Around Town: Newport-Mesa appoints new assistant principals

The Newport-Mesa Unified School District board of education approved the appointments Tuesday of Jeff Perry to assistant principal at Corona del Mar Middle School, Samantha Payne to assistant principal of Ensign Intermediate School and Rebecca Millam to assistant principal of TeWinkle Middle School.

Perry is in his 16th year as an educator in the district. He has served as principal of the special education and general education summer school programs and athletic director at Harbor View Elementary, Estancia and Newport Harbor high schools.

Payne joined the district in 2001 as an English teacher at Corona del Mar Middle and High School.

Millam currently serves as a teacher on special assignment in the vacated position of assistant principal at TeWinkle.

Costa Mesa to hold public meetings on open space master plan

Costa Mesa residents interested in giving their thoughts on the city’s parks and recreation needs can attend two public workshops in coming weeks to discuss the city’s Open Space Master Plan of Parks and Recreation.

The first meeting will be held from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the Costa Mesa Senior Center, 695 W. 19th St. The second will be from 6:30 to 9 p.m. June 8 at Lindbergh School, 220 23rd St.

Topics expected to be touched on during the meetings include Costa Mesa’s recreation needs and what is currently missing for youths, adults and seniors.

Those interested in attending can RSVP to cmparksupport@costamesaca.gov or (714) 754-5300. Additional workshops are scheduled for later in the summer.

Jewish center to host Holocaust survivor

The Chabad Center for Jewish Life in Newport Beach will present an evening Thursday with author and Holocaust survivor Claude Abraham titled “Never Again.”

The event will focus on Abraham’s survival story as a Jewish boy in Nazi-occupied France.

“We believe that it is very important, especially for our youth, to hear first-hand experiences from individuals who have lived through the horrifying experiences of the Holocaust,” the center’s director, Rabbi Reuven Mintz, said in a statement.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.

For more information, visit jewishnewport.com.

Irvine Fine Arts Center hosts festival

The 22nd annual Studio Arts Festival is set for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 4 at the Irvine Fine Arts Center.

Handmade artwork will be featured from more than 100 local artists in ceramics, jewelry, drawing, painting, photography and more.

There also will be live music and art demonstrations.

Admission is free. The center is at 14321 Yale Ave. inside Heritage Park.

For more information, visit irvinefinearts.org.

Young dancers to take stage at Irvine Barclay Theatre

The Irvine Barclay Theatre will host four performances by youth dancers Thursday through June 4 for The Wooden Floor’s 33rd annual concert, “You. Me. We.”

At its Santa Ana campus, the Wooden Floor annually gives 375 underserved local youths the opportunity to better their lives through dance, according to a news release.

“Our model encourages students to think differently about themselves and compels our community to reconsider contemporary dance as a catalyst for change,” The Wooden Floor’s executive director and co-CEO, Dawn Reese, said in a statement.

The performances will be at 8 p.m. Thursday through June 4, with a show at 2:30 p.m. June 4.

The Irvine Barclay Theatre is at 4242 Campus Drive.

For more information, visit thewoodenfloor.org.

OCSA takes on Segerstrom

The Orange County School of the Arts in Santa Ana will hold its “Season Finale 2016,” its year-end performance, at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa.

The performance, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. June 4, will showcase a compilation of this school year’s best presentations. It will feature more than 400 student artists from the school’s 14 arts conservatory programs, which includes dance, voice, digital media, acting, musical theater, instrumental music and production and design.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is at 600 Town Center Drive.

Mariners Christian gets high accreditation ranking

Mariners Christian School earned a high accreditation status this month from the accrediting organizations Association of Christian Schools International and Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

“Dual accreditation is often more difficult to achieve because there are broader and deeper evaluations of school performance — including a higher requirement for teacher and administrator training, and a detailed focus on biblical elements of instruction and organizational practice — than are required by [the Western Association of Schools and Colleges] alone,” Mariners Christian Head of School Troy Moore said in a statement.

As part of the accreditation process, a visiting committee from both organizations, which included other delegates from other private schools in Southern California, toured the school in April.

Target employees volunteer at rescue mission

Employees from Target stores in Irvine recently volunteered at the Orange County Rescue Mission in Tustin as part of Target’s National Week of Giving.

The workers spent an afternoon volunteering in the rescue mission’s kitchen, helping with food preparation.

Pet adoptions to take place in Irvine

The Irvine Animal Care Center plans to host its 10th annual Super Pet Adoption from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 5.

More than 40 pet rescue groups and animal shelters will bring around 600 dogs, cats, rabbits and small animals for adoption.

Animals available for adoption are spayed, neutered and evaluated by a veterinarian.

The suggested donation for the adoption event is $2 per person or $5 per family.

The center is at 6443 Oak Canyon Road.

For more information, visit cityofirvine.org/animals.

Skosh Monahan’s hosts fundraiser

Skosh Monahan’s recently hosted a fundraiser for Irish immigrant Hugh Lehane, who is raising money to extend his work visa with the United States.

Lehane, an actor, filmmaker and musician, first came to the U.S. to help one of his sons get specialist aid for a speech difficulty. His goal is to raise $5,000. Lehane performed at the bar and restaurant in Costa Mesa on May 20 as part of his campaign.

Lehane has an online fundraising page at plumfund.com. It can be found by searching for “Hugh Lehane.”

Bank of America foundation gives grants

The Bank of America Charitable Foundation recently gave $350,000 in grant funding to 18 Orange County nonprofits, including several in Costa Mesa, Newport Beach and Irvine, according to a news release.

Costa Mesa-based Girls Inc. of Orange County received a $20,000 grant to help college-bound young women with workforce development and career readiness.

The Newport Beach-based Orange County Community Foundation received $20,000 for youth academic support, job training and workforce-readiness skills.

Orange County United Way, based in Irvine, received $100,000 for its 10-year FACE 2024 communitywide action plan to provide children and families with access to quality education, a sustainable income, better health and stable housing.

Fire Department analyst Reyes receives City Hall award

Alma Reyes, a management analyst for Costa Mesa’s Fire Department, received city Chief Executive Tom Hatch’s Leadership Award this month.

Reyes has been with the city since 2011, starting as a management analyst in the Public Services Department. She transferred to the Fire Department in November to prepare budgets, procure supplies and equipment, process invoices, contract administration, manage funds, monitor the department budget and undergo special projects, according to a city news release.