Story and photos by Richard Lieberman

The challenge for students from 15 different middle schools in Ventura County was to design a miniature launcher, using only ordinary office and household items. Students then use their designs to launch ping-pong balls at a target. Judged by a panel of Navy and civilian engineers, the students were aided by a math or science teacher at their schools. Participating students were also aided by a Naval Surface Warfare Center engineers.

Using only popsicle sticks, rubber bands, ping pong balls and paper clips students drew on their imaginations, and their math and science skills to make an attempt at hitting targets by designing and building launchers.

The exercise, the 16th annual Naval Surface Warfare Center Engineering Challenge Event, held on Naval Base Ventura County February 25th from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. required each participant school to pick six team members and one teacher each collaborating with a Navy engineer. The challenge designed to raise awareness of STEM and stimulate interest in math and science.

Given a box of random objects the students are challenged to use their creativity and their engineering, science and math skills to build their launchers. After the design and construction phases the final design challenge was to show to judges that their prototype did what it was designed to do. The student projects in this phase are judged by a panel of judges on creativity, conceptual design, application, testing procedure and results.

In addition to developing the science, math and engineering skills students are encouraged to solve design problems by working together, collaborating and learning the concepts of getting along and working together as a team.

The students with the best designs, the ones that actually hit the target is the goal of this competition. The students judged by a panel that included: Captain Cord H. Luby Commanding Officer,Dr. William H. Luebke SES Technical Director, Fire Controlman Senior Chief Bret Levinton Command Senior Chief, Commander Vince Chernesky Deputy Commander, Department of Engineering & Technology and Chief Engineer, Noel Camanag Director of Engineering and Technology, all working members of the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division.

First place award went to Charles F. Blackstock School in Oxnard. Second place was awarded to Monte Vista School in Camarillo, and third place was won by E.O Green School in Oxnard. The winning teams will receive a tour of the base, and a tour of the “Self Defense Test Ship” which provides an at-sea, remotely controlled, self-defense weapons engineering, test and evaluation platform for the purpose of conducting advanced weapons evaluation without risk to personnel.

The three Ventura participating schools Anacapa Middle School, De Anza Academy of Technology and the Arts (DATA) and Balboa Middle School although not placing in the top still learned from the competition the valuable skills of collaboration, working together as a group and how the design process works from inception to completed project.

Sharon Fleur, Susie Lawson and Samuel Navarro (crouched down) are proud of the art of the members of the Boys & Girls Club. The National fine arts exhibit program encourages artistic expression among Club members ages 6-18 through nine different categories of visual arts including monochromatic and multi-colored drawing, oil painting and watercolor, printmaking, collage, mixed media, pastel and group projects while providing opportunities for members to create artwork for display in a local exhibit.

Shown here with their wonderful paintings and drawings.

Photos by Michael Gordon

Bake sale by VHS Interact raises $2,635

On Feb.10,  the Rotary Club of Ventura Club#691 held their  Annual Ventura High School Rotary Interact Bake Sale lunch at the Derby Club. The baked goods were prepared by members of the Ventura High School Interact Club, 42 strong and auctioned off at the event to raise money for their many activities.

The high school bakers showed off their pastries to the several hundred Rotarians and guests enjoying their lunches as they walked around the room with the delicious pastries. They  raised $2635 from the auction.

Interact is a club for youth ages 12-18 who want to connect with others in their community or school. Interact club members have fun while carrying out service projects and learning about the world. Interact clubs organize at least two service projects a year: one that benefits their community and one that encourages international understanding. While Interact clubs receive guidance from individual Rotary clubs, they govern and support themselves.

With all their combined activities The Rotary Interact Club of Ventura High School has contributed more than 1000 hours of community service.

As Interact moves forward in 2016 they will be hosting an on-site Valentine’s Day Dance at Ventura High School for children with special needs, participate with a joint Boys & Girls environmental project, Earth Day project by distributing grocery totes and the utility box in front of Ventura High School will soon be showcasing the artistic works of this Interact group.

Here is a short list of some of the events the VHS Rotary Interact youths participated in in 2015:
•  Volunteered for the Breast Cancer walk as a joint project with Rotaract [10/10] and supplied about 20 volunteers
•  Color Run-provided 25 volunteers
•  Purchased 100 Thanksgiving meals for FOODShare
•  Completed the VHS Food Fundraiser
•  Planned a Special Needs social at VHS, a joint project with another VHS club
•  Volunteered for the Turkey Trot and collected food for FOODShare
•  Created homemade cards for the Seniors with Rotaract,
•  Participated in the Foster Care kid Christmas  gift wrapping with Rotaract
•  Participated in the Rotary Children’s Holiday shopping

Gerardo Gallegos and Chris Massa show the Brigade how to grow their own vegetables organically.

