Huntington Beach High School

-- ANDREW WAINER The fate of the Huntington Beach High School pool may be determined during the next year. Take the Plunge, a group of locals whose mission is to raise enough money to build a new pool, has collected more than $600,000 for the project. But the group still needs more than a million dollars, and the rest of the money is nowhere on the horizon. Some members of Take the Plunge have criticized the Huntington Beach Union High School District for not contributing to the acquisition of the pool.

When Bill Howard retired he had 247 sick days racked up. "I just never got sick," he simply says. But four years into his retirement he got an odd feeling — he started feeling ill. It puzzled him because, "I've always been very healthy." When the 63-year-old Huntington Beach resident went to the doctors he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Then, just three weeks later, the doctors told him he had prostate cancer. A few months of chemotherapy and the removal of his prostate appears to have knocked out the disease, he says.

Vote: 4-1, Matthew Harper dissenting IN FAVOR WHAT HAPPENED: The board approved the first amendment to the joint use agreement with the city of Huntington Beach for pools at Huntington Beach and Ocean View high schools. These amendments call for the Huntington Beach High pool to be accessible to the community for at least 25 years and for the city to have the option to maintain either pool if the district determines that it is financially unable to maintain one or both of them.

Angelique Flores Michael Simons is a 30-year Huntington Beach resident. Three of his children graduated from schools in the Huntington Beach Union High School District. "The children of our communities and their education are my highest priority," Simons said. The most important issue the district faces is accountability to the students, their parents and the community, he said. "The district must continue to enable our students to become independent thinkers who are able to become successful adults," Simons said.

Huntington Beach High School students shaved their heads at lunch Monday to help clean up the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. A line of students, mostly male, waited their turn to lose their hair to contribute to what is predicted to be the worst oil spill in history. About 60 students donated their hair at the Buzz Cut-a-Thon put on by the Huntington Beach High School student newspaper, Oiler Ink. "I think it's pretty amazing that kids are willing to go to that extreme for a good cause," said Jason Ross, the assistant principal of guidance.

The following are times and locations for high school graduations in Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley. Brethren Christian High School 7:30 p.m. Friday Calvary Church, 1010 N. Tustin Ave., Santa Ana Coast High School 3 p.m. June 15 Marina High School Bowl, 15871 Springdale St., Huntington Beach Edison High School 5 p.m. June 16 Orange Coast College, 2701 Fairview Road,...

Huntington Beach High School will welcome its incoming class Aug. 21. The 4th annual Huntington Beach High School Freshman Orientation includes large group activities with about 650 incoming freshmen, group breakouts with student leaders and freshmen, and campus tours. The orientation will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the high school gymnasium, 1905 Main St. (entrance on Utica Street). The daylong event concludes with a barbecue and dance from 6 to 8 p.m. during Parent Orientation.

Summer vacation is now in session, officially. Hundreds of Huntington Beach students citywide put on caps and gowns this week to celebrate earning their diplomas. All public high schools of the Huntington Beach Union High School District held their graduations in recent days as classes ended. Edison High School, Huntington Beach High School, Marina High School Ocean View High School and Fountain Valley High School all held their ceremonies this week. For each school, the ceremony took place on the last day of classes.

Winners of the fourth annual Surf City Student Film Festival have been announced. Cameron Lew from Huntington Beach High School and his film "Swung" won best overall, nabbing the most points for the night. Ryan Talbot, also from Huntington, won second place for his film "Dawn's Story," while third place went to both Talbot and Lew for their film "Terminal. " Lew's film also won for best editing and best acting/directing. Talbot received an award for best sound design. Other winners were Duncan Boisineau from Huntington for best cinematography for "Copper Justice;" Jenni Rudolph, Paige Sciumbato and Kennedi Simons from Huntington for best originality for "Cupid's Curse;" and Assel Yerunkar from Fountain Valley High School for most entertaining for "Jason vs. Assel.

Huntington Beach High School's Sustainability Club is exactly what its name suggests. It's self sufficient after just three years of being in existence, not relying on the Huntington Beach Union High School District for any funding. "The Sustainability program is definitely sustainable, it doesn't cost taxpayers or the district a dollar," said Greg Goran, Huntington Beach High Sustainability Club director and teacher of social studies and an Environmental Awareness and Responsibility class.

There are many palm trees in Huntington Beach, but few as meaningful as the pair of graceful and slender Mexican fan palms that scrape the sky just several blocks from the ocean on Eighth Street. Like the house they sway in front of, they date back to the early 1920s. What makes them so special? They were planted by a father to honor the day his son was born - an effort to create two lasting monuments to mark his baby boy's entry into this world. That proud papa obviously knew what he was doing, because today, the trees tower over everything in sight.

TILL JULY 22 'Spelling Bee' Comedy The Huntington Beach Playhouse presents "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," the Tony-winning musical by William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin, at 7111 Talbert Ave. Show times are 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday and tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and students. For more information, call (714) 375-0696. TILL AUG. 4 Bulgarian Artist "Tomorrow Belongs to Me," an exhibit by Bulgarian artist Milko Pavlov, runs at OMC Gallery for Contemporary Art, Old World Village, 7561 Center Ave., Unit 32, Huntington Beach.

The final events of this year's HB Reads program, in which author Temple Grandin will appear at an afternoon reception and lecture at Huntington Beach High School, have been sold out, officials announced Tuesday. Grandin, the author of "Emergence: Labeled Autistic," is scheduled to appear from 4 to 6 p.m. March 21 at Zimzala Restaurant and speak at the high school at 7 p.m. "We are extremely sorry for any inconvenience and disappointment this may cause," Fred Provencher, the program's founder, said in a release.

The following are times and locations for high school graduations in Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley. Brethren Christian High School 7:30 p.m. Friday Calvary Church, 1010 N. Tustin Ave., Santa Ana Coast High School 3 p.m. June 15 Marina High School Bowl, 15871 Springdale St., Huntington Beach Edison High School 5 p.m. June 16 Orange Coast College, 2701 Fairview Road,...