Holiday Party at Hope

On December 20th, we had a holiday party at Hope U. We had dancing, a special lunch and a visit from Santa Claus! Here is Margaret K. helping out in the kitchen with lunch. Shadow F. also wanted to do kitchen duty and Carol R. is just very happy that we are having a party.

Christmas Cards and Holiday Show!

Here is a sample of the artwork available on the Hope University line of Christmas and Holiday cards available for purchase now. They are packaged in sets of of 3 for $5.00 or by the each $2.00. The cards are printed on white high quality card stock, you can let us choose the design for you or you can choose your favorite Hope U artists' work. The Santa was drawn my Sharon M. the Christmas Tree was painted by Christina C. and the Angel was painted by Jim L. They are beautiful, unique and show you care this holiday season. Hope University calendars are also available and make great gifts! Follow the Hope U students through a year of fun and inspiration with this delightfully designed calendar. What a deal at $10.00 each! Visit us at www.hopeu.com and send us an email, or leave a comment on this blog with your email address (we will not publish it).
Our annual Holiday show is December 5th at the Sisters of St. Joseph Auditorium in Santa Ana. This show is not to be missed!

Hope U Talent Showcased

In September Hope University had a fall Talent Showcase. There were singers and dancers, guitar and violin players, we had a fashion show, a drama skit and so much more. Here we can see Mikki, Lori, Cindy and Cathy performing a drama piece. Our drama teacher Shelley RuggThorp has been helping the students with improvisation and projection.
Next is a sampling of items from our Hope U boutique. You can see cards with original student
artwork, colorful hand sewn pincushions both made in teacher Michele Vavonese's art classes and hand knitted items from teacher Sandra D. Carter's knitting classes all for sale. Also in the Talent Showcase we had a fashion show to showcase some of the hand made items available in our boutique. You can see Cindy wearing a hat that she knitted herself and a scarf knitted by another student. Karen is wearing a matching T-shirt and tote decorated with our students original hand carved linoleum block prints. The show as a great success!

Student Artwork Chosen

Here is Hope University student Jim Lin next to his linoleum block print entitled 'Lanterns of the Moon'. Jim's piece was chosen for the CORE 3: Defining Ourselves exhibit at the 2nd City Council Gallery and Performance Space in Long Beach, California. Jim created this work in one of Hope University's studio art classes taught by Shelley RuggThorp.

Something Fishey for Hope University

Frank L. and Michael M. wave to us from inside the walk-through fish tank at the Cabrillo Beach Aquarium. We went there on a field trip Tuesday, August 14th. There was so much to see we all wished that we had more time to visit the fish. There were picnic tables at the beach so we had our lunch right by the water. It was so beautiful there. Cindy H. was sea-ing stars! She could not believe how colorful they are. A whale skeleton impressed Isela E. The Cabrillo Museum is located at Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro California. We had fun there and hope to go back.

Getting to the Getty

We had a wonderful time visiting the Getty museum in Los Angeles on July 26th. A big tour bus picked us up and drove us to the museum. From the parking lot we rode on a tram up the hill to the museum. There were trees and you could see the city down the hill. Here is Karen L. at the Getty with the view behind her. The students favorite thing at the Getty was the giant 'Uberorgan' by Tim Hawkinson that hangs in the main hall. It makes music/noise at the hour. It sounds like a sqeaky organ or even a bagpipe!
Marvin C., Maria D., and Cindy H. are all listening to the Uberorgan. Jim L. is happy to
have his photo taken below it.
It is a very nice place with many things to see. We wished that we had more time to spend there looking at all of the art.

Cowabunga! At The Orange County Fair

Tuesday, July 17th was 'Friends of the Fair' day. We had such a great time. Here are some Hope U students at the Orange County Fair, Chris F., Lori S., Maria D. and Ben S.
We saw animals in pens and vegetables growing, we saw performers and clowns. Our very own musical performing group, 'The Hi-Hopes' played for the crowds

Hope U Bowls Them Over!

Several Hope Univeristy students went to Sacramento to compete in the California National Bowling Championships. Margaret K. and Richard G. 's team came home with 1st place trophies!
Margaret and Richard brought them in to school to share their accomplishments with the students and staff. We are all very proud of all the bowlers who went to Sacramento to compete. Margaret and Richard sure look happy with their 1st place trophies!

Art And Fun At The Mall

The Very Special Arts Gallery Show in the Santa Ana Main Place Mall. Hope University has several students showing their work. We also had two pieces chosen for the traveling show. Here we can see student Chih T.'s piece titled 'Flowers'. Jenny D. and Rosie S. both posed in front of the Hope University display. Ben S. is very happy to be in the food court for lunch time. All of the students were able to take a field trip to the mall to see their own and their fellow students work in display.

Hope U Performs at Main Place Mall!

On Saturday, April 21st a selection of Hope University students performed for Very Special Arts at the Santa Ana Main Place Mall. Our beautiful bell choir played, several of our students sang and the Hope U dance department performed a wonderful dance to the music, 'Claire de Lune' which was played on the piano by Hope U student Howard Miller. Here are some photos of the students dancing. Christie Cook, Jason Rosales, Isela Elias-Calles and Marvin Castillo among others were stars for the day. We are very proud of all the performers on Saturday. It is amazing what these developmentally disabled adults can do!

Knitting at Hope

Here are two students, Tanette T. and Lori S. Both of them are knitting! They are both in the knitting classes at Hope University. Tanette has made a hat and a scarf. Lori has made several baby hats, washcloths and baby blankets. She has even knitted a baby sweater. "I just love to knit!" Says Lori S.

Fun At The Garden

Last July the students of Hope University went on a field trip to the Long Beach Community Gardens where two of the teachers have garden plots. We had the chance to plant some tomatoes and harvest fresh vegetables. Student Maria D. looks very happy in her sun hat at the garden. After that we went to the Nature Center for a walk. Student Christie C. is smiling because she saw some turtles in the water. It was a fun day.

Hope University 'Rings'

These are our beautiful bells. We are very proud of them. The Hope University bell choir loves to perform and is looking forward to the Very Special Arts performance on April 21st. Some of the songs we ring are 'America the Beautiful', Chopin's 'Improptu' and 'Moon River'. There are 20 students in our hand bell choir.

Welcome to Hope University

Welcome to Hope University, a place where we like to do art, play music, spend time with our friends and learn. This is a picture of a large sculpture done by the student Darren Petersen. It is a robot which he will be able to wear so it can become interactive.
We hope you visit our blog often.