The Webb Schools Unbounded Days Catalog 2018

immerse collaborate engage 2018

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the purpose is clear Unbounded Days draws upon The Webb Schools’ enduring purpose of inspiring students to boldly reach for a greater sense of who they are and what they can achieve. Through immersive, collaborative, relevant, and deeply engaging journeys that connect the classroom and the broader world, students expand their understanding of what it means to think, create, and reflect. They learn that their possibilities and their minds are truly unbounded.

When Robert A. Hefner III ’53 made his generous gift to the schools, he made special provisions to enable us to learn directly from extraordinary individuals. In this spirit, Unbounded Days has been created.

Unbounded Days has grown not only from Mr. Hefner’s personal thirst for creativity and love of exploration, but also out of his deep admiration for one of his former Webb teachers, Dr. Ray Alf, who first showed him how to think beyond what he could see.

Unbounded Days is supported by the

Robert A. Hefner III ’53 Endowment for Excellence in Science

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course list

Unbounded Days will take place from Feb. 21 - Feb. 25, 2018.

All courses will meet Wednesday, February 21 through Friday, February 23. Find listed below under 4- or 5-Day Courses, those that will utilize Saturday, February 24 and Sunday, February 25 to create more extensive educational journeys.

Unless otherwise indicated in the course description, there is no additional fee.

3-Day Courses

4- or 5-Day Courses

The Amazing Race Animatronics & Storytelling The California Landscape & the Artist California Women’s Activism Then & Now Catalina Island: History, Science & Culture Cinematic Los Angeles Climate Change & Catastrophe Compose Yourself!

Ghost Hunting & Divinations Good for the Body & Soul Investing: Strategies for Success Keeping Music Alive in Your Life LA Multicultural Adventure Learn to Sail Notes from the Cultural Underground Science Fiction: Worlds Beyond Imagination SoCal Marine Scene: Snorkel, Surf & Science Survival Skills 1.0 Things You Should Know How to Do Virtual Reality

The Art of Video Games Bike Tour of the California Coast Canyoneering in Zion National Park Design Me in the Right Direction Not Muirely a Hike Optimizing Athletic Performance Public Art & Expression World War II: A Southern California Experience

the amazing race ANDY FARKE & ANDREW NEYER

Challenge yourself and your fellow Webbies on campus and across Los Angeles in this three day problem-solving course. You’ll explore the area while overcoming challenges to see what you are capable of!

The first day features an orienteering scavenger hunt to explore geology around Webb, campus-wide Capture the Flag, and an Iron Chef-style cooking competition. On day two, you and your teammates will be challenged to navigate Los Angeles using only public transit—while collecting clues in a race to the finish line! Our final day will culminate in two challenging escape rooms.

Can you work together as a team to solve your puzzles and beat the clock? If you enjoy problem solving, collaborative teamwork, and a little competition then this is the course for you! Course fee: $100

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animatronics & storytelling ELIZABETH CANTWELL & TIM COATES

This course guarantees a perfect blend of storytelling, technology, and art. Develop a short story that you will see through from beginning to end. You will have the opportunity to bring your story to life by building and programing animatronic characters, designing sets, and filming your creation. Take a day trip to visit the studio and design facilities of a legendary animatronic artist and meet some of the top animatronic artists in the world. The studio has installations at Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, and other famous amusement parks. Do not be concerned if you have never built a robot or created a film. This workshop requires absolutely no prior experience, just a willingness to tap into your creativity and bring your ideas to life through animatronics. If you enjoy movies and tinkering, this is sure to be a wonderful experience.

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the art of video games MARK DZULA & INGRID LEVENTHAL

Gameplay lives and dies on the strength of narrative, whether you’re a tomb-raiding scientist battling zombies, an alien searching for intelligent life in a distant galaxy, or a private sleuth chasing your archnemesis around the globe. Good storytelling inspires players and connects universes.

Celebrate LA as a hub for video gaming and digital art. Level up both your storytelling skills as well as your programming prowess. Participants will visit galleries like iam8bit and learn about developers like Blizzard Entertainment.

Along the way, participants will act as developers, storytellers, and designers to create their own games to be played and displayed at Webb. This course is for hackers, gamers, artists, and anyone interested in the potential of the digital media landscape. While coding skill is not a prerequisite to enjoy the course, anyone who comes with experience will be appropriately challenged and supported.

