LJHS celebrates 90 years on Nautilus St. The Foundation of La Jolla High School will host “Nautilus, an Evening to Benefit La Jolla High School” on March 10 to celebrate the school’s 90th year on Nautilus Street and to help raise much-needed funds for the high school at a time when public schools are in dire need of financial support. “The fiscal difficulties we hear about daily have had a profound impact on education everywhere,” said LJHS principal Dana Shelburne. “Fortunately, monies raised by the Foundation have helped us provide LJHS students with a quality education in a stable environment. We are deeply grateful for the ongoing generosity of the La Jolla educational community and want everyone to know these contributions make a real, tangible difference to the students and staff at La Jolla High.” The nautical-themed gala will feature cocktails and a silent auction starting at 6 p.m., dinner, dancing, live music and entertainment by NRG at 8 p.m., and a 50/50 opportunity drawing and live auction at 9 p.m. Money raised at the event will help fund the availability of textbooks, critical supplies, course offerings, sports programs and essential maintenance and improvements to the school’s physical plant. Tickets for the evening fundraiser are $90 with sponsorship opportunities available up to $10,000. The benefit will take place at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine, 3777 La Jolla Village Drive. Attire for the event is “beach chic.” For more information, visit www.ljhs.sandi.net/- foundation or call the foundation office at (858) 551-1250. Grunion Bowl tests big smarts on tiny subjects Two teams from La Jolla High School will compete against 16 other teams in the Grunion Bowl 2012 — a fast-paced academic bowl that focuses solely on ocean life and the marine environment — on March 3. The regional competition for the 15th annual National Ocean Science Bowl will be held at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography campus, during which teams will be competing in “Jeopardy”-style matches. While grunions are pretty small in size, the Grunion Bowl is a pretty big deal to the 18 teams involved in the competition who look to move on to the national finals in Baltimore. The bowl’s theme for 2012 is “A Sea of Change: Evolution and Development.” The theme embraces both the evolution of technologies and knowledge, as well as the underwater biological evolutions of marine life. La Jolla High School is entering the competition with last year’s first-place win under its belt and will be defending the title beginning at 8:45 a.m. with the final round starting at 4:30 p.m. The first-place team in the regional match will advance to the national competition to be held in April in Maryland. For more information, visit aquarium.ucsd.edu. — Djani Schafer

La Jolla’s solar industry continues to impress Maintaining San Diego’s position as a green leader now comes with a boost in creating more jobs for the city. University City-based OneRoof Energy, a new solar energy company, announced on Feb. 22 with CleanTECH San Diego and Mayor Jerry Sanders the creation of more than 100 new green jobs for San Diego. OneRoof Energy is the first U.S. residential solar company to work directly with roofers to sell and install its systems. Last year, the company received $50 million to launch its unique SolarSelect Lease program, which allows customers to install the new roofing systems for little money down, making solar rooftops more affordable. The monthly lease and a smaller energy bill combine to give OneRoof Energy a unique business model that makes solar rooftops more attainable for the average customer. San Diego already has the highest use of residential solar power in any U.S. city, and a continued rising demand for solar power provides growth opportunities for solar companies. At the press conference, Sanders praised OneRoof Energy’s contribution to keeping San Diego a leader in the clean technology industry and for providing green jobs. “With programs like SolarSelect,” he said, “we’ll continue to build our position as America’s top solar city.” OneRoof Energy is looking to fill its newly created jobs this coming year. The company will be hiring positions in sales, customer service, operations and other key departments. For more information, visit www.oneroofenergy.com. For information about CleanTECH San Diego, visit www.cleantechsandiego.org. — Djani Schafer