School in session 40 years

White Oak Elementary School in Westlake Village will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a series of events throughout the year, starting with a call to alumni to leave their "paw print" on a commemorative wall.

Tami Miller, a parent in charge of the commemorative wall committee, said the courtyard wall is the second area the school has dedicated to alumni. A previous wall is filled with personalized tiles from 200 families.

"Most participants start their tile decoration with a handprint, then personalize their design however they like," Miller said. "For safety reasons, we've asked participants to sign their tiles with either the family's last name or an individual's first name with last initial."

Principal Abbe Irshay credited Jemma Wildermuth as the "creative force" behind the tile wall. Wildermuth is a parent volunteer and a 10-year resident of Westlake Village. Her husband, John, attended White Oak when he was a child. Their fourthgrade daughter attends the school, and a second daughter now attends Lindero Canyon Middle School, Wildermuth said.

"We returned to our roots so our children could go to school where their father went to school," Wildermuth said. "We wanted a safe and wholesome community where our daughters could play and thrive, and we wanted a place where we knew we could count on a quality education."

The school's 40th birthday committee is organizing other events. Tentative plans include a ribbon-cutting, a school parade and a birthday party involving all the students. The school is also sponsoring a booth at Westlake Village's City Celebration at the civic center, an event where alumni and students can decorate tiles, connect with past school chums and participate in a photo challenge to locate their pictures in old yearbooks.

Miller said the committee is working on the tile wall with local ceramist Gabriella Hoffman, who sells her line of ceramics under the name Eva's Garden.

"(Gabriella) has been an instrumental part of the success of both tile wall projects, guiding our tile decorators with color choices, design tips and reassurance that their work will look stunning," Miller said. "She also helps us with new ceramic styles that enhance the quality of our designs. We feel extremely fortunate to have her working with us."

Irshay says she expects the tile wall and other anniversary events to attract many alumni. "This is a community that values family, friends, a great education and a home-town feel," Irshay said. "Residents move back to Westlake Village to raise their children in the safe, small-town setting that they grew up in and attend the quality Las Virgenes schools."

Irshay said the parents' commitment to White Oak is evidenced by the large number of volunteers that work at the school, the money they raise for different programs and the school's high API (Academic Performance Index) scores. White Oak's API score, at 944, was the highest in the Conejo Valley.

The cost to decorate a tile is $40, Miller said. Several tile painting dates have been scheduled:

•Sun., Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Westlake Village's City Celebration

•Wed., Nov. 5 from 7 to 8 p.m. in White Oak's multipurpose room

•Thurs., Dec. 4 from 7 to 8 p.m. in White Oak's multipurpose room

•Wed., Dec. 10 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in White Oak's multipurpose room