A New Idea For Eastview Little League
Let's entertain the idea at least...or lose again

By Diana L. Chapman

Whenever adults fight, it’s sad, but it’s incredibly tormenting when they include their kids in the fiasco. This unfortunately happens often when adults fight; the children are sucked in and are no longer allowed to play or even smile at each other.
That’s exactly what the East View Little League predicament reminds me of.
After I posted a story on how we need to become a team to save East View, I received a bunch of complaints. They ranged from: I want a Target (which has taken over the DiCarlo bakery property where the league was allowed to play for $1 a year for about 40 years) to haven’t Eastview officials had long enough to figure it out? What’s their problem?
The problem: these are a bunch of parents who work full time, are possibly not politically savvy and truly haven’t had a councilwoman to back their efforts or negotiate with Target. Negotiations should have kept them right at their original site as apparently Los Angeles Councilman Dennis Zine was able to pull off for the Woodland Hills Little League when their 35 years of operating was nearly lost. The private property the league operated on went up to auction.
Today, they still operate there, said John Shaikin, the league’s president, who explained they leaned heavily on their councilman to stay at the location.
The other problem – San Pedro can be its own worst enemy.
We are on the brink of enduring another big share of diminishing returns. Let me correct that. Everyday, I wake up, look at San Pedro and say – we lost again. We lost another field. We had another apartment complex built taller than it should have been. We just gave away the store again to another developer or organization, such as the private Boy Scout camp at Cabrillo Beach on public lands. And we just lost another round for our kids.
Whether you like Eastview or you don’t like Eastview, the fact that 600 kids play baseball should tell you the story. I hear these complaints: “I don’t like this coach.. My kid had the worst experience playing there.” The complaints go on and on…and are much like the complaints that I’ve heard every year no matter where my son plays. It’s true. Alright. Eastview isn’t perfect.
Does that mean we make the kids pay? Does that mean we make my girlfriend’s son, Jake, who loves to play at Eastview pay because of our shortsightedness. I was pleased that after I posted the story on the blog, however, that people started stepping up to the plate with new solutions. And a new thought came along. Perhaps we should look at the Cooper Continuation High School site on Taper Avenue? It’s a large plot of land with only about sixty students who could be relocated to the continuation school at Angel’s Gate.
Why else should we look? Because it opens a myriad of possibilities. If you live around that school, you might be cussing me out right now. But all I can see is a big gain for the community at large. Before you get angry, let me explain.
The site belongs to Los Angeles Unified School District. Mike Lansing, a school board member, already has agreed to explore the option and turn over the idea to his lucky benefactor –meaning whoever wins this thankless board seat in May. This means the answer isn’t no from the district. Eastview league officials, Dave Stanovich, the president, and Board Member Ron Galosic, see it as a way to open doors not just for their league, but for a myriad of other uses – a track around the diamonds, batting cages, tennis and basketball courts.
What perhaps makes the site an even bigger possibility is that the city of Los Angeles apparently wants to open a brand new library on the north end of town. This spot could actually be a possibility.
Residents around Cooper may be winding up their fists to sock me. In my defense, I have to say I think for myself I’d enjoy these possibilities for children in my neighborhood -- a place to jog and a place to play basketball, tennis and baseball. Also in my defense, I guess I won’t be a “Not-In-My-Backyard” soul after the district proposed building a high school for 1,200 students at Fort MacArthur /Angel’s Gate in 2012.
My biggest disappointment – my son will be to old to go there.
Unlike the Knoll Hill Park fiasco, where East View would have to kick out the Peninsula Dog Park which has fought like cats to get that spot (or any spot to accommodate a dog park)and 22nd Street where the state has a complete lockdown on the area via California tidelands trust laws, this appears to be the biggest possibility to save Eastview permanently and open up several other major uses for residents.
This is the team playing I’ve been looking for. Thinking out of the box about what could be good for all of us in the future – and not our old tribal wars.
Knoll Hill and 22nd Street, both owned by the Port of Los Angeles, are just temporary sites and are no solution for the Eastview saga that’s been haunting San Pedro for decades. Los Angeles Councilwoman Janice Hahn proposed both these sites as possible new locations for Eastivew Little League, but both are uphill battles. The idea is to eventually move them to the city’s sanitation property on the north end of town.
When that will happen? Who knows. If it happens, it will be after the councilwoman is long gone and no longer holding the bag.
Then you have the entire 2,300 condominium development at the former Naval housing property on Western Avenue, directly across from Green Hills Memorial Park.
Developer Bob Bisno tried to persuade Eastview officials that they should endorse his highly volatile and controversial project – in order to have new league ball diamonds built there. Eastview officials balked at the contract, saying they couldn’t represent scores of their members who opposed the project. I agree. To develop the site with such dwellings, Bisno has to get the city to agree to rezone it from single, residential to multiple unit zoning.
The mere size of the project, and the sheer volume of traffic for Western Avenue, has scores of residents singing the blues, including myself.
On top of that, the school district needs to develop a high school at the Bisno site and has been trying to obtain about ten acres for a campus that would seat 800 students.
It would be great right now, if our councilwoman started working for us, and our kids and their futures. Let’s ask for acreage for a new school and swap that Cooper land with the school district. That way, the district can build a brand new school on the Bisno property, Bisno could have some of his units (a lot less than 2,300) and the Eastview Little League and residents can have a mini-sport complex and possibly a brand new library.
Another uphill battle? Yes, but not anywhere near trying to obtain port land where things will be mowed down in short order and cause just another huge community uproar as did the temporary move to the dog park. In the end, doing either of these sites give us just this – absolutely nothing.
This new proposal could be a winner for everybody – especially to those who should mean the most to us – the children of San Pedro’s present and the children of San Pedro’s future.
Not to mention, the children of San Pedro’s past.

