Dr. Randi Carp, who led the Los Alamitos High School choir program for 16 years, passed away on Wednesday, Jan. 6.
Carp succumbed to breast cancer after battling the disease for many years. Carp began her teaching career in 1975, and headed the LAHS choir program from 1992 to 2008.
Under Dr. Carp’s direction, the program grew to be nationally recognized as one of the finest programs in the country. Carp also taught locally at California State University, Fullerton and at the University of Southern California.
“Randi’s contributions as a choir director at Los Alamitos High School are legendary. She loved what she did and set high standards that brought out the best in her students. It was that passion and the belief in her students that made her one of the most beloved teachers at Los Al,” said current LAHS Choir Director David Moellenkamp.
“She impacted the lives of countless students during her time here and throughout her entire career. Her legacy will stand the test of time and will live on through the voices and the lives of all the students and parents she touched,” Mollenkamp said.
Among her many noteworthy accomplishments while at Los Alamitos, she took the Xpressions concert choir to London and won the Heritage Festival for Concert Choirs in 2004.
In 2005, she directed the school’s SoundFX choir as they became backup singers for former Styx lead singer Dennis DeYoung during a performance in Cerritos.
Carp also took three choirs to China to perform in Shanghai, Beijing, and the Great Wall of China in 2008 as part of a musical salute to the Olympics.
She was also named LAHS’s Teacher of the Year in 2005.
In 2008, she relocated to the East Coast where she remained active in choral music as a teacher and as a much sought after adjudicator and clinician. Services on the East Coast are pending, and a memorial concert is being planned locally, with details to be announced at a later date.
Randi is survived by her devoted husband Dave, father Jerry Carp, mother Carole Carp, brother Edward Carp, and sisters Wendy Carp Gallo and Sue Lowenthal, as well as a host of loving friends and appreciative students.
In lieu of flowers please donate to cancer.org.
Dr. Randi Carp, former Los Al choir director, passes away
Sewer project approved for Los Al/Rossmoor
The Board of Directors of the Rossmoor/Los Alamitos area Sewer District has recently approved a major Sewer Repair Project that will affect several locations in Rossmoor and Los Alamitos for the total cost of approximately one million dollars. The District manages and maintains the entire sewer system in Rossmoor, Los Alamitos, and the Rossmoor Shopping Center, and parts of Seal Beach and Cypress. The 55 linear mile long system of sewer mains is approximately 65 years old and is starting to show its age.
The Sewer District has a contractor who inspects and cleans the entire system annually. In a recent CCTV video of a portion of the system, the professional engineer who advises the district determined that many of the sections needed replacement, repairs or insertion of a new lining. The project will involve 18 locations, many of which are in the Rossmoor Highlands area on Rossmoor Way, Pine St., Reagan St. and Cherry St. The construction contractor, who has been selected by the Board, will post notices at all locations affected by the construction. The work will commence soon and will last approximately four months.
The current Board of Directors consists of Bill Poe, Joel Rattner, Jim Bell, Van Jew, and Linda Habermehl. Any questions about the project should be directed to the District General Manager, Susan Bell at 562-431-2223.
New Chamber of Commerce board
At its Networking Breakfast on Jan. 8, the Los Alamitos Chamber of Commerce inducted a new Board of Directors. Listed below is the new board: Chairman of the Board Ryan McLaughlin, First Vice Chairman, Budget & Finance Emil Jorge, Second Vice Chairman & Community Development Dave Boyer, Secretary
Dawnette Palmore, Past Chairman of the Board Josh Wilson, and Chief Executive Officer Johnnie Strohmyer. The next Chamber Networking Breakfast is on Feb. 5. District Superintendent Dr. Sherry Kropp will be the guest speaker.
Landry Fields’ jersey retired by Los Al High School
The Los Alamitos High School Basketball program recognized the 2006 CIF Basketball Championship team at a ceremony held in the Los Alamitos High School gym on Tuesday, Jan. 5.
Most of the team members and many of their families were present for the celebration, which included retiring the high school jersey of Landry Fields.
Current Head Coach, Eddie Courtemarche, served as the master of ceremony and described the achievements of that team, including how they worked together as a team, and embodied the essence of playing for teammates versus self, and their incredible run to the CIF title.
The coach of the CIF Champions, Russ May, also addressed the audience and shared his coaching experience and the tremendous talent and character his team had that has become the foundation of Los Alamitos basketball. Landry Fields, who was a member of the 2006 CIF Championship team, went on to play collegiate basketball at Stanford University where he had an excellent career. He was later drafted into the NBA where he has played for the New York Knicks and the Toronto Raptors. After a framed jersey that will be on permanent display in the school gym was presented to Mr. Landry, he addressed the audience and thanked his coaches, teammates, supporters, and family.
“It was a wonderful experience for all of us and heartwarming to hear Landry talk about the amazingly positive experience he had as a student at Los Alamitos High School,” said Superintendent Dr. Sherry Kropp.
Oxford beats rival, open league with 2-0 record
The Oxford Academy Lady Patriots girls basketball team began Academy League play this past week with road contests versus Sage Hill of Newport Coast and Whitney High of Cerritos.
