Westmont News

Led by bagpipes, more than 300 Westmont graduates marched from Kerrwood Hall through the formal gardens to Russell Carr Field May 4 for Commencement. Cloudy skies kept families and friends cool and comfortable as they cheered the graduating students.

The 14-member Westmont Fire Brigade has completed a 40-hour, national wildland firefighter training academy hosted at Pepperdine University. The training included classroom instruction in fire behavior, fire suppression, risk management and preparedness.

About 50 members of the Westmont College Choir and Chamber Singers will tour through Southern California, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona, singing a diverse repertoire of classic and contemporary sacred and secular music, folk songs, spirituals and vocal jazz.

Jason Womack, small business entrepreneur and advisor, will share four ways to reduce stress and be more productive in a free, public lecture, “L.E.A.P. into Your Future,” Monday, April 22, at 3:30 p.m. in Westmont’s Adams Center, room 216.

In January, Jane Higa announced she would retire from Westmont Aug. 31 after serving for 24 years as vice president and dean of students. She went on medical leave when physicians at UCLA Medical Center diagnosed her with ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease earlier in March.

Hundreds of faculty, staff, students and alumni welcomed the NAIA National Champion Westmont women’s basketball team as they returned to campus by bus March 20. Warrior supporters, armed with balloons, signs, pom-poms, newspapers, flowers and noise makers, created an arm tunnel as the Warriors, fresh off the college’s first national title in basketball, waded into a sea of adoring fans.

Westmont’s powerful Keck Telescope hopes to show off the planet Jupiter during a free, public viewing of the stars on Friday, March 15, beginning at about 7:30 p.m. The best viewing generally occurs later in the evening. In case of inclement weather, please call the Telescope Viewing Hotline at (805) 565-6272 and check the Westmont website to see if the viewing has been cancelled.

More than 300 Westmont students and local volunteers will travel to Mexico, as part of Potter’s Clay, helping the under-served in Ensenada this spring break, March 8-15. Potter’s Clay, a student-organized service trip that started in 1977, is one of Westmont’s longest-running traditions.

Violinist Lalia Mangione of Belmont, Mich., earned a $10,000 annual music scholarship to study at Westmont for winning the Music Guild Competition on March 2. Seven high school seniors performed before a panel of judges in Westmont’s Deane Chapel. The other six musicians won smaller awards.

Retired Gen. Colin Powell used a combination of poignant stories and humorous anecdotes to keep more than 750 people in rapt attention during the 7 a.m.

The Westmont Orchestra, which just finished a tour from Southern California to the Sierra, presents its Spring Orchestra Concert in Santa Barbara on Friday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. in Montecito Covenant Church, 671 Cold Spring Rd., and Sunday, Feb. 24, at 3 p.m. in First Presbyterian Church, 21 E. Constance Ave. General admission is $10, and students are free.

Westmont’s Keck Telescope, one of the most powerful along the Central Coast, will offer glimpses of Jupiter and the Orion Nebula (Messier 42) at a free, public viewing Friday, Feb. 15, beginning about 7:30 p.m. at the Westmont Observatory.

John Blondell, Westmont professor of theatre arts, directs a world premiere, “Platinum Circle: A Play in Three One-Acts,” Feb. 22-23 and 28, and March 1-2, 8 p.m. in Westmont’s Porter Theatre. Tickets are $7 for students and seniors, $10 for adults, and can be purchased online at westmont.edu/tickets or by calling (805) 565-7140.

Wife and husband, Andrea (flute) and Neil Di Maggio (piano), perform some of their favorite pieces during “A Tour Through the World of Concert Flute Music: Folk Music in Classical Repertoire” on Saturday, Feb. 9, at 8 p.m. in Westmont’s Deane Chapel. The concert is free and open to the public.

Mitch Vance, a founding partner of a private equity investment firm, and Dr. Richard Danson, a physician specializing in internal medicine, have joined the Westmont Board of Trustees, which oversees the operations of the college.

The 60-member Westmont College Orchestra travels from Southern California to the Sierras during its five-day road trip, Feb. 15-19. The spring tour begins in Santa Barbara and includes concert stops in Grass Valley, Calif., Yosemite, Mariposa, Calif., and Los Angeles. Admission is free to most performances, although a goodwill offering will be taken.

The Westmont Music and Theatre Arts Departments have collaborated to create a hilarious, student-produced show, “Musical of Musicals (the Musical!)” Jan, 24-26, 8 p.m. and Jan. 27, 2 p.m., in Porter Theatre.