La Jolla News Nuggets: Coggan pool anniversary; historical designation workshop; SDUSD test scores; more

Coggan Family Aquatic Complex to host 20th-anniversary party Oct. 16

The Coggan Family Aquatic Complex in La Jolla will host a 20th-anniversary party at 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 16, at 800 Nautilus St.

The free event will feature family activities including pool games, prizes and birthday cake.

For more information, visit cogganaquatics.org.

Historical Society to present home designation workshop

The La Jolla Historical Society’s Landmark Steering Committee will present a three-part workshop from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 15, to shed light on the process and benefits of getting one’s home historically designated.

The event will be at the Historical Society’s Balmer Annex, 780 Prospect St.

Part 1 will feature talks by homeowners who went through the process. Part 2 will feature Elizabeth Courtiér, a 25-year industry veteran who specializes in historic and architecturally significant properties, discussing how historic designation and the Mills Act affect real estate transactions. Part 3 will feature San Diego city staff presenting a case study of a La Jolla house that faced a complicated road to designation.

Historical Society volunteer Meredith Baratz, the owner of a historic home, said the workshop looks to address a “widespread set of misunderstandings people have about designation.”

“Specifically, many people dismiss the idea of securing designation because they are unaware of the positive impact designation can have on home value, the degree of flexibility with respect to renovation (more than most assume) and the contribution to sustainability (reusing the built environment vs. creating waste).”

The event is free to Historical Society members and $10 for non-members. Learn more and register at lajollahistory.org/events.

Test scores show SDUSD student achievement took hit during COVID

A student does schoolwork from home in September 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

(AP)

Student academic achievement in the San Diego Unified School District fell in the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, mirroring a national trend, according to state standardized test scores the district published Oct. 10.

About 53 percent of San Diego Unified students who took state tests, called the CAASPP, in spring this year met or exceeded standards in English language arts, a 4 percentage point drop from 2019, the last year for which comprehensive state testing data is available.

The drop was steeper in math — 41 percent of students met or exceeded standards, a 7 percentage point drop from 2019.

Only students in grades 3-8 and 11 take the tests.

SDUSD’s results represent the first districtwide picture of how the pandemic’s disruptions affected student achievement. San Diego Unified was closed to general in-person instruction from March 2020 to April 2021 and was one of the last local districts to reopen.

The state canceled testing in 2020 due to the pandemic, and in 2021, districts were allowed to choose between using the state’s standardized tests and their own tests. — The San Diego Union-Tribune

La Jolla dentist completes mission trip to Honduras with students

Peter and Paige Nordland were part of a team that treated 850 patients while on a mission trip to Honduras in September.

(Provided by Kathleen Nordland)

Dr. Peter Nordland, a longtime La Jolla resident and practicing periodontist, recently traveled with a group of student dentists for a mission trip to Honduras to provide dentistry services to those in need.

Nordland, his daughter Paige and students at the Loma Linda University School of Dentistry treated 850 people during the one-week trip in September.

“It was so rewarding to see how much the Hondurans appreciated our services,” Paige Nordland said.

La Jolla Garden Club partnering with Friendly Visitors

From left, La Jolla Garden Club members Ginger Taylor, Pam Filley, Craig Schniepp, Torry Alpizar, La Jolla Friendly Visitors Director Jeannie Walsh and Garden Club member Mary Riney show succulent gifts.

(Elisabeth Frausto)

The La Jolla Garden Club has partnered with nonprofit La Jolla Friendly Visitors to offer homebound senior citizens a cheery green gift.

The plants, many of them succulents, will accompany La Jolla Friendly Visitors volunteers on their visits to seniors experiencing isolation and loneliness.

So far, the La Jolla Garden Club members have made 28 such gifts. More will be made as Friendly Visitors Director Jeannie Walsh requests them.

La Jolla Music Society names new director of learning and engagement

Allison Boles has been promoted to director of learning and engagement for the La Jolla Music Society.

(La Jolla Music Society)

The La Jolla Music Society has promoted Allison Boles from community and education program manager to director of learning and engagement.

Boles is responsible for conceiving and implementing programming to provide access and learning opportunities to students and other community members throughout San Diego County.

Boles also directs the Music Society’s Fellowship Artist Program, which offers educational and professional opportunities to emerging classical musicians.

UCSD administers first new treatment for metastasized prostate cancer

UC San Diego Health is the first hospital system in the region to offer a novel treatment option for patients with prostate cancer that has spread throughout the body and has not responded to other therapeutics. In early September, Jim Duvall was the first patient to receive the new treatment.

After managing prostate cancer for nearly 20 years, Duvall, 80, transferred his care to UCSD Health to receive the FDA-approved drug Pluvicto — a new radiation pharmaceutical that is administered through injection or infusion — after his cancer had metastasized. The drug travels throughout the body and targets cancer cells with the PSMA biomarker, a protein found on most prostate cancer cells. Radiation is then released to damage and kill the cells.

Studies indicate the treatment can extend the lives of people with aggressive prostate cancer, even in late stages.

“This is a groundbreaking clinical advancement for our prostate cancer patients like Mr. Duvall,” said Dr. Rana McKay, a medical oncologist at UC San Diego Health. “It is a significant step forward in the evolution of precision radioligand therapy for patients,”

Duvall will receive six doses of Pluvicto, set apart every six weeks.

Young surfers take spotlight at Menehune contest

Several young surfers from across San Diego County took top honors at the Windansea Surf Club’s Menehune Surf Contest on Oct. 1 at La Jolla Shores. The contest for surfers younger than 18 has historically attracted competitive surfers and their families from throughout the Western states, Hawaii and Baja California.

Here is the list of winners this year: Kira Santoro, San Diego, girls 7-9; Tyler Perry, San Diego, girls 10-12 shortboard; Zoe Panettiere, San Diego, girls 13-16 shortboard; Catalina McDonnell, San Diego, girls 9-11 longboard; Maria Ramirez, Baja California, girls 12-13 longboard; Annabelle Tihanyi, La Jolla, girls 14-16 longboard; Jett Abate, San Diego, boys 7-9; Tyde Hill, San Clemente, boys 10-11 shortboard; Tobin McWethy, San Diego, boys 12-13 shortboard; Brandon Bacani, La Jolla, boys 14-16 shortboard; Judah Tudor, Del Mar, boys 10-12 longboard; and Cormac O’Brien, Redondo Beach, boys 13-16 longboard.

For more information, visit windanseasurfclub.org.

— Compiled by La Jolla Light staff ◆