The Lady Patriots were tested in both games but persevered and came out with victories in both games to start out League play with a 2-0 record.
This stretches the Lady Patriots overall win streak to six games and gives them an overall record on the season of 12-3 r, which is good enough to be ranked #3 in Division 5A of the CIF Southern section.
Against Sage Hill, the Lady Patriots girls basketball team had never beaten the Lightning’ at their gymnasium.
The Lady patriots finally broke the streak by winning 63-56 as the game was a tough fought battle at the Peter Ueberroth Gymnasium located on the Sage Hill campus in Newport Coast.
The game initially looked to be a cake walk for Oxford as the team jumped out to a 14-1 lead with 9 of the points coming from Center Austyn Masuno.
But Sage Hill fought back and used an aggressive defense to create turnovers and go on 17-3 run to take an 18-17 lead midway through the 2nd quarter.
Oxford responded with a 9-0 run sparked by 8 points from Guard Angie Gagnon and the Lady Patriots went into halftime with a 30-24 lead.
In the 2nd half, Sage Hill went to a full court press to put additional pressure on the Lady Patriot ball handlers.
The tactic backfired on the Lightning as Oxford Guards Mylee Madrazo and Sophia Chan effectively broke the press and found ways to get the ball down low to Power Forward Ashleigh Perez.
Perez converted four layups catapulting Oxford to a commanding 47-33 lead to end the 3rd quarter.
However, Sage Hill wasn’t done as the Lightning came storming back behind sisters Kenna and Kerry Knollenberg who scored 11 and 10 points in the 4th quarter, respectively. Sage was able to whittle the Oxford lead down to 59-56 with 30 seconds remaining. But the Lady Patriots held on and hit some clutch late free throws to hold on to a 63—56 victory.
Oxford Academy was led by Austyn Masuno who finished with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Angie Gagnon had a career high game scoring 18 points and grabbed 7 rebounds.
Ashley Perez scored 14 points and all in the last 10 minutes of the game. Mylee Madrazo kick started the Lady Patriot offensive attack by dishing out a team high 6 assists.
On Friday night, the Lady Patriots went back on the road to take on their fiercest academic and athletic rival, Whitney High of Cerritos, who Oxford had not beaten in 5 years.
The gymnasium was packed with students and alumni who came back to celebrate Homecoming and it made for a lively environment for the home team Wildcats
To start the game, Oxford didn’t seem intimidated by the large opposing crowd or impacted by their recent lack of success versus Whitney as the Lady Patriots took a 16-4 lead with 2 minutes left in the 1st quarter.
Whitney struggled with Oxford’s full court press resulting in transition baskets.
But the Wildcats settled down and with the crowd support rallied back using double teams on defense to frustrate the Lady Patriots who didn’t score a FG for next 10 minutes.
In fact, Oxford who averages over 56 points a game managed to score only 2 points in the 2nd quarter.
Whitney was powered by Nicole Lee scoring 11 first half points and from 6 rebounds from freshman Justine Wu.
The Wildcats went on a 21- 2 run to finish with a 25-18 lead at halftime leaving the Lady Patriots stunned.
In the second half, Whitney’s opening possession resulted in a Justine Wu three point basket to stretch the Wildcats lead to 10 points.
Oxford continued to struggle to score and only managed 6 points in the 3rd quarter.
Wu converted another 3 point basket late in the quarter and Whitney maintained a commanding 31-24 advantage to end the 3rd quarter.
Oxford was in unfamiliar territory as this was only the 2nd time in 14 games this season that the Lady Patriots started the 4th quarter from behind.
Coach David Clifton made adjustments including installing a 4 guard line up to pressure Whitney’s perimeter game and to spread the floor on offense for the Lady Patriots.
The additional guard on the floor was junior Celine Tran who sparked the defense and the Oxford held Whitney to a single field goal in the 4th quarter.
The small line up also opened up the inside for freshman center Austyn Masuno who immediately went to work and scored 4 quick points.
Then on Oxford’s next possession, Angie Gagnon hit a 3 point shot to cap a 7-1 run and close the Wildcat lead to 32-31 with 4 minutes left.
Whitney managed to score 2 free throw to go back up 34-31, but Tran making the most of her minutes drilled a baseline jumper to cut the lead to 34-33.
This was followed by 4 more points from Masuno to cap an Oxford 6-2 run giving the Lady Patriots a 37-33 lead.
But Whitney wasn’t done yet as freshman Christine Hamakawa drilled a 3 pointer with 10 seconds left to cut the lead to 37-36.
In desperation the Wildcats had to foul Masuno who calmly converted a one and one and the bonus to close out the game and securing a 39-36 victory for the Lady Patriots.
Top scores in the game for Oxford were Austyn Masuno with 18 points, while Angie Gagnon 9 points by converting three 3 point baskets.
Whitney was led by 16 points from Nicole Lee while Justine Wu contributed 9 points.
Whitney has dominated the Academy League over the past 7 years winning 5 league titles and in four of those years the team was undefeated in league.
