Yerba Buena school to celebrate 40-year anniversary

A family festival and open house will mark the 40year anniversary of Yerba Buena Elementary School in Agoura Hills.

The Sat., May 30, "YB40" celebration will combine a variety of activities for youngsters, entertainment for adults and opportunities for alumni, families and friends to reunite while raising money for school programs.

Fifth-grade teacher Sandra Fleishman, who came to Yerba Buena in 1986, is collecting stories from teachers, administrators and former students who remember the school's early days.

Yerba Buena was built four decades ago and was later joined by Lindero Canyon Middle School next door. Due to overcrowding at both the elementary school and middle school, a new Yerba Buena campus opened on Reyes Adobe Road in time for the 2007-08 school year. Lindero is being expanded on the old Yerba Buena site.

Ann Eklund, a kindergarten teacher at the school in 1969, recalls there were no homes around the campus on Larboard Lane when she first went to work for the Las Virgenes school district. Eklund, who later became a principal, used to take her students out into a field where they would paint pictures.

Yerba Buena Principal Brent Noyes said there have been numerous changes since the school began in the way teachers teach and children learn.

"It's much more studentbased now," Noyes said. "We did more group kinds of lessons in the 1970s."

To prepare for the next 40-year celebration, the elementary school students are collecting artifacts for a time capsule that will be buried in a secret spot during the festival, Noyes said.

Let the games begin

A bouncer, Jell-O races, face painting and tattoos, Hot Wheels racing, Hula Hoop competitions and art projects are just a few of the activities that have been planned for the children.

Tony Winders, one of several parent organizers, said student bands, choirs, vocal groups and hip-hop dancers will perform. After the festivities, children can hunker down under the stars and watch cartoons from 1968, the year the school opened. "The Jetsons," "Scooby Doo" and "The Flintstones" are among the cartoons planned, he said.

While the kids watch cartoons, parents can bid on items during silent and live auctions. An online auction is already underway at the website www.yerbabuena.cmarket.com, said parent Denise Hartman.

The live auction will offer experiences for children, including "Mayor For a Day," "NASCAR Crew Member For a Day" and "Principal for a Day," to name a few. Another auction item will be a personal tour of the University of Southern California by Noyes. Parents can also bid on the opportunity to spend a day with Steve Hartman and Chris Myers, sportscasters for KLAC 570 AM.

Money raised from the auction will benefit the Parent-Faculty Association, which pays for art, music, reading, computer and physical education programs at the school, Winders said.

Students have been helping with festival planning. Noyes said fourth- and fifth-grade technology GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) students are creating a PowerPoint iMovie.

"They have researched the last 40 years," Noyes said of the project. "There will be a historical perspective and intertwined will be the changes they've seen at Yerba Buena for 40 years. They are (incorporating) everything, from music, modes of dress and different types of technology advances (to) interviews of former students."

Back in the day

Photos and dedications are being accepted for a memory book. The finished book will be similar to a yearbook, with vintage school photos, articles, interviews and alumni retrospectives. Winders said the book will be published after the event and can be bought at the school.

Former students are sharing stories on the social network Facebook. One former student, now a teacher in Washington state, told organizers that he remembers the "Cat Came Back" song that he learned as a student in the '70s. He teaches the song to his students and has incorporated other memorable projects from Yerba Buena into his curriculum.

Children's tickets to the festival are $15. The price includes a T-shirt for the spin-art activity. Adults will be charged $5. The school is at 6098 Reyes Adobe Road in Agoura Hills.

Games, music and other activities will run from 4 to 7 p.m., and the live auction and classic cartoon fest is scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m.

For sponsorships and memory book dedications, email Michelle O'Brien at mmiddletonobrien@yahoo.com. For auction donations, e-mail Denise Hartman at homerhart @gmail.com. Yerba Buena alumni who would like to share stories and photos should e-mail Fleishman at fleishman@lvusd.org.