Teacher a Huge Loss at 15th Street Elementary School:
Friend, Father, Teacher


Diana L. Chapman


He was a like a father or an uncle and a friend to many – but most of all he was a popular, nurturing teacher with a bright smile, who suddenly died last month leaving behind a gaping hole at 15th Street Elementary School and a dazed campus.
Steve Kemp, 59, who would have celebrated his 60th birthday on April 14, had no apparent signs of medical problems, but was rushed in for emergency surgery. He died a short time later on March 28 apparently of an aortic rupture, according to his wife, Mary Linehan.
Despite the crises teams that arrived on campus, the hardest part for school officials was explaining to the “best class he ever had” that Mr. Kemp would no longer be arriving on campus.
This year, he led a group of gifted third grade students and was extremely pleased with the students, the parents and the way the children were developing under his tutelage, his colleagues said. In prior years, he taught both fourth and fifth grades.
Because of the unity Mr. Kemp brought to his class, students were asked to write their feelings about him as part of a healing process.
Several students wrote about his bad jokes, and explained how when the class didn’t laugh at them, he would. They adored his pizza parties, the books he read to them in class and heading out to P.E. with the amiable teacher.
“The last I heard him,” wrote Javier, “was when he gave me his report card. “He said I was smart. That made me feel really good because those were his words. ..Remembering this makes me feel both sad and happy at the same time.”
Wrote (age?) Amanda: “My personal experience with Mr. Kemp is when he used to make jokes to me that we’re not funny. But he used to laugh, and that would be funny.”
Crises teams arrived on campus to help teachers – and his class of gifted third grade students– to deal with the up swell of grief that consumed the school for days, but was leveled out during spring break.
Even still, teachers at the school said the mourning is likely to go on for quite some time, because the teacher was so giving, he would often drop do whatever he could to help. He began teaching at 15th Street in 1979, but prior to that entered the Peace Corps, ran a small construction business, supervised a dorm at USC and became a volunteer firefighter.
James Campbell, a close friend and first grade teacher at the school, said he arrived at campus knowing the bad news about Steve’s death and had to relay the information to many others who did not. The day was extremely difficult, he explained, because he was emotionally challenged on keeping himself together for his students. Memories of Steve kept interrupting his teaching, especially when he thought about his friend’s generosity and the way he constantly reached out to help others. They carpooled together.
“Across the board, everyone said he would listen to what you had to say and be interested in it no matter what you were talking about,” the teacher revealed. James kept his emotions in check by thinking about his friend would handle it.
“I just thought about: “How would Steve handle this? He would want us to be strong for the kids,” he said.
Filled with stories of friendships and students that he helped, close friend and fourth grade teacher Diane Holt said the two often teamed together up at school to help each other and their students. Calling him her “buddy,” she said every single day at school has been a “constant reminder” of his loss. “He was cherished and so well read that he could come up with multiple perspectives,” on any situation,” she explained adding that he was very father even to her and his students.
His students describe a teacher who spent money on pizza parties for them, stayed after school and would never give up on his sense of humor.
“He always laughed at his own jokes like this: “Ha, Ha, Ha!’ Or “Very funny! Now get back to work,” wrote his student Valerie. “I feel happy and sad when I remember this. Happy because he is always in my heart. Sad because he isn’t here anymore.”
First grade teacher Jose Lopez said Steve mentored him and became a close friend who he admired for the way he inspired children. In particular, he said, the teacher got a hold of one student who was considered a “terror,” by all the teachers. Steve took that student in and Jose said he was stunned by the overall difference of that student.
“I don’t know what he did, buthe changed that kid,” the teacher said. “He took him under his wing and he just turned him around. Sometimes, I think it’s because he just listened. He listened to people and was always interested in what they had to say.”
Perhaps this statement from one student, Panos, summed it up: “Mr. Kemp used to smile a lot because we did so good.”
Steve is survived by his wife, Mary Linehan; his daughter, Kristyn and son-in-law, Brian Dreschsler, and his granddaughter, Ashley. He also is survived by his stepson, Dan Swaigler, a stepdaughter, Demery Ryan, and her husband, Dave, and sister-and-brother-in law, Tom and Carrie Wright.
The family requests that all donations be sent to First Books, a foundation that provides books to children.

Make Way For Chicks...OK, it's ducklings...


Spring has arrived at the San Diego Zoo....Make way for these ducklings! They practically shoved every other bird out of the pond with their vivacious must-follow-mom-treading-in-the water lap swimming. These ten were ready to rev. And everybody at the zoo enjoyed watching them. That's real duckie.

Shorts & Sweets:

Here are my two of my favorite kids, Max and Nick, twins that just turned three-years-old doing their typical thing -- hanging out at the Corner Store. It seems like they are saying: "Mom, Dad, when is spring going to come? It's still cold."

Send me quaint kid photos to hartchap@earthlink.net so I can post them.

