EARTH SMART: Just a few weeks ago, Elizabeth Valencia met Jesse Jackson. Now, on the Antioch High student's list of high-profile people she's met, add former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

It all happened during the Governor's Global Climate Summit 2 in Los Angeles recently.

Twelve students from the California Climate Champions program were selected to attend the event, where they shared concerns about climate change with national leaders. Elizabeth was the only AHS student there, and the youngest participant among the crowd of more than 1,000, including some Cal attendees.

The 16-year-old is happy about her involvement. "I feel like teens do not get enough credit for what we do. Although we are young, we are very capable of making a difference."

Elizabeth was able to attend this prestigious event because of her status with the Climate California Champions, which "identifies youth from across the state who are leaders in communicating about climate change and engaging their communities in action." It is sponsored by the British Council and the California Air Resources Board.

In addition to Blair and Schwarzenegger, Elizabeth met Jane Goodall, Dr. Beth Stevens (senior vice president of environmental affairs at the Walt Disney Company), Dr. Rajendra Pachauri (chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) and Dr. Dessima M. Williams (ambassador of

The best part of the summit for Elizabeth was the opportunity to interview Blair. "He was amazing!" she says. "He was so attentive and fascinating."

Before the interview, Elizabeth heard Blair speak and was particularly taken. "He said something I will never forget. He said, 'I want my son to look back one day and say my dad stopped this.' I was in awe "... this is my new hero."

But, this brush with fame doesn't appear to be the last for the AHS student. She has hopes of attending an ivy-league university after she graduates in 2011, specializing in sports medicine and family practice, traveling Europe (putting her French, Spanish, Italian and English to use) and joining Doctors without Borders "where I can help people in need."

However, her message for now is that "children, teens and adults can and should stop global warming "... Earth is our home; take action now."

For more information about this program, visit www.climatechamps.org and www.britishcouncil.org/usa

PITCHING IN: Twenty bucks; that's it. Yes, $20 is what the Parents Club at Heritage High is asking each family to contribute to the school.

Sue Harper, president of the Parents Club at the Brentwood school, says "state budget cuts have been hard on our schools," and that her group wants "to bridge the gap." She says while the administration tries to stretch the dollars, the club is asking parents to pitch in, too.

This year, the Parents Club launched its annual contribution drive asking for $20 from each family. "If each of the approximately 1,500 families in the school makes this level of contribution, we would reach our goal of $30,000," Sue says. "Some parents have even generously donated more but we have a long way to go, so every $20 donation is critical to our success." The group has raised $3,800 so far.

The money helps the Parents Club with a long list of benefits for the school, including student scholarships, several campus beautification projects, Back to School Night BBQ, freshmen orientation, teacher appreciation, honor roll gift cards, grad night, the Every 15 Minutes for drunk-driver awareness program, college night for all district students, the school newspaper and various student activities. Sue notes that while these are not a part of the students' curriculum, "they are certainly beneficial to their overall performance, safety and well-being."

If interested, parents and community supporters can send their contributions to HHS Parents Club, 101 American Ave., Brentwood, CA 94513. The Parents Club is a 501C3 nonprofit organization. For more information, call 925-813-8115.

A BIG TREAT: Heritage is not only receiving but giving, too. The drama students are joining a nationwide effort to collect food for kids in need. Called "Trick or Treat So Kids Can Eat," the students will go door to door on Oct. 28 for food donations for the International Thespian Society's nationwide community service initiative. Thousands of students across the United States will work to collect 325,000 pounds of food. The Heritage bunch asks for the nonperishable donations to be left in a paper bag on your porch, with pickups from 5-7:30 p.m. All food will benefit the Shepherd's Gate Shelter in Brentwood. To set up a donation, e-mail risingstarsactivities@hotmail.com, call 925-518-9558 or leave it at the high school.

FALL FUN: Laurel Elementary is gearing up for its annual Pumpkin Patch and Haunted House event. The Oakley school hosts the popular event from 4-8 p.m. Oct. 23 at the school, 1141 Laurel Road. Included will be a haunted house, lots of games and prizes, a bake sale and carnival-type food for sale. Costumes are encouraged but not required. Proceeds from this always well-attended fundraiser benefit the kindergarten playground, which PTA publicity chair Carol Bentley says "is in a state of disrepair and must be replaced. The kids cannot even use it because the structure is so old and out of safety code." For more information, call 925-625-7090.

THE DRIVE'S ALIVE: Lone Tree Elementary continues its One Warm Coat drive through Oct. 30. The Antioch school hopes to collect 400 jackets and donate them to the Bay Area Rescue Mission in Richmond. So far, they've gathered more than 100 coats.

Third-grade teacher Brooke Anderson is coordinating the third-annual event, and says "I saw firsthand the good that the Mission does for families and children in Contra Costa." For Brooke, it all started with lost and discarded jackets at her school.

"So many kids don't reclaim (their jackets) that I decided to see if families were willing to donate to help these needy families during the winter."

She added that "caring" is one of the pillars of character at Lone Tree. Donations of gently used coats and jackets can be dropped off at the school's office, 1931 Mokelummne Drive, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. For more information, call 925-706-8733.

School Bell is compiled by Trine Gallegos. If you have news you'd like to share in the column, e-mail her at trineg@att.net. You can also reach Judith Prieve at jprieve@bayareanewsgroup.com.