Category Archives: Event Recaps

Mission Viejo Biology Day Event

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Through the Mission Viejo Teen Advisory Board, I had the pleasure of volunteering at the STEAM Stations Biology Day event. It was held at the Potocki Center for the Arts, where we had organized hands-on activities to allow children to grow their curiosity and explore their interest in the field of biology! Two of the main activities were owl pellet dissection and fingerprint art.

I worked at the owl pellet table, where I taught the children about the different bones they were finding through a bone identification sheet. I remember being eleven years old and dissecting owl pellets for the first time, so it was exciting to share that experience with kids around the same age as I was. Their excitement when they identified a mole’s skull and other body parts filled me with joy. My favorite part of the whole day was seeing their “aha!” moments mainly because I felt proud to help them learn and embark on new discoveries.

At the fingerprint art station, the children drew different animals not only on paper but also on small wooden boxes they could take home. Many of them had very creative fictional animals, like dragons and unicorns.

Overall, I really enjoyed seeing the children’ s imaginations running wild and free. Volunteering at this event reminded me how rewarding teaching could be. As a potential biology major in college, sharing my passion with the children gave me a sense of fulfillment. I would definitely partake in this event next year and I hope that you and/or your children come! I’ll see you there!

– Sophia B.

Diversity Circle at the Mission Viejo Library

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Globalization is all around us— our electronics, food, popular culture, literature, and much more are all the result of intermingling between many different countries across the world. Different cultures and people will continue to share spaces, creating diversity within our communities. The Mission Viejo Library recognized the need to understand and appreciate diversity, which is why they hosted their Diversity Circle event with Don Han on 4/7.

When I signed up to participate in this event, I was unsure of what to expect. Although I had participated in various diversity events at school, most of them consisted of students watching a powerpoint and being taught about how to be mindful of our differences. However, the Diversity Circle immediately struck me as different. I actually walked right past the event as I was trying to find it— the set up was like that of an intimate conversation, and I thought that a meeting was going on as a glanced through the open door. When I finally found my way in, I saw the seats arranged in a small circle so that everyone could hear each other as they spoke.

Our conversation started with the question of why we thought diversity was important. As we went around in a circle, I was impressed by the unique responses from each of my peers, some of whom I recognized and others whom I did not. As we took turns speaking, we passed around a small ladybug rock, which indicated whose turn it was to speak. Mr. Han explained how it was customary for whoever initiated the meeting (in this case, it was him) to place emotionally significant items in a small wooden bowl in the middle of the circle. One item that particularly fascinated me was a thin cloth that the men of his people would wear in a variety of different ways; Mr. Han had taken it with him when he moved to the United States.

One question that particularly struck me was about DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion). Mr. Han asked us if we thought DEI was relatively new or if it had already existed for a long time, and for the first time, we respectfully disagreed with one another. We explored this topic as both a specific policy and a general concept about inclusion, with some of us asking about past civil rights movements and whether that counted as a form of DEI.

I am grateful for this opportunity to become a more educated and conscientious member of my community as well as to engage in meaningful conversations. For those on the fence, I encourage you to learn more about diversity!

Earth Day Event

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On Saturday, April 26th, I had the pleasure of helping the Mission Viejo Library with the Earth Day event. The Mission Library had two booths: one was run by the Teen Advisory Board (TAB), while the other was run by the teen interns. I worked at the TAB booth and helped people decorate succulent pots as well as assemble the mesh bottom cover, the soil, the rocks, and of course, the plant itself. All of our succulents were donated from the community, which goes to show how caring the residents of Mission Viejo are. Many people (including a member from city council) came to spread the joy of Earth Day.

The best part? It was all free! From the live band (that played all day, except to take a short break for the rain) to the assortment of tasty food, residents could stop by and partake in the festivities without having to buy tickets or RSVP. There were multiple stands giving away free merchandise and educating visitors about the environment, such as the El Toro Water District which handed out dog waste baggies. Not interested in getting free items? Our Teen Intern booth had a nature-based scavenger hunt where savvy explorers were challenged to locate birds, insects, and plants in an effort to appreciate our community’s natural beauty. Or, if fairs, aren’t your interest, many volunteers planted trees along the trail behind our booths. Getting to meet so many people who are also environmentally conscious was a delight, and I can gladly say that I made new friends! No matter what you were looking for, the Earth Day event was sure to have it.

