LAEF is bringing its 12th annual Summer Enrichment Institute (SEI) back on-campus after offering virtual classes last year. Fun and academic enrichment classes will be offered to students in grades TK-12 in two summer sessions (June 28-July 29 and July 12-23).
Classes are one hour and fifty minutes in length and run from 8:00am to 4:40pm each day of the session. Small class sizes of 15 maximum students, taught by credentialed teachers, provide an ideal learning environment and help students avoid summer learning loss. Elementary classes (at Rossmoor Elementary) include Jumpstart for TK-5th grade, Spanish, French, volleyball, computer literacy and coding, STEM, musical theater, soccer, summer food exploration, art, wonders of the world, leadership academy and more. For middle school students (at McAuliffe Middle School), courses cover art, coding and game creation, adulting 101, engineering and robotics, organization, science and more! LAEF is also offering two classes for high school students at Los Al High School: driver’s education and college bootcamp.
LAEF is offering multi-class discounts. Purchase your first class, then receive 25% off the second class and 50% off any class thereafter. The discount can be applied to the family or individual students and is for the Summer Enrichment Institute only (the discounts do not apply to Summer Sports Camps and Music Camps).
Registration is now open at www.LAEF4Kids.org/summer, where you will also find flyers with all of the details. Scholarships are available on a limited basis. Early bird reduced-fee registration is available through Wednesday, June 9.
LAEF is the non-profit partner of Los Alamitos Unified School District. LAEF enhances educational excellence by providing after-school and summer enrichment programs to children in grades Pre-K to 12. LAEF impacts all students by providing significant funding for STEAM teachers and instruction, mental health and wellness, and social emotional learning as well as igniting new programs and providing valuable resources. For more information, visit www.LAEF4Kids.org or email in**@*******ds.org today.
The ongoing construction at La Palma City Hall will be facing delays due to Covid-19 and construction complications, according to Community Services Director and head of the project Mike Belknap. He believes the project will be completed in June or early July
Since Feb 1, 2021, the La Palma City Hall has been temporarily relocated to the Community Center at 7821 Walker Street. This is because the city decided to conduct improvement projects on the building’s interior. The project has multiple aims: updating the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, electrical system upgrades, and refurbishment of the public and employee restrooms to meet ADA compliance. Contact information has remained unchanged, and city services are still available in-person at the Community Center.
Belknap stated that the construction has been delayed due to “unanticipated complications” that emerged when opening up the 60-year-old building’s infrastructure.
“The as-built plans were not completely accurate, so we had to update our restrooms to meet requirements,” Belknap said. “We need to make new fixes even though they weren’t a part of the [original] project.”
These include extra electrical and plumbing upgrades. As of late April, none of the projects, neither the HVAC system, the restrooms, nor necessary finish work on the wallpaper and flooring, were completed.
Belknap also stated that the Covid-19 pandemic affected the initial stages of construction. Ceiling tiles and doors have taken extra time to install, either due to transport delays or supply shortages.
“In the end, we’ve been able to get everything, but we’ve maybe had to switch the original products out for an alternative,” he stated.
This improvement project has been planned for at least five years now. Belknap stated it will be completed by early July at the latest. With vaccination rates continuing to rise in California, the building’s re-opening may coincide with a broader re-opening of the state.
“I anticipate the city council will be meeting with the public and in-person once the facility opens up,” Belknap said.
Mark Eliot, Director of Communications and Public Information for the Tustin Unified School District, has announced he will retire at the end of the school year. His last day will be June 30.
Eliot has worked in public education for 36 years – all in Tustin Unified. He was hired in August 1985 as the District’s first communications specialist and was promoted to director of communications and public information in 2001.
“It has been a privilege and an honor of a lifetime to serve the Tustin Unified community,” Eliot said. “I am proud to have known and work with so many hard-working and dedicated employees, involved and caring parents, and supportive community members focused on helping TUSD continue its legacy of excellence in education.”
During his career in Tustin Unified, Eliot has handled communications, media relations, community relations, marketing, District publications and materials, social media and printing services. For 17 years, he has collaborated with School News Roll Call magazine to promote excellence in TUSD. Eliot has started and coordinated several programs, including Classified Employee of the Year, Teacher of the Year and Principal for a Day in which community members serve as “principals” at the schools. He has also helped organize the Tustin School Management’s Association (TSMA) “Friends of Tustin Schools” Community Recognition Dinner for the past 34 years and TSMA’s Secretaries Day Breakfast for over 20 years.
Eliot has been involved in many milestone events for TUSD, such as organizing dedication ceremonies for the Barry Turner Athletic Field behind Foothill High School and Gerry Aust Activity Center at Hewes Middle School, and planning groundbreakings and ribbon cuttings for every new school built in the District since 1995 – Heritage, Hicks Canyon, Ladera, Myford, Peters Canyon, Red Hill and Tustin Ranch elementary schools; Orchard Hills School; Pioneer Middle School; Beckman High School; and Legacy Magnet Academy, which opened last fall. He has also worked on three successful bond measure campaigns – Measures G and L (improve older school facilities) and Measure S (upgrade instructional technology), and has helped organize California Distinguished School and National Blue Ribbon School celebrations at many schools.
Over the years, Eliot has assisted the TUSD Board of Education in recognizing thousands of students, staff, parents and community members at more than 500 school board meetings. He also works with the District’s high school student board members, who present news about their schools and districtwide reports each month at the Board meetings.
Eliot has maintained strong relationships with many community organizations, including the Assistance League of Tustin, Tustin Area Council for Fine Arts (TACFA), Tustin Area Historical Society and Museum, Tustin Chamber of Commerce, Tustin Community Foundation, Tustin Public Schools Foundation (TPSF) and Tustin-Santa Ana Rotary Club. He serves on the Rotary Club Board as Youth Service Director and oversees the Arbor Day program for third-grade students, Gerry Aust High School Scholarships Program, High School Students of the Quarter and Teacher Good Idea Awards program. He has also volunteered at TACFA’s Broadway in the Park program, TPSF’s Dinosaur Dash, Tustin Chili Cook-off and Street Fair, and Tustin Tiller Days.
Among his accomplishments, Eliot has won Excellence in Communications awards from the California School Public Relations Association, received the PTA/PTO Coordinating Council’s Special Recognition Award, was nominated as Tustin Area Man of the Year four times – 2007, 2008, 2013 and 2014, and was named one of the Tustin Community Foundation’s 2019 Superheroes of Tustin for recognition of outstanding community work.
Prior to joining Tustin Unified, Eliot worked in newspaper, magazine, radio and television. He started his career as Promotion and Public Relations Director for KWIZ AM/FM Radio in Orange County. Eliot is also an award-winning cartoonist and graphic designer. He graduated in journalism and public relations from California State University, Long Beach. Most importantly, he is the proud father of his daughter, Ashley, a graduate in communications from California State University, Fullerton, and communications specialist in the music and hospitality industries.
“Mark is a dedicated employee and outstanding individual who has played an integral role in the changes and growth in the District over the last four decades,” TUSD Superintendent Dr. Gregory Franklin said. “His valuable contributions to the Tustin Unified community are greatly appreciated and he will be missed.”
Leaders from the Federal Academic Alliance and Columbia College have announced a transformational agreement between the two entities. The college is now one of the elite institutions from around the country that is part of the Federal Academic Alliance and will offer its 2.1 million employees, their spouses, and dependents under the age of 25 a 15 percent discounted tuition rate to help them reach their academic goals.
“Columbia College is proud to be part of the Federal Academic Alliance and support the organization’s efforts to provide quality, affordable educational opportunities to Federal employees,” said Dr. David Russell, the college’s interim president. “The college appreciates the opportunity to serve working adults and help them further their careers.”
