Night skating on April 26

On Saturday night of the 26th, TOEFL teacher Katie took the LSI Torrance students night skating.  Students from all different levels had the chance to try ice skating - some for the first time!  Skating at night is different than during the day, because the rink is lit with colored lights and the music gives the rink the atmosphere of a night club.  It was a great time, and we hope to go again in the near future! Look for our next event on Facebook or ask at the front desk!

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Beach Volleyball Practice

Since South bay Sharks won the championship last year, LSI students have been eager to continue the record of winning. So on sunny weekends, they love to get together to practice beach volleyball and get better. We usually meet to the left of the Hermosa Beach Pier and immediately start to play games. Students have fun playing and practicing their volleyball skills, hanging out and meeting new friends, watching and cheering for their favorite team, or simply tanning and soaking up the sun. And when it gets too hot or we need a break, the ocean waves are steps away to jump in and cool off. We always have an amazing time playing beach volleyball together.

-Ms. Lorena (former volleyball coach)

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Earth Day ~ Tuesday, April 22nd, 2014

Earth Day has been celebrated in the United States and around the world since the idea first caught on in 1970. Since then, people all over the world celebrate our beautiful planet by participating in events that highlight ecology and the environment. Many cities organize special events for volunteers and activists to participate in actions that help to protect the Earth, such as beach clean-ups and tree plantings. In addition, many activities are created to help people enjoy the beauty of the great outdoors. 

If you are lucky enough to live in or near a coastal community, you can celebrate Earth Day by going to the beach, enjoying the wind, surf and sand, and maybe building a sand castle! If you bring a picnic lunch, make sure that you bring a garbage bag to put your trash into, in case there are no trashcans nearby. Also, bring a separate bag for your recyclables (remember, it is Earth Day, and this day and every day you should do your part to help our planet!).             

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Discover O.C.: Angels Stadium

April is the beginning of the American Baseball Season, and it’s a great time to discover Angels Stadium in Anaheim (Orange County).  This year Opening Day at Angels Stadium is on March 31, and in some ways, baseball’s Opening Day is the greatest day of the year for Americans like me who have fallen in love with “Our National Pastime!”

There is nothing like Opening Day, which has so much tradition, excitement and magic that old men become like children again. I know I do!  As fans begin pouring into the stadium on Opening Day, the excitement in the air is electric.  Over the cold, dark winter months we forgot how green and glorious the outfield grass is.  All winter long we have looked forward to hearing once again the crack of the bat when a player gets a hit, or the groans of the crowd after a bad call by the umpire.  And nothing can compare to hearing a fastball hit the catcher’s glove for a called third strike at the knees as the umpire rings up the batter with “Strike Three! You’re out!”

          Opening Day is also a symbol of fresh hope and second chances.  Players and teams that didn’t do so well last season now have a fresh start.  It’s a brand new season and every batter starts with a .000 batting average, and every pitcher starts with a 0.00 ERA.  As in life, one of baseball’s greatest lessons is how to learn from failure. On Opening day, fans and players share hope for the future. But the greatest thing about Opening Day is that it brings families together again, especially fathers and sons.  Since my son was two years old, we have attended Opening Day together!  When we stand and take off our hats for the singing of the first National Anthem of the season, I cry.  Then comes the awesome flyby.  My wife, my son and I all love this flyby.  We love Opening Day!

          If you find yourself in California during the springtime, you should visit Angels Stadium to experience an American Baseball game.  Tickets can be as cheap as $15-20, and you will never forget the sites, smells, and the sounds of American Baseball.  I hope you get a chance to discover Angels Stadium.

Taken from our monthly e-Newsletter

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LSI Outing to Lot 1 Cafe in Echo Park

On March 17, the students of LSI Downtown were treated to an alternative St. Patrick's Day celebration at Lot 1 cafe in Echo Park, an area famous for its independent and alternative music scene.  The Lineup for the night featured Smithfield Bargain, Six Mile Station (a band on tour from Reno, Nevada), Mike Shadel, The Boys of Bail.  The music ranged many styles, from jazz to rock to folk, and even a little country from the boys of Six Mile Station, who featured a variety of instruments including trombone, banjo, upright bass, trumpet, guitar and drumset.  Other great small music venues in the area include TAIX, The Echo, and the Echoplex, at which you can see many high profile independent artists.  Many venues feature free shows on Monday nights!

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Salsa Night at Alpine Village in Torrance!

 

On March 11, teachers Lorena and Katie took students from LSI Torrance salsa dancing at Alpine Village in Torrance. Teacher Lorena is a professional salsa dancer and taught the students some basic salsa steps. The students danced to a live authentic salsa band. It was great exercise and good fun had by all ! 

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Basketball Tournament 2014

On Friday March 7, four LSI campuses competed in the Annual LSI Basketball Tournament. Each year students, teachers, and staff all look forward to this exciting opportunity to show school spirit as students cheer on their classmates who are competing in the games. Each school was represented by their colored T-shirts: Yellow for Downtown Los Angeles, Green for Northeast Los Angeles, Blue for Southeast Los Angeles and Red for Orange County. It was really exciting to see each school cheer for their classmates on the court. 

Despite the unity displayed in this sudden expression of joy, on that same day three schools suffered defeat, and one school celebrated ultimate victory as they took the basketball trophy back to their campus. The trophy returned to our Southeast LA campus located in Torrance, the blue team, for the second year in a row! Congratulations to them, and congratulations to all the campuses for making the day so special and so filled with good memories. Now it's time to break out the soccer cleats and to get ready for the soccer tournament! 

And this year, something new happened. About halfway through the first round of games, a group of students wearing yellow, blue, green and red T-shirts all got together in the stands and started dancing to the beat of Middle Eastern drums that the Saudi students had brought to the tournament. Students from all the campuses danced, cheered, and sang songs while our passionate and out-going Saudi students laid down a drum beat that could be heard and felt throughout the entire gymnasium. At that one moment, the cheering and dancing was not for one LSI campus in particular. It was more about a spontaneous celebration of the moment.  It was very cool to see this.

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