Ensign Intermediate School

For the first time in years at Ensign Intermediate School, the play's the thing. The Newport Beach campus, which will present Disney's "High School Musical" on Friday and Saturday, hadn't put on a theater production since its last drama teacher retired half a decade ago. Moreover, with the Robins Hall theater closed at nearby Newport Harbor High School, the school didn't have ready access to a stage. This year, though, three parent groups — the PTA, the school foundation and the Navigators, a fathers' support group — banded together to raise $4,500 for a show in the school gymnasium.

The Daily Pilot asked students at Ensign Intermediate School, "What's the most valuable thing you've learned in Life Skills class?" "How to handle money." -- Erin Kincaid, 13, Costa Mesa "Probably how to handle peer pressure and bullying." -- Christina Young, 12, Newport Beach "Probably financing — how to manage your money. I wasn't very good with money before." -- Alex Maher, 12, Costa Mesa "The pressure of media and how not to follow it." -- Paisley Muller, 13, Newport Beach "Probably money, because I spend too much, and I need to save it more."

Interviews and photos compiled by Bryce Alderton The Daily Pilot asked eighth-graders at Ensign Intermediate School in Newport Beach what Veterans Day means to them. '[In memory] of all the people that died fighting.' -- Ryan Gute, 13 Costa Mesa 'Pay respect to all the soldiers that died.' -- Ronald Martinez, 13 Costa Mesa 'A thank you to all the people that died for the rights of today.' -- Sienna Palmer, 13 Newport Beach 'It reminds me of war -- about all the things dealing with freedom and how everything is different because of what they did.' -- Evelyn Guzman, 13 Costa Mesa 'Freedom and respect.

Ensign students show character The Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce and Ensign Intermediate School on Tuesday will announce the winners of this year's Ensign Character Awards, given by teachers, parents and administrators to students who demonstrate strong ethical values. Two back-to-back assemblies, honoring seventh- and eighth-grade students, will be held in the school gym, with Mayor Steven Bromberg speaking at the first and Richard Luehrs, chamber president, at the second.

New principals have been assigned to Ensign Intermediate School and College Park Elementary School. They will start their new jobs when the school year begins Sept. 4. Steve McLaughlin takes over as principal at Ensign for Ed Wong, who moved over to Costa Mesa High School as principal on July 1. He comes over from San Clemente High School, where he serves as assistant principal. John Sanders, currently the assistant principal at Ensign Intermediate, will fill the void left at College Park Elementary School after Pat Insley's retirement as principal.

An Ensign Intermediate School student was arrested Tuesday after bringing a bomb on campus, police said. Newport Beach police took the 12-year-old into custody on suspicion of possession of an explosive device after a bomb squad found materials for an “acid bomb,” which is capable of a 300-foot blast radius, on the student and in his locker, said Sgt. Evan Sailor. The campus was in lockdown for more than an hour after a fellow student reported a suspicious package about 11:15 a.m., Sailor said.

Ensign Intermediate School dads are charting the course for the coming months. The Ensign Navigators, an organization of students' dads, works with the school to provide needed resources. The group will meet Friday to discuss upcoming projects. The group is hoping to seal and re-stripe the basketball courts, as well as upgrade the hoops and nets. Many projects such as this are supported by parents, who volunteer time or give in-kind services and direct donations.

Jose Garibay was not even a citizen when he lost his life in the service of his country on March 23. The 21-year-old Newport Harbor High graduate was among seven Marines killed in an ambush in Iraq. He was the first from Orange County to die in the war. Garibay, a corporal in the Corps, came to the United States when he was 2 months old from Jalisco, Mexico. He grew up in Costa Mesa and attended Whittier Elementary, Ensign Intermediate School and played football at Newport Harbor.

'Oklahoma' SCHOOL: Ensign Intermediate School STORY LINE: A turn-of-the-century love story of a cowboy and a farm girl set against the rivalry between ranchers and farmers DRAMA TEACHER: Donna Kelson DIRECTOR: Donna Kelson FEATURED PLAYERS: Michael McLean, Kate Guesman, Marleigh Dunlap, Kim Jenkins, Brittany Cornelius, Patrick Riley, David Murrow, Brandon Crisler, Kevin Lim, Matthew Hansen, Alex Silverman, Lacey...

