CPJMA

●Come Sail Away at Crown Point Jr. Music Academy’s back-to-school mixer and auction. Guests can listen to the sounds of Yacht Rock music, enjoy Tacos by Javier, sip on drink specials that support CPJMA, and bid during the live auction portion of the event. The event will take place from 5:30-10 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24, at Mission Bay Boat and Ski Club. Tickets can be purchased at friendsofcpjma.com/sailway. Can’t make it to the event? CPJMA is also holding an online auction with a lot of items. Bidding started on Sept. 5 and will run through Sept. 23. Visit cpjmaauction.afrogs.org and check out all the items up for bid.

PBMS

● The PB Palooza will take place from 1-6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25 at the San Diego Mission Bay and Ski Club. Food and beverages will be available First launched in 2017, PB Palooza is sponsored by the Pacific Beach Middle School Music Association (pbmsmusic.com), and raises money to support the middle school music program’s purchase of instruments, sheet music, music tutoring, and other supplies for students in grades 6-8. The Palooza features performances from The Generation Gap, Marian Muluck and premier pianist Ed Gabrielyan, The Preservationists (the house band from Mission Bay High School), The Sea Monks, and The Eric Wesling Trio.

“What is unique about each of these groups is that one or more performers in each group received some of their music training as a student in our Pacific Beach schools. It is encouraging to have these fine young musicians returning to support PB Palooza each year,” said John O’ Donnell, musical director and band instructor at PBMS.

Eric Wesling (The Eric Wesling Trio) started playing guitar as a student at Crown Point Junior Music Academy in 2009. He then played trumpet for three years in the concert band at PBMS under the direction of O’ Donnell. At Mission Bay High, Wesling played guitar with The Preservationists, the Jazz Ensemble, the Mambo Orchestra, and the concert band. After graduating from Mission Bay in 2017, Wesling went on to earn a degree in music majoring in guitar performance from the Berklee College of Music in Boston in 2021.

“Giving back to the Pacific Beach community is important to me. As a student at PB Middle School, I would go after school to Crown Point Junior Music Academy and tutor younger music students,” Wesling said.

● Students in the Mandarin language programs at PBMS had a taste of the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival on Sept. 7 and 8 as they prepared and then feasted upon their own mooncakes. A rich pastry typically filled with sweet beans, egg yolk, or custard, mooncakes are traditionally eaten throughout the autumn festival, which is based on the legend of Chang’e, the Moon goddess in Chinese mythology. PBMS Mandarin language teacher Yan Yan and parent volunteers provided the baking supplies and instruction (delivered in Mandarin, of course) to groups of students enrolled in either the Mandarin immersion program or the introduction to Mandarin language classes. Cultural activities such as this one incorporate Mandarin reading, writing, and speaking skills and also (literally) add flavor to classroom learning. Yan hopes making mooncakes becomes an annual tradition at the school.

“Making the mooncakes was cool because it helped me learn about the customs and culture that Mandarin-language speakers enjoy in other parts of the world,” said eighth-grade student Dylan F., who is enrolled in his second year of Mandarin language at the school. “If I ever go to China, I will have a better understanding of their lives and customs.”

Sixth-grader India Z. has been learning Mandarin since kindergarten and brought some of her handmade mooncakes home for her family. “I like the custard ones the best, but my mom really likes the bean paste filling. They are yummy, but also a beautiful treat to look at. Serving them at a meal gives me the chance to explain Chinese customs and show off some of my Mandarin language skills to others who aren’t familiar with these foods and traditions.”

The San Diego Unified School District’s Mandarin immersion program begins in kindergarten at Barnard Mandarin Magnet Elementary School and continues into PBMS and Mission Bay High, giving students the opportunity to be immersed in the language from kindergarten through high school. Students can also begin introductory Mandarin language classes in sixth grade at PBMS and continue through the middle and high school programs. Hands-on, cultural projects like this one make learning fun and leave the students hungry for more. For information on PBMS or to find out about the District’s School Choice program, visit sandiegounified.org/schools/pacific-beach-middle.