Big Bear Valley Education Trust

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Big Bear Valley Education Trust

Big Bear Valley Education Trust's Mission is to create educational opportunities using the unique BBV

06/24/2026

🍎 Wow! We can't believe school is already out for summer. While students are enjoying the break, we're talking a look back are On Wednesday, April 29, 2026 when Bear Valley Education Trust (EdTrust) sponsored the last Real World Presentation of the school year in David Courtney's Honors Government/Econ class at Big Bear High School Bear Valley Unified School District. The speaker was Dr. John Delandtsheer, local veterinarian.

Dr. Delandtsheer spoke about his background and path towards becoming a veterinarian and recently opening his own veterinary practice/clinic. After graduating from Big Bear High School, he made the leap to attending Penn State, a very large university. The transition from small town/small school to a very large city/large university was challenging. He almost quit and returned to Big Bear, but he persevered and received an undergraduate degree.

After spending summers and high school years working at the Big Bear VCA, he always knew he wanted to become a veterinarian. He applied to several post graduate vet programs but didn’t get into any of them. Determined to get into a program, he took advice from an admissions officer at UC Davis, retook some classes, and studied to raise his score on the admission test. He then applied to 4 more veterinarian programs, got accepted into all of them, and decided to attend UC Davis.

Dr. Delandtsheer eventually returned to Big Bear, worked for many years at VCA, and
was finally able to open his own veterinary clinic/practice a few years ago. In spite of
many roadblocks to his clinic opening, it is what he has always wanted to do, and it has been a successful endeavor.

The students in the class were engaged in the presentation and asked some good questions. Dr. Delandtsheer’s main take away for the students was perseverance. His
education and career path was not necessarily an easy one, but he demonstrated that
it is important to keep moving forward toward fulfilling your passion and goals.

The Ed Trust thanks Dr. Delandtsheer for his time and support to our students.

06/19/2026

🍷 The Big Bear Lake Village Wine Walk is happening tomorrow June 20th! We look forward to seeing you there. Tickets and event details can be found here: https://www.bigbear.com/events/big-bear-lake-village-wine-walk/?fbclid=IwY2xjawSiaZhleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEemdBbPlDThaKtdFQNwDErrpz4UY1xsGJSKXO3lzXjXI6oEz9CvZb4pTqzZD0_aem_WxNVGZWtvzLg_6D1bPyefA

06/16/2026

What a wonderful way to finish the school year - exploring nature! This past spring, Tim Krantz, the Pebble Plains Committee facilitator, lead a group of Committee members and guests on a hike to view the Pebble Plains Spring Flowers.

The hike started at Baldwin Lane Elementary School as part of the Maple Hills Nature Trails. Tim explained that there is an archipelago of Pebble Plains throughout the Big Bear Valley and he suggests they be managed together to protect them for future enjoyment and educational opportunities for our students and students throughout the world. At the end of the bluff there was a beautiful view of the Baldwin Lake area.

The next hike was to the Dixie Lee Pebble Plain, which is much larger than the previous hike and had a number of these rare and protected, very small plants and flowers, you really have to get down and use a magnifying glass to see the details. Visiting these unique areas is very special and enjoyable during the Spring and early summer. The Pebble Plains Committee is a sub-committee of the BBV Education Trust and our students visit the Pebble Plains through support of the Ed Trust. Every 6th grader also visited in May, 2026!

Thank you, Tim Krantz for helping lead this special hike for the committee members, guests and students at Bear Valley Unified School District.

06/12/2026

🎓☀️ Congratulations to the Big Bear High School Class of 2026! We are so proud of all you’ve accomplished and can’t wait to see where your next adventures take you. Dream big, work hard, and enjoy every moment ahead! 💚

To all of our Bear Valley Unified School District students, families, and community - we wish you a happy, safe, and fun-filled summer! 🌲✨ Step outside, explore the beauty around us, and take time to enjoy the incredible nature that makes Big Bear so special.