While the festivities were wonderful, it is important to consider the message behind Earth Day. Cleaning up after ourselves is extremely important especially when considering the impact of anthropogenic waste has on ecosystems both locally and globally. Thousands of species suffer from genetic bottlenecks, have their mating passages disrupted, or even go extinct every year due to human actions. Taking AP Environmental Science at my high school has taught me about how humans need to take more accountability for our environmental impact, and this event reinforced what I have learned.

Steam Stations: Biology Day

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Earlier in March, the Teen Advisory Board (TAB), along with other teen volunteers, hosted the final Steam Station out of three. What are STEAM Stations? These Stations have been a series of STEAM based events that the library’s youth team have helped to develop. We based all of our activities on the acronym, STEAM which stands for: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics. After first hosting Coding Day  and then Engineering Day, we hosted the final event: Biology Day! Biology Day was a fantastic end to the series with various fun activities.

Like our previous events, there were three different stations:

The first station was our fingerprint lab! Participants would be able to use ink pads to cover their fingers which they would then press onto a balloon. In order to magnify their fingerprint, they would blow the balloon up and by using identification sheets, participants could identify which kind of fingerprint they have (Loop, arch, whorl, etc).

At the second station, participants could go and make art with their own fingerprints. Using a variety of colored ink, they would cover their fingers with them just as they did in the last station to press them onto paper to create their own art! 

Finally, participants were given owl pellets, tools, and an identification sheet so they could dissect real owl pellets. As they picked apart the pellets, they could extract small bones and identify what bones they found by using the identification sheet. Both children and adults had a good time extracting bones together, making a fun bonding experience.  

I say this final STEAM Station was a success, just like our previous two Stations. Participants had a lot of fun making their own art and especially discovering bones. It was also nice to go into the community and hold this event at the Potocki Center of the Arts nearby the library; the outside space was warm and sunny, allowing our event-goers to experience a great day in nature which was perfect for Biology Day. 

Everyone had a great time out in nature jumping around to each different station. Some stations took longer than others, especially the owl pellet activity, which allowed participants to jump around to different stations in the meantime. It was wonderful to see everyone have fun with their fingerprint balloons and share their fingerprint artwork with each other. It was especially great to see individuals working together to find and identify bones as they dug through owl pellets. All in all, these stations were a fun learning opportunity for everyone. 

This concludes our three STEAM Stations! It was wonderful to host these events and to see new and familiar faces from the library and community who were able to attend and experience these STEAM Stations. I hope that in the future if we ever host these again, that both familiar and new people come to enjoy what we have in store. 

Please look forward to future library events!

-Nicole R.

STEAM Stations: Engineering Day

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At the beginning of February, the youth team of the library hosted our 2nd STEAM Stations event! What are STEAM Stations? For those who don’t know, STEAM Stations is the monthly library youth event that the Teen Advisory Board organizes that focuses on various aspects of STEAM (Science, Technology, Art, Mathematics). Last month, we focused on binary coding which was a super fun experience. This month, we focused on engineering which was very exciting!

For those who missed it, we had three different stations that focused on simple aspects of engineering:

Our first station was our spaghetti and marshmallow towers. Participants would use their spaghetti sticks and mini marshmallows in order to build a tower as tall as they can. Once they had their tower built, their challenge was to balance one large marshmallow on top. They were all able to test their structures and building skills with a super fun activity.

The second station was our pom-pom catapults. Another activity focused on building but also trajectory! Participants would follow the directions using popsicle sticks, rubber bands, and a plastic spoon in order to create their own catapult that they could test out with fun, colorful pom-poms. It was an entertaining activity that tested more of their building skills and challenged them to launch their pom-poms the farthest they could with their craft. 

Finally, we had our paper-airplane station. A nice, simple station that allowed participants to test what kind of design created the best working paper airplane. Participants could create their own design or follow given directions to try and create the best paper airplane that would be able to soar as far as possible. 

Our February STEAM Stations was another success! It was super popular with people of all ages coming around combined with a mix of returners and newcomers. We had people who knew the event was happening and people who had no idea what STEAM Stations were come to participate. Our participants had a lot of fun experimenting the best ways to build their spaghetti towers, some even working together to build one giant one. They also had a great time launching pom-poms into the air and throwing paper airplanes around the Children’s Center. All of our stations focused on an aspect of building and required everyone to really think about how to create the most efficient design and model while also having fun.

Our third and final STEAM Stations event will be held on March 8 at the Potocki Center for the Arts and will be centered around Biology! We will have even more fun and creative activities ready for everyone who wants to attend. We hope to see you all there!