Diana

LA SCHOOL DISTRICT UNVEILS TWO SMALLER HIGH SCHOOL CAMPUS PROPOSALS
The Mega-High School Appears to Be A Thing of the Past for San Pedro

By Diana L. Chapman

Rather than continuing on with a controversial plan to build mega-high school on Western Avenue, Los Angeles school officials revealed Thursday night another option for the San Pedro community: two scaled back campuses – one anchored on the north side of the port town and the other on the south.
If approved, San Pedro could have two more additional high schools: an 800 student campus at the former Naval housing property on Western Avenue and a second 1,200 student campus on school property at the Angels Gate-Fort MacArthur site.
The proposal erases the original – to build a 2,025 student high school campus at the former Naval housing property on Western – a concept that brought mounting waves of criticism in regards to traffic gridlock from the community and acrimonious battles with property developer Robert Bisno who intends to build 2,300 homes there.
School officials announced last night that Bisno lost another round in the courts by refusing them access to the property to explore educational options and that they will now be allowed on the site.
To sooth over community wounds and meet the needs of students, currently at the oversaturated San Pedro and Narbonne high schools, officials unveiled proposed plans to construct two smaller campuses to a small audience that attended Thursday’s meeting at San Pedro High School.
If approved, predicted completion dates would be 2012.
“We developed a modified plan over several months which meets our high school seat need, is instructionally sound for our students, is fiscally responsive to the voters who funded the construction bonds and which helps address some of the traffic and recreational facilities concerns of our San Pedro community,” e-mailed school Board Member Mike Lansing, who steps down from his post this June. “This is a “win-win” plan and I am proud to bring it forward to the community for their input/support.”
Now impacting his neighborhood, Coastal Neighborhood Council President Doug Epperhart said he didn’t have much to discuss at this moment, but added: “The proposal opens up many possibilities.”
While not everyone at the meeting was happy, most speakers commended the school district for listening to their views that the original high school plan was too massive for the community.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart for thinking about compromise,” said speaker John Wells. “You are working on compromise, but I think we can still find something better then this.”
Neal Kleiner, who is running for Lansing’s seat, commended Lansing for his efforts to reduce campus sizes, but added he’d “like to take it a couple of steps further” by making both those sites ninth grade academies instead that would then feed into San Pedro High School.
“That’s been working at Paramount and it’s been working in Lynwood,” he told school officials. “It takes care of that lack of connectiveness.”
Initially the district had proposed using about 15 acres from the proposed Ponte Vista site for a high school – where a gated town home community has been proposed -- to ease intense overcrowding at both Narbonne and San Pedro High Schools.
Both the high school and the Ponte Vista project launched an intense and hot campaign against either proposal at the 62.5 acres parcel of land perched across from Green Hills Memorial Park for the same reasons: traffic gridlock, an intense fear of overbuilding and fears of few ways to evacuate in the event of emergencies. The land, currently zoned for single family homes, would have to be rezoned for the Ponte Vista development.
Under the school’s new proposal, a much smaller school would be built on about six acres in the north west piece of former Navy land – a campus of about 810 seats and would be a “choice” school for those attending Narbonne.
The second site of 1,200 seats would surround students with many other educational possibilities that currently exist there, the Fort MacArthur Military Museum, the Marine Mammal Care Center, the International Bird Rescue and Research Center and the Angel’s Gate Cultural Center.
School official Larry Tash explained the school district has been steadily working toward the creation of “smaller learning communities,” as much research has shown the importance of students being connected to their schools so they will go on and graduate.
“Research tell us it’s extremely important for secondary schools,” he explained. “And we’ve all made the decision that all secondary schools will have smaller learning environments.”

The Eastview Letters just keep coming in Support..



Dave:

I heard about your situation and as the President of a little league in Woodland Hills, we were actually faced with a similar situation when our property, which we were at for about 35 years, were put up for public bid. After about a year and a half of fear, we thankfully were successful in our bid and continue to operate to date.

I have taken the liberty to forward your petition to members of our league, as we understand the situation and the impossibility of finding comparable space elsewhere in today's society. For what ever it's worth, we leaned on our councilman, Dennis Zine, who was tremendous, and we retained a land use attorney with major connections to help get our word out. They were able to get to state and local officials which we did not have access to, and to get our story to the people that needed to hear it.

I hope that your councilperson will be as helpful and that you can convince Target's parent company that a little league field is more important then another store. If we can be of any help, please let me know.

John ShaikinPresident, Woodland Hills Sunrise Little League

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TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

I AM WRITING TO VOICE MY PROTEST AGAINST YOUR PROPSED NEW STORE IN SAN PEDRO, CALIFORNIA. I WOULD APPRECIATE ANSWERS TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

#1. WHY WOULD TARGET TAKE AWAY EASTVIEW LITTLE LEAGUE FROM THE CHILDREN, AND FUTURE GENERATIONS, OF SAN PEDRO?

#2. WHY DO YOU FIND IT NECESSARY TO DESTROY OUR LITTLE LEAGUE IN FAVOR OF BUILDING YET ANOTHER NEW STORE WHEN YOU ALREADY HAVE BEGUN CONSTRUCTION ON A NEW STORE THAT IS LESS THAN THREE MILES AWAY FROM OUR FIELDS?

#3. DO YOU REALLY BELEIVE THAT THE PEOPLE OF SAN PEDRO AND THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES WILL SUPPORT THIS LITTLE LEAGUE KILLER STORE?

