Pictures from the S.E.E. Event 2013!
Parents, PTAs, Teachers and Principals came to the STAR Resource Station from all around Los Angeles to find out more about everything STAR Education has to offer! Here are some of our favorite pictures from the day…
Children’s Earth Day is Right Around the Corner!
40,000 PEOPLE CELEBRATE EARTH DAY AT STAR ECO STATION’S
13TH ANNUAL CHILDREN’S EARTH DAY –
THE LARGEST EARTH DAY EVENT IN LOS ANGELES
“The Earth Day Pick” – Los Angeles Times “Best Children’s Earth Day.” – LA Parent Magazine
Featuring Special Performances and Exhibits by Children, Environmental Organizations and Celebrity Guests, Food, Eco-Friendly Vendors, Crafts, Games and More!
SUNDAY, APRIL 21st FROM 10AM-4PM
Culver City, CA – Celebrate Planet Earth the way no one else can at STAR Eco Station’s 13th Annual CHILDREN’S EARTH DAY, April 21st, 10am-4pm. Featuring live entertainment, eco-themed games, food, crafts, prizes, vendors, environmental organizations, face painting, and more – nothing in the LA area comes close! Nearly 40,000 people attended last year’s LA Times’, “Best Earth Day Pick” and LA Parent Magazine’s “Best Children’s Earth Day.”
Join STAR Eco Station, the cast of Disney Channel’s A.N.T. Farm, Radio Disney’s Daphne Blunt, and the Chi-Town Finest Breakers/Monster Kids (X Factor, The Oprah Show) as we promote green consciousness. Radio Disney AM1110, part of the #1 radio network for kids, tweens and families, will be on-site with the latest hits from Radio Disney. The Radio Disney AM 1110 Road Crew will also provide interactive entertainment and prizes for the whole family. With the help of solar power, the event will also feature visits from more celebrity guests, performances by over a thousand kids from the greater Los Angeles area, exciting food trucks, environmental organizations, leaders in community service, and community leaders. This year, come play in the toddler area, race through the recycle-themed maze, make some noise in the awe-inspiring drum circle, and meet over 200 rescued exotic animals!
Everyone at Children’s Earth Day can learn to be green! Be a part of STAR’s Bring Back Flower Power Campaign helping children plant over a million indigenous Californian flowers. Learn how you can get involved from environmental organizations like the STAR Eco Station, Heal the Bay, Surfrider Foundation, Orangutan Foundation International and more! Event admission is FREE, with discounted tours of the STAR Eco Station available for $5 per person.
For a full list of celebrity guests, environmental and animal non-profits, eco-friendly vendors, and festival food, please visit www.childrensearthday.org!
STAR Eco Station’s Dinofaire 2013!
This past weekend, on January 12th and 13th, STAR Education and the STAR Eco Station hosted its ever-exciting Dinofaire! Once again a huge hit with dino-enthusiasts of all ages, over 1000 people showed up over the course of the weekend to support preservation through education, enjoy a presentation by Dinoman, and go on a guided tour of the STAR Eco Station.
Dinoman got everyone roaring with laughter with his witty prehistoric puns, and he kept them entertained throughout the show with magic tricks and larger-than-life dinosaur inflatables. Dinoman sure puts on an edu-taining show, making sure the audience is captivated while teaching all about the existence dinosaurs, the creation of fossils, and the consequences extinction!
After the show, everyone was encouraged to check out the recycled dinosaur contest entries, made by elementary school STAR students during winter camp. Created completely out of recycled materials, these table-top dinosaurs ranged from realistic replicas to abstract animals. Everything looked so amazing it was hard to choose which one to vote for!
Before their tour of the legendary Eco Station, kids had the chance to rack up stamps on their “Safari Passports” at each of the games and activities. Once kids completed the show, the venus-fly trap game, the dino-match activity, the beloved “dino dig”, and the Eco Station tour, they could exchange their completed passport for a dino-themed prize!
Inside the Eco Station, families were able to check out the prehistoric looking animals and distant cousins of the dinosaurs. Some of the lizards and snakes even came out of their cages for a quick visit with the kids!
Centered on the theme of “extinction is forever”, families walked away with a better understanding of what they can do to help conserve the environment and the species that call Earth “home”.
For more information about the Eco Station, please visit www.ecostation.org
STAR Education Catches Roller Coaster Mania in New Camp
Roller Coaster Mania is the brain child of STAR’s Department of Education. Headed up by Karen Mowrer, Gina Hendron, and Kerry Chow, the camp will be conducted at California State University Northridge (CSUN) and Six Flags Magic Mountain. The camp runs from July 9-27 and gives low income students the chance to see science and math at work in one of the most exhilarating places imaginable.
STAR’s Assistant Director of Education, Gina Hendron, noted that the need for STEM has become so great because of the stigma that students often place on science and math. “The great aspect of the program is how it takes something that many kids feel stinks – math, and shows them how it is behind something really cool – roller coasters.” Gina also noted that over half of the program is made up by female students, a demographic which is usually low in science and math fields.