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bike tour of the California Coast BRIAN CALDWELL, JIM DAHLER & ANDRES ROBLERO

This five-day adventure involves biking along the beautiful, rugged, inspiring California Coast. Each day will include riding, with shorter rides on the first and last transportation days. Longer rides during the middle three days will vary between 20 to 50 miles per day depending on ability level and weather. As you ride, you will enjoy the coastal sights and historical landmarks available along the way. The bike tour will have frequent stops for sightseeing, photography, meals, and rest. In a series of day rides throughout the region, the trip will pass by sea lion and seal habitats, pine and redwood forests, ranches, coastal farming communities, amazingly beautiful beaches, Hearst Castle, the Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Missions, along with whale and big seabird migrations. Come explore the history and culture of the California Coast from a most unique vantage point: the seat of your bicycle.

While cycling experience is required for this course, owning your own bicycle is not! Course fee: $150

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the California landscape & the artist STEFANIE PLUMLEY & BRIAN ROGERS

From the desert to the beach to Downtown LA, we are bound for a three-day adventure that will explore how architects, artists, and actors create and express themselves using the backdrop of the California landscape. We will head to Palm Springs to participate in Modernism Week, a celebration of mid-century architecture, design and culture. We will make our way to Malibu and the Getty Villa, where we will tour the grounds and gardens and sample its vast holdings. And we will spend a day in Downtown Los Angeles visiting The Broad museum and the Walt Disney Concert Hall and taking in an evening performance of the award winning play Water by the Spoonful at the Mark Taper Forum. Throughout our journey, students will engage in exercises allowing them to flex their own creative muscles and reflect on the inspiration offered by the dramatic and multi-faceted landscape of Southern California! Course fee: $100 U N B O U N D E D

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California women’s activism then & now SUSANNA LINSLEY

Well-behaved women seldom make history, especially not in California. When hundreds of thousands of Southlanders converged in Downtown LA for the Women’s March last January, they reminded the world that California has a rich tradition of radical women who did in fact make history. Participating in SUNY Binghamton’s Biographical Database of Militant Woman Suffragists (1913-1920) Crowdsourcing Experiment, you will explore women’s activism in California. On this trip you will dig through archives, possibly including USC, UCLA, and The Huntington to learn about suffragists who put themselves on the line to bring women the right to vote. By the end of the trip you will produce an original piece of research—a biography of a California suffragist—that will be published in the online journal Women and Social Movements in the United States for all to see. You will also live out the legacy of these suffragists by taking part in advocacy work that will make a difference in the lives of women in the future.

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canyoneering in Zion National Park MELANIE BAUMAN & LISA BLOMBERG

Ready for adventure? On this exciting five-day trip, we’ll explore Zion National Park in Utah. Using a variety of techniques - rock scrambling, climbing, rappelling on rope, and even swimming (dry suits will keep us warm!) – we will traverse the selfie-worthy topography of Zion through slot canyoneering. Our first canyon is a hidden, technical, stream canyon cut through Navaho Sandstone rock. You’ll learn the skills you need from experts, who will guide us through rock formations and underground pools that were formed millions of years ago. The second canyon - The Narrows – is home to one of the world’s best slot canyon hikes, following the Virgin River. A short dry hike or two will round out our time in the canyon as we enjoy some of the most breathtaking views in the Southwest!

Spend four nights under the starry skies of Utah on this once in a Webb lifetime experience! Course fee: $150

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Catalina Island: history, science & culture

MICHELLE GERKEN, ANDREW HAMILTON & JOHN LAWRENCE

Twenty-two miles off the coast of California sits Catalina Island, a travel destination known for its rich history and beautiful natural environment. This trip will include an adventure across the ocean channel to Catalina looking for dolphins and whales, exploring the underwater world off the shoreline while snorkeling, investigating the amazing geology of the island, and discovering the history and culture of the island. All those who come along on this unbounded adventure will have to be prepared for camping, great hiking, great snorkeling, great science and great history… What a combo! Oh yes, and maybe we’ll see Catalina’s famous bison, too! You will need a good attitude for adventure and an interest in the history and science of a local icon of Southern California: Catalina Island, the crown jewel of the Channel Islands National Park. Course fee: $150 U N B O U N D E D

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cinematic Los Angeles ESTELA & JAVIER VALERA

LA is not only the center of US movie production, but also has literally been the backdrop for productions of all kinds.

What great LA spots have been used in the movies, TV series, or even commercials? Explore LA’s movie scenery with three fun-filled days of discovery, starting with Los Angeles Union Station and its subway stations (via MetroLink train ride). How many places will you recognize? How often will you be surprised that what was depicted as “New York” on-screen was really LA? Walk to several buildings that are secret gems to the industry and finish the adventure with a tour of Warner Brothers Studios and the live taping of a show! This course is sure to change the way you look at LA, both in person and on the big screen.