Despite the loss to Oxford, the Wildcats are still expected to be near the top of the league and can revenge their loss as the teams meet up again on Thursday Jan. 28 at the Oxford Gymnasium.
Council to discuss parking regulations
All day street parking has become the preferred choice for employees in the commercial area of Old Town East and the Medical Center area. Los Alamitos is taking steps toward management of its existing parking availability. The Los Alamitos City Council will be discussing proposed parking regulations at their meeting on Jan. 19. at 6 p.m. For more information, call Steven Mendoza at 562-431-3538 ext. 300, or email smendoza@cityoflosalamitos.org.
Southland, Griffins Grill support Matt Herrick
Are you excited for the NFL Playoffs? Come out to Griffins Grill on Saturday, Jan.16 to watch the games and enjoy delicious food and drinks. 20 percent of all sales all day will support the Los Alamitos Education Foundation (LAEF). In addition, the Southland Credit Union Cash Booth will be at Griffins Grill and everyone is invited to grab some cash. All you need to do is make a $20 donation to LAEF and you will get 15 seconds in the booth to grab as much cash as you can, which will be yours to keep. Proceeds from this event will support Matt Herrick’s campaign for King of Hearts.
Southland Credit Union has generously sponsored the Los Alamitos Education Foundation (LAEF) King and Queen of Hearts campaign at the Archduke level of $5,000 for two years running. LAEF is tremendously grateful to Southland for their support of education in our community. Proceeds from this campaign support STEAM Fairs on all district campuses as well as the district-wide STEAM Showcase on May 21. STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math.
Matt Herrick, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Southland Credit Union, has joined LAEF’s Royal Court as a candidate for King of Hearts. Matt is also the co-owner of Griffins Grill restaurant in Los Alamitos. Matt is a resident of Rossmoor and has a son who is in 7th grade at Oak Middle School. He is very appreciative of how our district is educating and empowering his son and is pleased to give back by running for King of Hearts.
Southland Credit Union is a not-for-profit banking institution founded in 1936. It is one of the top performing Credit Unions in the country with 55,000 member-owners and over $575 million in assets. Headquartered in Los Alamitos, Southland supports many local charities and events, including the Los Alamitos Race on the Base, Los Alamitos Winter Wonderland at the Plaza and the Seal Beach Christmas Parade. Southland Members benefit from a full spectrum of competitive banking products, convenience, and exceptional service with nationwide access. Membership to Southland Credit Union is open to anyone who lives, works, worships or attends school in Orange County or the surrounding communities.
For more information on Southland Credit Union, visit their Los Alamitos Branch at 10701 Los Alamitos Blvd. or www.SouthlandCU.org.
LAEF is the non-profit partner of Los Alamitos Unified School District. LAEF enhances educational excellence in our community by providing after-school and summer enrichment programs to Pre-K to 12th grade students. For additional information on LAEF, please call (562) 799-4700 x80424 or visit www.LAEF4kids.org. To learn more about the King and Queen of Hearts campaign, visit www.LAEF4kids.org/kingandqueen.
Interactive science museum at CSULB
A group of Weaver students spent their winter break visiting the Science Learning Center at CSULB. This little known “hands-on” museum encourages personal discovery through direct physical contact with exhibits. The kids received a personal tour from Director Jim McKibben and got the opportunity to touch dinosaur dung, play with a snake, make their hair stand up with static electricity, and see an underwater vehicle used to monitor sharks. 
Act of kindness goes a long way
About a month ago, I shared with my 4th grade class that our local Joint Forces Training Base deployed 900 California Army National Guard soldiers overseas and my students decided to write them thank-you letters.
The students also learned that soldiers needed gummy bears, toothbrushes and toothpaste as they are being sent to a place where there is no store, no restaurants, and very little personal supplies.
The class decided to try and make treat bags for as many soldiers as they could. We discussed how to raise the money to do this and it was agreed that the students had to earn the money for whatever they wanted to send. Nothing had been set in stone but it was decided to put a pay-it-forward plan together in the next few days.
That same night, one of my students went home and had a lemonade stand. He earned enough money to buy two bags of gummy bears and brought them in the next day. It brought tears to my eyes to think that a 10-year old took the initiative to do something so kind for someone he will never meet. The next day, more students earned money to buy treats for the troops and thus began the letter writing/care package campaign. I shared the story with one of the soldiers from our base, who is also a Los Angeles County firefighter, and the story spread like a wildfire among department. More and more people began to hear the story of the “kid who started the lemonade stand for the soldiers” and they wanted to do something to help out our campaign.
Word began to spread about what our class was doing and the whole school ended up wanting to participate. Each class has been writing letters and gathering donations to reach the goal of 900 letters and 900 bags for local soldiers. The whole process has been overwhelming as we have had many groups call and offer to donate to the campaign.
Recently, the JFTB sent some of their soldiers to pick up the letters and donations. The Los Angeles County Fire Department also sent a fire truck to take items to their museum as we have received so many donations and needed a central location to take our treats. They will be packed up and sent on Jan. 9 and we will have many students and community members making up the boxes to ship.
