Groups striving to ensure benefits amid declining enrollment, lack of public funds
By Barbara Burke
Special to The Malibu Times
As the school year begins amidst Malibu’s declining enrollment, parent-led organizations are stepping up to ensure students benefit from athletic and creative arts opportunities that are not publicly funded, and they also support teachers by providing classroom aides, supplies, and staff training opportunities.
“Enrollment has declined,” Melissa Shanahan, president of the Athletic Booster Club said. “My daughter graduated last year with 98 kids in the class and a bunch of those were homeschooled, whereas eight or nine years ago, there were many more students.”
Shanahan’s observations are supported by California Department of Education enrollment data, which shows the number of Malibu public students has significantly declined, especially for Malibu High School, whose enrollment of 437 students in the 2021-22 school year — the last year data is available — was slightly less than half of that recorded in the 2017-2018 school year, when 974 students were enrolled.
Beginning in the 2020-21 school year, when the department began to separately compile enrollment data for Malibu Middle School, there were 314 students. In the 2021-22 school year, there were 286 students.
Enrollment also declined significantly in the two public elementary schools. Webster Elementary had 208 students in the 2017-18 school year, which increased to 291 in the 2019-20 school year, only to decline again in the 2021-22 school year, when there were only 221 students.
Malibu Elementary also experienced an enrollment decline from 287 students in the 2017-18 school year, to 217 students for the 2021-22 school year.
It’s simple math: Higher enrollment provides schools more funding for programs such as athletics, the creative arts, classroom supplies, faculty and staff support, and continuing education.
Lucky for Malibu’s public school students, parent-led organizations back their play when it comes to athletics, fund visual, musical and theatrical arts, and provide teachers and administration with support.
Student extracurricular opportunities abound, thanks to parent-led organizations
The Shark Fund, formed in 2003, pays for Parent Teacher Student Associations, which provide teacher supplies, programming for technology, gardening, mindfulness, field trips, community events, flo-water stations so the schools don’t overuse plastics, and hospitality. TSF also supports the Athletic Booster Club, which provides athletic uniforms, equipment, conditioning and off-season coaches, assistant coaches, tournament expenses, banners, trophies, spirit wear and this year, to help renovate the weight room.
Arts Angels is another recipient of TSF funding and ensures that students benefit from having instruments, strings, sheet music, choir costumes, teacher and art project supplies, dance team uniforms and a musical accompanist. Finally, the TSF provides the four school’s administrations with after-school tutors and a community service learning coordinator for the high school.
Each of those recipient organizations have traditionally fundraised. However, according to Shark Fund President Karin Al Hardin, this year there is a concerted effort to centralize most fundraising within the Shark Fund so as to free up parent volunteers in the recipient groups to better serve students.
“The district schools in Santa Monica are able to offer more extracurricular opportunities due to economies of scale,” Al Hardin said. “Whereas it costs Malibu schools a lot more to offer less.”
This year’s fundraising goal is $437, 200, an amount needed to support the students and faculty. Donations are tax-deductible.
“We need to have the involvement of community businesses to fully support the students,” Al Hardin said. “We’d like to emphasize to your readers that we need financial support, of course, but also that everyone in the community is welcome to many of our events — and they’re fun! We hope to see Malibuites at our Homecoming on Sept. 20 and at sports and arts events throughout the year.”
Al Hardin and her team are striving to achieve 100 percent family participation in TSF’s direct drive. They suggest a donation of $2,500 per student, although any amount is appreciated.
The Malibu Times chatted with each of the parent-led organizations’ leadership about what is planned this school year.
Arts Angels
“I would love to see all the visual arts and performing arts students and teachers come together this year in a performance/student art auction fundraiser showing off the amazing talent our exceptional students have,” said Arts Angels President Jo Drummond. “Having every student participate in the beautiful mural designed by our incredible art teacher, Tom Hacker, will bring artistic expression from the entire student community.”
