A benefit Veterans Honor Ride with 130 motorcycle riders organized by the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Association of the U.S. Army and the American Legion Post 716 was recently held on Sunday, Nov. 8 at the Joint Forces Training Base (JFTB) in Los Alamitos.
The ride helped to fund improvements to Veterans Services Center’s infrastructure and services, including at the JFTB, and is a call to action to honor local military at the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station as well for their extraordinary sacrifices over the last 13 years of war.
Local dignitaries present included Asssemblywoman Young Kim, Los Alamitos Councilman Dean Grosse, the California State Commander for Disabled Veterans Jim Torres, and the California Highway Patrol to name just a few.
It provided an opportunity for citizens along the route to salute all veterans for their service to the nation, to honor military service, and create camaraderie among like-minded people from those services who share in the love of country, and promote charitable causes that benefit veterans and communities.
There were riders from the American Legion Post 716, Vietnamese Harley Owners Group, Gold Wings Riders Association, West Coast Spiders, Vet Hunters, UnderDogs, Combat Vets Association, Bikers for Christ, the U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Army Infantry.
Volunteers included those from the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Association of the U.S. Army, Sunburst Youth Challenge Academy in Los Alamitos, Pacifica Naval JROTC in Garden Grove, CERT in Seal Beach, JFTB Military Police, O.C. Motorcycle Towing, JFTB Fire Department, Anaheim Police Department, Huntington Beach Police Department and Fire Department.
Major sponsors included Coca Cola in Orange, “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day in Whittier, Home Run Media in Huntington Beach, Rainbows Environmental Services and Republic Services in Huntington Beach, local news media in Huntington Beach, Seashore Pest Control in Huntington Beach, Cambridge Financial Partners in Newport Beach, Seashore Pest Control in Huntington Beach, Cambridge Financial Partners in Newport Beach, Phu Do & Anh Tuan Law Corps in Garden Grove, Vietnamese Harley Owners Group, Saigon Broadcasting Television Network and Saigon Entertainment Television in Garden Grove as well as support from the City of Garden Grove and other small businesses through their generous ad contribution, donated items for the silent auction/opportunity drawing, and donations from community.

Eighty-seven people from the Cypress Run for God running club completed their 12-week training program by running in the Huntington Beach Surf City 10 mile/10K/5K race on Sunday, Oct. 25.
The group meets at SeaCoast Grace Church in Cypress on Thursday nights to train together physically and spiritually.
Although people run for many different reasons, this program is for those who make God the center of their lives—or need to be reminded to do so. The class is broken into three parts.  They spend the first part of their meeting training spiritually by comparing training for a race to training for their faith.  The next part of the class has speakers coming in to discuss everything from running shoes, running form, injury prevention and nutrition.  The final part of the class has the team breaking out into their distance training groups to run together.
One of the best parts of the class is the camaraderie and support.  All 87 runners waited at the finish line for each other until the last person finished the race.  It’s truly a family of people of all ages from 5 to 80 that care about each other and support each other.
The first Run for God class at SeaCoast Grace started out as a 12-week plan for beginners with no experience with running to train for a 5k.
They started out alternating just 60 seconds of jogging with 90 seconds of walking.  Many of the graduates of that class came back to the next class so eventually a 10K training program was added.  By class six, they added a half marathon program.
Currently, the club is considering adding a marathon program next as many of those people that couldn’t even run for longer than 60 seconds are asking for more now.
The next class starts on Thursday, Jan. 7.  Contact Brenda Brennan at Ru***********@***il.com for more information.

The Los Alamitos Unified School District recently announced 14 National Merit Commended Students for the 2015-2016 school year. The students are listed alphabetically below:
• Emily Blumenthal
• Adam Havstad
• James Campion
• Krista Hayakawa
• Renee Congdon
• Emma Hodge
• Emma Cruz
• Sean Pak
• Evan Cusato
• Sean Rheaume
• Griffin Don Vito
• Arielle Schultz
• Duncan Fujii
• Tal Stoler
A letter of commendation from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), which conducts the program, will be presented to these scholastically talented seniors.
About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional promise.  Commended Students placed in the top five percent of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2016 competition by taking the 2014 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).
“The young men and women being named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success” commented a spokesperson for MNSC.  “These students represent a valuable national resource; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role their schools play in their academic development, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation.  We hope that this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue their pursuit of academic excellence.”