There are so many other small moments to add to this story but it truly has been amazing to watch this whole idea unfold. It has become bigger than I ever imagined and it has reassured me that the youth of our community understand that no matter how much you have or don’t have, you always have something to give to others.
Great end to the year for Los Al
The end of 2015 was an exciting time for the Los Alamitos boys soccer program. All teams were busy with their last tournament play before the Sunset League games kick off Jan. 6.
Teams were still in the process of developing team chemistry for the upcoming whirlwind season that challenges the body as well as the mind with two league games a week through the end of the season.
Los Alamitos was entered in the So Cal High School Classic for the second year in a row. The tournament is a true showcase tournament in the top National division, which includes several top 10 teams in Cathedral, Servite, St. John Bosco, Richmond (Northern California), Loyola, Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) and Brophy College Prep out of Phoenix, A.Z. The competition was top of the line and all games were competitive with each goal being crucial to the advancement out of pool play.
Los Alamitos played Servite to a 2-2 draw where a 2-1 lead slipped away with less than 90 seconds remaining in the opening game match. The second match was against Cathedral Catholic which resulted in a 1-0 contest that was not that close. The final game in pool play was against Richmond and was one of the “lopsided” matches of the tournament with a 3-1 victory as the team generated many opportunities with only 3 resulting in points on the board.
With a 2-0-1 record resulting in 22 points and Servite also having the same record and number of points, the tie breaker was Goals Against which with Los Alamitos giving up 3 and Servite giving up 4, Los Alamitos was the number one team coming out of pool “A” play to come out to face the number 2 team from Pool “B.” The semi-final was an exciting match with Brophy College Prep. The game was a tight contest that could not be resolved in 80 minutes of regulation but had to add two potential 10 minute overtime periods to find a winner.
The Golden Goal came in the first overtime period on a throw in from the Los Al side of the field to midfield where Kevin Herring passed the ball up to Julian Guerrero who took the ball closer to the net and placed the ball perfectly away from the keeper for the winning goal. The play was controversial as the throw in by Senior Adam Havstad had a Brophy player foul Adam and the Center Ref called advantage while warning the player but let play continue. That resulted in a wild victory celebration with Senior Julian Guerrero racing to show his excitement on the pitch.
The Wednesday night victory allowed Los Alamitos to represent Pool “A” in the Final against one of the top soccer programs in California, Cathedral Catholic from Los Angeles.
The 9 a.m start meant both teams had to deal with endurance and stamina issues as it would be the fifth game in four days for both programs and the intense play at this level resulted in a lot of aches, pains, cramps and sprained ankles. Several of the Los Alamitos players were barely able to walk after the game and as the grind from the previous games mounted, it became obvious, the players would suck it up and leave everything on the field for the chance to bring home the championship.
The game was an even match all the way and the winning goal came off a Adam Havstad throw in that Julian Guerrero was able to tip and alter the path of the ball just over the reach of a crashing keeper and into the goal with a defender desperately reaching to keep the ball out. Both teams put some nice plays and attempts at the goal but with Senior Alec Lazer making several key saves, the victory was Los Al’s to celebrate and hoist the trophy presented to them for their outstanding team effort and accomplishment.
The 2016 season is geared to be another exciting and successful run by the Griffins as they challenge to bring the Sunset League title back to Los Alamitos and build on last year’s deep run in the third round of the CIF Playoffs.
Safety is top priority for Los Al Unified
As we begin a new year, the Board of Education, Dr. Barke, David Boyer, Meg Cutuli, Diana Hill, and Karen Russell, have continued to make student/school safety a top priority. The Board works diligently with all stakeholder groups to improve programs, stay abreast of best practices, implement new procedures, and provide education opportunities. The Director of Safety, Chris Vlasic, regularly interfaces with law enforcement and city and county officials to improve safety measures in and around our schools.
In the past two years, Los Alamitos Unified has made many improvements. There is a Los Alamitos Police Officer serving as a School Resource Officer at Los Alamitos High School, financially supported by the Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, and the District. Safe school assessments, in collaboration with law enforcement, were completed at all sites, resulting in updated Comprehensive Safe School Plans. A Crisis Response Team meets regularly, and we are creating a new Emergency Operation Center.
Education is a critical part of safety. Several workshops have been conducted for parents and staff, and practice drills are regularly scheduled at all sites in order to prepare students and staff for emergencies. All sites receive annual training regarding violent intruder protocols. Automated External Defibrillators have been installed across the District, first-aid and search and rescue equipment has been updated at all sites, and first-aid and CPR training are provided on an annual basis.
Much work has begun regarding safe routes to School. The School District is soliciting data from families and working with Cities and Orange County Public Works for recommendations. We have additional cross walks and crossing guards for all of our elementary and middle schools. We lowered the cost of transportation and have more than doubled the number of students riding a bus to school, which dramatically improves traffic in and around our schools. And, we have made site improvements with parking, red curbs, etc. to improve traffic flow and student safety.