TODAY Summer Opportunities Fair A seminar on finding the perfect overnight camp or teen summer program for ages 8 to 18 is from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Sage Hill School, 20402 Newport Coast Drive, Newport Beach. Dozens of exhibits and camp directors will be on hand. For more information, contact Jill at (310) 202-8448 or via e-mail at jill@TipsonTripsandCamps.com . For more information, visit TipsonTripsandCamps.com. Headshine Commonwealth Lounge & Grill, 2406 Newport Blvd.

Newport Harbor High School junior Jason Cernius, 17, likes shooting hoops and playing pingpong with his little brother, 15-year-old Andrew. “I didn’t think that he would be able to do the things other brothers do at first, but I taught him how to play sports,” Jason said. Andrew, who has problems with language and social skills, was diagnosed with autism at age 3. He was diagnosed with brain cancer when he was 16 months old and given only a 20% chance of survival.

Incoming freshmen at Newport Harbor High School who enrolled in its Da Vinci Summer Program, part of the school’s math- and science-focused Da Vinci Academy, spent Monday building boats that would float in the school pool. The experiment isn’t as easy as it sounds. These boats were far bigger than a breadbox; they each had to hold a student. To further complicate matters, the students were only given two construction components: cardboard and packing tape. Before heading out to the pool, the kids broke up into small groups, then determined who would be their boat’s “captain.

Edward Ensign, Orange County native, metrologist, machinist 1952-2007 Edward King Ensign of Costa Mesa died Monday, Dec. 24, 2007, during a recurring bout with heart disease. He was 55. On Saturday, January 19, at 1 p.m., family and friends are invited to gather at the Chicken Coop (formerly Zubies) at 414 Old Newport Blvd. in Newport Beach to celebrate and memorialize the life of "Eddie," as he was affectionately known in the optics industry to which he devoted a career spanning four decades.

Two girls from Newport Harbor High School were arrested after a video appeared on MySpace and YouTube that showed them punching and kicking a younger girl in a public park, police said. The students were taken into custody Tuesday afternoon after a parent contacted the school about the video. Sgt. Evan Sailor of the Newport Beach Police Department said one of the girls had been sent to Orange County Juvenile Hall, but he did not know the status of the other girl. Earlier police reports of the fight described the younger girl as developmentally disabled, but Sailor said today the girl is a normal student at Ensign Intermediate School.

An Ensign Intermediate School student was arrested Tuesday after bringing a bomb on campus, police said. Newport Beach police took the 12-year-old into custody on suspicion of possession of an explosive device after a bomb squad found materials for an “acid bomb,” which is capable of a 300-foot blast radius, on the student and in his locker, said Sgt. Evan Sailor. The campus was in lockdown for more than an hour after a fellow student reported a suspicious package about 11:15 a.m., Sailor said.

Living in a beach town where house parties are the norm, sometimes teens aren’t involved in just one risky situation at a time. A party where drugs and alcohol are available could also lead to a sexual assault or drunken driving. You should be aware of and ready to deal with that kind of trouble, Newport Beach police and teen-safety experts told parents and students at the “Keep Your Teen Safe” program at Newport Harbor High on Wednesday night. What did parents come to learn about?

New principals have been assigned to Ensign Intermediate School and College Park Elementary School. They will start their new jobs when the school year begins Sept. 4. Steve McLaughlin takes over as principal at Ensign for Ed Wong, who moved over to Costa Mesa High School as principal on July 1. He comes over from San Clemente High School, where he serves as assistant principal. John Sanders, currently the assistant principal at Ensign Intermediate, will fill the void left at College Park Elementary School after Pat Insley's retirement as principal.

For the first time in years at Ensign Intermediate School, the play's the thing. The Newport Beach campus, which will present Disney's "High School Musical" on Friday and Saturday, hadn't put on a theater production since its last drama teacher retired half a decade ago. Moreover, with the Robins Hall theater closed at nearby Newport Harbor High School, the school didn't have ready access to a stage. This year, though, three parent groups — the PTA, the school foundation and the Navigators, a fathers' support group — banded together to raise $4,500 for a show in the school gymnasium.