Once again, the music program at Los Alamitos High School has produced a trio of student-musicians, who we can all be proud of. Under the mentorship of Band Director, Tom Plunkett, these three local girls have each earned a much coveted spot on the 2016 U.S. AOncermy All-American Band. And just for some perspective, know that LAHS is the only school in the Country with three students selected. On Nov. 2 they will be honored by the U.S. Army at a ceremony in the school Performing Arts Center. As members of the award winning Los Alamitos High School Marching Band, they really are the best of the best, and they really have earned the respect of the entire community. Let’s hear it for Kayla Toy (clarinet), Sydney Carpentier  (tenor saxophone) and Emily Carpentier  (trumpet).

Recently, the trio was officially named to the 2016 U.S. Army All-American Marching Band a jacket presentation, Brigadier General Mark Toy said, “I’m incredibly honored to be a part of this ceremony, not only because my daughter’s involved, but it’s really the Army. I’ve been in the Army for 28 years and so to be able to combine my two loves, my family and my family in the Army, is something very special for me.”

So what ever happened to that 10U Los Alamitos all star team that had such a great run this past season?
Well they haven’t slowed down just because the season ended.
Head coach Ted Holcomb, with coaches Hurley and Clements, formed a travel ball team with South Huntington Beach coach Gregg Knight. The team is part of the Firecrackers Softball organization, which consists of ‘05 players from the north Orange County area, and is based out of Los Alamitos and Huntington Beach.
After holding try-outs and practicing for only a couple of weeks, the OC Firecrackers exploded onto the travel ball scene winning their first nine games, including five shut-outs and two no-hitters.
These girls work hard to be stronger, faster, better prepared, and it shows.
For more information on the team, or to contact their coach, check them out on Facebook at: ‘05 OC Firecrackers Holcomb-Knight

Photo Caption: The OC Firecrackers softball team pictured from left to right, back row: Gregg Knight, George Hurley, Mike Clements, Ted Holcomb. Middle row, Ava Laney, Taryn Clements, Alyssa Guerrero, Emma Francisco, Heather Nugent. Front row, Hayden Johnston, Camille Lara, Sophia Knight, Sophie Griffin, Tessa Hurley, Julie Holcomb.

A 40-plus year reunion of students who attended the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program of the newly established Los Alamitos High School in the late 60’s took place Friday Oct. 16.
First, they toured the Los Alamitos High School campus, visiting their old classrooms and seeing the many changes that have occurred on campus.
Then they spent the rest of the evening recalling their school years, catching up with each other and having dinner at Preveza Restaurant.
Some of the alumni came from as far away as Maryland, Washington, Ohio, and Arizona, needless to say there was a great deal of excitement when they were greeted by those who still live locally.
What most people don’t realize, is that these former students were part of the history that changed the Education of the Deaf.
Anaheim Union High School District (in which Los Alamitos High School was included, before forming their own district) established the first mainstream program at the secondary level for the deaf and hard of hearing in a public day program in the United States.
They were also the first to hire teachers of the Deaf that were deaf and full time sign language interpreters.
The sign language interpreters were responsible for providing the deaf and hard of hearing student everything that happened in the mainstreamed classes.
One of those interpreters was Esther Zawolkow who resides in Rossmoor who also attended the reunion with her husband David Zawolkow.
This was the first program to implement Total Communication, which used sign language, speech, whatever was needed to facilitate learning language.
The program, because of its uniqueness, was visited and duplicated throughout the country.
Due to this, workshops and training became necessary, so a non-profit organization was organized to meet this demand.  The organization, The S.E.E. (Signing Exact English) Center for the Advancement of Deaf Children has been located in Los Alamitos, CA since 1984.
More information can be obtained by calling 562-430-1467