Part of student safety includes our ongoing work with our Substance Abuse Prevention, Bullying Prevention, and Violence Prevention and Response Task Forces, as well as our Internet Safety Program. Regularly student education and activities, such as Red Ribbon Week, help teach students the importance of physical and emotional health. Recent parent education evenings have focused on cyber safety and mental health.
Some additional improvements include the following:
• Keys in knox boxes at all sites
• Protective window film on all windows
• Lock Blocks on all doors
• Numbers on buildings and roofs
• Training for all campus supervisors
• Visitor Management System installed district-wide
• Improved fencing
The District remains steadfast in our commitment to providing unlimited possibilities for our students, which can only happen when students are and feel safe and secure at school.
Griffins turned away by Edison in league opener
The Los Alamitos High girls soccer team had been on a roll heading into Sunset League play. They had won the Mater Dei Invitational and defeated the No. 1 ranked team in the county, in Santa Margarita.
However, the road through the Sunset League is rarely without bumps and Edison provided an early bump for the Griffins as the Chargers held off the Griffins 1-0, in the league opener for both teams on Thursday at Edison.
“While our league campaign did not begin the way we would have liked, the girls expect to continue to improve our play as league play continues,” Head Coach Mossy Kennedy said.
After a win over Foothill and tie against Long Beach Wilson, to open the Mater Dei Premier Invitational, the Griffins won three straight to capture the title of the prestigious tournament. Carley Brown scored the game-winner in a 1-0 victory over Long Beach Poly in the final.
The Griffins followed their tournament run with a 2-0 win over Santa Margarita, which had just been ranked No. 1 in the county rankings.
Randi Geffrey and Mo Ponce each had a goal in the win over the Eagles. Goalkeeper Taylor Vanis had four saves in the shutout.
The Griffins had two ties and a win in the Excalibur Tournament before starting league play. The Griffins will hosted Fountain Valley on Tuesday and will be at Newport Harbor on Thursday Jan. 14 at 5 p.m. They will host Huntington Beach on Jan. 18 at 5 p.m.
Griffin boys split league openers
The Los Alamitos High boys soccer team opened Sunset League play with a 2-0 win over Marina, but were shutout by Edison, 3-0, last week.
Louie Arrelano and Brian Chung each had a goal in the win over Marina.
The win over Marina was the sixth consecutive victory for the Griffins, who are 10-2-5 overall and 1-1 in league play.
The Griffins play at Fountain Valley today at 3 p.m. and will host Newport Harbor on Friday at 5 p.m.
Kobe Bryant: The Black Mamba lives
When Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers went to the mat against the Boston Celtics for the NBA championship, the onus was on the Orange County resident to dig deep to help the Purple and Gold pull off winning their 16th league title.
Oxford Academy defeats Sage Hill and rival Whitney High
The Oxford Academy Lady Patriots girls basketball team began Academy League play this past week with road contests versus Sage Hill of Newport Coast and Whitney High of Cerritos. The Lady Patriots were tested in both games but persevered and came out with victories in both games to start out league play with a 2-0 mark. This stretches the Lady Patriots’ win streak to six games and gives them an overall record on the season of 12-3 record, which is good enough to be ranked No. 3 in Division 5A of the CIF Southern Section. On Friday night, the Lady Patriots went on the road to take on their fiercest academic and athletic rival, Whitney High of Cerritos, who Oxford had not beaten in five years. The gymnasium was packed with students and alumni who came back to celebrate homecoming and it made for a lively environment for the home team Wildcats. To start the game, Oxford didn’t seem intimidated by the large opposing crowd or impacted by their recent lack of success versus Whitney as the Lady Patriots took a 16-4 lead with two minutes left in the first quarter as Whitney struggled with Oxford’s full court press resulting in transition baskets. But the Wildcats settled down and with the crowd support rallied back using double teams on defense to frustrate the Lady Patriots who didn’t score a field goal over the next 10 minutes. In fact, Oxford who averages over 56 points a game, managed to score just two points in the second quarter. Whitney was powered by Nicole Lee scoring 11 first half points, and was able to get six rebounds from freshman Justine Wu. The Wildcats went on a 21- 2 run to finish up with a 25-18 lead at halftime. The Lady Patriots were stunned. In the second half, Whitney’s opening possession resulted in a Wu three-point basket to stretch the Wildcats’ lead to 10 points. Oxford continued to struggle to score and only managed six points in the third quarter. Wu converted another three- point shot late in the quarter as Whitney maintained a commanding 31-24 advantage to end the period. Oxford was in unfamiliar territory as this was only the second time in 14 games this season that the Lady Patriots started the fourth quarter from behind. Coach David Clifton made adjustments including installing a four-guard line up to pressure Whitney’s perimeter game and to spread the floor on offense for the Lady Patriots. The additional guard on the floor was junior Celine Tran who sparked the defense and the Oxford held Whitney to a single field goal in the fourth quarter. The small lineup also opened up the inside for freshman center Austyn Masuno, who immediately went to work and scored four quick points. Then on Oxford’s next possession, Angie Gagnon hit a 3-point shot to cap a 7-1 run and close the Wildcat lead to 32-31 with four minutes left. Whitney managed to score two free throws to go back up 34-31, but Tran making the most of her minutes drilled a baseline jumper to cut the lead to 34-33. This was followed by four more points from Masuno to cap off a 6-2 Oxford run giving the Lady Patriots a 37-33 lead. But Whitney wasn’t done yet as freshman Christine Hamakawa drilled a 3-pointer with 10 seconds left to cut the lead to 37-36. In desperation, the Wildcats had to foul Masuno, who calmly converted a one and one and the bonus to close out the game and secure a 39-36 victory for the Lady Patriots. Top scores in the game for Oxford were Austyn Masuno with 18 points, while Angie Gagnon scored nine points. Whitney was led by Nicole Lee, who scored 16 points. Justine Wu contributed nine points. Whitney has dominated the Academy League over the past seven years, winning five league titles. In four of those years, the Wildcats went undefeated in league play. Despite the loss to Oxford, the Wildcats are still expected to be near the top of the league and can make up for the loss as the teams meet up again on Thursday, Jan. 28 at Oxford.
