Posts by The Picerne Family Foundation

In response to the social isolation necessitated by the COVID-19 crisis the Picerne Family Foundation has initiated a new program: Shelter-in-Place: Face-to-Face.  Volunteer artists, writers and musicians will provide live, one-on-one face-to-face lessons free of charge through interactive video platforms such as Zoom, Skype and FaceTime.  For more information go to Programs on this website.

Eleven San Clemente High School students completed a 13 day Earthwatch research expedition in the Yarapa river basin of the Peruvian Amazon. Students surveyed a variety of species including river dolphins, wading and aquatic birds, macaws, fishing bats, frogs, fish and caimans. The data they collected contributes to cutting edge research by Dr. Richard Bodmer…

Global Sustainability Project students from Gahr High School, 2016-17, had their 30 page research findings accepted for publication by the scholarly journal, The International Journal of Innovation & Scholarly Research 2018. The students assisted the California Department of Fish and Wildlife by identifying and monitoring invasive species such as zebra mussels, quagga mussels, mud snails,…

The Gahr High School Global Sustainability Project students presented their research findings on water quality and invasive species at the Don Knabe Community Regional Park and the Heritage Park to the Cerritos City Council and Mayor George Ray at a City Council meeting on February 9. In addition to the water quality study, students completed…

The Picerne Family Foundation awarded Orange Home Grown in Orange, California a $23,000 grant to create the “Youth Food Literacy Program”. In addition to financial support the Foundation will provide college scholarships to selected participants as well as executive coaching and board development assistance to Orange Home Grown leaders. This project was funded through the…

Advanced Placement Environmental Science and Honors Biology teacher Ms. Quyen Vu and 20 GSP students are implementing a new local sustainability project that they established in collaboration with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. They are testing water quality and identifying/monitoring invasive species in the lakes at the above locations. They are also conducting…

Garit Imhoff was recently recognized as an outstanding artist-teacher in residence for an art/music program he originally established with an Artist Outreach Project grant in 2012. He has successfully continued his work with children and The Center for World Music who secured major grant funding for his program. The Center for World Music recognized Garit…

Last month, ten elite students from Dana Hills High School, accompanied by CCA Education Manager Sara Ludovise and Dana Hills Environmental Studies Teacher Dolores Dang-Wright, travelled to Mankwe Wildlife Reserve and Pilanesberg National Park in South Africa as part of an international conservation initiative—the Global Sustainability Project. Their mission: to monitor and assess scavenger species,…

Three High School AP Teachers Selected for 2015/16 GSP The Picerne Family Foundation has selected three high school AP science teachers from Orange County California to participate with students in the 2015/16 Global Sustainability Project. Jennifer Walters and Kimberly Rapp, both from Corona del Mar High School in Newport Beach and Thomas Pfeifer from Segerstrom High School in Santa Ana…