The Federal Academic Alliance’s mission is to recruit, retain and honor a world-class workforce to serve the American people. Its Governmentwide talent development focus is to ensure Federal employees have access to high-quality talent development opportunities in the identified Governmentwide mission-critical occupations and leverage resources to increase impact.
Columbia College features 36 locations nationwide, including a Los Alamitos campus, offers six class sessions lasting eight weeks each, allowing students to complete their degree quickly. Students can earn an associate degree in 20 months, a bachelor’s degree in three-and-a-half years, and a master’s degree in just 12 months. The college is very transfer-friendly, which may allow a student to graduate even earlier if they have previously attended an accredited college or university.
Students who take classes online or at one of the college’s locations nationwide will also have access to the Truition(r) program, which offers a transparent look at the cost of college by eliminating all fees and providing books at no cost.
Click here for more information, email the Federal Academic Alliance’s Learning and Development team at le********************@*pm.gov or contact Kelsey Anderson, Assistant Director of Business Partnerships with Columbia College at ka********@**is.edu. For media inquiries, please contact Sam Fleury at sf*****@**is.edu or (573) 268-8612.
The move came after a marathon meeting in which more than 100 public comments were read into the public record and followed a live protest outside the empty meeting room because the session had been switched to virtual over security concerns.
Opponents of the social justice standards gathered near the entrance of the LAUSD complex in Los Alamitos about 4 p.m. Tuesday to actively protest both the decision to go virtual and the board’s pending vote on the social justice framework.
The virtual board meeting, which began at 6:30 p.m., lasted until after 1:00 a.m. Wednesday, with the board voting 5-0 to adopt the social justice framework. The vote came, however, only after Deputy Supt. Ondrea Reed acknowledged that the “resource of the standard has been amended.”
“We did remove the front and back pages,” of the published standards, said Reed, “as there was a bit of misinformation about some of the additional resources and content on learningforjustice.org and teaching for tolerance.”
“They (removed resources) are not being proposed for action,” she said.
According to Reed, the social justice standard voted on by the board “only includes the anchor standards and learning outcomes for students K-12.”
The Sun will present details from both sides of the late-breaking developments next week.
The switch from in-person to a virtual meeting apparently resulted from safety and capacity concerns that surfaced during the board’s April 27 meeting measured against fallout from a national news report last Friday regarding the pending LAUSD vote on social justice standards.
“Due to public health and safety recommendations from law enforcement agencies, and capacity limits due to COVID-19, the May 11, 2021, Board of Education Meeting will be conducted virtually as permitted by Executive Order N-29-20,” said a statement from District Supt. Dr. Andrew Pulver in announcing the last-minute change.
Therefore, during the virtual meeting Tuesday, each of the board members, and the superintendent, took turns reading aloud the approximately 120 submitted comments during the six-hour meeting as the meeting was conducted virtually.
Los Alamitos Police Chief Eric R. Nuñez said earlier in the week that he was informed by the Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center, which includes federal and state partners, that “social media chatter” indicated “special interest groups” from both sides of the political spectrum had expressed interest in attending Tuesday’s meeting.
“They planned to converge on the same venue [the Los Al Unified School District office] within our jurisdiction,” said Nuñez, “so I expressed my concern for the safety of people attending.” Nuñez did not provide more specifics on the groups.
Nuñez said he spoke with Pulver over the weekend and while not directly involved in the decision to make Tuesday’s meeting virtual, did express security concerns about it. “The protocol for these types of events,” said Nuñez, calls for notification of decision makers when there is the potential for physical damage or harm.
“Ultimately, it was our decision,” Pulver said, stressing that it was the first time he’d received such a recommendation to cancel an in-person meeting.
At the last Board meeting, when the ethnic studies curriculum was on the agenda, more than 200 people showed up with more than 90 signing up to speak. Most spoke in favor of the optional high school course. Overflow rooms had to be arranged, but even then, participants spilled into the parking lot. Los Alamitos Police officers and private security were present.
Chief Nuñez said that officers assigned to the April 27 meeting said they noticed some of the speakers being verbally abused, leaving them “fearful” but that “there were no reports of physical violence or physical harm.”
Pulver said since the April 27 meeting “we have received a ton of emails from all sides,” including many from students and parents wondering “how they would be protected.”
Los Alamitos High School senior Hunter Dunn spoke at the April 27 meeting in favor of ethnic studies and said he “understood” the district’s decision, saying safety was a real concern for students. Dunn and student members of his pro-social justice standards group “Griffin Coalition” reported being heckled at Board meetings.
The decision to go virtual also came one day after Fox News Channel reported on LAUSD’s ethnic studies elective and social justice standards. The Fox News segment aired during “Special Report w/ Brett Baier,” with Baier introducing it to viewers by saying, “some parents in California say their children are being taught to hate America.”
In the segment, Fox News reporter Jonathan Hunt was broadcasting outside LAUSD offices in Los Alamitos. He showed taped interviews with USC professor Jody Armour, LAUSD parent David Ryst, and Harriette Reid, a school choice advocate who has become a spokesperson for opponents of ethnic studies and social justice standards. Ryst and Reid have spoken out repeatedly at board meetings with concerns about LAUSD efforts.
Hunt said he had repeatedly tried to contact Pulver and did not hear back.
Sources inside LAUSD said angry calls and emails began flooding into their administrative offices from all over the country within minutes of the Friday afternoon broadcast.
In a phone interview Monday, Pulver said district officials were already working with law enforcement on a new safety plan for Tuesday’s meeting when the escalation of chatter and the Fox News report pushed them to act.
Local supporters and opponents had been rallying their sides to come speak at the May 11 meeting. Some proponents of the social justice standards have shared a flier online saying students are “under attack by right-wing extremists” while opponents claim the other side invited Antifa to the last meeting.
“It’s really sad,” said LAUSD Board of Education President Marlys Davidson. “This is a school district, not a war zone.”
One parent who emailed Davidson and asked not to be identified said she worried the national media attention would bring in “dangerous” people from outside LAUSD.
“I’m all for free speech, but we’ve seen violence at other meetings like this one and at the Town Hall someone even said people should go to Board Members’ houses and make their lives miserable,” she wrote referencing a representative of the group Mass Resistance who spoke at a Town Hall held by opponents of LAUSD efforts on April 20.
Chief Nuñez said Los Al PD investigated minor incidents of mischief during and after the April 27 meeting, such as the spraying of a substance on the car of someone who spoke out against the curriculum but said there was insufficient damage to even consider it vandalism.
LAUSD parent David Ryst said he discovered his car was sprayed with shaving cream and paint after he made a comment at the April 27 meeting, but said he was advised by Los Al PD that it wasn’t substantial enough to file a report.
Chief Nuñez described the incident as “malicious mischief” in a phone interview.
“It’s not our job to serve as Sergeant at Arms at those meetings,” Nuñez said, but added “we are responsible to ensure that people attending the meeting are not retaliated against.”
“A lot of people can’t have this conversation without getting emotional,” Ryst said in a recent phone interview. “I like to think that Los Alamitos could have public opinion shared safely.”
Ryst, who was featured in Friday’s Fox News story, said he went on cable news not to change the Board members’ minds, but to raise awareness among other parents to get involved with what’s happening at their local school district. He admits that sentiment was not what was featured in the Fox report. In the story, Ryst was quoted as saying the source of the social justice standards, LearningforJustice.org, features anti-capitalist and pro-Marxist content.