Maderas serves holiday meals
One-hundred-thirty meals were served to homeless veterans on Christmas day at Maderas restaurant in Los Alamitos. Art Garcia, owner of Maderas, said he expected veterans to attend but this year’s number exceeded those expectations “I am always unable to [know who will attend], but not only did we get to 120 meals but we served an additional 10,” said Garcia. “Thank you to all the volunteers and donors. Today, we were blessed by God’s love. Bellies and hearts were filled. To veterans: we love you and we are so grateful for your service!” Maderas served Christmas meals to 45 local homeless men and woman veterans, Wounded Warriors, and single veterans with no place to go on Christmas Day. In addition, 80 meals were delivered to the VA Long Beach Healthcare Facility. Maderas restaurant is located at 3642 Katella Ave.
Photo by Tanya Pham
Bright holidays for a family in need
Much to the surprise of one local family in need, The Youth Center in Los Alamitos made the holidays a little brighter by arranging for a monetary donation and Christmas tree this year.
Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous Youth Center supporter, grandmother and sole guardian Barbara Hallberg, 82, of Garden Grove, and her grandson, Hunter Rakutt, 11, who attends The Youth Center’s After School Program, had a brighter holiday season with a surprise delivery of a Christmas tree from the Youth Center’s annual tree lot and a gift of $200 for their little family.
“The donation and tree made our Christmas,” said Hallberg.
“We didn’t have any presents, we have no family to be with, and it helped. You made a little boy very happy.”
The money helped Hunter with long pants and a coat for the cold weather when he walks to the bus stop.
He also got shoes and socks plus a couple of video games, and a charger for a laptop his aunt bought for him.
“These things were so important to him,” said Hallberg. “The donation went really far as I’m a really good shopper.”
This year, they celebrated with a gorgeous, real tree with red lights. Hunter was so excited he ran to a bag of gray and silver bulbs they got from Goodwill. “It was all the tree ornaments we had. We had nothing to celebrate Christmas with except a hand-carved wooden manger scene that says, ‘He (Jesus) is the gift,’” she continued.
Hallberg went on to say that the Youth Center has transformed her grandson’s life of disappointment of not having his parents in his life, to one of purpose and meaning.
“Hunter hasn’t heard from his father in several years and his mother hasn’t been in his life for years as well,” she explained. “We live on my Social Security and two very small pensions.”
“People like all the workers at the Youth Center, who know about his disappointments, work with him, and have made a huge difference in his life,” she continued.
”Their kindness and understanding have enriched his life and the lives of other children. They have changed Hunter’s life, and it’s helping him to get ahead in life. He’s a very smart boy.”
She recommends anyone who has a school age child to send their kids to the Youth Center, as it’s helped Hunter to get ahead in life.
“The workers at the Youth Center are not there because of the salary,” she said. “They are there because they care about the kids.”
Griffins make statement in win over Orange Lutheran
With Sunset League play arriving quickly, the Los Alamitos boys basketball team certainly looked ready last week, in a win over Orange Lutheran. The Griffins pulled away in the final minutes for a 72-61 win over the Lancers in the Orange County North/South Challenge last week at El Toro High. Senior guard EyassuWorku led the Griffins win 35 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Senior guard Pepe Garcia had 21 points, including five three-pointers and also added four rebounds. Orange Lutheran had opened at No. 3 in the Orange County rankings, while the Griffins were No. 4. In the CIF rankings, the Lancers were the No. 1 team in the 4AA rankings and Los Alamitos is No. 15 in Division 1AA. It was a win that the Griffins can certainly use as momentum heading into the second half of the season. “Hopefully we can build off of this,” Griffins Coach Eddie Courtemarche said. The Griffins had a quick start against Orange Lutheran and an early lead in the game. But Orange Lutheran soon closed the gap and the game was tight into the fourth quarter. The Griffins took a 56-51 lead at the end of the third quarter on a rare five-point play. Tied at 51-51, Worku drove across the key and was fouled as he scooped a shot up for a basket. Orange Lutheran was also issued a technical foul and Worku hit all three free throws to extend the lead. Orange Lutheran would rally in the fourth to take a 57-56 lead, after Ty Lassiter dropped in a high-arc bank shot. Worku responded with a baseline driving layup to regain the lead, 58-57. After the Lancers regained the lead 59-58, the Griffins went on a 14-0 run to seal the win. “I think this was probably the toughest game on our schedule,” Worku said. Drew Platt scored an open layup after Connor Laines drove the baseline and dished a pass to Platt under the basket, for a 64-59 lead. Garcia followed with a baseline jumper that pushed the lead to 66-59 with 1:40 left in the game. The Griffins hit six free throws down the stretch as the Lancers were forced to foul to try to rally. The defense kept the Lancers at bay. Platt was key in slowing Lancer power forward Kavaughn Scott, who led the Lancers with 19 points, in final minutes to shore up the defense. The Griffins also prevented second chances. “I think we got some key rebounds that we didn’t get in the first half,” Courtemarche said of the late-game stand. The Griffins had one more tough tournament on their schedule at the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic, starting on Dec. 26. They will host their home-opener at 7 p.m. on Jan. 5 against Buena Park and will start league play on Jan. 8 at home against Edison.