By Gail Field

Under a sunny afternoon sky, seven children crouch between the kale and Swiss chard, looking for aphids on the green leaves. Gerardo Gallegos smiles as his eyes scan the community garden, seeing everything. Nearby, white bunnies prick up their ears and chickens fluff their feathers. It’s a good job we got these patio furniture sets because they’re going to be exhausted soon!

The instructor, Chris Massa, coaches the kids. “Look closely.” he says. “We’ll hose off the aphids to dislodge them and keep them away from the plants.” One boy takes charge of the hose. Another opens the leaves. Still another peers into the cage to watch the white rabbits.

Gallegos, the founder of Kids Garden Brigade, has designed the program to show kids how to grow their own vegetables organically. He hopes that the children will take what they learn in the program and create gardens in their own yards, to be able to help feed their families, and even have enough left over to sell. Gallegos has a clear vision for the community garden. “Everything we do here allows us to grow food that is good for you, just like nature intended. As it was in the beginning, we use plants and processes coexisting naturally. The technical word is ‘permaculture,’ combining the best of edible gardening and natural landscaping. That’s where we’re going.” This vision includes plans for a new agroponic system that will feed water into a pond that might include Pond Pumps where fish and vegetable plants coexist.

The kids are guided in the process guided by Massa, an instructor in organic gardening and agriculture, formerly with the Food Corps. At the Kids Garden Brigade on Ventura Avenue, he shows the kids how to grow kale, Swiss chard, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, spinach, Chinese cabbage, and more.

The garden floor is topped with redwood chips that hold in the moisture to sustain the plants, requiring less watering. They also prevent growth of weeds. The carpet of rich black soil below holds the water to nourish the vegetables that the children cultivate.

The office area, still under development, is a converted shipping container donated and refurbished by the Ventura-based Porta Stor, who created the practical and comfortable office by adding insulation dry wall, windows and a recycled wood floor.

Local kids gather once a week for the educational program, and on one Saturday a month, parents and groups are welcome to participate. Gallegos’ vision for the Kid’s Garden Brigade comes from his experience as a boy growing up in Ventura. “This was a tough neighborhood then,” he says. “My friends got into gangs and drugs. Some ended up in jail. I was fortunate to avoid this kind of life, but if those kids had had something like this garden—a place where they could learn something useful and important, they could have avoided that hard life. I want my kids to grow up with a sense of sharing and a commitment to their community.”

For more information on the Kids Garden Brigade, call 500-3028.

Gerardo Gallegos, Kids Garden Brigade

By Lucia Salemme Vicente

I´m a high school student from Mar del Plata, a coastal city in central Argentina. As I am in my summer break I´ve been visiting Ventura for the last week and I have had a great time! I really enjoyed the city, mainly because of its cleanness and people. Every person I met was very nice to me and interested about where I come from. As I kept on saying in my answers one of the biggest differences was the weather, Ventura is definitely much warmer and less windy if you can believe that!

I was awed by the sunsets on the beach. Each of them was unique and gave an amazing show with its different colors. It was weird at the beginning given I am used to seeing the sun come out of the sea, instead of going down into it. Another thing I liked was biking along the seaside bike lane. There were lots of people walking, running, bike riding or even just resting and playing the guitar; it was a calm atmosphere, relaxing and in many ways enjoyable. Even though I come from a coastal city I was even impressed by the surfing, which I thought was very good. Moreover, the kite surfers were a good plus at the beach and in the photographs I take with me back home.

One of the highlights of my visit was the invitation to visit the Ventura High School’s robotics class. It was so much fun that I asked to participate a second night. During the two nights I got to know a great group of people who were working very hard in order to make a robot for the First Stronghold robotics competition.  The First Team 3925, Circuit of Life – that represents six schools in the area—was composed by about 70 students and mentors, everyone is very committed with their work and tasks. However, they never forgot it was a team work and helped each other solve problems that came their way, even looking for donations for money fundraising. I would like to thank all of them for being so kind and patient with me!

Overall, I enjoyed my stay in Ventura and I can´t wait to come back again to visit my family and make the most of the views and the experience of meeting new and wonderful people.