CLU Receives Upward Bound Grant to Help Low Income Science & Technology Students

CLU Awarded $1.6 million Upward Bound Grant

Math and Science Center will serve more students

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded California Lutheran University a $1.6 million grant to expand its TRIO Upward Bound Math and Science Center over the next five years.

Upward Bound Math and Science students (Photo courtesy of CLU)The grant will enable the center to prepare 75 low-income students each year to continue their education beyond high school in science, technology, engineering or mathematics. This is an increase of 20 students per year.

The students, all aspiring to be among the first generation in their families to go to college, attend Channel Islands, Hueneme, Oxnard and Pacifica highschools in Oxnard, Hawthorne and Leuzinger high schools in Los Angeles County, Fillmore High School and Santa Paula High School.

The center, which has been on the CLU campus for 22 years, has served more than 275 students in the last five years. All participants graduate from high school and 86 percent graduate from a post-secondary school. This year’s high school graduates included a student who earned a full-ride scholarship as a Posse Scholar and another who received a $20,000 scholarship as a Dell Scholar.

Students take classes in literature, composition, math, science and foreign languages and participate in cultural and recreational activities throughout the academic year and during a six-week residential program in summer. Center staff also provide tutoring,advising and assistance with test preparation and college-application completion.

The Federal TRIO Programs, which also include traditional Upward Bound, are designed to identify and provideservices for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. CLU has the distinction of having four TRIO programs: two traditional Upward Bound, Student SupportServices and Upward Bound Math Science.

Ventura Bowling Center (CLOSED)

The Ventura County Star reported on 11/28/12 that the 12 lane Ventura Bowling Center located at 1888 Thompson Boulevard in Ventura closed its doors on Sunday, December 2, 2012 after 18 years in operation. They indicated a 9 lane boutique alley may be in the works (UPDATE: Discovery Ventura is now in operation at this location.)

50,000 Light Residential Holiday Light Display in Newbury Park Back for a 4th Year

Brian Fuchs will be bringing back his fantastic 50,000+ light synchronized light display for a 4th year at his residence on Via Patricia in the Dos Vientos section of Newbury Park. The show will take place most nights from 5pm to 10pm, beginning I believe the first weekend of December.

Fuchs hand crafts the entire amazing display himself, welding together trees, wreaths and other decorations. It takes him over 400 hours to put this display together!

There are no "physically" moving parts to this display...but there are moving, flashing, blinking light displays that will mesmerize you.  The display is synchronized with fun holiday music played on FM 99.1 (listen in car or bring a small radio).

Display will be closed on rainy nights. Please be mindful of the neighbors. Below are some photos from the display last year.

Here's what it looks like during daylight hours...quite complex looking!

This was taken on Friday, November 26, 2010. This residence on Via Patricia in the Dos Vientos section of Newbury Park has an incredible holiday light display synchronized with music played on 99.1 FM (bring a small radio to enjoy the simulcast).

Evolution of the Former El Torito in Thousand Oaks Through the Holiday Season

The former Thousand Oaks El Torito on 449 N. Moorpark Road closed on January 24, 2012. Chick-fil-A is said to be considering the location for a sit down restaurant. In October it became "The Best Halloween Store Ever!" And now, beginning November 29th, the Christmas Store, specializing in Christmas decor. fresh wreaths, decorated trees, custom centerpieces, garlands and potted poinsettia, will open for the upcoming holiday season. Phone is 805.494.5300. For over 100 upcoming Conejo Valley and Ventura County area holiday season events, CLICK HERE!

Latest temporary occupant of the old El Torito in Thousand Oaks

This Halloween Store occupied the Former El Torito spot during October

And in memory to the prior occupant of this space. We miss your margaritas, El Torito!

Conejo Valley Adult School "P.O.W.E.R. Project" for Pregnant and Parenting Teens

CVAS Parent Education Presents…THE P.O.W.E.R. PROJECT 

An Educational Support Program for Pregnant and Parenting Teens 

To help support the parenting success and academic achievement of our pregnant and parenting teens, the Parent Education Program has developed the P.O.W.E.R. Project (positive outcomes with education and respect).  The goal of the project is to provide specialized education and social/emotional support, specific to the pregnant and parenting teen. The program actively promotes healthy adolescent development, increases parenting skills, improves birth outcomes and provides a strong understanding of what teen parents and their children need.

Available Classes/Topics Include:

• Pregnancy and Newborns (includes childbirth preparation and lactation support)
• Baby Care
• Parenting Education
• Child Development
• Teen Parenting- Preparing for your child’s first year
• Adolescent Development
• Child Abuse Prevention

Groups are held at Horizon Hills on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm. One to one consultations by appointment are also available (i.e.- family support, lactation counseling).