The Youth Center in Los Alamitos is now offering a limited time Grand Opening special for their new Rossmoor After-School Club and Academic Learning Services (R.A.S.C.A.L.S) at Rossmoor Park in Rossmoor.
For Los Alamitos Elementary School children ages pre-kindergarten to fifth grade, R.A.S.C.A.L.S. provides outdoor sports and competitions, obstacle courses, arts & crafts, and homework help. Space is limited to 25 students per day. They are open Monday through Friday after school until 6 p.m.
“We are very excited to extend our after school program services and are grateful for the support we have received from the Rossmoor Community Services District, said Youth Center Program and Operations Manager Julie Rubin.” Speaking with parents daily she shared, “Word is spreading quickly throughout the community and new children are joining every week.  Parents especially like the affordability (even at the regular price), the flexibility, and the homework help services. They often comment that it is terrific to have a stress-free evening with their kids because their homework is done.”
The Youth Center’s Grand Opening special this year provides parents with a potential savings of $75 per month. Cost for children who attend three to five days a week is $25 per month excluding a snack or $40 per month including snacks.
Enrolling during the Grand Opening this year also provides for your child to attend one of the Youth Center’s monthly Kid’s Night Out (November – June).  And, refer a friend and receive one month free at R.A.S.C.A.L.S.
Parents can register their children during this school year through the Youth Center. For more information or to register, please call the Youth Center at 562-493-4043. Rossmoor Park is located at 3232 Hedwig Street in Rossmoor.

When a helicopter appreciation event and a small car show were combined over a decade ago, the basis for the Wings, Wheels, Rotors and Expo was formed.
There was a good turnout for the inaugural event, but even the organizers at the time could not have predicted the size to which WWR&E would eventually grow. This year marks the 14th year of the event and when the 2015 WWR&E opens to the public on Oct. 25 at 9 a.m., more than 30,000 visitors are expected to converge on the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos.
In August 2001, the Los Alamitos Chamber and Ford West held a Mustang car show which included a couple World War II era, P-51 Mustang fighter planes. The event proved successful on the JFTB.
Combined with the Helicopter Appreciation Day in April 2000, the two separate events became the nucleus of Wings Wheels and Rotors. The Chamber of Commerce, with Connie Pedenko, Mary Ann Senske, Chris Barnes and the JFTB started planning a larger, varied event and the first WWRE occurred in the fall of 2002 on the day the Angels won the World Series.
The first event had approximately 100 cars, a dozen helicopters, some military aircraft and a couple dozen vendors but again a good turnout of visitors and great feedback was encouraging for the future of WWRE. The event has grown to include hundreds of cars, planes, helicopters and military vehicles. Hundreds of vendors also bring a variety of goods and food and entertainment is abundant all throughout the day.
Visitors will get to get an up close view of various types of aircraft and even see the inside of a jumbo military C-17 cargo plane.
“I highly encourage everyone to come out to the base and participate in this wonderful family-friendly event,” said retired JFTB Commander, Lt. Col Susan Russell.
The kids corner returns with activities and crafts for youths. Marching bands will parade through the event and almost continual entertainment will be offered at the stage area.
The event also helps military families by raising money for those in need. In 2011, the event earned $ 22,000 for the base Morale Welfare Recreation Fund for troops and families who work at the base.
Hundreds of volunteers plan, almost year round to keep this event going and each year, thousands more volunteer hours and required just to staff the event for the day. Students from Los Alamitos High can be found volunteering at the Kids Corner booth.
For more information about Wings Wheels & Rotors, visit www.WWRExpo.net. The Joint Forces Training Base is located in Los Alamitos at 11200 Lexington Drive. Photo ID for adults is required to enter the base.