Board members have consistently said during the ongoing debate that teachers have requested such standards. LAUSD claims the social justice standards “can support administrators in making schools more inclusive, equitable, and safe for all students by reducing acts of bullying, prejudice, and minimizing conflict escalation.” But opponents, like Harriette Reid, have characterized it as a means to turn students into “social justice warriors.”
Dunn said before the meeting that opponents like Reid are stoking an argument to promote private and charter schools. “Why do you care what this school does if you’re not going to send your kids to it?” he asked rhetorically.
Dunn, and dozens of students, ultimately made their voices heard, as did the opponents, in writing during Tuesday’s virtual Board of Education meeting.
With the adoption of social justice standards, LAUSD is now set to vote on the coursework for the ethnic studies elective on June 1. No word yet if that meeting will be held in-person or virtual.
A former Rossmoor resident and graduate of Los Alamitos High school, Barbara Baker, Ph.D., has been elected by her fellow scientists to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors in science.
Baker was selected in a vote by the Academy’s scientists, which now includes approximately 2500 of America’s leading scientists, and 500 others around the world.
“I did not expect it,” said Baker, “and of course, I’m completely thrilled.”
Dr. Baker teaching microbial sciences in her U.C. Berkeley lab. Courtesy photo
Baker is currently an Adjunct Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, and a Senior Scientist at the Plant Gene Expression Center at the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Albany, CA. Her findings have been described as “breakthrough research”.
With her election to the National Academy, Baker is now considered to be one of the world’s foremost scientists studying plant biology and microbial sciences.
According to the USDA, Dr. Baker’s research was the first to reveal that R-genes, and the proteins they encode, form a major plant defense system against a broad spectrum of plant pathogens including bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
Baker has spent much of her academic life chasing microbes as a way to mitigate plant diseases that sometimes kill as much as 40 percent of crops around the world.
In addition, she has performed countless experiments in her molecular biology lab, examining plants and observing them intently in her quest to change the paradigm for genetic protection of living plants.
Baker’s academic universe revolves around the study of molecular particles that are not only too small for the human eye to see, but in fact, too small even to be seen under a light microscope. She used molecular techniques to eventually isolate disease resistant genes.
According to Baker, plant genomes contain large numbers of R-genes and each encodes for an R protein that recognizes a specific pathogen signature and triggers resistance responses to different pathogen strains.
“It’s complicated,” said Baker, but basically, plants, like humans, have their own DNA.
Over time, she said, “humans have had a big impact” on the plants from which we now harvest most of our food. Take for an example, a simple tomato plant, said Baker, citing the breeding that began with a plant in nature for which breeding has led it far from its original, natural molecular composition.
During the past hundred years, which some call the modern era of plant genetics, “we’ve scrambled some of the plant gene pool,” she suggested, leaving plants vulnerable to disease.
Baker said her work has focused on isolating plant genes in nature that are capable of providing natural resistance to crops.
According to Baker, plants also suffer from viruses as the coronavirus has affected people around the world, although she said plant viruses do not infect humans and vice versa.
A Cryo-EM structure of a virus, as seen in the electron microscope. Courtesy photo
In the lab, however, she said not all viruses look the same. And despite their potential for devastation, Baker said viruses “are absolutely remarkable, with incredible and beautiful structures.”
Baker’s interest in biology and physics go back to high school here in Los Al, when she said Los Alamitos High physics teacher Wesley Beach and biology teacher Mr. Rogers put her on her current career path. “They inspired me,” she said.
Baker, a 1970 LAHS graduate, began her scientific career as an undergraduate in the Department of Biology at the University of California, San Diego where she worked on virus replication and expression.
She did her graduate training in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of California, San Francisco where she received her Ph.D. on Endogenous Avian Retroviruses with Drs. Mike Bishop and Harold Varmus.
Baker then accepted a postdoctoral fellowship to live and work at the internationally renowned Max-Planck Institute in Germany, considered by many as the training ground for the world’s leading scientists.
It is here that Baker said she became immersed in the study of submicroscopic viruses. Eventually returning to the U.S. to begin teaching virology and plant-virus interactions at Berkeley and as a scientist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service.
In fact, in the early 1900’s, historians say Albert Einstein debated his theory of relativity with Max Planck, a theoretical physicist who discovered the quantum of action, in what is now an institute named in Planck’s honor.
After completing her postdoctoral training Baker said she was hired on as both a faculty member at UC Berkeley, and a Senior Scientist at USDA, her dream job.
“I’ve always wanted to live and study in the bay area,” she said.
There, she met outstanding colleagues active in the field of plant genetics and plant molecular biology including some who studied plant viruses.
Her achievement comes after a long career studying molecular mechanisms and looking for a specific type of gene that plants use “to fight viruses.” She said when crops are lost, it is not only a waste of food, but also a tremendous loss of water, fertilizers, and other farm resources.
Plant pathogens reduce crop production globally by 10-40 percent each year. These pathogens are continually evolving and overcoming existing innate, genetic resistance in crops. Plants also continually co-evolve, producing new R-genes in response. But the natural process of playing catch up can be too slow in modern agriculture.
By eventually isolating “resistance genes,” Baker said, “we knew what to look for and how to work with other resistance genes, that encode resistance proteins that make the cell and eventually the plant, resistant to disease.”
According to the USDA, advances prompted by Baker’s work have allowed plant scientists and breeders to speed up the process of introducing new disease resistance genes into crops.
Barbara Baker, Ph.D., now a member of the National Academy of Sciences
For example, in a crop such as potatoes, R-genes from wild relatives were transferred into a cultivated potato where they protect it from late blight disease (caused by the pathogen Phytophthora infestans, the cause of the Irish Potato Famine of the mid 1800’s and that still plagues our crops).
Her research group continues to work on molecular mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions, including identification, isolation, and characterization of genes that naturally protect crops from common diseases using crop species of Solanaceae family as plant models.
In 2003, her program was awarded the UC Berkeley Chancellor’s Honor Award as an exemplary University/Community Partnership.
“This work has been so exciting and thrilling for me,” said Baker, fondly recalling her days at Los Al high school and spending her summers frolicking around Seal Beach.
Incidentally, Baker’s mom, Mary Baker, served as Assistant Superintendent of the Los Alamitos Elementary School District before the district was unified.
“I am really, really pleased and honored,” said Baker. There is no financial benefit of being elected, she said, “and you don’t get a parking pass, but it does make me so inspired, even more driven.”
The latest group of scientists elected includes 59 female scientists, a record.
In a statement, National Academy of Sciences President Marcia McNutt said, “the historic number of women elected this year reflects the critical contributions that they are making in many fields of science, as well as a concerted effort by our Academy to recognize those contributions and the essential value of increasing diversity in our ranks.”
The National Academy of Sciences is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization that is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
The prestigious research institution dates to 1863. It was created after a resolution authored by Senator Henry Wilson was passed by the United States Senate and was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln.
Editor’s Note: The Fort Worth based think tank, Academic Influence, has this week included Los Al High School in its ranking of America’s top 50 high schools “whose alumni have exhibited the most influence post-graduation.”
After a topsy turvy school year that witnessed the surprise departure of a relatively new principal, then the pandemic, the Los Alamitos Unified School District has announced Christina Kraus will become the school’s new principal.
Before introducing the new Griffin principal, however, District Supt. Dr. Andrew Pulver gave Dr. Gregg Stone “a heartfelt thank you” for coming out of retirement to serve after the surprise resignation of former principal Chris Vlasic.
“Thank you is not enough for the immense service and humble leadership of Dr. Stone,” he said, “who has come back at the height of one of the most challenging years ever.”
“There is no better gift than any of us can give is ourselves,” said Pulver. “I don’t know how you continue to give of yourself, but I just want to thank you on behalf of the entire Los Alamitos community and Griffin family for all that you have done,” the superintendent said.
