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

Taylor Eubanks, a student at Lawrence High School, presents her plans for Fresh Globe Air Fresheners, which would be an organic operation. Eubanks was among 21 LHS students to make a presentation Wednesday, March 30, 2011, at Kansas University's School of Business, as part of a collaborative program.

A Lawrence High School junior is one of two business-minded students to advance to the state business plan competition for Youth Entrepreneurs of Kansas.

Taylor Eubanks, the visionary behind Fresh Globe Air Freshener, will put her business plan up against fellow regional qualifier Dallas Hathaway of Topeka West High School, whose company is Dallas’ Accessible Taxi Service.

The state competition is today in Wichita.

Eubanks was among five Lawrence High students who had advanced to the regional competition, after having worked with Kansas University business students to help refine their plans.

Eubanks will receive anywhere from $500 to $1,000 — described as venture capital for her business — for making the state competition, where she will have a chance to win the top prize of $2,500.

Eubanks’ plan for Fresh Globe is to produce organic air fresheners. Her instructor for the program at Lawrence High is Jason Crawford, who works on the collaborative program with Jana Fitchett from KU’s School of Business.

The statewide program was founded in 1991 by the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, to help teach free-market fundamentals to high school students through hands-on experiences.

For more information about the program, visit www.yeks.org.

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Music class will turn into music performance Thursday at Pinckney School, as students, parents and teachers gather in a circle to drum and sing for their WorldBeat program — and the public’s invited.

WorldBeat is set for 6:30 p.m. today at Pinckney, 810 W. Sixth St.

The program will feature fifth- and sixth-graders drumming and singing along with adults to music from around the world, including England, Ghana, Haiti, Ireland and the United States.

Among the selections: a Navajo dance song from North America, and what music teacher Julie Alley describes as “traditional African-drumming to a song inspired by Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You.’ “

“Drumming is a great connection between the generations,” Alley said.

The program is set for 6:30 p.m., and for that performance the entire community is invited to attend and enjoy.

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More excitement for Pinckney: The Panthers finished atop the standings in this past season’s Schools for Success Elementary School Attendance Challenge.

The challenge pitted the Lawrence school district’s 15 elementaries against one another in a friendly competition, to see which school could post the highest percentage attendance at home games for women’s basketball games at Kansas University.

Before the season, Kansas Athletics Inc. sent admission cards to all K-6 students in the Lawrence school district, allowing them to attend as many games as they liked, free of charge. The card also provided discounts on family tickets and milk at Allen Fieldhouse.

By finishing first, with an average of 4.04 percent of its students attending each home game, Pinckney receives $5,000.

Schwegler School receives $3,000 for finishing in second place, with an average attendance of 3.72 percent.

Hillcrest School finished third, with 3.28 percent, and receives $2,000. Hillcrest had won last season, the competition’s first.

As the winner for this season, Pinckney will welcome members of the women’s team, Coach Bonnie Henrickson and KU mascots for an all-school celebration at 1:30 p.m. Friday.

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