The P.O.W.E.R. Project is coordinated by Brenda Hunter, M.S. who has provided counseling and educational support for thousands of pregnant and parenting teens and their families, over the past 30 years. She specialize in teen pregnancy related issues, parenting education, child development, teen sexuality, and child abuse prevention. She is a credentialed Adult Education teacher who is a trained Lamaze Childbirth Instructor, Certified Lactation Consultant, and Certified Infant Massage and Red Cross CPR Instructor. She holds a BA degree in Sociology/Social Work and a MS degree in Human Resource Development.

For more information or to refer students please call 818-599-8420.

Conejo Valley Adult School Parent Education Horizon Hills Campus, 33 Greta Street, Thousand Oaks. 805-492-8837 www.conejoadultschool.org

Five Guys Burgers Opening at The Collection at Riverpark in Oxnard on November 15th

The 3rd Ventura County location of Five Guys is opening on Thursday, November 15th at The Collection at Riverpark, 2730 Portico Way, Oxnard. To get to The Collection at Riverpark, take the 101 west, exit on Oxnard Boulevard and turn right. Turn right again on Town Center Drive into this beautiful new retail center.

Five Guys was founded in 1986 in Arlington, Virginia and is known for grilling burgers made-to-order with freshly ground beef. Five Guys claims there are no freezers in their locations. Nothing is frozen (well, maybe except for their ice cubes).  Five Guys uses only peanut oil and claims their menu is completely trans-fat free.

There are now over 1,000 Five Guys locations across the country, including this Oxnard Location, Thousand Oaks (487 N. Moorpark Road) and Simi Valley (2650 Tapo Canyon Road).

Burgers are made to order and delicious at Five Guys. My only mistake here was not adding cheese!

We've been to the Five Guys in Thousand Oaks a number of times and I can vouch for the deliciousness of their burgers. Very fresh and very beefy. You custom order your burger any way you want with nearly 20 different toppings. My only "beef" so to speak is that I often order veggie burgers. Five Guys does not have a veggie burger, though you can order a "veggie sandwich" that consists of a bun and whatever veggie toppings and cheese you'd like.

Five Guys is also known for massive quantities of fries and I love their help yourself peanuts in a shell (thankfully I have zippo peanut allergies, yeah!). They also have tasty sound hot dogs that I have not yet tried. They keep their menu pretty simple at Five Guys.

Five Guys notes on its website www.fiveguys.com that they do not offer coupons or discounts, which to me is kind of refreshing. Enjoy your burgers!

Lemonade Restaurant in Westlake Village

Today was the Federal Veterans Day holiday as well as the grand opening of Lemonade at The Promenade at Westlake (at the former home of CPK ASAP). I just happened to be in the neighborhood so I was one of the lucky ones to try this brand new restaurant out!

This is the 10th Lemonade location, so they must be doing something right! I stepped inside the completely redesigned restaurant and was impressed by the visually appealing new stainless steel, white, gold and yellow toned theme. I arrived during the noon lunch hour and it quickly was buzzing and bustling. Kind of noisy in fact, but it was kind of fun. They retained the outdoor patio area and many took advantage of it.

I'm a pretty lean guy (and in fact I ran a full marathon yesterday) and I noticed the chairs seemed somewhat narrow, even for my skinny rear. Curious to hear others' observations about that.

Lemonade bills itself as fast-casual cafeteria style cafe serving up a diverse range of fresh, high-quality and innovative foods. Now that I've eaten there and seen what they have to offer, I agree with this description. The food was very fresh tasting and quite interesting. I tried the caprese sandwich and several of their "Marketplace" items, including diced sweet potato with pistachios and a "Char siu" chicken dish with pineapple, cashews and other interesting, healthy ingredients.

Your first visit to Lemonade may be somewhat confusing as they have such a diverse array of choices. It truly is cafeteria style, where you can choose from at least a dozen Marketplace items, all of which looked really good, "Land & Sea" items like salmon, chicken and seared ahi tuna, tossed salads, sandwiches, fresh soups served with grilled rustic grain bread and really tempting array of desserts, including cupcakes (only $1 for a mini cupcake!), brownies/bars, cookies and macaroons.

Basically you order, pay, take a number and they bring your food to you. For some reason that didn't happen with me...I sat there at a table with my iced tea and a number and they called it out for me to retrieve. But 30 minutes later my friend received his chicken sandwich order at his table. That was the only "glitch" of my first experience.

I get a good feeling about this place. I like it. I think you will too. The pricing is not "cheap" but for the quality I think it is fair. To me this is a great place for a group of 4 to share a variety of items, particularly the Marketplace choices.

Visit lemonadela.com for more information or call 805.778.9100 for more information. I noticed the sign on the door indicates their hours are 11 a.m. to 9:05 p.m. The Promenade at Westlake is located at the southeast corner of Thousand Oaks and Westlake Boulevards.