#4. DO YOU CARE, EVEN THE LEAST LITTLE BIT, ABOUT FAMILES AND TRADITIONS?

I HAVE WATCHED MY GRANDSONS PLAY LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL AND LEARN THE VALUES OF TEAMWORK, HONESTY, DISCIPLINE, CONFIDENCE AND CARING. I HAVE BEEN PROUD TO BE AMONG THE MOMS, DADS, BROTHERS, SISTERS, GRANDPAS, GRANDMAS, AUNTS, UNCLES, COUSINS AND FRIENDS AS WE CHEERED OUR TEAMS ON TO DO THEIR BEST AND BE PROUD TEAM PLAYERS.

I ASK YOU, I BEG YOU, PLEASE, DO NOT TAKE THIS INCREDIBLE EXPERICENCE AWAY FROM OUR CHILDREN, AND THE FUTURE EASTVIEW LITTLE LEAGUE PLAYERS.

LONNIE MONTE
LIFELONG RESIDENT OF SAN PEDRO, CALIFORNIA

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My name is Monica Anderson & I've lived in San Pedro since 1961. I work at a nearby container terminal representing Cosco, (China Ocean Shipping Co.) & Target stores is one of our Import customers. It's also ironic that my step-son works at national "Target" in Minneapolis, Minn., as a senior art director. My husband & I have visited your beautiful national headquarters & were amazed to see the many different aspects of what is actually entailed in running a successful retail store of this magnitude. Our entire family has shopped at your two local Torrance, Ca., stores for many years as we all thoroughly enjoy spending our hard earned money at Target. I was also elated to find out that a new retail Target was going to be opening in San Pedro, but not at the expense of giving up our beloved Eastview Little League baseball fields. Now in my 50's, I thoroughly enjoy watching my nephews & their friends play baseball right here at Eastview Little league fields in San Pedro, Ca. & have ever since my nephews played T-Ball. They are now 12 & 15yrs of age. These fields are on the property that was once owned by Di Carlo Bakery & then purchased by Target approx. two yrs ago in the hopes of building a new Target on the corner of Gaffey & Capital Streets in San Pedro, Ca. We were hoping that Target may have some solutions in helping to resolve Eastview Little League's re-location dilemma. Eastview Little League is a highly respected & loved organization of wonderful parents, family members & friends who tirelessly donate their time to ensure that their children have a nice place to play organized & supervised baseball. We are genuinely looking forward to hearing your views & ideas on this matter…...

Thank You & Regards, Monica Anderson Pacific Container Terminal, Yard Office

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It’s Richard DiCarlo writing from Phoenix. I not sure if I can sign the petition on the website because of resident location, but if I can, please email me back and I will be more than happy to do that for you. If I cannot, please accept the following as a testimony to the Joe Gregorio fields (formerly DiCarlo Fields) and if you would like to present this at a hearing or meeting, please do it with my utmost permission:

David, I remember when we played baseball together at Eastview LL and, if I remember correctly, we played later at the Navy field on Western Avenue. (Your fastball was a bit quicker by that time). I have been following the story about the fields from on-line accounts in the Daily Breeze and my father, Lorenzo DiCarlo, has been sending me articles in the mail. I compliment you and fellow participants in your passion to save these fields for the youth in San Pedro in order for them to have a place to begin their baseball careers and continue their life development skills. I have been fortunate over the years to coach my boys, Lawrence and Sammy, here in Phoenix at our local little league when they played there. They are 17 and 14 now and still playing ball. Even though they are too old to play at the LL level anymore, we now volunteer at Shaw Butte LL as umpires.

The benefits of baseball for youth are numerous. More than just the fields will be taken away should the city not acquire some land to develop a sports complex for the youth. (The land along Paseo Del Mar comes to mind but I know its deemed “preserve”). Not only will the youths be deprived of this gift, but the adults and the community as a whole. As you know, I am a police officer here in the City of Phoenix, and I have seen some youth make immature and poor choices. Some of the repercussions have been temporary and others have been, and will be, life-long consequences. Not only for them, but for their families as well.

By having a place to play baseball, it begins to teach youth the very basics of decision-making, adjustment to change, physical skills(development and capabilities), participation in events with peers and adults, and the skill of working as a team. The last concept (team work), in my opinion, encompasses all the entities of the ones mentioned previous to it. As you know, baseball is a very fluid game and many things can change within it. A team can go from being on top to losing in the last inning. This is where the coaches’ guidance comes in for the youth. Teaching them to lose graciously and not allowing the players to engage in finger-pointing is a skill that needs to be exhibited. That is the difference between youth and being an adult. The adult is able to cope and react honorably, where the youth need to be developed in this life skill. Unfortunately, we have all seen adults in life that maybe could have paid more attention to this skill. On the same note, winning can be very rewarding and exciting. It shows the youth how the “little” things in practice and the attention-to-detail can pay off. Accepting praise graciously, too, is a life-learned skill.

It is wonderful to see how the generations developed and maintained the fields for the youth of San Pedro to play on over the years. It was a wonderful gift that my grandfathers and subsequent owners of the bakery property were able to share with the community. And I don’t use the words “community” and “gift” lightly. It takes a community to raise our children. I love the saying (I will paraphrase), “a hundred years from now will it really matter what kind of car I drove or what my house looked like? What is more important is if I made a difference in a child’s life.” I guess the same goes if we ask, “Does it make a difference where we did our shopping?” Can we not drive ten minutes up the Harbor Freeway to another Target. Or better yet, how about just making the store a bit smaller so that our youths can grow? I pray that Target will AT LEAST donate money towards relocation and building of new fields.