Adidas Cerritos hosts Boys & Girls Club of Cypress
On Thursday, Dec.10, 25 lucky Boys & Girls Club of Cypress members were selected to visit the Adidas store at Los Cerritos Center for a special holiday shopping spree. The members were selected based off of their overall improvement since beginning at the club, as well as for displaying outstanding behavior and citizenship. This event was one of eight across the nation during this holiday season. Each child received $125 to spend at the Adidas store, as well as a gift bag filled with a variety of Adidas apparel.
Oxford Academy wins first basketball tournament in school history
The Oxford Academy Lady Patriots girlsbasketball team finished in first at the Liberty Christian Winter Showcase tournament which occurred Dec. 18-21.The tournament championship was Oxford’s first ever in basketball for either the boys or girls team in the fifteen year history of the school. Oxford won 4 games in the Liberty Christian tournament and improved their record to 9-3 and helped catapult the team to a #3 rank team in the CIF Southern Section Division 5AA. “It feels great to earn the first basketball championship for the school and start to get some recognition for our accomplishments, but right now it’s time to enjoy the holidays then start to get ready for Academy League play on Jan. 5th,” Oxford Coach David Clifton said. The Liberty Christian tournament featured some of the top teams from Division 4A – 5AA including undefeated Rock Academy of San Diego, plus Academy League rivals Calvary Chapel Downey and Brethren Christian. Two weeks ago the Lady Patriots finished 2-2 in the Ocean View tournament while battling big South Orange County schools El Toro, Irvine, El Modena and Dana Hills. Oxford’s strong showing at Ocean View gave the team confidence going into the Liberty Christian tournament as the Lady Patriots would be paired up against schools similar in class.Going into the tournament, The Lady Patriots offense has been clicking with the team averaging 56 points a game, while defensively they have averaged holding opponents to fewer than 46 points a game. In the first game, Oxford met up with The Rock Academy from San Diego who came in with a record of 5-0.The game was tight as The Rock held Oxford’s front court to 5 points, but the Lady Patriots still managed to lead at halftime 23-21.In the 3rd quarter, Oxford broke the game open with tough defense leading to transitions baskets and outscored The Rock 15-3 in the quarter.Oxford coasted the rest of the way ending with a 46-36 victory. The difference in the game was tough defense that limited The Rocks playmaking opportunities.Jessica Pham provided a defensive spark off the bench for the Lady Patriots and they also got solid defensive efforts from Debrah Graver who secured some key rebounds early in the game, Sophia Chan with 6 steals and Serena Ing who had 3 steals.The Lady Patriots had balanced offense output led by Angie Gagnon who led all scorers with14 points,Austyn Masuno scored 12 points and gathered 13 rebounds,Sophia Chan had 11 points, andMylee Madrazo scored 8 and dished out 4 assists. Next up for the Lady Patriots was Academy League rival Calvary Chapel Downey.Oxford came out strong right out of the gate and took a first quarter lead of 22-10.Austyn Masuno was on fire as she scored 10 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, had 4 steals and dished out 2 assists in the first quarter alone.Masuno ended up with a game high 23 points for the contest and the Lady Patriots downed the Grizzlies 50-24.Sophia Chan added some strong perimeter shooting and knocked down 3 – three point shots and finished the game with 11 points, while adding 4 assists to her stat line. Point Guard Mylee Madrazo scored 10 points and also had a huge contribution on defense where she had a game high 9 steals for the Lady Patriots.Oxford got solid front court play from Claire Alcanar who grabbed some important boards and from Debrah Graver who pulled in another 6 rebounds for the Lady Patriots. In the 3rd game, Oxford met up with Connolly, the college prep Catholic high school for girls in Anaheim.The Lady Patriots dominated from start to finish and beat the Koalas 59-21 and earned a berth into the tournaments championship game.Connolly had no answer for Austyn Masuno who scored 26 points and had 12 rebounds. SophiaChan scored 12 and had 8 steals.MyleMadrazo had a balance stat line scoring 6 points, grabbing 4 rebounds and dishing out 4 assists.Both Debrah Graver and Jocelyn Lopez kept the Koalas off the boards and picked up 6 rebounds each. In the championship game, Oxford paired up again against Rock Academy.Mylee Madrazo was a spark plug that got the Lady Patriots going as she scored 7 of the team’s first 10 points as Oxford jumped out to a 16-4 point lead at the end of the first quarter.The Rock Academy was focused on stopping center Austyn Masuno via physical defense and held her scoreless in the