A few education-oriented items from around the area and elsewhere:

Plans to buy new security cameras for Lawrence High School will be up for approval Monday night by the Lawrence school board.

Board members will consider spending $79,410 to buy 84 security cameras and necessary mounts and brackets, all to replace equipment that isn’t working properly and to cover additional areas — such as the sports complex — identified by Lawrence school district personnel.

“Currently, Lawrence High School has cameras that are failing and have a very grainy image making the security of this school a challenge,” said Chantel Nicolay, the district’s division director for technology and library services, in a memo to the board. “New cameras have better resolution and dark vision.”

Monday’s board meeting starts at 7 p.m. at district headquarters, 110 McDonald Drive.

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A bunch of young, local talent will be taking top the big stage in the coming weeks at Kansas University.

University Theatre and the School of Music at KU are staging “Hänsel and Gretel,” Engelbert Humperdink’s 19th century fairy tale opera, with what’s being billed as a modern twist: While the opera will be sung in German, the setting will be in the cornfields of Kansas instead of a forest in Germany.

Featured in the show will be a 14-member children’s chorus, led by Debra Hedden, associate professor of music.

Among youngsters in the children’s chorus:

• Gwentessa Alfie, from Broken Arrow School, daughter of Sebastian Alfie and Carmen Orth-Alfie.

• Diane Camarda, from Sunset Hill School, daughter of Karen and Kyle Camarda.

• Suzy Chun, Quail Run School, daughter of Peter and Soyoun Chun.

• Ashley Dykes, from Wakarusa Valley School, daughter of Richard and Dianna Dykes.

• Grace Eason, West Junior High School, daughter of Doug and Becky Eason.

• Evan A. Jung, from Broken Arrow, son of Sandi Parker.

• Jackson McCabe Maher, from Cordley School, son of Michael Maher and Dacia McCabe.

• Zuzu Melchor, from Cordley, daughter of Antonio Melchor and Megan Greene.

• Sylvan O. Mitchell, from Vinland, daughter of Cotter and Fadra Mitchell.

• Vera Petrovi, from Broken Arrow, daughter of Uros and Zina Petrovi.

• Christopher Smith, from Cordley, son of Claire Beier and Bryan Norwood Sr.

• Adelaide Wendel, from Cordley, daughter of Doug Wendel and Lisa Wolf-Wendel.

• Kassidie Womack, from Cordley, daughter of Mary Womack.

Performances are set for 7:30 p.m. April 29, May 3, May 5 and May 7, and at 2:30 p.m. May 1 and May 8, at Crafton-Preyer Theatre in Murphy Hall.

Reserved seat tickets for “Hänsel and Gretel” are on sale in the KU ticket offices: University Theatre, 864-3982, and Lied Center, 864-ARTS, and online at kutheatre.com. Tickets are $20 for the public, $10 for students and $19 for senior citizens and KU faculty and staff.

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Third-graders from six Lawrence elementary schools will be enjoying VIP access today at four of the Lawrence community’s top performing arts venues.

Students from Hillcrest, New York, Pinckney, Quail Run, Schwegler and Wakarusa schools are taking part in “Theatre Arts Day,” the third annual event presented by the Kansas Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The students will rotate through visits at the Lawrence Arts Center, Lawrence Community Theater, KU Theatre and the Lied Center of Kansas. Along the way, they will learn different aspects of theater arts, including make-up, costuming, movement, lighting, sound, puppetry, props and more.

Last year more than 150 third-graders from Kennedy, Sunflower and Woodlawn schools visited the Lied Center and KU Theatre to learn about the arts.

— The First Bell mailbox is always open. Please feel free to send me any feedback or ideas, at mfagan@ljworld.com.