These fields hold and carry many memories for those of us that played on them. I implore the political leaders in San Pedro to find some land for the dreams to be carried and continue. David, I remember visiting the field not too long ago when my son and I were in town for one of our frequent visits. I was so proud to show him where I played ball. It was also the same field where my brothers and other relatives were able to coach and begin developing their players in life and playing skills. I cannot tell you the invaluable lessons and relationships I built by coaching here at our local little league in Phoenix when my sons were growing up. Not only with the kids, but with their families as well. This is why it is a community–building sporting event.

Continue to fight this good fight, David, with dignity and passion. Sometimes this journey gets muddled with politics and money. But, know in your heart, that you are doing the right thing. Let’s hope our leaders of the community can work together with our “corporate” world in finding the right thing to do. For every problem, there is a solution.

Kindest regards,

Richard DiCarlo --------------------

More thoughts on Eastview....

TO: AYSO Friends and Families and Community,

I am writing this to you today, because it was brought to my attention that some of you took my words from last Saturday's letter to the editor out of context, and took them to be a slight on AYSO. I am here to tell all of you that we are on the same team, we are and should always be friends, and that nothing I said was directed to you personally. Remember, we ALL do what we do, for THE KIDS OF SAN PEDRO, AND NOT FOR OURSELVES.

When I attended the NW Neighborhood council meeting last week, some people asked me to address the fact that we were a private organization, and that is one of there reasons why they should not help us in our fight. (Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't the two of us, AYSO and Little League, both private organizations?) Anyways, I got home and wrote the letter, because I thought I could address, that even though we at Eastview are "Private", we benefit the community just as much as our towns public organizations.

The lines I chose to use to compare this, WAS NOT DIRECTED IN ANYWAY TO AYSO. My first comment was directed a public facility in town, where San Pedro High school tried to use for Baseball practice, but the red tape in getting the gates unlocked at that public facility, made it an uneasy task to make happen. In that comparison, I wanted to let everyone know that Eastview is open 24/7, for anyone to play on. Sorry if you took it as a slight on AYSO.

Secondly, the line I used to say that Eastview does not charge for all-stars, was a comparison to this past basketball season when all three of my children made All-Stars, and they charged me a fee for each of my children to participate. Again, no comparison to AYSO, I don't even know what you do, because none of my children were ever at the All-Star level in soccer to find out. Regardless, I was just trying to show that being private is not like the plague, and that it actually deserves as much attention as do some of our public facilities.

I am not here to make any enemies, and that is actually why I did not call out the facilities I was talking about in the letter. The bottom line, is that ALL YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS IN TOWN, whether PUBLIC OR PRIVATE, all need to be on the same team, and I hope all of you see it that way too. I am here for the kids, and I know all of you are too.

Thanks for listening,

Your friend from Eastview,

Ron Galosic

How a Community Can Take a School Back....One at a Time

By Diana L. Chapman


It started out small, but that’s how the seed was planted. An elementary school teacher, Karyn Douglas, stood on a dusty school yard on a cold dreary day, looked around the asphalt campus at one of the Los Angeles district’s betters schools and said: “It’s time for the community to take back our schools.”
She didn’t say: It’s time for the administrators to take the schools back. She didn’t say it was time for the teachers. Nor the parents.
She repeated it: “We need to take our schools back,” – meaning all of us – the communities that surround them.
Rooted to the ground, those words would resonate with me for the next two years, and while I didn’t know it at the time, would take me on a wild toad ride journey of gathering with the right people, at the right time, at the right place to start improving a middle school considered close to bottom of the barrel in the neck of our San Pedro port town.
Why would I, a dedicated mother, school volunteer and writer – pick the one of the two middle schools in our neighborhood – Dana Middle School – that’s reputation was so abhorrent that other parents were engaged in full debates about why I made this choice to send my son there?
My compatriots believed by reputation alone that the school was littered with gangs, juvenile delinquents and in a poor neighborhood. The gossip about my “choice” began to bubble about the inadequate decision for my 11-year-old son. But I stood firm for one reason. There was one aspect to me that the other school didn’t have – one extremely courageous point on the part of this particular Los Angeles Unified School District middle school, or any school with about 2,000 students. It was this: while perhaps it was a narrow opening, the door was still somewhat ajar to allow parents in.
That’s what I wanted.
I wanted the opportunity to oversee my son’s education and to spend volunteer hours with other students who needed attention in dozens of ways, because I so clearly remembered the disaster years in my middle school in an affluent area of Glendale.
At 11, I was thrust into a school where students were doing heavy-duty drugs, overdosing and falling out of their seats in the classroom, having sex, drinking – and participating in orgies. No one could have prepared me for that – and no 11-year-old should have to be. Students were terrorized with fights, and many were unhappy and fearful, including myself, going to school every day. And that was considered a good school.
As the years coursed by, it repeatedly was clear to me that not much had changed –and many educators will readily admit it – middle schools are the most ignored population of our three-tier public education system. That just make no sense since it’s such a pivotal time of a child’s life where they will build their value systems and start forming career choices. That explains perfectly why 50 percent of LA Unified high school students drop out.
We’re not catching them when we need to – in junior high; we are not giving them the spirit, confidence or exploration they need. We’re not making them feel safe – so how can they study? The students receive a basic education, that’s good. But not enough. District policy states if they are not receiving a C average, they are banned from attending any extracurricular activities, including school dances.

