Girl Scouts offer range of camp experiences From June through August, Girl Scouts San Diego will host 144 overnight sessions at the Camp Winacka and Camp Whispering Oaks properties near Julian and 32-day camps countywide. La Jolla Girl Scout Mia Salatka of Junior Troop 3426 earned a free trip to camp by selling 525 boxes of Girl Scout cookies this year. She will attend a session called Night Owls, where she and other campers will stay up late to hike, swim and stargaze. This is the third year in a row that Salatka, 11, has earned her way to camp. Last summer, she cultivated outdoor skills, learned about nature and cooked over a fire at the Wilderness Adventure camp. Each camp offers a mix of traditional camp activities with themed experiences, from marine biology, animal care and engineering to astronomy, nature studies and computer tech. At Camps Winacka and Whispering Oaks, four- to six-day sleepaway camps run from June 24 to Aug. 16. Day camps, offered in four-day sessions, take place June 17 through Aug. 9 at various locations, including Carlsbad, Coronado, Escondido, Lakeside and Poway. Any girl can attend Girl Scout camp. Non-members add $12 dues to the camp fee and enjoy Girl Scout membership through the rest of the year. Camp fees begin at $169 and financial assistance is available. Girl Scout camp also provides opportunities for teens to serve as aides and adults to volunteer. For details, visit www.sdgirlscouts.org or call (800) 643-4798. Gillispie breaks ground The Gillispie School, located at 7380 Girard Ave. hosted a groundbreaking event April 9 for its new “Field of Dreams,” a 7,500-square-foot parcel at 7411 Fay Ave. to be used as the school’s new sports field. The school has already raised $1.6 million of its total fundraising goal of $1.75 million. The school’s current outdoor space consists of a sports court and play structure, but no outdoor field. The new field, which is expected to be complete later this spring, will nearly double the size of its current outdoor space, and will include a turf playing field for children and seating area for instruction. LJHS grad inducted into honor society Kailey Lynn Fudge, a 2012 graduate of La Jolla High School, was accepted into the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, an interdisciplinary honor society for first- and second-year college students. Membership is extended by invitation only and based on grade-point average and class standing. Drawing on experience for education The Association of Educational Therapists recently endorsed University City resident Debra G. Cohen as an Educational Therapist /Professional for providing individualized interventions for children and adults with learning disabilities like dyslexia, ADHD, performance anxiety and others. Having battled dyslexia since early childhood, Cohen spent eight years working within the public school sector as both a resource specialist and a special day classroom teacher. She currently works as a director of the learning center at the San Diego Jewish Academy and has owned her practice, Educational Therapy of San Diego, since 2003. Cohen has served on the board of the San Diego Branch of the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) since 2011. On May 18, Cohen will share her story with at “Dyslexia: Enhancing Knowledge and Practice,” a conference presented by the San Diego Branch of the IDA at the University of San Diego. The conference is designed to provide parents, teachers, school administrators and professionals information and programs to help individuals with dyslexia and other learning disabilities. Tickets can be purchased at www.dyslexiasd.org-/events. UCSD names Associates Scholars More than 30 high school students and their families joined UCSD chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla at a special event on April 17 to celebrate the launch of an undergraduate scholarship program at UCSD, the Chancellor’s Associates Scholars. The scholarships, which are for students who are accepted to UCSD and meet the criteria for the University of California’s Blue + Gold Opportunity Plan, will provide $10,000 a year for four years to eligible graduates of Gompers Preparatory Academy, Lincoln High School and The Preuss School UCSD beginning in the fall. Calling improv enthusiasts National Comedy Theatre’s High School League is holding an improv comedy tournament for all high school participants on May 4 and 5. The winner of the competition will play against NCT’s main stage cast on Friday, May 11. Each school is assigned a coach from the professional NCT team and teams receive monthly training. Every NCT High School League performance acts as a fundraiser for the school’s theater department. High schools involved in the 2013 NCT High School League include The Bishop’s School, Point Loma High School and La Jolla High School. Tickets for the tournament are $5 each and are available at the door. Performances take place from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call (619) 295-4999. National Comedy Theatre is located at 3717 India St. Local students perform in “A?Little Princess” University City’s Samantha Wang and Olivia Dangelo and La Jolla’s Nicole Sollazzo are among the students performing in “A Little Princess” through San Diego Junior Theatre April 25 through May 12 at Balboa Park’s Casa del Prado Theater on Fridays at 7 p.m. and weekends at 2 p.m. Tickets range from $10 to $15 and are available online at juniortheatre.com or by calling (619) 239-8355. The May 11 performance is being presented along with American Sign Language interpretation. Preuss ranked high in county, state and nation The Preuss School UCSD has been ranked the best high school in San Diego by U.S. News & World Report. The school is also ranked the fourth-best high school in California, the seventh-best charter school in the nation and 30th overall in the nation. U.S. News & World Report evaluated more than 21,000 public high schools in 49 states and the District of Columbia on overall student performance on state-mandated assessments, as well as how effectively they educated their black, Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students. Performance on advanced placement and international baccalaureate exams was then used to determine the degree to which schools prepare students for college-level work.