“And so it gives me great pleasure to announce tonight that, after a very rigorous selection process, with participation from stakeholders, teachers, classified employees, parents and the board, that we have selected Christiana Kraus as the next Los Alamitos High School principal,” said Pulver.
According to Pulver, Kraus has more than 21 years of high school experience, in three districts, “in a myriad of different ways.”
He said Los Al stakeholders wanted someone “who really wanted to stay in the position.” “I think Mrs. Kraus is excited to join the Griffin family, she is a seasoned principal,” Pulver said.
Kraus has served 15 years in the Whittier Union High School District as an assistant principal, she taught social sciences, and even coached softball and a national hip hop dance program.
Currently, he said, Kraus serves as principal of Paramount High School, the second largest high school in the state. Pulver said Kraus has served in that position for the past five years.
“She is extremely student centered, passionate about the four A’s (academics, athletics, activites and arts) and someone who I think really inspires others to elicit the same commitment and passion.”
Pulver said Kraus received her undergraduate and Masters degrees from Cal State Dominguez Hills and lives locally with her husband Jose and two children.
The new Los Al principal thanked everyone, saying, “I felt so welcomed throughout the whole process, and after, I am just so excited about becoming a part of this community.”
“Thank you for the honor of being entrusted with being the next principal of Los Alamitos High School. Los Al has always been a district, school and community of comprehensive excellence,” she said.
“I’m thrilled to be part of continuing that legacy,” she said.
“I look forward to working closely with students, staff, teachers, parents and the community as we continue this tradition as well as supporting innovation and progressive growth together,” said Kraus.
She also thanked her family for their support.
“I am beyond humbled and honored by this selection,” Kraus said to the entire Griffin community.
School Board President Marlys Davidson, part of the Kraus interview panel, said her “energy, passion and…diverse experience” really made her stand out as she offered the board’s help to Kraus once she assumes the position.
“In our society, we have a particular way of honoring those who exhibit a brand and standard of excellence that is unyielding in everything they do” said J.M. McGaugh Elementary School Principal Dr. Isaaic M. Gates as he prepared to announce the school’s Hero of the Heart for 2021.
People “whose commitment to a cause and compassion reaches deep into the heart and spirit of our humanity elevate them to society’s highest platform – the one name status,” he continued.
Farnaz. McGaugh’s Hero the Heart for 2021, “has reached the one-name status,” said Gates, noting that Farnaz Pardasani “embodies a spirit of excellence beyond reproach.”
Pardasani, who currently serves as President of the McGaugh Parent Teacher Association, works tirelessly to ensure that parents and students have what they need to succeed, said Gates.
He said Pardasani personally authored a grant application that raised the $3000 needed to cover the costs of a social/emotional parent workshop.
“Day or not, busy or not,” Gates said Pardasani “will make or take a call” to support the school and its parents. He said the 4th District PTA association has acknowledged the great work and success Pardasani and her team have achieved during this challenging year.
Through out conversations, it is clear that she is invested in McGaugh’s success, my success, our partnership and our friendship,” the McGaugh principal said.
Borrowing a line from “my friend Dr. Gregg Stone, when your name is mentioned in a positive relationship with Farnaz, you know you are standing among tall timber.”
“Oh my goodness, how beautiful,” said Pardasani as she stepped up to the microphone.
“I’m truly honored and humbled by this recognition, and to be honest with you, I feel a little bit uneasy to be recognized and awarded for doing work that has been so personally rewarding to me.”
“The thing about volunteers and volunteerism is that you do it because you care. You see a need, you roll up your sleeves and you work hard to fill that need,” she said. “When you get recognized for it, it is a humbling experience.”
She thanked the PTA executive board, the PTA Leadership team, the room parents, the volunteers, the custodial staff and all who are supportive “every step of the way.”
Pardasani thanked Gates and former principal Roni Ellis for the help and support for the PTA, for which programs like “Astronomy Night” could never have happened.
Before the pandemic, she said a corps of local astronomers visited the campus and taught the students about the stars, moon and planets.
“It was our intention to light the spirit of learning, science and STEM,” she said.
She also mentioned programs like the International Culture Club, “where we really, truly celebrate different cultures and traditions and show kids that differences are our strengths.”
Dr. Gates was so supportive of the PTA that “he dressed up like a rockstar and lip synced a medley of songs to my eyes and to the children’s eyes,” the PTA president told the board.
Finally, Pardasani thanked the teachers, who she termed “passionate, hardworking and the best in class who truly are the lifeline of McGaugh.” “Without their support and dedication, none of it would be a success.”
“McGaugh is truly a special place, because of its people. We care about the whole child, the social emotional wellness and academic excellence. Yes, we are a beach community, but we do care about academic excellence.”
“I will truly cherish the recognition.”
School Board member Diana Hill thanked Pardasani for displaying grace “in everything you do.” Hill said Farnaz is able to “be frank about things,” but does so “in such a graceful and respectful manner.” “I’m very glad that you are a part of the Los Al family and for sharing your beautiful grace with us.”
“This recognition is so well deserved,” said school board member Meg Cutuli.
District Supt. Dr. Andrew Pulver called Pardasani “a woman of character, wicked smart and a fierce advocate for our students and staff.”
He said Farnaz has had an “incredible impact” on McGaugh, some of which he called “lasting changes.”
Like Hill, he noted her grace and noted her “strong and honest feedback.”
“She understands the McGaugh community,” the superintendent said, “and knows what they need.”
A dust up between an adjunct professor at Cypress College and a student made national news this week as a professor apparently reacted harshly to a student’s depiction of police as “heroes.”
The video, which has since been circulated widely and reported on by national and international media, has also left an unidentified professor who ridiculed a 19-year-old student for calling cops “heroes” on leave.
Cypress College spokesperson Marc S. Posner has since issued a statement saying the professor, unnamed in the statement is gone and apparently not coming back in the Fall.
“The adjunct professor will be taking a leave of absence for the duration of her assignment at Cypress College. This was her first course at Cypress and she had previously indicated her intention to not return in the Fall,” said Posner.
The argument erupted when 19-year-old freshman business student named Braden Ellis called police “heroes” during his Zoom presentation.
“I think cops are heroes,” says Ellis in the circulated video to which the professor replies, “All of them?”
The professor could then be heard saying: “Yet, a lot of police officers have committed an atrocious crime and have gotten away with it and have never been convicted of any of it.”
Ellis responded: “This is what I believe. I do support our police. We have bad people, and the people that do bad things should be brought to justice. I agree with that.”
The professor then interrupted, saying: “So what is your bottom-line point?
“You’re saying police officers should be revered, viewed as heroes? They belong on TV shows with children?”
Unnamed Professor now on leave.
The academic countered that police were created in the South to track down runaway slaves and that its core tenets are made of systemic racism.
Ellis asked her if she would call the police if someone broke into her home and was armed with a knife or a gun.
“I wouldn’t call the police,” she said. “My life’s more in danger in their presence. I wouldn’t call anybody.”
Ellis said he believes in supporting the police, but those who commit crimes need to be held accountable
According to Posner, officials at Cypress College are “reviewing the full recording of the exchange between the adjunct professor and the student and will address it fully in the coming days.”
“Any efforts to suppress free and respectful expression on our campus will not be tolerated,” he said in the statement.
“Cypress College takes great pride in fostering a learning environment for students where ideas and opinions are exchanged as a vital piece of the educational journey. Our community fully embraces this culture; students often defend one another’s rights to express themselves freely, even when opinions differ,” he said.