Sharing the draft image of the mural submitted to the school district, Drummond explained the mural will depict a nature scene with Point Dume and the ocean and will showcase surfers and ocean and bird life. Memorials of some students recently lost will also be included.
“We have a central spot picked out for the project on campus that will last through all the future construction and the mural will be a forever monument for the middle and high school,” she said.
Hacker, who is very excited to see students shine, has allocated about approximately one square foot of space on the building exterior for each student to create a special work. They will, he predicts, make a mural that is gorgeous, expressive and memorable.
Arts Angel Vice President Jolynn Regan invites the community to the Cabaret concert on Oct. 13, featuring the band, orchestra, and Dr. Kryrsta Sorenson’s choir students from all grades.
“The Cabaret will be in the new high school theater which is gorgeous,” Regan said. “We are excited that interested students can take a choir class through Santa Monica College after school and they earn one college credit, an experience that allows our students to participate with more experienced singers.”
Additionally, Regan noted, Arts Angels supports three theatrical plays every year, such as the wildly popular “SpongeBob” this past spring. The visual arts are also widely supported.
Parent Teacher Student Associations contribute greatly
“Our PTSA is parent-led, teacher-focused and student-centered,” said Kevin Keegan, PTSA president for Malibu Middle School and MHS.
“This year, we will boost the ‘S’ in PTSA and involve the kids more,” Keegan said, noting that mindfulness is one area of PTSA’s focus.
“Working with faculty and staff, we want to run an awareness campaign for the families, teachers and administrators with the intention of mindfulness being a component of the curriculum,” Keegan said. “We will collaborate with the Boys & Girls Club’s Kindness is Free program and we plan to have six mindfulness events, including meditation, yoga and sound baths.”
Longtime Malibu resident Michael Kory will help form a mindfulness/meditation sitting group. Interested students can join and be an integral part of designing some events.
Keegan is also going to work on educating parents about ever-changing technologies.
“Parents feel challenged with regard to how technology affects our students,” he said. “We will invite students to explore artificial intelligence, letting them do research about it with the help of a faculty member.”
Keegan wants to involve the students even more.
“I’m reaching out to the high school journalism class seeking student volunteers to help with weekly newsletters and I’ve met with the student leadership to find students who want to contribute to the mindfulness initiative,” he said. “When students are involved, parents’ participation increases.”
Also on Keegan’s agenda this year is possibly addressing safety and security, reading and mental health. He anticipates working with partner parent organizations to expand the middle school’s sports program and to bolster STEM offerings at MHS.
“A significant percentage of our budget goes to helping each faculty member with a few hundred dollars for resources they need for their classes,” Keegan added.
PTSA is also active in Malibu elementary schools. Sion Roy, Webster’s PTSA president, has big plans this year.
“The PTSA supports the art teacher, provides art supplies, computer-based learning, extra additional instructional aids for kids and many events throughout the year, including field trips and fifth grade’s Yosemite camping trip,” Roy said. “Our big focus is fundraising and we have a budget of several hundred thousand dollars that we need to raise. My goal as PTSA president is to increase community involvement through businesses because in many other PTSAs businesses are part of the fabric of schools.”
Involving businesses is more important than ever, Roy noted. “As we emerge from COVID and the Woolsey Fire, we have experienced declining enrollment and our goal is to return to normalcy.”
Although formal enrollment numbers for this year will not be counted until next month, Roy said, “However, we think we’re increasing enrollment and that it’s a little higher than last year, but the enrollments are still coming in.”
Look for PTSA fundraiser efforts at the elementary level throughout the year.
“We will raise money through party book events where parents and community members buy party books. We have 19 of those scheduled. That’s a way for the community to be involved,” Roy said. “Such events are not just for fundraising but also for parents to get together.”
Roy also noted that Webster Principal Tedd Wakeman has a real vision for Webster and part of it is to get kindergartners to put on an event in the cafeteria and put together food trucks. Dubbed “Deep Learning Expos,” such fundraisers are led by the students with parental and teacher oversight.