The attitude I was getting from the kids who were “below par” – was why I am I here? There’s nothing here for me. I’m stupid. I can’t do anything anyway. What’s the point? That angers me…because we all know that every child has something to offer.
When my son and I walked into Dana’s doors, a new principal, Terry Ball, had arrived with fresh ideas. Kim Blanks, a teacher’s aide whose own children went there, was waiting in the wings to start many programs she wanted to accomplish for several years, including a school newspaper. We launched Dana’s Data with another parent, Doug Epperhart. And less than a block to the north sat the Boys and Girls Club, run by my friend, Mike Lansing, the executive director of the Los Angeles Harbors Boys and Girls Club and an LAUSD school board member – who was willing to work together to start after school programs to keep more kids off the streets.
It’s clear that improving schools has little to do with the mayor of Los Angeles; perhaps it doesn’t even have much to do with Los Angeles school district’s new Superintendent. Other than, David Brewer III’s philosophy -- that the responsibility doesn’t fall solely on the educators, but on the community. I realize this must be done at a grassroots level.
Much of what I think now; the changes belong to the principal; it belongs to us, the community.
With that, the birth of a great collaboration was born. We began lobbying local businesses, parents, talking with then the Los Angeles Police Departments’ Police Captain Joan McNamara; We even met with colonels to ask them to bring back their families -- most of whom flee from attending Los Angeles schools. It’s no surprise one of the best elementary schools in our area, White Point, has partly reached high tests scores and academic levels because the military families provide the tremendous backbone as a volunteer force.
By the end of the 1 ½ years, a combination of the community – teachers, parents, local businesses, the police and the few military families available have attempted to cluster students into smaller after school clubs, to help make them feel safe and actually, in my mind, provide them a second home. Keeping them off the streets is imperative in today’s racial climates where children are getting continually killed in gang retaliations. I’m angry. My reasoning: if we can do it here, then we can do it at dozens of other school’s – and keep our kids safe. One more shooting of an “innocent” should be driving us all the edge of upheaval. How can we allow innocent kids to be killed for being nothing more than a different color?
Thus at Dana, .we began an art club (in association with Art to Grow on), a Spanish Club, a swim/surf club where Boys and Girls Club vans take students to a local pool, a tennis club, and our teachers added to their current list of ecology and history clubs by adding a chess, quilting and cheer leading after school program.
Proposed clubs include a basketball club, the junior Police Explorer’s Academy (which should start next week), In addition, a local restaurateur. the Omelettee and Waffle Shop owners, Mona Sutton and Leslie Jones, plans to start a cooking club shortly. I grew even more excited when the former Corner Store owners, Susan McKenna and Marisa Guiffre, offered to teach cooking classes as well! Now, that’s talking about truly taking care of our kids, poor, rich, or otherwise.
Success comes in small ways – as we are starting up a new club every other month. But I can point to our most successful program – the Art Club – which has an average of 40 students every Thursday after school. Special education students, gifted students, troublesome students (who had to sign a contract with me and stay in the club for the rest of the year instead of stiffer penalties for some bad behavior) and our regular kids all mix – and they all get along, meeting other students they would never have “hung with” before.
The best part includes watching how well they get along.
When we opened up a tennis club the other day – in conjunction with the Boys and Girls Club – 22 kids signed up! I shiver to think how many will want to join the Basketball Club.
Some how, it paints the true picture.
As my friend, Doug Epperhart, always says: “Our new principal has done more for my daughters’ education then the mayor or the new superintendent ever will.”
And if you add the principal with community efforts, we will wind up with what everyone always seems to want – a much better school. And a seed turns into a beautiful tree with flowing and healthy branches that can be seeded everywhere.

What to do About Eastview’s Little League?
Let’s -- at last -- Become A Team

By Diana L. Chapman
Eastview Little League officials, bemoaning the expected loss of their beloved ballfields, seek at least one miracle to save the ballpark that has operated successfully there for 45 years under good faith when owned by a local bakery. But once the property sold, and Target became the official purchaser, no miracle has appeared on the horizon and the league’s eviction date -- June 30 -- threatens the field with dark clouds and bulldozers. This is the time for all of us to stop and think: Is this just about a few baseball fields? No, this is about all of San Pedro -- and the future she faces as a “port town“ under fire from development on all sides. Had I been a politician -- and thank goodness I’m not -- I would have gone in smiling to Target officials and lavished them with praise about our community wanting such a store -- but not at the expense of our Littlle League fields. Had I been Target officials, I would have used common sense to explore other options than sweeping away fields used by thousands of kids for decades -- to make way for a parking lot. Perhaps Target could develop an underground parking lot and leave the ballfields where they are. No matter how you cut it, if Target destroys the fields, it will leave a bitter taste in the mouths of many San Pedrans. There’s no excuse for Target to behave like this. Are they going to be a good neighbor? It doesn’t appear so. So why would I even think about shopping there and dealing with the additional shoppers streaming in from elsewhere? Yes, you can argue it’s about convenience and getting a lot of those necessities at a lower price. But again, this isn’t just about BALLFIELDS. This embraces the future of all of San Pedro and the way we dig our way into more and more traffic pits and hordes of townhomes -- or -- join forces and present our demands in a united front. It’s our final wakeup call to become a team to demand what we want and not just accept the decisions of others such as the Port of Los Angeles, big developers and even City Hall. We must define our future. And while you might say that shouldn’t include a private league, this reveals just the beginning of transgressions that will continue with San Pedro’s limited space if we don’t find ways to curb or use the potential growth for our best interest as a whole. This league’s turmoil forecasts just the beginning of troubles brewing ahead for San Pedro -- a town that faces problematic growth with a rapid acceleration in both population and traffic downtown and along Western Avenue. This is such a problem that we’d better unite now or we’ll regret it in the future, brave the oncoming onslaught or it will sweep over us like a tidal wave. We should start with the miracle that Eastview president Dave Stanovich seeks.