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climate change & catastrophe JESSICA FISHER & MALICK MBENGUE

Why have hurricanes become so devastating, how can urban centers cope, and how can our local and national governments best respond? We will visit with scholars who specialize in the fields of climatology, atmospheric sciences, and urban planning, to learn about the impact of climate change on hurricanes today and consider how this issue has become so politicized. We will do a hands-on experiment, designing a city to channel floodwaters, and we will visit a news station to learn how they report on an evolving natural disaster and the politics that swirl around it. We will end with a day of service at a local center providing relief to victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. This course will help you understand the science behind climate change and suggest actions you can take in your everyday life to be part of the solution.

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compose yourself!

CLAIRE ABISALIH & MICHAEL SZANYI

Let’s dive into the world of fashion and discover how we shape & are shaped by clothing, fashion, and style! Together we will explore fashion beyond just clothing. We will take a closer look at where fashion meets identity, culture, politics, and celebrity, and how it is connected to the other art we love, from music to movies. With LA outings in the Garment District, museum and fashion exhibits, and even some hands-on learning from those in the industry, you will get to create your own fashion mood board and compete in a team-based Project Runway-style challenge!

We will learn about fashion’s successes and challenges through films, magazines, photography, and social media, and we will discuss and analyze some of the contemporary challenges we all face when it comes to creating our look. This course will make you think creatively and critically about the ways clothing is all about exploring your own and others’ stylistic inspirations, selves, and stories!

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design me in the right direction KEVIN DOYLE & ALEX VALDEZ

From symbols on your phone, to signs on the freeway or the font on a poster, we are inadvertently inundated with information on the daily. This course will explore the world of visual communication and the design process behind it. Visual communication involves the use of visual aids that convey ideas and play an integral role in shaping our choices. We will have the opportunity to work with a graphic designer who will teach us the steps needed to send a piece to production.

We will propose projects related to visual communication on Webb’s campus, and we will take a tour of a manufacturing shop and participate in the hands-on steps of making and building the prototypes of our designs. We will incorporate the concepts of branding and marketing in our designs, and aim to make an impact on the Webb campus with our work!

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ghost hunting & divinations HILARY BARHYDT & SARAH LANTZ

Have you ever wondered if your home is haunted? Have you ever wanted to have your palm read, or learn about your aura?

Ghost hunting—regardless of whether you’re a believer or a skeptic—has its own unique methodology, requiring both sophisticated technology and otherworldly tools, along with analysis, deduction, calculation, and the ability to discern when something is merely a fluke, rather than a brush with the spirit world.

Come learn how to do it! Go on a ghost walk led by an expert. Explore the Queen Mary and learn its history of haunting. Come discover if crystals have healing power for you, and with gentle therapy, how they work on all levels of the body, mind and spirit. Discover how they can draw in and radiate healing energy. Read tarot cards, palms, and auras. Explore the spirit world.

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good for the body & soul

SONSOLES CARDALLIAGUET

Would you like to learn how to energize your mind and body?

Come develop some of the tools necessary to live a balanced and healthy life! From a trip to the other worldy Integratron structure in Joshua Tree to a paddleboard yoga class off Marina del Rey’s glorious beaches, this course will focus on the benefits of relaxing and yoga as part of a healthy lifestyle. We will learn about various forms of relaxing, including the benefits of essential oils and practice mindfulness techniques to incorporate into your daily life. Experience Bikram Yoga at a studio right here in Claremont and learn how to create a healthy plant-based meal. Learn something that will help you lead a healthier life!

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investing: strategies for success WILL ALLAN & THERESA SMITH

Have the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with the best -- executives and analysts at Goldman Sachs! Asset and investment management is an important field. Sound investing can help individuals and institutions prosper and meet their goals. This world-renowned firm manages The Webb Schools’ $32 million dollar endowment. You will learn about the investment strategy they use to help ensure Webb’s future and then apply what you have learned by creating and pitching investment strategies for real-world people and institutions. A visit to Goldman Sach’s Los Angeles office will give you an overview of the industry and the opportunity to meet banking and investment professionals who play different roles in the company’s operations.

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keeping music alive in your life CHRISTINA DURON & LINDA SILVA

Do you play an instrument? Do you love music and wonder how you will keep this love alive after you leave high school?

Join us for a three-day exploration of ways to celebrate your passion for music that will include a trip to the GRAMMY Museum, observation of a working rehearsal of a jazz ensemble at a nearby college, and a performance by the Los Angeles Philharmonic. You will also have the opportunity to share your excitement about music in a two-day instrumental music community service project, where we will create hands-on music experiences for students in grades kindergarten through 7. Webbies must have their own instrument, be able to read music, and be excited about working with children.