“Last year, the kids cooked the food themselves with parent and teacher assistance, and they advertised the event.” He explained. “This activity taught math and other skills. With Deep Learning Expos, every grade will be involved in a different event. We will have one in fall and one in spring.”
Athletic booster club backs student athletes’ plays
Go Sharks! The football team won its first game against Desert Christian on Sept. 1. Their success is attributable, in part, to efforts by The Shark Fund and the Athletic Booster Club.
Mike Halualani is in his first year as the football head coach. He has served as the head track and field coach since 2017.
The Shark Fund and Athletic Booster Club are very supportive, Halualani stated, noting that in addition to providing new uniforms and refurbished helmets, the parent organizations pay for team travel, football equipment, referee fees, and they are planning to makeover the high school weight room.
Halualani explained that MHS plays 8-man football, with team in Division 2 that is independent (not in a league) and competes with smaller schools in Southern California.
Parent Lara Godbille is most grateful that her two high schoolers’ sports teams are supported by parent organizations. Her son, Xavier, a sophomore, plays on the MHS football and soccer teams and her daughter, Giselle, a freshman, plays on the frosh-soph volleyball and water polo teams.
“As a student-athlete at MHS, I feel very lucky that the Shark Fund and the Athletic Booster Club provide the things we need to excel in our sports,” Gisele Godbille said. “Even though our school is on the smaller side, because of the parent and community support we still get the opportunity to have sports like they do at a bigger school.”
Gabrielle’s brother, Xavier Godbille, agrees wholeheartedly.
“Both the Shark Fund and Athletic Booster Club are important to me because they purchased our jerseys, shoulder pads, mouth guards, etc.” Xavier said. “Not only is new equipment important, it is also fun and safer for us.”
Melissa Shanahan, now in her third year as president of the Athletic Booster Club, notes that with donated funds, parents can operate the Snack Shack for all indoor games, including volleyball and basketball.
“Having the Snack Shack is a community thing that everyone enjoys,” she said. “We sell a lot of Sharkwear at sporting events and at community events such as the Chili Cook-Off this past weekend.”
The ABC also operates the popular Christmas tree lot each year in Malibu.
“Our tree lot is a community tradition and students who participate can earn their volunteer hours.” Shanahan noted.
Derek Saenz, who coaches the frosh/soph, junior varsity and varsity volleyball teams, notes the parent-led organizations make a big difference for student-athletes.
“The biggest contribution The Shark Fund and Athletic Booster Club provide is to help pay coaching staff,” Saenz said. “Although the district provides us some funding for that, the parent organizations help us provide some assistant coaches. Our women volleyball players benefit from such extra coaching. Indeed, we have Pepperdine volleyball players as coaches and we had Spencer Wickens coach for three years.”
Wickens, prominently known in volleyball circles, went on to coach at the University of Nebraska and he is now an assistant coach at Stanford, Saenz explained.
“Receiving coaching from such elite athletes makes our team members feel very connected to the wider volleyball community.” Saenz said, noting that such a connection helps the athletes who segue to collegiate sports.
Shanahan warmly invites community members to enjoy the fall lineup of sports, including cross country, girls golf, tennis, girls volleyball, boys water polo and football.
“We hear over and over from the kids that they play so much better when our stands are full,” Shanahan said. “It’s fun when families with young kids come to encourage the athletes and that also encourages their kids to become involved in athletics.”
Students experience their school years only once and the parent-led organizations strive to ensure they have well-rounded extracurricular and academic opportunities.
“We encourage everyone in the Malibu community to give to The Shark Fund and to participate in our schools’ events,” Al Hardin said. “I don’t think people realize how little we get from the district for all of our sports and arts programs. The district only pays for a tiny bit of the expenses.”
An education without the arts is not a complete education, Drummond and Regan noted.
“For our athletes to be competitive, we need conditioning coaches and cameras to film the kids so they can review their plays and learn how to improve.” Al Hardin added. “The Shark Fund helps provide them with an edge.”
Any little contribution helps, Al Hardin said, adding, of course, “Go Sharks!”
