Presenting the Fourth Annual TEDxLagunaBlancaSchool After facing the adversities of COVID-19, TEDxLagunaBlancaSchool is finally back for the fourth time. WORDS by JINLING WANG and ALEXANDRA SIEGEL PHOTOS by BRAD ELLIOTT
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n Feb. 2, the fourth annual TEDxLagunaBlancaSchool event took place on campus, allowing 18 speakers and performers to share their ideas at this day-long conference. Paul Chiment, Mathematics Department Chair and Instructor, got the idea to bring TEDx to Laguna during his time teaching the Entrepreneurship elective. Chiment saw the value in project-based classes, and wanted to find a way to expand these opportunities at the school. After doing some research and meeting with local TEDxSantaBarbara organizer, Mark Slyvester, Chiment brought the idea to Lagu-
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na teachers and administrators. The school attained a license to host a TEDx event for the winter of 2018, and, in turn, created the TEDx elective. Students are actively involved in every aspect of the event, from selecting and training speakers, designing and organizing all visual aspects, creating and managing budgets, and making the event accessible to a vast audience. “TEDx has three dimensions; it is a win-win-win. First, all the students who participate get real world experience,” Chiment said. “I really appreciate the fact that the program allows for students to gain those skills.”
“Second, dimension is more about the school; the program is a great way to promote Laguna to the broader community. This invites people onto our campus to see our school and see what we are capable of. The third part is for the community. We all come together to share ideas and build that sense of collaboration.” With the theme “Beneath the Surface,” this year’s event invited audience members to explore the depths of our contemporary world, whether that be the threat to our coral reefs, the future of surgical microscopes, or the hope of making positive change through community-building.
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