With the season nearing its twilight, the runners of Los Alamitos Cross Country are not so much moving through monotony as they are continuing a groove and gathering momentum. Each practice is met with effort, and each starting line shines with as much hype and opportunity as it does morning dew. The athletes’ dedication has been spectacular especially considering the individual rewards often amount to watching a sunrise during a team run before school or finishing a race seconds faster than the week prior.
In the case of the boys’ varsity team, their unified dedication has stemmed from their collective youth. For some perspective, at the Orange County Championship Boys’ Varsity race, the Griffins lined up two juniors, four sophomores, and a freshman. Their team score beat scores of 11 other teams. Optimism for the future has spurred team leader (and sophomore) Brandon Bandley, top juniors Isaac Banez, Andrew Stumpf, and Luke Deal and the rest of the crew to continue to improve.
The varsity girls of Los Alamitos remain in tough competition with Edison and Fountain Valley at the top of Sunset League. At Preview, the Griffins finished third and comfortably within CIF Prelims qualification. The varsity core of juniors Sarah Enyart, Nicole Bliss, Malia Rivers, and Aspynn Carr along with sophomores Bronsyn Ledgard, Delaney Sanacore, and Delaney Falsken have brought focus to every practice as they try to chase down the two teams at the top of the league and later have a successful CIF Prelims in mid-November.
Both of Los Alamitos’ JV teams finished third in the six-team league at Preview as well. One highlight of the meet was seeing junior Kenneth Jones win the JV race by a nine-second margin. Meanwhile, the consistent junior Brian Street was second, for the junior varsity Griffins on that day but first on the team at the Central Park Invitational. The junior varsity girls are led by junior Lauren Fitzgerald and sophomore Victoria , followed by a large group of exciting sophomores that have run faster times as the season has progressed.
Meanwhile, the freshman/sophomore teams have shown some of the strongest performances for Los Al this season. At Sunset League Preview, the frosh/soph boys finished in second. The steady improvements of sophomores Dean Yacoubian, Jared Berryman, Sam Turley, Brad Hartwyk, and Kevin Miller as well as freshmen Harrison Smith, Nick Van Meter, and excellent early-season arrival Kaleb Yemaneberhane give the Griffins a deep team to aim for first place in frosh/soph once finals rolls around. The achievement will be made more difficult with sophomore Jacob Taylor (4th overall in Preview’s frosh/soph race), sophomore Ryan Watts, and freshman Klaus Quinonez (3rd overall in Preview’s frosh/soph race) earning spots in the varsity race at Finals. Amazingly, Klaus finished first on the team (16:47) in his first varsity race at Central Park Invitational, afterward giving heartfelt hugs to his proudest supporter and father, Gus Quinonez.
At the top of the freshman class on the girls’ side, stellar racer Milani Rivers has secured her spot on varsity for League Finals after finishing fifth on the team (19:30) in her first varsity race at Orange County Championships. In previous weeks, she cruised to first place overall in the Sunset League Preview frosh/soph race and led the freshmen to second place as a team at Central Park Invitational. On the other hand, the female sophomore team has been the Griffins’ best all season, culminating in a first place team finish at Central Park Invitational. Naturally, when the freshmen and sophomores combine for frosh/soph races, the results heavily favor Los Alamitos. The frosh/soph girls dominated preview with a one-two-three finish (freshmen Milani Rivers, Amber DeMarco, and Victoria Hansen) as well as seventh and eighth places (sophomores Annie Bliss and Lauren Kussler). Sophomore Sophia Craig did not race at Preview but was second overall in the Central Park Invitational sophomore race. Craig (20:10) and DeMarco (19:51) led the girls’ frosh/soph to 5th place in Orange County and look to continue dominance of Sunset League at Finals.
Over 120 Griffins will race at Central Park for Sunset League Finals on Halloween morning. Community members are encouraged to come out to cheer on the team.

The award winning Los Alamitos High School Color Guard will be competing at the international scale next year.
For the very first time they will be competing in the prestigious Winter Guard International Championships in Dayton, Ohio. This is quite the accomplishment, but along with the national recognition comes the ever present task of raising enough money to get there.
So between now and April, 2016, when not practicing and doing homework, every Color Guard member will be out in the community raising money. Everyone is encouraged to help, and thr  opportunity is coming up soon.
Stop by their Bake Sale booth at the upcoming Wings, Wheels, Rotors and Expo at the Joint Forces Training Base on Sunday, Oct. 25 and show them how proud Los Al is of them. After all, these students do represent Los Alamitos High School and the community.
For additional information or to make a donation please contact lo********@***il.com.