Local briefs

Class of 2003: Information on upcoming graduations available

Students in the Class of 2003 will continue receiving diplomas in commencements continuing this month across the area. Rain-out information and venue changes will be available on the Journal-World’s Web site, www.ljworld.com. The newspaper will run lists of all area high school graduates in the coming weeks.

Here is a list of area commencements:

High schools

  • Bishop Seabury Academy — 9 a.m. Friday at Plymouth Congregational Church.
  • Eudora High School — 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the high school gym.
  • Free State High School — 4 p.m. Sunday at Kansas Memorial Stadium.
  • Lawrence High School — 1 p.m. Sunday at Kansas Memorial Stadium.

Colleges

  • Kansas City Kansas Community College — 8 p.m. Wednesday in the college fieldhouse. Speaker: Janet Murguia, executive vice chancellor at Kansas University.
  • University of Missouri-Kansas City — Ceremonies at varying times Friday. Speakers include Edward D. Roberts, retired Missouri Supreme Court judge.

Schools: Students to unveil garden

The students of John Dewey Learning Academy, an alternative high school in Lecompton, invite the public to the dedication of the school’s children’s garden at 11 a.m. Thursday in Lecompton City Park.

Six students from the creative writing and reading class planned and planted the garden. Students worked with children in Lil’ Bees Daycare and A Place to Grow Preschool program throughout the year.

The academy has a themed curriculum focusing on the environment, and students helped teach and raise children’s curiosity about environmental awareness. The garden incorporates a variety of plants and structures that encourage children to explore. Students will continue to maintain the garden in the next academic year.

Community: Blood center gets bus

The Community Blood Center now has a self-contained mobile unit for future blood drives. The unit will see its first use at a blood drive from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday at the Topeka Capital-Journal, 616 S.E. Jefferson St., Topeka.

The vehicle, named the Blood Vessel, is a 40-foot-long bus paid for in part by the Missouri Aeries of the Fraternal Order of Eagles and Auxiliary.

Community Blood Center is a nonprofit supplier of blood to more than 70 hospitals in Missouri and Kansas, including Lawrence Memorial Hospital.