The Los Alamitos Unified School District presented the award for Classified Employee of the Year to Linda Laparco, a food service worker at McGaugh Elementary School in Seal Beach for continuing her “magical connection to students” despite the pandemic.
Director of Food Services Celeste Calubaquib first introduced Laparco to thunderous applause and said “we are here to honor and celebrate her as employee of the year.”
Calubaquib called her an exceptional employee, noting that “everybody cherishes your compassion, customer service dedication, reliability and lively disposition.
“I am amazed at her positive demeanor with all the changes we have gone through this year,” the director said, pointing out the way Laparco’s efforts transformed the school’s traditional food services into a drive-thru availability to ensure students got their meals at McGaugh Elementary.
She is a mother of three but “grandmother to hundreds” of McGaugh students.
“When they come through your line, you are able to remember their names and their faces,” said Calubaquib, “and thank you for coming to work every day, especially when the (pandemic) risk was at its peak.
“You exemplify our motto of better together,” she said, thanking Laparco for her efforts to ensure students were properly fed to provide them with a “better learning experience.”
“Thank you for going above and beyond,” said Calubiquib, noting that Laparco’s “can-do attitude” eased the burdens of the pandemic transition.
District Superintendent Dr. Andrew Pulver told Laparco “you truly are an exceptional employee; someone who is just loving, and caring to our students.”
“We have over 400 classified employees and we only get to recognize about three per year, so for you to recognized among our amazing, classified staff is really a testament to who you are,” he said.
“It is just the way you embrace all students, the way that you embrace providing services and meals, and you have an incredible team and what I loved is how excited your team was for you and the whole school,” said Pulver.
Speaking about cafeteria and food service workers generally, Pulver became a tad emotional, saying “I think I’ve formed a stronger bond with them during this pandemic.”
The entire board has also done so as well, he added.
“When most of our schools were closed, and most employees were at home during the height of the pandemic, our food service workers were showing up providing lunch services to our families and to those in need,” said Pulver with a crackle in his voice.
“They just stepped up and I could not be more proud to be associated with them and working alongside them,” the superintendent said.
“So I thank you and all of the food services staff for the food services you continue to provide to this exceptional community,” he told Laparco.
“Hello,” said Laparco, “I would just like to say, ‘thank you very much.’ I’m honored, I’m flattered, I’m shocked and I’m just so thankful.”
“I’m just so thankful that my children went to school, and when I see all of your kids, our kids, all the time, I think they’re my kids,” said Laparco.
“If my kids were here, I know you’d treat them like your kids. I think about it like that,” she said.
“I just care,” said Laparco, “and I thank all of you for caring. I’m just really grateful. Thank you.”
Tickets for the much-anticipated 2021 Pageant of the Masters go on sale to the general public today, May 3rd. Returning to the beach-side community after postponing the 2020 production due to the coronavirus pandemic, audiences will once again be able to experience the art of living pictures! Tickets to this summer’s production Made in America: Trailblazing Artists and Their Stories start at $30 per person at www.PageantTickets.com or by calling 800-487-3378.
“This summer’s production is ‘from the heart’. The enthusiasm is at an all-time high and our staff and volunteers are so happy and grateful to be able to perform again,” shared long-standing Pageant Director Diane Challis Davy. “Everyone involved is determined to do all we can to make sure our audiences experience thrills, amazing and inspirational stories, beautiful music and extraordinary living pictures under the stars.”
The 2021 Pageant of the Masters, Made in America: Trailblazing Artists and Their Stories, was planned for 2020, when the pandemic forced world-wide shutdowns of live performances and events. Prior to last year, the Pageant had only gone dark from 1942 to 1945, during World War II. Its history traces back to Laguna Beach’s early days as an art colony, starting in 1933 as a way to draw in tourists. Today, the iconic show has become a phenomenon and the crowning jewel of Laguna Beach.
Through the magic of living pictures, Pageant patrons will meet the artists who not only made this country their home, but let their creativity be inspired by the liberations upon which this nation was founded. Certain to be unlike any other Pageant production, the 2021 summer show will offer a collection of tributes to artists who made their mark in American Art. “We want to tell their (artists) stories in the form of vignettes. We will quote them ‘verbatim’ as much as possible,” adds Challis Davy.
Asked to reveal some of the artists whose stories and works will be included in this summer’s production, Pageant Director Diane Challis Davy shared several, many of them recognized as masters of American art: Winslow Homer, Mary Cassatt, Norman Rockwell, Daniel Chester French, Luis Jimenez and John Nieto.
She continued, “I’m especially pleased about two of the segments. One is a tribute to the inspiring story of African American sculptor Edmonia Lewis. The other is our recreation of a photo by Dorothea Lange-accompanied by two songs written by Woody Guthrie. The photo illustrates the heartache of the Great Depression and our tableau is followed by the re-creation of a brightly colored WPA mural that celebrates the resiliency of the American ‘can-do’ spirit.”
A prologue for the opening sequence, written by scriptwriter Dan Duling, will acknowledge and “set the mood” of the show in the wake of the COVID disruption. The upcoming production will also present some of the photos of the cast volunteers taken by Matthew Rolston in 2017. Audiences will likely feel a sense of nostalgia as the night closes with the Pageant’s recreation of “The Last Supper” by Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci, which has been the Pageant’s traditional closing tableau since 1936.
Challis Davy shared one final tease: “Prepare yourselves for an inspirational adventure, a plotline from start to finish, and a moving look at American History through a collection of tributes to artists who made their mark in American Art.”
Pageant tickets are a perfect gift idea for Mother’s Day, graduation, celebrations and special occasions, the 2021 Pageant of the Masters, Made in America: Trailblazing Artists and Their Stories, runs July 7 – September 3, 2021. Tickets start at $30 per person and go on sale today, May 3, 2021. A Pageant ticket is also a season pass to the 2021 Festival of Arts Fine Art Show, which will take place July 5 – September 3, 2021. For more information, ticket policies, and to purchase tickets, visit www.PageantTickets.com or by calling 800-487-3378.
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL OF ARTS OF LAGUNA BEACH
The Festival of Arts, a non-profit 501(c)(3), has long been a local leader that has helped with the growth and development of the community and the arts in Laguna Beach. Established in 1932, the Festival of Arts’ mission is to promote, produce and sponsor events and activities that encourage the appreciation, study, and performance of the arts. Each summer for nearly 90 years, the Festival of Arts has produced two world-class events: The Festival of Arts Fine Art Show and the Pageant of the Masters. Together both shows attract more than 225,000 visitors into Laguna Beach annually.
Segerstrom Center for the Arts and American Ballet Theatre proudly announce UNITING IN MOVEMENT, an exciting project bringing 18 dancers together for safe collaboration and exhilarating performance. ABT, America’s National Ballet Company®, has been in residence at the Center since March 22, rehearsing this new program that will receive its world premiere before a live audience on Sunday, April 25 in Segerstrom Hall, followed by streaming on demand from May 12 – 26. Uniting in Movement is comprised of three works by contemporary choreographers, each with very personal and unique visions for the future of ballet: Jessica Lang, Lauren Lovette, and Darrell Grand Moultrie. The program will also pay homage to ABT’s classical heritage with Grand Pas Classique, a virtuosic showcase of ballet technique. The performances will be the first in Segerstrom Hall since the shutdown of all live theater in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, just one week after the world premiere of ABT’s new production of Alexei Ratmansky’s Of Love and Rage.
The choreographers, dancers and ABT artistic staff have been living and rehearsing in a quarantined ‘bubble,’ isolating themselves at the Avenue of the Arts Costa Mesa, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel across the street from the Center, venturing out only to rehearse in the Center studios and, ultimately, perform in Segerstrom Hall. All rehearsal and performance activity is adhering to strict medical and safety guidelines, with an initial quarantine and testing period prior to the start of ABT’s residency.