-Nicole R.

STEAM Stations: Coding Day

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Previously in January, the library held their first STEAM Station to begin the new year. What is STEAM Stations? STEAM Stations is a library program that the Teen Advisory Board organizes that prioritize different aspects of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math). The library’s first STEAM Station was Coding Day; a station concentrated around coding.

For those who missed it, Coding Day had three mini stations all centralized around binary code:

The first station was our name activity. Essentially, it taught all participants how to write their name in binary code in a fun, artistic way. The activity was an art based project where participants would choose two colors (one to represent 1s and one to represent 0s)  so they could create their name in binary code. By coloring in specific squares to fill in the ones and zeroes, they were able to create their own, unique binary block that spelled out their name.

At the second station, participants created a binary code bracelet. Using binary code, they could match the numbers to the three colors of their choosing to create a beaded bracelet with their initials. Each color would represent one letter of their initial which they would then thread through colorful pipe cleaners that could tie around the participant’s wrist. Not only was it fun, but it provided another opportunity to try spelling using binary code. 

Finally, at the third station, participants created a paper binary calculator that could create the binary code for numbers all the way from 0 to 31. While the other two activities focused solely on spelling and creating letters with binary code, the binary calculator focused on creating numbers instead. It was a fun but easy math challenge that got participants thinking and learning numbers in binary code. 

Coding Day was a great success and had a very good turnout. While the event welcomed everyone 6 years old and up, plenty of young kids came and had a fun time creating art while also learning about how create numbers and letters using binary code. I had a fun time seeing their beautiful bracelets and unique binary names as I quizzed them with math problems using the binary calculator. While the event had many young kids, it was open for all ages to enjoy. All the crafts and activities are simple enough for everyone to try out but still fun to do and you get to leave with your own creations. 

While Coding Day was only a one day event, if you are interested in coding, check out the coding program at the Mission Viejo Library for availability. It is open for everyone so do not hesitate to try it out! Furthermore, there are two more STEAM Stations coming up. On February 8th, there will be Engineering Day and our final one on March 8th will be Biology Day. Each will be solely focused on their individual topics with fun and interactive stations for everyone to enjoy. It’s a fun experience that I hope more people come and check it out! Hope to see you all there!

-Nicole R.

Mission Viejo Pride Event

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I recently went to the Mission Viejo Pride event and had a blast! From the delicious food trucks to the live music and crafts, this event was an amazing family friendly event.

For starters, the decorations and overall environment was so fun and lively! Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves greatly. All the time I was there, I saw people dancing to the music and the lines for the food trucks were always long (but moving extremely fast).

The various booths that I visited were so cool. There were tons of handouts such as cake samples, dozens of stickers, and animal treats. I got lots of informational pamphlets and even a bag to hold everything. Not only that, but you could make bracelets there too! I also made a super cool tile and got a flier for a drag queen story time which I think sounds awesome.  

This whole event was such a valuable experience. I loved seeing people feel comfortable and it just felt like somewhere where everyone belonged. It felt great seeing people I knew there and people that I didn’t know, but we had common ties, making the world seem like a bigger and better place. I hope there is another Pride event next year because I enjoyed myself greatly and really recommend going!

Fourth of July Street Faire: An Insider’s Perspective

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This year, Mission Viejo brought back their famous Fourth of July Street Faire, and once again, they went all out for this celebration! Every year, the Mission Viejo Activities Committee (MVAC) gathers people of all ages to enjoy different foods, interest booths, and attractions scattered around Olympiad Road. For easy accessibility, they even provided shuttles available from 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. to provide transportation for everyone.

There is something for everyone in this event; stretching from Marguerite to Melinda Parkway, this Fourth of July Street was packed with diverse booths and activities. This year, vendors brought many fun items to promote their small businesses, from stylish clothes and accessories to professionally taken photographs. For those looking for extra fun, other booths provided a space to take on fun crafts or play exciting carnival-like games. 

The Youth branch of MVAC hosted a craft booth for kids to make some fun, themed crafts relating to the Fourth of July. As a member of this branch, I helped to provide customizable firework rockets and wooden-starred wands to eager, creative kids looking for an enthusiastic environment. Other than booths, there were multiple food and dessert trucks scattered around the Street Faire grounds. Inclusive food options are a keystone to these events, so this year, these trucks provided delicious, vegetarian food options for everyone to try. At the Fourth of July Street Faire, there is a place for everyone in this community to have fun!