first quarter. The Rock got back into the game and outscored Oxford 18-12 in the 2nd quarter as the Lady Patriots turned the ball over 9 times allowing the Warriors to close the lead to 28-22 at halftime.In the 2nd half, Oxford played solid basketball and limited their turnovers to just 3 and Masuno took over the game.She went to the line 15 times and made 11 and ended the game with 21 points.Madrazo added the knockout blow scoring six 4th quarter points to finish off the Warriors 52-42, and launching the Lady Patriots to their first ever tournament championship. Madrazo earned player of the game honors with her outstanding stat line of 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, plus she played stifling defense against The Rock backcourt. In the 3rd place game, Connelly took on Calvary Chapel Downey and the game was tight as it was tied at 33 after the 3rd quarter.However, in the first 90 seconds of the fourth quarter, Connelly went off on an 8-0 run and The Koalas never looked back as they outscored the Grizzlies 18-6 in the 4th to earn a 51-39 victory and finished in 3rd place. Winter Showcase Top Performers Over the four game tournaments, Oxford averaged scoring over 52 points a game.Center Austyn Masuno averaged 20 points and 12 rebounds. Point guardMylee Madrazo averaged 10 points and 3 assists.Sophia Chan dropped 9 points a game and averaged 6 steals.Angie Gagnon averaged 7 points a game and had six 3 points field goals.Jocelyn Lopez averaged 4 points and gathered 6 rebounds a game. Oxford Academy is now 9-3 on the season and will be back in action when Academy League starts on Jan. 5.The Lady Patriots travel to Newport Coast to take on the Sage Hill Lightning at 6p.m. Oxford Academy Lady Patriots Basketball Enter Academy League Riding High Oxford Academy Lady Patriots Girls Basketball competes in the Academy League, which is made up of college prep schools and includes Oxford Academy, Whitney (Cerritos), Sage Hill (Newport Coast), CreenLutheren (Irvine), St. Margarets (San Juan Capistrano), Brethren Christian (Huntington Beach), and Calvary Chapel Downey.Oxford only won 6 games last year but the team is off to a great start this year and believes they can compete for a league title, something the school has not won in its fifteen year history.
Change of command at JFTB
Artillery fire filled the air during the 79th Sustainment Support Command’s change of command ceremony held Saturday, Dec. 5 at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos. Lt. Gen. Jeffrey W. Talley, commanding general of the nearly 200,000 U.S. Army Reserve forces, officiated the ceremony.
Maj. Gen. Mark W. Palzer assumed command of the 79th SSC from the outgoing commander Maj. Gen. Megan P. Tatu.
“There is no better leader for this command than Mark Palzer,” said Tatu during her farewell speech. “He brings great energy and enthusiasm.”
Palzer recently served as the Director for Logistics Operations for the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington, DC and is a New Jersey native. Tatu is a Southern California native with more than 30 years of active and reserve service. She will be reassigned as the chief of staff for Lt. Gen. Talley at United States Army Reserve Command in Fort Bragg, N.C.
The 79th SSC’s change of command ceremony included a salute battery by Bravo Battery, 143rd Field Artillery and ceremonial music by the 300th U.S. Army Band. Talley serves as the 32nd Chief, Army Reserve and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Reserve Command (USARC).
Hundreds of local Soldiers, as well as state, national and local government and civic leaders attended the event.
The 79th SSC, which is headquartered at Los Alamitos, is subordinate to USARC and executes command and control of the 4th, 311th, 364th, and 451st Expeditionary Sustainment Commands. These Brig. Gen. level commands account for approximately 19,000 Army Reserve Soldiers and Civilians assigned to 209 Sustainment units dispersed across 19 states west of the Mississippi River. Soldiers representing these units participated in this change of command ceremony based upon the tradition started by General George Washington when our nation was founded.
The 79th SSC traces its lineage as a combat infantry division dating back to World War I. The 79th Infantry Division was established in August, 1917, and immediately saw extensive combat in the Meuse-Argonne area where it earned the name of the “Cross of Lorraine Division” for the defense of France.
The division inactivated in June, 1919 and returned to the United States. The division again activated for WWII in June, 1942. After training in the United Kingdom from April 17, 1944, the 79th Infantry Division landed on Utah Beach, Normandy, June 12-14 and entered combat June 19, 1944.
For more information please contact Lt. Col. Bettina K. Avent, 79th SSC Public Affairs Officer, at bettina.k.avent.mil@mail.mil or 1-562-936-7663 / 7660 or cell 1-562-343-3349.