Spiderman robber strikes La Jolla liquor store An armed gunman donning a Spiderman mask robbed the La Jolla Liquor and Deli, located at 7402 La Jolla Blvd., just after 9:30 p.m. on April 22, taking an undisclosed amount of cash. The suspect is described as a 20- to 30-year-old white male, 5-feet-10-inches tall with a medium build. He was last seen leaving southbound on foot wearing the mask, a grey shirt and blue jeans. SDPD’s Robbery Unit is investigating the case. Anyone with information related to the incident is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at (888) 540-8477. Host families needed for international experience Kaplan International Center of San Diego is in need of host families that are interested in having a cultural experience with students from all over the world. Kaplan’s La Jolla campus, located at 1111 Torrey Pines Road, receives students from locations like Vietnam, China, Korea, Japan, the Middle East (including Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait), Europe, Mexico, South America and more. Host families are chosen based on three important criteria, said housing specialist and ESL?teacher Martha Rujana. The criteria include: • Location to school. Host families must live within 60 minutes or less total trip time by bus, from their home to the school. • A nice home. The hosts must provide a warm, clean, safe, comfortable, family-like environment and have two meals available (continental-style breakfast that is self-served and a sit down dinner with students every night). • Hosts must be willing to commit to having students for their entire booking and must understand that some students cancel their home-stay last minute or while they are in the host family home. Length of stays range from two to 36 weeks. Rujana said students are booked according to specific guidelines. Student information is entered into the school’s worldwide computer system, and Rujana runs a report twice a week to match up arriving students with prospective families. When Rujana finds a family she believes would be a good match for a future student, she pairs the two up, “if they agree on all, or most of the requests, of a student.” Hosts receive information about the student and have the option to get in touch prior to the student’s arrival. For more information or to sign up to become a host family, call (858) 551-5750. French-American School expands its language base San Diego French-American School (SDFAS) has announced it will add Mandarin to the curriculum for children 3, 4 and 5 years of age for the 2012-13 school year, said Christian Jarlov, head of the school. “This new venture is expected to expand the international profile of the students and maintain the school’s approach to progressive education, keeping in mind the SDFAS mission, as well as the ultimate goal of preparing our students for the global challenges of tomorrow,” Jarlov said. Currently the school teaches a French-American academic curriculum that immerses children in the French language. “We feel it is important to expose children to more than the Western languages,” said Jarlov, “and to have them hear the sounds and have a greater understanding of other cultures.” Students may be accepted at SDFAS with no prior knowledge of French and space is still available in some classes for the 2012-13 school year. Further information on enrollment is available in the admissions office, located at 5550 Soledad Mountain Road, by emailing [email protected] or by calling (858) 456-2807, ext. 306. Hit-and-run motorist injures cyclist An unidentified motorist driving a BMW struck a male bicyclist in his 50s, while making a left turn on the 800 block of Turquoise Street from La Jolla Mesa Drive on the evening of April 24. The cyclist, who was making the same left turn, was knocked to the ground and suffered an injury to his right shoulder and an open fracture to his right elbow. The motorist did not stop and left the scene driving eastbound on Turquoise Street. The cyclist was transported to a local hospital for his injuries. Traffic Division is currently handling the investigation. UCSD centers celebrate 40 UCSD’s centers for Research in Computing and the Arts (CRCA) and Music Experiment (CME) will celebrate its 40th anniversary with an all-day celebration from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on May 1. Festivities will include an open house with lab demonstrations from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., guest speakers from 2 to 4 p.m. and live performances and archive presentations from 5 to 7 p.m. The event will take place in Atkinson Hall. For more information, call (858) 534-4383 or email [email protected].