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LA multicultural adventure MICHAEL KOZDEN & HONG YAO

Pack your bags for a whirlwind cultural culinary journey through Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, and Korean Los Angeles. Travelers will experience all these cultures hands-on by exploring local neighborhoods. We’ll head out to local Chinese and Korean communities in the ‘626’ area code and visit temples, explore markets, eat delicious food, compete in a scavenger hunt, and go to a singing room. We’ll take the train to Downtown LA, explore and have lunch in Little Tokyo, and shop and snack in Olvera Street and Chinatown. You’ll learn Chinese calligraphy/painting with experts and practice the ancient martial arts of Tai Chi and Tae Kwon Do. You’ll also play traditional Asian games, including mahjong, Chinese chess, and Go. We’ll prepare traditional Korean dishes, watch a popular Korean drama, and even learn some fun Korean phrases. Come tour LA: the most diverse city in America!

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learn to sail

GEOFF OWERS & WILL WALKER

“Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” - The Wind in the Willows. You will not only learn the basics of how to sail, but also how important a part sailing has played in the history of California. Instruction, both on shore and in 14’ Capri sailboats, will take you from complete novice to skippering your own craft through the waters of Dana Point Harbor, and potentially the Pacific Ocean. On the second day, an afternoon cruise on the 82-foot schooner Curlew will give us all a feel for big boat sailing as well. As we sit around our fire for two nights of camping on Doheny State Beach, we will share experiences from our days on the water as well as readings from Richard Henry Dana’s Two Years Before the Mast, which will give you an insight into the days when sailing was the key that unlocked the coast of California. Course fee: $150 U N B O U N D E D

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not muirely a hike GREG GERKEN & HOWIE KALTER

Have you ever wondered how the National Parks system was created? Are you an outdoor adventurer? Have you ever wanted to experience one of America’s most beautiful parks? Can you imagine reading the works of one of the most cherished nature writers of all time while you are sitting in the same place he sat while he wrote it? Join this expedition, where we will travel to Yosemite National Park and enjoy its riches without the claustrophobic summer crowds. This will be an active trip - with fantastic adventures during the day, but relaxing evenings in a shared house where we can cook meals together and learn about John Muir and his involvement in the creation and protection of Yosemite. We will go on day hikes with snowshoes, cross-country ski throughout the park, hike on the famous John Muir Trail, and see famous sights of natural beauty such as Half Dome and El Capitan. This will certainly be an unforgettable experience that we are excited to share with you!

Course fee: $150

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notes from the cultural underground JESSIE ATTERHOLT & WENDY MAXON

Love all things oddball and offbeat? When you think outside the box, do you really think outside the box? In our travels to eccentric places in the Los Angeles area, students will explore a number of lesser known subcultures and journey to where the unconventional meets the sublime. From edgy museums to otherworldly kitsch, we will see how the bizarre poses alternatives to mainstream culture and builds community while smashing the notion of culture itself. We will travel downtown to the Last Bookstore and to one or more cutting edge art galleries. Afterward, we will drive up to San Luis Obispo to stay overnight at the landmark Madonna Inn. Next we will venture back into Los Angeles to see the award winning gift shop WACKO and its adjacent La Luz de Jesus Art Gallery, as well as the Barnsdall Art Park and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House. Get ready to delve deep into LA’s cultural underground.

Because your Unbounded Days should be as unique as you are!

Course fee: $100

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optimizing athletic performance KEN ROSENFELD & STEVE WISHEK

Ever wonder how it feels to train like the best, or what it takes to train the best athletes? Whether you are an athlete or have dreams of working with elite athletes in the future, this program is for you. For four days, we will explore the different factors that influence an athlete’s ability to train and perform. Conversing with industry experts, visiting state-of-the-art training facilities, watching elite athletes in action, and testing their own athletic abilities, participants will learn about the impact nutrition, psychology, training, and genetics have upon athletic performance.

Additionally, through a balance of “sweat” and “no-sweat” activities, students will implement what they learn as they craft their own training program that will optimize their own athletic performance through nutrition, focus, and long-term physical, mental, and emotional health. Our mantra is -- optimizing athletic performance starts with optimizing training. Join us to learn how.

