Westmont News

About 200 fourth-to-sixth grade school children enjoyed a hot day at Westmont College May 15, competing in the Santa Barbara Elementary School Track and Field City Championships.

Seven Westmont kinesiology majors will conduct international research focusing on exercise science in June at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom. The students on the Kinesiology Europe Mayterm program, led by Gregg Afman, professor of kinesiology, will assist the ongoing research of James Betts, senior lecturer in nutrition, metabolism and statistics at the University of Bath.

A friendly competition between Westmont residence halls has resulted in the savings of more than 227,000 gallons of water since students returned from spring break, March 17. The Westmont Campus Life and Student Life offices announced Armington Hall won the Every Drop Counts contest on  April 25.

Pastor Rick Warren, founder of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., and author of the book, “The Purpose-Driven Life,” will speak at Westmont’s Commencement ceremony, Saturday, May 3, at 10 a.m. on Carr Field. President Gayle D.

Sixteen graduating art majors present their capstone projects while paying homage to the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art on April 3-May 3. The public is invited to a free, opening reception Thursday, April 3, from 4-6 p.m. at the museum.

Ten Westmont students will simulate a U.S. Supreme Court trial hinging on the First Amendment Thursday, April 3, from 7-8 p.m. in Hieronymus Lounge at Westmont’s Kerrwood Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

The Constitutional Law class will try McCullen v. Coakley, a 2009 Massachusetts state legislature case that created a 35-foot buffer zone around abortion clinics. The

U.S. Supreme Court will decide the case in its current term.

The first total lunar eclipse in more than two years will be the focus of a free, public viewing on Monday, April 14, from 10:30 p.m. until 2 a.m. on Tuesday, April 15, at the Westmont Observatory.

Jupiter and the Great Orion Nebula will be the featured attractions of this month’s free public viewing of the stars with Westmont’s powerful Keck Telescope on Friday, March 21, beginning at 7:30 p.m. The best viewing generally occurs later in the evening.

The Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art hosts Family Day: American Folk Art Festival on Saturday, March 22, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. in and around the museum and Adams Center at Westmont. The festival is a day of free activities, crafts, music, dance, storytelling, food, and more, all celebrating the vibrant culture of America.

About 225 Westmont students and local volunteers have traveled to Mexico as part of Potter’s Clay helping the under-served in Ensenada during spring break, March 7-14. A student-organized service trip that started in 1977, Potter’s Clay is one of Westmont’s longest-running traditions.

At the Westmont President’s Breakfast Feb. 28, Muhammad Yunus told inspiring stories about using microcredit to end poverty, captivating a packed room at Fess Parker’s DoubleTree by Hilton Resort. Known as the banker to the poor and the father of microfinance, Yunus believes that credit is basic human right.

Cellist Timothy Beccue of Westlake Village won Westmont’s Music Guild Competition on March 1, earning $10,000 in annual music scholarship funds (up to $40,000 over four years) to study at Westmont.

Westmont is responding to the California drought by continuing to conserve water and by making additional cutbacks in consumption. “We’re committed to maintaining a sustainable campus and conserving resources such as water and power while complying with all county ordinances and expectations,” says President Gayle D. Beebe.

Stargazers might enjoy views of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot at this month’s public viewing at the Westmont Observatory on Friday, Feb. 21, beginning after 6:30 p.m. and lasting several hours. The free event is held every third Friday of the month in conjunction with the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit.

Westmont’s production of “The Pirates of Penzance,” which will be performed for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, returns to Porter Theatre Feb. 22-23 at 7 p.m. General admission is $15; $10 for students and seniors.

In conjunction with “Electra,” the Westmont Theatre Arts Department hosts the first Westmont Dialogue on Theatre Ancient and Modern on Saturday, Feb. 8, from 1-8 p.m. in Porter Theatre. Tickets cost $15 and do not include dinner. Please RSVP by Feb.