Support for Raging Roller Coaster Camp
Our amazing STAR Roller Coaster Camp Counselors
This week on NPR there was an article about the difficulty that still persists for women making strides in scientific fields. You can read/listen to the article online HERE.
STAR Education has just completed its first week of our very first Roller Coaster Camp where we’re teaching 100 7th grade students math, science and physics through studying and designing roller coasters. On the final day, we will be taking a field trip to Six Flags Magic Mountain for an extra special behind-the-scenes tour led by roller coaster experts.
What’s even more special about this summer camp is that it is funded entirely through a Gear Up Grant and the generous support of individual donors to STAR Education. This camp is attended at no cost to these low-income students…many who have never had a summer camp experience before.
AND…over 50% of our Roller Coaster Campers are girls…54 to be exact.
With just two weeks to go, our IndieGogo campaign is over halfway to its mark. Any funds we raise over the $4,000 goal will be used to support additional scholarships for financially needy students in our math and science projects later this year.
You can help STAR do what we do every day: Give every student a chance to excel in life through learning that truly inspires them. Help support this camp that brings math and science to life…
Check out our IndieGogo Campaign HERE.
Join us at California Pizza Kitchen for a flavorful FUNdraising event!
Please join STAR this Thursday, June 14th, at the CPK on Venice & Overland for some pizza, pasta, and fundraising fun! CPK will be donating 20% of proceeds to support STAR Education ALL DAY! Tell your coworkers, families, and friends – but don’t forget to bring your flyer! Click the flyer below to download your own. 
On Tour with STAR’s RockSTAR Music Education!
STAR Education has been traveling around the country with RockSTAR Music Education to help turn kids’ rock ‘n’ roll dreams into reality! As STAR’s RockSTAR after school music classes come to a close for summer, RockSTAR students get the opportunity to play what they’ve learned in front of family, friends and fans on famous stages in their home towns. Spring has sure been busy, as STAR has planned shows in 5 cities across the US!
The RockSTAR program kicked off the first of the spring showcases at the B.B. Kings Blues Club in Nashville, TN. Nashville is known for being at the heart of the music industry in the United States , and after watching these kids rock out, we definitely know why!
Next stop was Sacramento, CA, with 4 of our RockSTAR bands showcasing their musical genius on the stage of the Half Time Bar & Grill! The number of bands may have been few but they were sure mighty, drawing a huge crowd of dedicated family, friends, and fans.
This past week was San Diego’s 4th Annual Spring Showcase at the House of Blues in downtown San Diego. Hosted by RockSTAR director Collin Winner, hundreds of fans came out to see their mini-rockers jam out on stage!
Coming up next is STAR Education’s RockSTAR 7th Annual Battle of the Bands at the House of Blues on Sunset. Throughout the weekend of June 2nd & 3rd, over 120 student rock ‘n’ roll bands will be taking the stage for our biggest Battle of the Bands yet!
And for those of you on the East Coast, STAR’s RockSTAR program will be traveling to New York City on June 9th at the Gibson Showroom to finish off their Spring Tour!
RockSTAR San Diego
RockSTAR San Diego
RockSTAR San Diego
Click here to learn more about STAR Education’s RockSTAR after school music education program.
Teri Hatcher Hosts RockSTAR Fundraiser
Actress Teri Hatcher hosted a “Red Carpet Yard Sale” to benefit RockSTAR Music Education, in part, on Sunday, May 1st at the Tiato Garden in Santa Monica. Guests purchased items donated by Teri, along with items donated by such celebrities as Goldie Hawn and Kourtney Kardashian. The day was infused with a carnival-like atmosphere, as children wolfed down cotton candy and snow cones, and RockSTAR bands kept visitors tapping their feet to the beat.
Teri Hatcher Speaks On Behalf of RockSTAR
Take a look at this interview Teri Hatcher gave in praise of RockSTAR!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcfSXVxVwCk&feature=player_embedded
With loads of laughter and generous acts of loving-kindness, this very special event helped raise much-needed funds for RockSTAR. For six years RockSTAR has been bringing music back into schools that have slashed their own music programs and putting the power of rock ‘n’ roll into the hands of the next generation. RockSTAR continues to expand its mission, with a new branch opening to teach kid rockers starting this summer in Nashville!
STAR Kids Rock Out For An All-Star Audience!
For more information on enrolling your child in RockSTAR, please visit www.rockstarmusiceducation.comor contact Jordan Vernik, Director of RockSTAR, at jordanv@starinc.org.
Golf Tournament A Great Success!
STAR Education’s inaugural Going for the Green Golf Tournament on March 22nd was one of our most successful fundraisers ever, and we want to thank everyone who participated and contributed! A special thank you to our major sponsors: Bank of America, Toshiba, Felbro Food Products, Inc., Parents of Castle Heights STAR, Parents of Mar Vista STAR, Parents of Clover Star, the Orthopaedic Hospital, and the Friends of Walgrove Elementary. We can’t wait to see all of you back again next year!