Kids get acquainted

By Patricia Oropelz, On-line Forty-Niner

April 23, 1998

 

Cal State Long Beach will be bursting with the voices of hundreds of children taking part in the 12th annual Academic Day Friday.

 

Children from 15 local elementary and middle schools, including students from neighboring Minnie Gant Elementary, will have an opportunity to participate in 61 sessions offered throughout the day, said Academic Day coordinator Jessica Nelson.

 

Created as a way of introducing the university and its various services to children, the event coincides with Saturday's Kaleidoscope festivities.

 

"We want children to see what college is like," Nelson said. "Academic Day is a chance for them to spend a day in college."

"We want children to see what college is like."

Just like the Odyssey project, this year's Academic Day theme is centered around the Earth, whether it be teaching children to put litter in its proper place or to understand and become aware of other cultures.

 

Students will have a chance to participate in various activities ranging from a session of interactive storytelling hosted by the English and comparative literature departments, to a Mexican mathematics game.

 

While walking from one session to the next, students will be able to take in the sights and sounds that make up CSULB.

 

Led by their teachers or CSULB volunteers, each of the 80 classes taking part in the event will have a group name related to the event's Earth theme.

 

David Hood, a history professor at CSULB, has participated in the event for the last 10 years and believes it is a good way for students to understand what a university is like.

 

"I want students to say that a university is a fun place to go to," Hood said.

 

Hood said he tries to make his slide presentations, which will focus this year on the art and architecture of ancient Greece, as entertaining as possible for the students.

 

"After Friday, students might decide to enter this new world," he said.

 

Academic Day is scheduled to run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.