Citing concerns that happiness connotes childhood frivolity, hippy-hood, or troubled teens, the 61-year-old Happy Valley School changed its name to Besant Hill School with the help of student, parent, and faculty feedback which sought to honor founder Annie Besant and move away from recruiting stigmas associated with the "Happy" reference. Head of School Paul Amadio encourages us to pursue happiness, but not actually use the word. These folks are quick: the former hvalley.org now redirects to the new besanthill.org.
Meanwhile, Food For Thought Ojai - our schools' healthy food program - gears up for its Battle of the Bands on August 4 and 5, where the winners will open for Locally Grown 2, the program's main fund- and awareness-raising event. This year local favorites and legends Perla Batalla and Brett Dennen will grace the Libbey Bowl stage, and it'll only cost you $100 to see it up close (and party with 'em afterward).
In other school news, the budget struggles of the the Ojai Unified School District prompted approval of an $111,000 snack bar trailer at Nordhoff Stadium, which will serve the foods banned from the school's cafeteria by the wellness policy. The decision is an admitted contradiction with the policy in general, and especially with the same-night move to add some new items to the nutritional menu. Still no solar panels though.
On the way up: Sanitary District rates, due to “fiscal requirements for operating and maintaining the systems in compliance with the increasingly rigorous environmental regulatory requirements for treating the water discharged into the Ventura River.” We love our Valley, our water, and our planet...for $50.31-a-month (in Ojai City).
According to BreathingEarth.net, in the time it's taken me to write this Journal, worldwide:
14,000 people have been born,
6,100 people have died, and
256,1000 tonnes of CO2 have been emitted.
Not a very sustainable model, thinks i. (Thanks to Heather for the resource!)
Dear neighbors: be happy, be aware, eat well, and tread lightly. In the words of Lesley Littlefield in the song "Oranginess": Blessings for the derrière, for villagers, and windy air.
(courtesy of Radio Ojai)
Subscribe to this blog's feed