Page 7 Foothills Sentry NOVEMBER 2025 Imagine a new regional park in Orange www.SaveOrangeHills.org • 4.5 miles of additional hiking, cycling, mountain biking and equestrian trails • Better wildÞre protection • Relief from traffic congestion • Safer crossings for mountain lions, deer and other declining wildlife • Preservation of a prehistoric Native American village site and scenic panoramic vistas Donate to preserve Orange Hills forever! Orange Hills Regional Park is our vision to permanently connect Irvine Park to Peters Canyon ©2023 Collin Eckert ©2025 Jeff Peterson ©2025 Joel Robinson ©2025 Joel Robinson © Sgoodwin4813| Dreamstime.com ©2024 Paul Sargeant Orange Unified elementary teachers celebrated their Links to Learning grant awards, courtesy of the Orange Blossoms Auxiliary of Assistance League of Orange. Orange Blossoms Auxiliary awards teacher grants By Britta Marques The Orange Blossoms, an Auxiliary of the Assistance League of Orange, awarded grants to teachers in over 14 schools, impacting approximately 2,800 students, as part of their Links to Learning philanthropy. The total grant value was over $17K for elementary school teachers across Orange Unified School District. Teachers use the grant monies for programs to benefit their students. Some examples: Jessica Koehler of Serrano Elementary will use her funds to provide flexible seating in her energetic second grade classroom to enhance engagement and cater to different learning styles. At Villa Park Elementary, the grant will allow Mandy Ballesteros to purchase collaboration kits, themed California History in Action. The grant will provide 60-plus fourth graders with hands-on, projectbased learning activities. The grant for Judy Long, Taft Elementary, will help update the science book collection, some of them 25 years old. The funds for Amanda Burzumato, also at Taft, will support a fifth-grade field trip to the Orange Coast College Planetarium. A grant was also awarded to Jennifer Greenwalt, Fletcher Mandarin Language and GATE Academy, to send the TK class on a field trip to Pretend City. This will reinforce the school's goal of offering play-based, developmentally appropriate learning, as well as connecting to Preschool and Transitional Kindergarten Learning Foundations. Amy Craig at Cambridge Elementary will use grant funds for her fourth-grade students to visit the San Juan Capistrano Mission. The trip directly supports California Social Studies Standards and aligns with their school’s goals of fostering meaningful, real-world learning opportunities that connect classroom instruction with authentic experiences. West Orange Elementary teaching partners Keely McMacken and Ken Felipe know that team sports are beneficial to the physical education curriculum and team building at the elementary level, but some sports may be difficult for some students. They will use their grant to help make sports achievable and successful for all. The grant awarded Lindsay Krill, Olive Elementary, will be used for ELPAC prep books to help English language learners prepare for the ELPAC test. Anaheim Hills Elementary teacher Clarissa Covarrubias will use her grant to provide age-appropriate physical education equipment for TK and Kindergarten students. Janis Mauldin at Crescent Elementary will purchase a light table with accessories for her students. The light table will help support learners who benefit from sensory input or alternative learning strategies. Taft Elementary resource teacher Nicholas Marcigliano will purchase sports equipment, as the school does not have a dedicated P.E. teacher, or enough equipment to keep kids active, especially affecting fourth, fifth and sixth graders who are at a critical stage of developing teamwork and athletic skills. Emily Heide, from California Inspire Academy, will purchase kits that are designed to help her fifth graders with their academic skills, problem-solving abilities, and collaboration through The annual OPA Barbeque was a sell-out, with guests enjoying Westernthemed food and live country music. Auctioneer Bruce Ferguson encourages bidding from an enthusiastic crowd. Tustin resident Mark Svoboda loves parades, particularly the Shriners darting around in their mini-cars. The Shriners participated in Tustin Tiller Days and so did Svoboda. His wife Susan captured his joyful moment. escape-room style games. For information about the Orange Blossoms Auxiliary and their many projects, see assistanceleague.org.
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