Wincome Hospitality CEO Paul Sanford said, “Avenue of the Arts Costa Mesa, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel and Wincome Hospitality, is proud to work with Segerstrom Center for the Arts and be the host hotel for American Ballet Theatre. Their mission of wanting to preserve the classics of the past for modern audiences and foster innovation in the world of ballet should be lauded. We’re excited to help the Center bring ABT to Costa Mesa for Southern Californians to enjoy what will surely be very beautiful, emotionally moving, and entertaining performances.”
Ms. Lang’s Let Me Sing Forevermore, set to songs sung by Tony Bennett, is a vibrant, energetic pas de deux blending ballet and jazz vocabulary. Ms. Lovette’s work, La Follia Variations, is set to music of the same name by Francesco Geminiani. With costumes by fashion designer Victor Glemaud, La Follia Variations brims with poetry, wit, nuance and power. Mr. Moultrie’s Indestructible Light, set to music by Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Neal Hefti and Billy Strayhorn, is an expansion of his earlier work for the Company created in an East Coast bubble in fall 2020. Indestructible Light is a work for eight dancers and celebrates the resilience of artists despite impossible odds.
“These creations reflect a time of recalibration on how we create and deliver new work, reinvent how to gather together to create, and what it means to use this art form to lift us all, artist and audience alike,” said Kevin McKenzie, ABT Artistic Director. “Lauren’s use of classical vocabulary for dynamic effect of empowerment, Darrell’s facile use of classical technique fused with classic jazz, and Jessica’s joyous, reverent nod to Tony Bennett’s fabulous voice, contrasted with a classic pas de deux, exemplify the vibrant spirit of American Ballet Theatre.”
Segerstrom Center President Casey Reitz said, “As you can imagine, Uniting in Movement is a complex project requiring the combined, or uniting, resources and experience of both the Center and ABT, particularly during this period of quarantine. The project aligns with the mission of our Center for Dance and Innovation, which was established to support and advance the creative and sometimes even experimental process of developing new works by talented artists. The Center and ABT have a long history of producing extraordinary dance projects, including new productions, world premieres, and two projects that were broadcast on Great Performances: Dance in America. We are especially proud of how Uniting in Movement so beautifully confirms the resilience and indomitable spirit of the arts and artists.”
Complete performances will be recorded on Friday and Saturday, April 23 and 24, and streamed on demand May 12 – 26. Tickets are $25 per household. ABT will give a final performance of Uniting in Movement before a live audience on Sunday, April 25 at 1:30 pm. Seating will be limited and available in two-person, safely distanced pods. Ticket prices start at $50. Complete information and tickets for on- demand access and the live performance are available now online at www.SCFTA.org or by calling the box office at (714) 556-2787 weekdays between 10am and 2pm.
LAHS Freshman, Arjun Ghosh, earned first place in the Senior Division of Pharmacology/Toxicology in the 2021 Orange County Science & Engineering Fair. Arjun’s project was titled, Investigating Effective Alternatives to Silver-based Pressure Sore Treatments and Other Novel Applications of Gold and Copper Nanoparticles. His grandfather recently underwent a major surgery and developed a pressure sore on his lower back (tailbone) that dug deep into his skin to the point where the bone was visible.
To help treat the pressure sore, his grandfather was prescribed a silver nanoparticle-based medication. Because silver nanoparticles are known to have cytotoxic and genotoxic side effects, Arjun wanted to find a safe and effective alternative. He found that nanoparticles such as Gold (AuNPs) and Copper (CuNPs) have antibacterial properties and are biocompatible. Arjun’s project looks to address the silver problem in the medical field by testing the effectiveness of AuNPs and CuNPs as an alaternative.
Los Alamitos High School Nurse, Cassandra Palacios, has been selected as one of the six finalists for the Orange County Classified School Employee of the Year (CSEY) program. Her selection in the Health and Student Services category represents her exemplary efforts in the areas of school and community involvement, leadership, and customer care.
Ms. Palacios will now be nominated to the California Department of Education for consideration as a statewide finalist. In addition to representing Orange County in the state level competition, she will be recognized as a 2021 CSEY Finalist in the Orange County Register and receive a $500 award check from our generous sponsor, Schools First Federal Credit Union.
In honor of her outstanding achievement, she will receive a gift bag at the school in May during Classified Employee-of-the-Week, a beautiful glass award, a commemorative pin, and a few other surprises.
Growing up, I didn’t think much about why we didn’t have separate green and blue waste bins in the yard because when I first raised questions about recyclables, Mom assured me someone sorted our trash somewhere far down the line. The first time I learned about what was classified as recyclable and how disruptive human error, I was to the system was at university in Boston.
Then when I moved to Santa Barbara last year, I learned how each municipality categorizes recyclables differently and how the plastic number on the bottom of products means something that still escapes me, honestly. Learning about the harrowing realities of recycling made wildly clear that there was no way the recyclables tossed to the curb of my Rossmoor home were ending up anywhere but the landfill.
Even if waste management does sort our trash, the majority of recyclables are contaminated by the rest of the waste products thrown on top of them or broken into shards too small to sort at the dump, rendering this single-stream system entirely ineffective. Especially with the climate crisis worsening dramatically, we need to act today with better government regulations. One such important measure our neighborhood can take is to provide recycling bins to each residence.
The New York Times reports action steps to curbing global warming most importantly involve zeroing out greenhouse gas emissions. In research studies conducted by Stanford, findings show the greatest benefit of recycling is the conservation of energy and natural resources because manufacturing products from recovered material requires significantly less energy than refining raw materials. As a result, less pollutants are dispersed through the air and water from the burning of fossil fuels that produce greenhouse gases. Additionally, recycling practices lessen the deforestation efforts and the expansion of mining operations because trees, metal ores, and minerals are in lesser demand.
Stanford’s research reveals the dramatic impact recycling has on energy preservation with some startling statistics. It concludes a ton of soda cans made with recycled aluminum saves 95% of the energy that manufacturing from raw materials would cost (because the recycling practice cuts out the mining, shipping and refining). The San Diego Office of Education finds recycling one glass bottle saves the energy equivalent to that spent on powering a 100 watt light bulb for four hours. The Steel Recycling Institute finds steel recycling saves the energy equivalent to that required to electrically power 18 million homes for a year. The amount of lost energy from throwing away recyclable commodities like aluminum cans and newspapers equates the annual output of 15 power plants.
A 2018 article published in The Guardian extends the call for better environmental policy to plastic’s relationship with human health. “In one study,” it reports, “95% of all adults tested in the US had known carcinogenic chemical bisphenol A in their urine. In another, 83% of samples of tap water tested in seven countries were found to contain plastic microfibers. A study published [in March of 2018] revealed plastics contamination in more than 90% of bottled-water samples, which were from 11 different brands.”
It goes on to say researchers are finding microplastics blown into the air from cars, construction sites, washing lines, food packaging, and textile manufacturing. Scientists, doctors and other professionals at the Common Seas agreed on the urgent health threat that plastics pose, speculating that if we eat, drink, and breathe these particles, they are likely to make their way into the bloodstream, lung tissue, and breast milk, and to lodge into the gut and respiratory systems. The flippant and irresponsible disposal of plastics into our waste bins and then landfill only worsens these severe health threats that already have much momentum because if not reused, more and more plastic particles will be churned into the environment to meet escalating demands.