Happy Summer from Big Bear Valley Education Trust! ☀️

05/09/2026

The Big Bear Valley Education Trust sends out love and condolences to the Senft family. Sandy was an active volunteer for this organization since its inception in 2005. She set up the books, did our taxes, filled out paperwork and was an important advisor for 20 plus years. Sandy was one of the first recipients of the Golden Apple Award for volunteering and she deserved it, stepping up whenever she was needed. Our condolences go out to everyone who will miss her contagious laughter.

Sent with love,
Founder, Liz Harris
Board members, Chris Pennington, Dena Arbaugh, Margo Penardi, Lorraine Taylor, Lindy Edmond and Linda Bulman

04/19/2026

🍎 Leslie Porst from High Trails Outdoor Science School joined us to speak to the Senior Government Class on April 8. An interesting fact is that many of the students had been to the camp in 5th grade.

High Trails' Mission is to provide an outdoor experience for students and for that experience to be out of the classroom.

High Trails is a for-profit camp. They have been in business for 26 years. Leslie shared how nonprofit and for-profit camps work, along with the positive and negative aspects of each one. Most non-profit camps hold sessions in the summer. HT is the opposite, holding their camps during the school year, so they are able to rent camp facilities and do not have to own property.

After Leslie explained the information about High Trails, the students were most interested in what is involved in regard to a possible position as a camp counselor or staff member.

Here are a couple takeaways:
They look for college students who have held onto jobs for more than a couple of months, sharing with the students what your previous job length says about your level of commitment.

She pointed out that a job will have its ups and downs and may not be fun all the time, but sometimes it's about hanging in there and learning to deal with all aspects of the job.

Their employees are 21 years or older and get experience in childcare, teaching outdoor experiences, and science. Employees receive not only their pay but also housing and meals.

We so appreciate Leslie coming to share interesting information and stories about an area of employment the students knew very little about. Thank you!

04/15/2026

🍷 Wine Walk is June 20, 2026! We’re still looking for a few more volunteers - can you help? Volunteering at the Wine Walk supports The Education Trust, which provides amazing programs for local students:

🌍 High Schoolers take part in the Real World Program with local leaders who inspire college and technical career paths and even offer info on paid internships

🧠 Elementary students are encouraged to Think Like a Scientist and explore the world around them through creative outdoor expeditions

📩 Contact Chris Pennington to sign up or visit our website: https://bearvalleyedtrust.org/connect/

Your time can truly make a difference in our community!

A thank you to Visit Big Bear for helping put on such a fun event for the community.

04/08/2026

🍎 Matt and Claudia Scrivens were the Real World Guest Speakers on April 1 for David Cortney's Senior Class. (Bear Valley Unified School District) They presented a very different look at being in retail and shared a lot of ideas with the students.

Claudia and Matt met in Mazatlán when Matt decided to work in the travel industry and got a job at the hotel where Claudia was working. They worked there for a while and then moved to the United States, living in several areas while working with "Spring Break Travel Company." They then decided they wanted to move to a resort community, and here they are in Big Bear.

They currently own 7 stores in the Village:
Shirt Shanty in The Village of Big Bear Lake
Bear Essentials
Brown Bear Gift Shop
Beary Bliss
Oliver's Emporium
Mountain Gifts
Big on Bears
Shirt Shanty #2

Some of the interesting takeaways they shared with the students:

They feel it is important to make the people who come into their stores feel welcome and for their employees to be alert to new people entering the store and make sure all their questions are answered, especially local questions like restaurants, etc.

One very interesting point they shared was that they really feel they are not retail, but more involved with visitors.

They also shared great points about owning stores, what's important, and what needs to be done to get to your goal. The students had many questions for them.

An important takeaway: no matter what jobs you have as you follow your path, it is important that you show up on time and be reliable. That is how their employees move up in position and pay.

It was great seeing the students so involved. This program is all about making sure the seniors get new ideas they may not have thought about.

03/27/2026

🌸 Hello, Spring! A season of growth, fresh starts, and new discoveries is here! 🌿

Big Bear Valley Education Trust is proud to support hands-on learning that helps our students grow both in and out of the classroom.

Here’s to sunshine, curiosity, and new beginnings! ☀️

Address

Big Bear Lake, CA

Website

https://www.bearvalleyedtrust.org/

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