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public art & expression DANIEL RIOS & LEAH ROGSTAD

Join us for a hands-on exploration of the history, importance, and impact of street art in the Los Angeles area. We will investigate how street murals, graffiti, and public art have played a significant role in facilitating political and social expression in Los Angeles during the past century. Traversing the Arts District, we will not only interact with important pieces of street art, but we will learn how to paint from professional graffiti artists. Through visits to other prominent public art pieces across Los Angeles, we will consider how public art can create space for dialogue about political and social issues in urban areas. Finally, equipped with paintbrushes, abundant art supplies, and inspiration from our trips, we will work to plan and execute our own collaborative piece for the Webb community.

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science fiction: worlds beyond imagination BEN FARRELL & TARA LEPORE

Science fiction - the world where the surreal comingles with our dreams of where science can actually go! In this course we will explore the intersection of science and storytelling through short stories, comic books, and films. We will journey to local scientific institutions for inspiration for our own stories, as well as visit a real Hollywood studio to see how stories on the page become feature films. We will connect with Los Angeles’ thriving science fiction writing community -- after all, this is the city that produced classic giants including Ray Bradbury, Philip K. Dick, Octavia Butler, and Webb’s own John Scalzi. Let your imaginations run wild as you bring your own fantasy stories to life in this artistic adventure into worlds of your own creation!

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SoCal marine scene: snorkel, surf & science

STEPHEN CADDY & KEVIN QUICK

There is only one Southern California. The year-round sun, endless beaches, and casual living make it the destination for millions every year. So grab your Boogie Board, flip-flops, snorkel, wetsuit, and sunglasses and make your way to the sand. To the water. To the sun. We will travel to iconic beach towns and snorkel areas to experience the vibrant marine life of Southern California in the mornings - maybe meet Mr. Ray (a California Skate) at Little Corona del Mar. Then jump in the water for some radical body boarding (do a 360) to really feel like a native. We will partake in some iconic local food and end the days with some classic movies about the beach lifestyle. Soak up the sun and fun. Course fee: $75

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survival skills 1.0 KATHERINE CROWLEY & RICK DUQUE

Fan of Naked and Afraid? Fan of Survivor? Ever think it would be awesome to build a shelter from natural resources? Wonder, could I filter water to make it drinkable? Could I start a fire using my shoelace and a piece of wood? If you answered yes to any of these questions then Survival Skills 1.0 is the adventure for you. In this course you will learn the following skills: shelter building, making fire, water purification, wilderness 1st aid, and learn to identify plants that are edible or useful for medical purposes. This class is for people who like the outdoors and want to be challenged mentally as well as physically. You must be okay with the phrase “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” Course fee: $150

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things you should know how to do HILARY DAHLSTROM & ANNE STEWART

There is a right way and a wrong way to do just about everything, and then there is usually a better way. Just because you’ve been brushing your teeth for years doesn’t mean you’ve been doing it right. The same goes for pitching a baseball and packing a suitcase. Most of us are clueless when it comes to the simplest task. Then there are those things you’ve always wished you could do, but have not yet had the opportunity to do: juggling, belly dancing, building a campfire, cooking and eating a lobster, or even riding a bike. We’d like to spend three solid days having a great time learning all sorts of skills. And we want your input on what you’ve always wanted to learn how to do or learn more about. Help us curate a list that will be fun, interesting, challenging and fulfilling!

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virtual reality JONATHAN CAPONE & TRACY MILLER

This course will explore the intersection of “real” and “virtual” worlds. Through a series of case studies in technology, tourism, film and art we will ask questions about what counts as “real” during an age when boundaries between lived and “virtual” experiences are constantly collapsing. We will create our own virtual worlds using Webb’s VR technology, explore Los Angeles locations such as the Original Farmer’s Market and the IMAX VR Center and, finally, visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios, where we will encounter a “virtual” version of an imaginary world we all know and love. Students will tinker and create, tour, imagine and interrogate the meaning of authenticity, reality and the place of the virtual in the modern age.

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World War II: a Southern California experience BRENDAN BEIKMANN & TOM JURCZAK

Dunkirk, Berlin, Tokyo, London, Moscow… all cities shaped

by World War II. But what about Los Angeles? Come explore how WWII transformed the world, starting in our own backyard. Although bombs never fell on Los Angeles, WWII shaped Tinseltown as much as it did any city. LA was a hub of war manufacturing and production for America’s “arsenal of democracy” and in the following decades the defense industry drove growth in the region. Today Southern California is the location of many WWII sites including the Manzanar War Relocation Center, the Los Angeles Holocaust Museum, the USS Iowa battleship, and the Chino Hills Planes of Fame Air Museum. Visit these places and talk to members of the “Greatest Generation” who fought in and lived through the experience more than 70 years ago. Together we will discover how the war continues to shape the contemporary narrative of this dynamic region.

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