Beach Party 2017

Friday July 21 was a beautiful day in Huntington Beach, and it was a perfect day for our annual beach party. We had about 300 students, staff, and teachers in attendance this year, and it looked like everyone had an awesome time! 

Ty, the program coordinator at our Orange County campus, was at the beach 6:00 am to reserve the volleyball courts for our annual tournament. 

After securing the courts, he had about an hour and a half to surf before the other staff members were to arrive for set up. 

The waves were really good that day, and the water was really warm. At about 8:00 am we started setting up, and about an hour later students started to arrive. 

Orange County and South Bay were both undefeated in the volleyball tournament after 2 games, so they met for the championship. It went back and forth and back and forth. 

It was such a close game. Finally, South Bay defeated OC to win the trophy. 

After lunch, it was time for the water games. The weather was really hot that day, and the sky was a beautiful blue with not a single cloud. 

That made it feel good to jump in the water and get wet. Downtown LA ended up winning the tug-of-war competition. 

That was really fun. A lot of Orange Country students tried body boarding for the first time, and soon it was time to wrap up the competition with the disgusting food contest. 

Throughout the day we saw students making friends with students from other campuses. It was such a fun day!   

 By Ty Mussack, Program Coordinator at OC

http://languagesystems.edu/

Agua Dulce Winery and Vineyards

Last Saturday (June 3), teacher John from LSI Downtown took 9 students to Agua Dulce Winery and Vineyards for a winery tour, tasting, and picnic lunch. 

We were able to see how wine is made, taste new wine directly from the barrel, and enjoy a delicious lunch outside on a beautiful sunny day. 

Everyone was very impressed with the super friendly staff and wine-related goods that were on sale in the tasting room. 

Afterward, we stopped at Vasquez Rocks County Park for walking among the unusual rock formations there. 

We even stopped at "In 'N Out" on the way home for snacks and milkshakes. 

Everyone had a great time and returned safely after a really fun and informative day! 

By John Bury, teacher at DTLA 

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Field trip to Stacked

Level 7 took a field trip to Stacked at the nearby Del Amo Mall. 

There's an ongoing debate in the class about the best burgers in Los Angeles. 

One student recommends they try Stacked for "research." 

The verdict is still out!

By Sylvia Sunada, Program Coordinator at SB 

http://languagesystems.edu/ 

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

Our excursion to The Jet Propulsion Laboratory(JPL) in Pasadena, on April 28, 2017 was a fascinating opportunity for students and teachers alike to learn about the contribution to past, present and future space exploration and a deeper scientific understanding of the Earth, our solar system and beyond. 

It started with a short lecture and film on the history of JPL, as well as some time to look at some interesting models of past and current robots used to explore the solar system. We then paid a visit to Mission Control, where JPL scientist monitor and adjust the current activity of space probes and satellites being used for a verity of scientific missions. JPL scientists were in contact with eight space craft at the time, including Cassini, which was sending back new information about and pictures of Saturn's rings. For the last part of the tour we saw the "clean room." This is a huge room where JPL engineers build new robots and vehicles that will be used in upcoming National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) missions. The tour guide said that we were currently assembling the machines that would be sent to Mars in 2020. It was a fascinating afternoon, spent learning about how this local organization has expanded our understanding of space, how they are helping us learn more about the solar system now, and how they plan to continue exploring into the future. Take a tour of JPL, it's really interesting!

 By Carlos Takashima, Program Coordinator at NELA 

http://lifestyle.languagesystems.edu/