The Guardian writes, “it is not enough to single out plastic bottles, coffee cups, or the microbeads found in cosmetics. We urgently need the government to form a comprehensive plastic action plan. Banning all plastic bags and single-use packaging would be a good start, but we need to go way beyond that. Plastic production has to be reduced, just as alternatives should be encouraged.” At present, there are recycling centers disbursed throughout our blocks, but the handful of people who know about them and actually make the trip is not enough to inch us toward healing our planet. Implementing recycling bins in the neighborhood would not mitigate the problem on its own either; but it would make a ripple in the massive effort toward combatting the worsening plastic and climate crisis. To continue dumping our recyclables in the garbage while shrugging and blithely lying to our kids about their being sorted by waste management is the willful ignorance that will only continue contaminating the air, water and our bodies; exacerbating the strain on our natural resources; and widening the gap between the wealthy and poor at an increasingly rapid pace.
I propose firstly offering our residents the opportunity to recycle conveniently with a separate bin designated to recyclable items. Also, I suggest providing a guide to each residence outlining everything classified as “recyclable” because few know it varies between municipalities and fewer know what is considered acceptable in their own. If it wasn’t enough to witness the harm our pollutants cause marine life, we now are too intimately aware of the threat it poses to our own health to continue our complacency. We have proved once these products are out of sight, they could very well end up coursing through our minds.
With his 12-1 upset in the 2021 Kentucky Derby Saturday at Churchill Downs, Medina Spirit became the latest winner of America’s most famous race to have ties to Los Alamitos.
Like Authentic, the 2020 Derby winner, Justify (2018), American Pharoah (2015) and California Chrome (2014) before him, Medina Spirit began preparing for his career at Los Alamitos.
The son of Protonico and the Brilliant Speed mare Mongolian Changa had his first nine official drills locally for Bob Baffert. Medina Spirit then began his racing career here, impressively capturing a 5 ½ furlong maiden contest last Dec. 11.
Baffert, who had much quarter horse success at Los Alamitos before he switched to thoroughbreds more than 30 years ago, has often praised the Los Alamitos surface – maintained by consultant Dennis Moore and superintendent Rick Hughes – since daytime thoroughbred racing returned in 2014. The Hall of Famer has said it is an ideal place to condition his young runners.
The Baffert-trained Authentic, who followed his Derby score with another in the Breeders’ Cup Classic to earn Horse of the Year honors, had 18 of his first 19 official drills locally between April 30-Oct. 9 in 2019.
Meanwhile, Justify, whose brief racing career for Baffert included a sweep of the Triple Crown, had his first seven recorded works in California at Los Alamitos between Dec. 4, 2017 and Jan. 15, 2018.
American Pharoah, who became the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years with his Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes victories in 2015, had his first seven official morning drills here May 15-June 29, 2014.
Of course, California Chrome, who was trained by Art Sherman, was stabled at Los Alamitos for most of his racing career, moving to Orange County after the closure of Hollywood Park.
Winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness during the first of his two Horse of the Year campaigns in 2014, California Chrome was based at Los Alamitos for all 11 of his graded stakes wins.
There are some other extremely talented stakes winners who either raced or trained at Los Alamitos.
Arrogate, the champion 3-year-old male of 2016 during a season that saw him capture both the Travers and Breeders’ Cup Classic, had his first 14 official works here and made his racing debut April 17, 2016 finishing a troubled third as the prohibitive favorite. The runner-up in the contest, which was won by Westbrook, was eventual 2018 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Accelerate.
The Baffert-trained West Coast had his first three drills at Los Alamitos in 2016 and went to win the Los Alamitos Derby the following year prior to victories in the Travers and Pennsylvania Derby. Those successes helped him earn the Eclipse Award as the champion 3-year-old male.
Daytime thoroughbred racing will return to Los Alamitos next month. The 2021 Summer meet will begin Friday, June 25. The seven-day season will continue through Monday, July 5.
The April Los Alamitos Chamber virtual meeting featured leaders from four local nonprofits and the American Cancer Society, speaking to the topic of, “Stronger Together: Business and Nonprofit Partnerships that Improve the Community.”
The speaker panel included: Kristyn Grime, American Cancer Society; Amy Lakin, Casa Youth Shelter; Blair Pietrini, Grateful Hearts; Theresa Murphy, Precious Life Shelter and Lina Lumme with The Youth Center.
“Our effort was to show business owners the benefit of supporting our local nonprofits,” said Chamber Chairperson Nesi Stewart. Each of the panelist were able to share how their organization made a difference in the local community by providing much-needed services, products and educational opportunities. They each also shared how they’ve coordinated and worked together.
Stewart said that many of the collaborative efforts have been made possible by the City of Los Alamitos through, “Serve Los Al.” “The committee, led by Emeline Noda with the Los Alamitos Recreation and Community Services Department, consists of numerous nonprofits, Los Alamitos Unified School District and service organizations. They meet monthly to discuss serving and service projects for Los Alamitos and surrounding communities.”
Ever wonder where your donated dollars go, and how they’re recycled back to the business community? Each of the presenters shared how donations support their programs to empower or aid their clients, which helps to feed, educate, heal, and/or be more effective in the community. The organizations are supported by employees or volunteers who shop and eat within the local community. Many times clients who receive assistance through the various programs are able to return to the community to work or volunteer. Also, the nonprofits use the services and products of local businesses. In addition, Blair Pietrini shared that her new restaurant, Pietrini Pizza Nepoletana, provides jobs in the city, and an opportunity for nonprofit fundraising. All of this recycles the dollars, that people donate, back to the local community.
Stewart said the panel was also asked to address what they have learned during the pandemic that’s useful to business owners. They each shared how resilience and being creative has led to successful events and fundraising and that having been forced to do things differently, just as business owners have, has lead to new and successful ideas.
The panel talked about how they see their nonprofit, the City, and business community working together for the good of all. “The City of Los Alamitos is very proud of its nonprofits, and continues to provide opportunities for the community, businesses and the City to collaborate. Los Alamitos is a great place to live, work, play and Volunteer,” Stewart concluded.
Let’s meet the panel members: Kristyn Grime is a Senior Development Manager at the American Cancer Society, Cancer.org. She serves as the primary relationship manager for targeted accounts and priority relationships in the Southern California area, being responsible for leveraging the relationships to achieve income and mission goals. She spent five-years fundraising in the non-profit industry and knows what truly drives relationships, successful events and reaching goals. Grime said she learned quickly that it’s not the event that makes success, it’s the relationship you build with people and the help you give them to be successful in their own goals. When she has time, she loves gardening in her backyard and going to Disneyland with her family.
Amy Lakin has served as executive director of Casa Youth Shelter, CasaYouthShelter.org, since 2016. She received a masters degree in education from Harvard in 2000, working with nonprofits for several years. After working in the private sector with an engineering company, she realized her true passion was with nonprofits, and said she enjoys working at Casa Youth Shelter where they are able to help one-youth-at-a-time. Lakin has a five-year-old son who just began playing Tee ball in Los Alamitos.
Grateful Hearts, GratefulHearts.org, was established as a community resource center by Blair Pietrini in December 1998 and was incorporated in 2000. While working in an accounting department of her local church for seven years, Pietrini said she was continuously receiving calls from people who were seeking assistance. As she heard the stories of single mothers who couldn’t provide food and other basic necessities for their children, she felt compelled to help the people. That’s how Grateful Hearts got started, through her desire to help the community, by hosting a canned food drive, which now serves up to 1,800 individuals per month through its Food Distribution Program.
