AUTO CLUB DONATES 3 COMPUTERS TO SCHOOL.

Byline: JOANNE PEPIAK

PALMDALE - Mesa Intermediate School has received a donation of three computers from the Automobile Club of Southern California in Lancaster.

School officials were offered the surplus computers early in December by Auto Club public service representative Melissa Schyler, and the units were delivered to Mesa on Dec. 8, principal Dave Millen said.

"We appreciate the fact that the community is out there supporting us in the expansion of our computer labs," Millen said. "Our kids are going to be working in the 21st century with computers, and all the experience they can get they need."

Local businesses or individuals are invited to participate in Mesa's ongoing effort to increase its computer capabilities, Millen said. Currently, only two classes are able to focus on technology for about 21 days during the school year, and students generally must work in pairs, he said.

"We've got 15 computers in our lab," Millen said. "We are trying to expand that to 30 computers, so when classrooms come in, every kid has their own computer rather than having to share one. . . . They go in a scheduled number of times throughout the course of the school year, but that is not nearly enough. This (current donation) gives us a start."

Any company or community member interested in donating used or unwanted computers can contact Mesa at 947-0188 and ask for Millen.

QUARTZ HILL - Businesses, schools and community members funded a trip to Kansas City, Mo., for the five floriculture students who placed first in the National Future Farmers of America Floriculture Career Development Event.

The trip, which included a two-day competition at a Kansas City convention center, and subsequent sightseeing in Washington D.C., cost about $12,000 for team members Andrea Cadmus, Shanna Larsen, Christine Litton, Ciara Nations and Rochelle Richmond, Quartz Hill FFA coach Sharon Weisenberger said.

The three categories were "diamond" for donors giving $1,000 or more, "golden" for donors giving $500 to $1,000, and "silver" for donors giving $100 to $500, Weisenberger said.

Diamond donors included the Antelope Valley Union School District, Quartz Hill Horticulture Boosters, and local community member Esther Litton.

Golden donors included Coast Nurseries, Inc., Palmdale's Home Depot, the Los Angeles County Farm Bureau, the Palmdale Lilac, Art and Gem Committee, and Weisenberger and her husband, Neal Weisenberger.

The silver category included Aloha Florist, Antelope Valley Animal Hospital, Antelope Valley Board of Realtors, the Antelope Valley College agricultural department, Antelope Valley Florist, Pandelis Chryssostomides Financial Services Inc., J.C. Penney Co. Inc., Palmdale's Kiwanis, Lions and Emblem clubs, Sierra Medical Group and State Farm Insurance.

Local "silver" individual contributors were Daryl and Kim Mardirossian, Levon Papazian, Brett and Nancy Ridges, and John and Angie Sansone.

In addition, about 40 community members made donations under $100, Sharon Weisenberger said.

In Kansas City, the girls underwent a rigorous competition against 42 other teams, demonstrating their knowledge and skills in the production and retailing of flowers, plants and foliage, Weisenberger said.

PALMDALE - Summerwind Elementary fifth-graders are continually raising money for the annual science camp trip scheduled in May at Big Rock Creek camp near Valyermo.

Students and the school PTA raised about $400 during the Christmas holidays selling food items such as hot dogs and soda at a school craft fair.

In addition, a family outing earmarked as a science-camp fund raiser was also held in mid-December at Dimples miniature golf. Fifth-graders received 25 percent of the evening's proceeds, Bigby said.

Community members can contribute to science camp activities by dropping money in a jar in the school office located at 39360 Summerwind Drive.