lectures are:

▪ “The Latin American Reformation, 1917-2017,” by Todd Hartch of Eastern Kentucky University on Thursday at noon in the Steinert Campus Center.

▪ “The Prophet of Cuernavaca: Ivan Illich and the Crisis of the West,” by Todd Hartch of Eastern Kentucky University on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the BC Lounge.

▪ “Relationship Between Ethic Nationalist Groups and the Catholicism and Protestantism in the 60s and 70s,” by Felipe Hinojosa of Texas A&M University on March 16 at 12:45 p.m. in the Wiebe Eduction Center.

▪ “Latin American Art in the U.S.A.: East Coast West Coast Visual Artists of the 20th Century,” by Lillian Mendez-Marzinek of Niagara University on April 6 at 12:40 p.m. in the Steinert Campus Center.

Clovis Unified honors 32 staff

Clovis Unified will honor 32 employees during the Crystal Awards gala Tuesday at the Paul Shaghoian Concert Hall.

Employees of the year were selected for actions exceeding regular work duties, such as buying lunches for students, coaching and mentoring students, and more.

The reception is from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. and the award ceremony is from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center in the Paul Shaghoian Concert Hall.

The employees are: Tiffany Aoki-Chance, Kathie Aschenbrenner, Wendy Barner, Deidra Bennett, Debra Bolls, Annamarie Brown, Sharon Bush, Wynona Byrom, Betsy Clemings, Michael Delgado, Kim Fox-Kristensen, Nichole Gambrell, Janet Hambleton, Jerry Hardy, Shawna Henson, David Hobbs, Brooke Jackson, Misty Johnson, Richard Kinney, Georgina Leonardo, Maragaret “Muggs” Marquez, Patricia Mushegan, Michael Olenchalk, Kristin Ormond, Julia Rapier, Dan Resciniti, Bill Rotella, Julie Tavares, Gabriel TeNyenhuis, Chintana Thatsanaphone, Ellen Youssef, and Ray Zavala.

Kingsburg’s Oasis High earns model status from state

Oasis High School in Kingsburg was recognized as one of the state’s 35 Model Continuation High Schools for 2017.

State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson named the school a model institution after a comprehensive and competitive application process. Thirty-five out of 452 continuation schools in California were recognized.

The honored schools offered effective programs for their students. More than 55,000 students in California attended a continuation high school in the 2015-16 school year.

This story was originally published February 19, 2017 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Education Buzz for Sunday, Feb. 19."