OB resident elected president of SDCCD Longtime Ocean Beach community leader Rich Grosch has been elected president of the San Diego Community College District’s (SDCCD) Board of Trustees. Grosch, who owns the Ocean Beach Hotel, has been serving on the SDCCD board since 2002 and was re-elected in 2006. In addition to Ocean Beach, Grosch represents Point Loma, Loma Portal, Mission Hills, Mission Valley, Hillcrest, Normal Heights, University Heights, Grantville, Serra Mesa and Mission Village. Grosch has served in other capacities in the community, including the Ocean Beach Community Development Corporation, the Ocean Beach Planning Board and the Miramar College Citizens Advisory Board. He is also a former vice president of the Ocean Beach Town Council and founder of the KSDS/Ocean Beach Jazz Festival. Grosch led efforts in Ocean Beach to pass a community plan to stem overdevelopment and helped lead a campaign against adult entertainment at the site of the local movie theater. 2 local schools earn federal academic award Ocean Beach and Dewey elementary schools have been named among 11 schools in the San Diego Unified School District to receive the federal Title 1 Academic Achievement Award for the 2008-09 school year. To earn the presigious award, schools must show their students are making significant progress toward proficiency in California’s academic standards, doubling achievement targets for two years. The winning schools must also receive federal Title 1 funding to qualify for the honor. Fleet Center reopens refurbished IMAX theater The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center’s Space Theater in Balboa Park is back in business following a $20 million renovation that features a new sound system and a seamless screen. The reopening date was Saturday, Dec. 13, with IMAX-format films “Wild Ocean,” “Van Gogh:?Brush with Genius” and “Animalopolis” among the first presentations. The new 76-foot dome is the main component to the refurbishment project, which began in early September. Its so-called NanoSeam screen is said to be the most uniform dome surface available. For more information on the project and the Fleet, call (619) 238-1233 or visit www.rhfleet.org.