Around Town: Irvine students learn from movie musician during trumpet event

Irvine Unified School District elementary school music instructors presented the first Trumpet Takeover event Feb. 27 at Cypress Village Elementary School in Irvine.

The school hosted more than 100 district students playing trumpets to give them an opportunity to work with David Washburn, a professional studio musician who has participated in movie scores for “Avatar,” “Titanic” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”

The event was organized with the help of a grant from the Irvine Public Schools Foundation.

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Research on mutated genes presented at charity fashion show

Medical professionals from UC Irvine and New York-based Population Diagnostics Inc. presented new research at the Spooner Girls Foundation’s annual “Especially Beautiful: A Rare Fashion Event,” a charity fashion show Feb. 25 in Irvine in which children with special needs walked the catwalk.

Cristy and Rick Spooner of Rancho Santa Margarita learned two years ago that two of their three daughters had mitochondrial complex I deficiency, a rare disease caused by mutation in the nucleotide binding protein-like gene, or NUBPL. The Spooners have devoted their time to promoting medical research on the gene.

Peggy Eis of Population Diagnostics, which develops diagnostic tests and therapies for unsolved diseases, presented new research on links between NUBPL gene mutations and Parkinson’s disease.

Virginia Kimonis of UCI shared the latest findings on mitochondrial complex I deficiency.

The Spooner Girls Foundation, UCI School of Medicine and Population Diagnostics are launching a collaborative research initiative focused on the NUBPL gene.

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3 Irvine educators honored as district’s top teachers

Three educators were named the Irvine Unified School District’s 2016 teachers of the year Monday.

Irvine High School social-studies teacher Steve Sewell was named district Teacher of the Year. Sewell has taught in the district since 1983.

Stacie Grooters — who joined the district in 2013 and is a science specialist for grades four through six at Culverdale Elementary School — was chosen as the elementary school Teacher of the Year.

Sierra Vista Middle School’s director of instrumental music, Henry Miller, won the title of middle school Teacher of the Year. Miller began teaching for Irvine Unified in 1990.

The three will be honored at an awards banquet in May organized by the Exchange Club and the Irvine Teachers Assn.

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Tickets for summer concerts and motor shows go on sale

Tickets for shows at The Hangar and Action Sports Arena at the 2016 Orange County Fair go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday.

The Hangar will feature The Ultimate Fleetwood Mac Tribute Show on July 28, The Joshua Tree — Zoo TV on July 29 and Which One’s Pink? — A Tribute to the Music of Pink Floyd on July 30.

The Action Sports Arena will host X-Treme Freestyle Moto-X on July 15 and the 42nd annual Speedway Fair Derby on July 16.

Tickets are available through Ticketmaster or at the OC Fair & Event Center box office, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. The box office is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.

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Costa Mesa Civic Center gets flooring upgrades

Costa Mesa City Hall and the Police Department headquarters have received new flooring.

The first-floor City Hall lobby carpet was replaced after 18 years of use and features thicker padding and a more modern design, according to a city news release.

The fourth-floor lobby received new floor tiles. The replaced tiles had been there since City Hall opened in 1967.

The Police Department’s first-floor lobby flooring also was replaced. It was heavily used and was stained from the fruit of ficus trees on visitors’ shoes, officials said.

New floor material was installed near the department’s entrance that will help remove the tree debris as visitors enter, officials said.

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Costa Mesa wins budget award

The city of Costa Mesa recently received the Government Finance Officers Assn. award for Distinguished Budget Presentation.

City officials called the award the highest form of recognition in government budgeting. Costa Mesa has won the award more than 10 times.

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Estancia graduate seeks funding for film

Estancia High School alumnus Lawrence Thunell is seeking $50,000 to help fund an independent teen comedy film called “RainBRO.”

Thunell, a Costa Mesa native, is an actor in the film.

A description of “RainBRO” on the film’s fundraising page reads: “When a high school bully is accidentally sent to a gay reform summer camp, he must find a way to escape before his bad boy reputation is ruined forever. On his hilarious yet heartfelt journey, he meets a diverse host of characters that ultimately challenge the way he sees the world and himself.”

For more information, visit indiegogo.com and search for “RainBRO.”