While passing by, I heard varying genres of music coming from three different stages, each spread out across the streets. Seeing artists and bands that originated in Mission Viejo was quite entertaining. The most intriguing aspect of these performances was how each stage had a different slate of music, from calm acoustic melodies to some indie and new wave hits. A new band performed every few hours, so next year, feel free to sit down by the bleachers and catch a show. 

The scenery of the lake is astounding during this event. At around 9:00 p.m., when the sky turned dark and the heat decreased immensely, the famous Fireworks Spectacular began. Bright, vivid colors of red, white, and blue filled the night sky. Everyone was astonished and captivated by the large arrays of red, white, and blue lights. This moment is the most remarkable part of this night; not only does this attraction show the wonders of our city, but it also proves how important community is to the residents of Mission Viejo. Attending next year would be the perfect opportunity to have some summer fun, connect with the community, and celebrate the wonders that our city has to offer. 

A warm thanks to the Mission Viejo Activities Committee for dedicating every year to planning this event. If you want to learn more about this event and the Committee, visit their website for more information.

The Eras Tour – Taylor Swift (Movie/Concert Review)

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This year I went to see Taylor Swift on tour and in the movie theater and it was such an amazing experience and a core memory. Here is the comparison and overall pros and cons of both!

Concert: I was looking forward to her concert for almost a year and when it reached the day, I was so excited. I got all dressed up and listened to her music in the car on the way there. The concert was a little over 3 hours long, I had floor seats which were amazing and the stage effects and dancers, backup singers, and band were great and on point! Opening acts were Gracie Abrams, who I love, and HAIM. Taylor sang a couple songs from each album in order of, Lover (6 songs), Fearless (3 songs), Evermore (5 songs), Reputation (4 songs), Speak Now (1 song), Red (4 songs), Folklore (7 songs), 1989 (5 songs), 2 Surprise Songs, and Midnights (7 songs). My favorite album is Lover but the most fun and cool one to watch at the concert, I think, was Reputation. Overall it was great and worth it and I am so grateful I got to see her live and sing along to all the songs!

Movie: The movie shows a different perspective on her concert. More close up and vivid, with showing the details of the outfits, stage effects, the crowd, and the band. It was filmed from a few of her show nights in LA. It was so fun to sing along again and relive the memories with my friends and family who couldn’t make it to the actual concert. If you bought a drink or popcorn it comes with a plastic bucket and cup of the eras tour print on it, which I got. Most people that I knew got confused about the movie, it is not as much as a biography documentary but highlighting the tour, no behind the scenes, or her life just simply the music. She had to remove 2-3 songs from the movie, to avoid it being too long. It was a little pricey and a long movie, almost 3 hours, but overall if you like Taylor Swift and know her songs I would definitely recommend, especially now that it is out on TV networks with all the additional songs included.

I would say I very much prefer the concert over the movie, it was an experience like no other, being able to see her in person and sing along with her in a place where everyone loves her, was the best! I am a big fan of Taylor Swift and very impressed with her and her music!

Christmas Caroling at the Potocki Center for the Arts!

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As the holiday season comes to a close, I would love to reflect on the Christmas Caroling event at the Potocki Center of the Arts that was held on December 9. Although this happened about a month ago, I think that a summary of the event would be nice for someone who maybe could not make it.

I am President of the Mission Viejo Committee of Character, so my committee had a table at this event, and a couple of the board members and I were handing out informational pamphlets about what we do. The first thing I noticed when I walked into the patio of the Potocki Center was the sweet smell of hot chocolate and the lively energy of the people attending. Every seat in the patio was filled and some people were even standing. It made me realize how joyful it is when our community gets together. Then, the carolers came out onto the patio dressed in warm, beautiful holiday clothing. They started singing at the very front and provided such an experience for everyone there. They performed a few carols, and then they moved on to a different spot on the patio. It truly was so amazing and I could tell that everyone was in awe.

Not only that, but the ambiance and overall feeling of the event was wonderful. Since it started at 5 pm, it was already dark outside. The warm heaters outside in the cold made all the difference. There were also some pretty lights hanging around the patio which really gave a perfect finishing touch to the event. As mentioned, there was also hot chocolate available, which all the kids loved. I adored seeing all the kids running around and seeing families laugh with each other.

All in all, this was an amazing event. It allowed for the community to continue feeling the warm and fuzzy emotions of the holidays, despite any stress or loss that some people tend to go through during this time. I am looking forward to visiting more events from the city!

Thanks for reading!

– Valentina N.