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Sage Hill School in Newport Beach Impacts the Community One Hand at a Time
Sage Prosthetics students ( From left ) Arman Sajjadian , Anyssa Dang , Carson McNeill and Sarah Pacheco collaborate on designing a shoulder-powered prosthetic limb , which would be the first of its kind built by Sage Prosthetics . / Photo courtesy of Sage Hill School
By Megan Forrester | Special to the NB Indy
Two years ago , junior high school student Serena Chao saw a young girl receive a prosthetic hand for the very first time . When she saw the little girl beaming from ear-to-ear in excitement , Chao knew she wanted to be a part of whatever was helping this child ’ s dreams come true .
Chao found out the prosthetics were made possible through an elective at her school , Sage Hill School in Newport Beach . The class , titled 3D Design , Modeling and Fabrication , allows students to print and design custom prosthetic hands for real-life recipients from all across the world .
When Chao was finally eligible to take the class her junior year , she was ecstatic to help brighten the lives of others in her community and elsewhere .
“ I think ( my favorite part is ) just knowing that it ’ s making these little kids happy is so rewarding ,” Chao said .
The Sage Prosthetics Service Learning Project , which partners with the non-profit e-NABLE to create assistive devices , began at the school in 2016 . Science teacher for the course and Assistant Director for Service Learning and Outreach Tanya Lerch wanted students to not only create prosthetics through 3D printing , but to understand software and design their own projects – which is why she transformed the project into a year-long class .
The hard work is paying off , with four seniors in the class receiving the Youth Leadership for Service-Learning Excellence Award through the National Youth Leadership Council in January that gave a $ 1,000 grant to support the program .
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FEBRUARY 17 , 2023 | VOLUME XV , ISSUE 4
OP / ED : NEWPORT BEACH BUDGET HAS HEALTHY OUTLOOK
By Mayor Pro Tem Will O ’ Neill
As our national economy roils and our state projects a $ 22.5 billion deficit , the Newport Beach budget continues to strengthen our civic foundations with a healthy outlook .
Our budget ’ s core strength is based first and foremost on our property tax valuation . When I first joined the Newport Beach Finance Committee in 2015 , the city council ’ s adopted budget anticipated $ 87.8 million in property tax revenue . Seven years later , our city council adopted a budget anticipating $ 131.4 million in property tax revenue .
Not one dime of that increase is due to a tax increase . Not once in my time on the City ’ s Finance Committee ( member since 2015 , Chair since 2019 ) have we increased the tax rate on your property tax bill .
Instead , that increase has been due to Newport Beach real estate growing in value thanks in part to solid and sustained local investment in public safety and core
Newport Beach City Manager Update : Police Memorial , Spring Classes
Grace Leung , Newport Beach City Manager
By Grace Leung , Newport Beach City Manager
On February 19 , 2022 , Huntington Beach Police Officer and Pilot Nick Vella was killed in a police helicopter crash during a call for service in the City of Newport Beach . In coordination with the City of Huntington Beach , a memorial plaque honoring Officer Vella has been installed at the Marina Park sea wall .
Residents are invited to join us on the oneyear anniversary of Officer Vella ’ s passing , Sunday , February 19 , at 10 a . m . for a ceremony and the unveiling of the memorial plaque . Members of the Huntington Beach and Newport Beach police departments will be in attendance , as well as other agencies and guests .
Public parking will be available at Marina Park , 1600 W . Balboa Blvd .
CITY COUNCIL PLANNING SESSION The City Council hosted a productive planning session on Saturday , Jan . 28 , as Council members provided input and facilitated discussion on a number of topics . The key areas of discussion were :
• Financial status and budget development . Thanks to conservative budgeting practices , the City ended the 2021-22 fiscal year with a
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BUDGET Page 10 the
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THIS WEEK ’ S QUESTION :
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� Yes
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