Theresa Murphy began as a volunteer with the Precious Life Shelter, PreciousLifeShelter.org, in 1989; she became a member of the Board of Directors in 1990, followed by becoming Executive Director, President/CEO in 1994. In 1989 Precious Life had only six transitional beds; however, they have now expanded to having seven buildings, with a capacity to house 50-women and children, which includes permanent housing within Los Alamitos. Murphy is a Rossmoor resident; has four grown children, who all graduated from the Los Alamitos School District and she has seven grandchildren.
Lina Lumme was born and raised in Russia, where she received her Master’s Degree in Linguistics from Adyghe State University, in Maykop, Russia. Since immigrating to America in 2003, she has been involved with non-profit organizations, serving the local community. She not only speaks English, she is fluent in Russian and German as well. Lumme has served as the Executive Director/CEO of The Youth Center, TheYouthCenter.org, since January 2010. She has served on the Board of Directors of the Precious Life Shelter, Los Alamitos Education Foundation, P4S Family Resource Center and Rotary International of Los Alamitos/Seal Beach. When not at work, she enjoys spending time with her family.
The next monthly Los Alamitos Chamber meeting is set for Thursday, May 27, from 8 to 9 a.m. via Zoom; the speakers are Ashley Lopeztello who is a Human Resources Law Attorney with Carothers DiSante & Freudenberger, LLP and Chamber member Chuck Landon with Landon Human Resources Consulting. The topic will be: Changes in Labor Laws, Related to COVID-19. Please RSVP to in**@**********er.org
Chamber members: The Chamber office has a “Wall Of Cards” where members can place their business cards and brochures for other Chamber members and people in-and-around the City to stop by and spend a few minutes looking at the wall and taking business cards and brochures that fit their business needs.
The Youth Center announced today SA Recycling has contributed $5,000 towards their 2021 Annual Golf Tournament, making the full-service recycler the Title Sponsor of the event. The fundraising golf tournament will be held on Monday, July 12, 2021 at Rio Hondo Golf Club in Downey. It will be a day of camaraderie and fun on the greens, raising awareness and much needed funds to support program scholarships for at risk and disadvantaged youth in Los Alamitos and the surrounding community.
“SA Recycling is honored to present The Youth Center with this sponsorship, and we hope that it will help provide you with the resources you need to continue making a difference,” stated Jennifer Martinez, administrative assistant of public relations at SA Recycling. “We admire your work in the community and your diligent efforts to improve the youth of today,” she concluded.
The Youth Center’s Annual Golf Tournament will be a full day of activities starting with registration, a putting contest, complimentary lunch, followed by a shotgun tournament. The event will end with an awards ceremony at dinner, and a raffle and auction to support local youth.
“I have experienced first-hand with my children, the impact that The Youth Center programs had on their lives and the lives of their friends,” stated Arnie Fine, Youth Center board member and parent. “My children are successful because of The Youth Center and I am honored to Chair this event again this year and help raise funds for local youth that need us”.
Golf foursomes and youth golfers are encouraged to register by June 12 to enjoy early bird fees of $165 for adults and $135 for kids (fees will increase by $20 after June 12th). Not a golfer, but want to support at risk and disadvantaged kids in our community? The Youth Center is actively pursuing corporate sponsorships and in-kind donations for the raffle and silent auction, including golf merchandise and gift cards to local restaurants.
The Youth Center is a non-profit organization whose mission is to transform children’s lives one family at a time through collaborative social, educational and recreational programs. Since the birth of The Youth Center in 1952, The Youth Center has been honored to establish valuable partnerships within the community and acknowledges their critical importance in the organization’s current and future success. For additional information on The Youth Center, register for the tournament, or become a sponsor, please visit www.TheYouthCenter.org or call (562) 493-4043.
They’ve shared one campus and the same constituency for over 70 years and now they will be one organization. Unanimously passed by the boards of both agencies, Jewish Long Beach and the Barbara and Ray Alpert Jewish Community Center (AJCC) have voted to integrate, creating a single, seamless organization positioned to serve the Jewish and broader communities for generations to come.
“The integration process signals the dawn of an exciting and unprecedented new era for our Jewish community and its agencies,” said Jewish Long Beach CEO Zach Benjamin. “The Alpert JCC and Jewish Long Beach will become uniquely positioned to set and adjust community priorities designed to advance Jewish life in a manner that is not only deeply effective, but also efficient and sustainable for the long term.”
Their priorities are broad, including creating impact-driven programming, education, grant funding, leadership development, and advocacy opportunities.
Recent years have heralded much change inside the walls of the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg
Jewish Long Beach Campus.
“We’ve had these discussions over the years and amid the pandemic, it became very clear that this was the right decision for both organizations,” said Deborah Goldfarb who retired in 2019 as the CEO of the Jewish Federation and Jewish Community Foundation. She was recruited out of retirement in August of 2020 to serve as the interim executive director of the AJCC.
“We realize that this news will generate significant questions and curiosity,” Benjamin said. “Most importantly, the communities of Long Beach and West Orange County can continue to expect the same quality programming that they have always enjoyed from the AJCC. The primary differences will be in the efficiency with which our missions are carried out.”
To address all questions related to the coming together of these two iconic local Jewish institutions, Jewish Long Beach and the Alpert JCC invite the community to “Dream With Us” at a community-wide virtual town-hall meeting on Wednesday, May 5 at 7:00 p.m. At that meeting, they will unveil the integrated structure, mission and vision, and process for carrying out the consolidation of two long-standing agencies with distinct but complementary identities. Please register in advance for the town hall meeting http://bit.ly/JLBxAJCC .
Jewish Long Beach was formed through the merger of the Jewish Federation and Jewish Community Foundation of Long Beach and West Orange County. Deborah Goldfarb ushered in that change exactly as she was retiring after 14 years at the helm managing both the Federation and Foundation.
Jewish Long Beach can trace its roots to the 1929 creation of Jewish Welfare Funds that materialized across the country, largely in support of Jewish refugees fleeing persecution in Europe. The outflow of Jewish refugees reached its crescendo just after World War II, as the fledgling state of Israel welcomed Holocaust survivors and other Jews whose lives had been endangered by anti-Semitism. Today, Jewish Long Beach is a multifaceted agency that serves the Jewish and broader communities through strategic grant-making, advocacy, the development of emerging leaders, and stewardship of the community’s philanthropic funds. Jewish Long Beach manages over $30 million in assets and owns and operates the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Jewish Long Beach Campus.
The Barbara and Ray Alpert Jewish Community Center, originally the Long Beach Jewish Community Center, was established in August 1948 by action of Jewish Long Beach’s predecessor organization, the Long Beach Jewish Council.
St. Irenaeus Parish is offering an excellent opportunity to learn more about your retirement and wealth transfer strategies from award-winning speaker Van Mueller during a Webcast seminar on May 27 at 7 p.m.
It’s billed as Fraternal Benefit (Insurance) Night and a way for not only members of the St. Irenaeus’ Knights of Columbus Cypress Council 8599, but for any interested parishioners and residents to hear the nationally recognized Mueller explain and give tips for any Catholic family to plan for future retirement.
Mueller, a 48-year Insurance Agent Specialist has already brought his message to groups around the nation and world and is the recipient of numerous insurance industry top performance awards.
Council Grand Knight Rick Tkach further explains that many Knights already avail themselves of the Knights fraternal benefits but adds that the evening’s presentation is an opportunity for potential Knights to become either e-members or even full Council members of the historic Order. For more than 100 years, the fraternal benefits have been the cornerstone of the Knights of Columbus founded by Father Michael McGivney, to provide for the financial well-being of Catholic families.
Please register quickly for your spot on the webinar, and you will be emailed the proper link for the actual event. Again, that’s May 27 at 7 p.m. For further information, contact St. Irenaeus Grand Knight Rick Tkach (714) 829-7289.