Let’s make it happen for him. Because the truth is this: We have to stop arguing among ourselves, each putting their own cause ahead of others. That approach plays into the hands of big developers who build townhomes and megastores with increased traffic and then duck out of town cash in hand. This would be tragic if we haven’t figured how to play like a team.

How can we do it? We have to quit thinking in our own boxes. We have to see the big picture and create a tapestry of San Pedro residents and organizations (often, unfortunately, enemies) -- soccer leagues, dog parks, the San Pedro Youth Coalition, Neighborhood Councils, -- and yes, individuals like you and me -- spelling out what we want loudly and clearly with a strengthened voice. That’s the miracle: San Pedro thinking about San Pedro as a whole and not just in pieces. Our community has a way of life that’s fading fast into conglomerates of traffic gridlocks, monolithic businesses and tightly wedged townhomes. The athletic fields, which remain a necessity but are vanishing before our eyes, are a fantastic place to begin with this new team. Let’s prove ourselves here and forge ahead to the next issue. In this case, all of us -- organizations and residents --- need to write letters demanding that Target to come up with other options to keep the fields there. As a community, we can do this. We can demand such an effort and refuse to shop at Target if we can’t save these fields. Because it’s not about the fields anymore. It’s about our way of life that will be buried beneath the dust and debris of progress. If we don’t unify now, we must forever hold our peace and watch for years to come as our quality of life gets bulldozed away. And that’s truly just around the base. But with a strong team, this can be just the beginning of many a home runs for our future.
Please visit www.saveeastview.com for more information about how to save Eastview.

What To Do to Escape San Pedro in case of a Disaster? Who Knows....


Dear Readers:

I wanted to share this concern a reader brought up, because it has been bothering me too. Comments, thoughts, solutions and suggestions...are welcome. Diana


Dear Diana
I have a concern I would like you to know about here in San Pedro which
I'm sure you are aware of. First off, let me tell you a little about
myself. I was born and raised here in San Pedro. A third generation. I
have a wife and four kids. I am the youngest of nine siblings. They all
have attended local schools as I have. Seven out of nine of us reside and are
raising our families here in San Pedro. So, it's not like I am a person
who just came to San Pedro and doesn't have a clue to what's going on in
our community.
Diana, my main concern is the traffic problem and over-population going
on. As you know, the traffic congestion on Western Avenue, Gaffey
Street, and Pacific Avenue is getting out of hand. It's ridiculous when
you have to wait 20-minutes on a Saturday morning to get from Ninth and
Western to Summerland and Western. I work in Gardena and it takes me
20-minutes to get from San Pedro to Gardena on the 110. The problem is
the same on Gaffey. On weekday mornings trying to get on the 110-freeway
you can be held up in traffic all the way from 17th Street. Sometimes, I
have to go to Pacific Avenue or Harbor Blvd. for a quicker route.
I can't imagine if there was a major catastrophe in San Pedro where
everyone had to evacuate. It would be impossible! This brings me to what
I am concerned about. There are many buildings, apartments, and condos
being built now and many more to come.

How congested do they want San Pedro to be? I just don't understand it? Can you imagine the traffic in 10-20 years? Diana, San Pedro is an awesome little town. I know the
businesses, the port, and our politicians want our town to grow but they
have to stop and think of the consequences involved. I'm sure there are
many San Pedrans' who feel the same way. There may or may not be a
solution, but if there is, I sure would like someone to do their best to
step in and focus on crippling it before it worsens. I have plans on
retiring here in San Pedro and I don't want to be smothered out.
Thank you for listening.
God bless!
Joseph Gonzales

Dear Diana - with all due respect it seems to us there's an abundance of fields and they need to be shared among the ball clubs, which doesn't seem to be the sensibiilty in what has become far too competitive and territorial. What happened to the tenets of good sportsmanship and the fact that how the game if played is far more important than winning.
Please don't reply - we'll never see eye to eye.

Stephanie and Lee Mardesich

Shorts & Sweets


Welcome to the Neighborhood Elvis (the dad) and little Godscilla, the daughter, to San Pedro!

Elvis, an American bull dog, rescued from Watts by her new owner, Lisa Marie, allowed the dog to have one baby, but doesn’t want him to have any more – despite the rarity of the breed, she said.

Fearing that he would be used as a fighting dog, Lisa Marie said she was given a tip to rescue him and eventually the owners agreed to give him to her. Due to her rescue background, she prefers Elvis not sire any more babies, but she couldn't resist allowing him to have one baby girl, 12-week-old Godscilla.
“These dogs are total athletes,” the owner said. “They were used during World War II to protect soldiers and their property.”
The trio just moved here from Hermosa Beach, where it was too crowded, Lisa Marie said.
They’ve been walking daily – so keep your dog senses keen so you can spot the charming duo.

$10 Can Save a Kid’s Life
By Stephanie London

Hi. I’m from the Boys and Girls Club of the Los Angeles Harbor, San Pedro Unit, and I’m in a leadership group called the Keystone Executives. We are trying to fundraise for “Malaria No More.” This is a fundraiser in which we raise money for the children and families in Africa who are dying from malaria. We are asking if you can donate $10 to this cause. Your $10 can save a child’s life. The $10 goes to purchasing a net to keep the mosquitoes out of the kid’s beds when they are sleeping and it also goes toward medical supplies and vaccines. So if you can donate $10, or whatever you can, we would really appreciate it. If you would like to pay by check, you can make the checks payable to the Boys and Girls Club of the Los Angeles Harbor.
Or if you would like to drop off your donation personally, we are located at 1200 S. Cabrillo Avenue, San Pedro. For more information, call (310) 833-1322. Sincerely, the Key Stone Executives Team.

In the photo from left to right are three members of the Key Stone Executives Team: Stephanie, London, 14, Alberto Palmas, 16, Jessica Haley-Clark, 16.

Shorts & Sweets

Having a cool neighbor with a load of reptiles and other bizarre critters is intriguing.
Having that neighbor, David Brummel, living right next door is even better; he can entertain us for hours just a skip and skitter away.
The latest entertainment for the kids: Jah, a four foot long, one-year-old crocodile monitor lizard who can grow up to ten feet long!
As cute as this guy (the lizard I mean) can be, David doesn’t recommend children get these dudes for pets because of their long claws, sharp teeth and their aggressiveness! Plus, they get large…really large. About 2/3 of their length is tail.

"I've wanted one of these for more than half my life," my neighbor told me, "but it takes such a big commitment and its such a big responsibility, it was a big decision to get one."
(Don’t forget that, David. He better not escape. We live right next door.)
Since he was a child, David has collected and cared for an abundance of critters, especially reptiles. Not counting his two black Labradors, he also has ten other reptiles, including a sail fin dragon, green basilisks and day geckos. He even owns a tarantula.
How does that grab you? Hopefully, the monitor lizard doesn’t. Actually, they are relatively safe as long as you get them as youngsters, keep their claws clipped and tame them.
“The key is to get them when they are babies so you can train them,” David explained as Jah scrambled across his head and then dropped down to the ground where he roamed about on his leather leash. “I only recommend that advanced hobbyists get these. If you don’t know what you are doing, they can be dangerous.
“They have long teeth (sharp) enough to cause nerve damage.”
The largest such monitor to exist is owned privately and is 11 feet one inches long, David told me. But the top weight he's ever heard of is 60 pounds. On that leap, I say: OK, neighbor, keep that sucker indoors – will ya!

Christopher Widdy, San Pedro High School senior and captain of the soccer team, has earned a full athletic scholarship to California State University, Bakersfield – a school that will compete in the NCAA’s Division 1 this year with the nation’s best teams.
Few college soccer coaches scout high schools for players; they tend to look at private clubs instead. However, San Pedro High Coach Paul Butterfield worked diligently to get college coaches to scout his players, Chris in particular.
CSUB Coach Simon Tobin said he spotted a couple of other players in San Pedro where raw talent abounds, but few soccer coaches visit for scouting. Most scouts go to private clubs; Simon also listens to his own players’ recommendations about potential teammates. That means Chris, who also captains the Palos Verdes Soccer Club where he has played since the age of 9, has opened doors in San Pedro.
Chris has worked hard to bring up his test scores and grades—a tough road. But nothing reflects his happiness more than his feelings about playing soccer.
“Everything seems to work when I’m on the field,” Chris explained. “It just seems that everything fits perfectly. There’s no stress.”
He believes his biggest attributes are his ability to anticipate plays and the way he attacks the goal. He readily admits his weakness has been playing too much as an individual and not enough as a team member– a style that probably will change quickly under Coach Tobin, who has coached at CSUB for 20 years.
A native of England, Simon looks for players all over Europe, Mexico and South America. He says Chris still has much to learn about soccer, but he’s strong and should be ready to play immediately as a forward or midfielder.
Having known the Widdys for years, I was lucky to meet Simon, who said he looks for speed and agility in his recruits. He prefers the quicker Latin style of play.
He wasn’t interested in coming to San Pedro to scout high school players, but San Pedro Coach Butterfield called him repeatedly. When he was in the area, Simon decided to drop by and watch a game. He was impressed with several; players but especially Chris.
Chris believed his chances for a soccer scholarship had slipped away because “we were deep into the year and I just thought it was over.”
His plans were to attend a community college, but through Butterfield’s relentless efforts, he received the offer from CSUB. “I am grateful because he (Butterfield) believed in me,” Chris said. “I didn’t think I was capable of playing at a Division 1 level, but he did.”
Receiving a scholarship has been his dream, as well as his entire family’s. He’s determined to earn a degree in business. Coach Tobin explained he typically discourages his players from going into the professional soccer ranks until they earn their degrees, because an injury can rule them out of the sport. A degree, however, can never be taken away.
I personally am quite pleased, because Chris has assured me that he will come back to help coach other children in San Pedro.
Other former San Pedro players “always came back to train with us and they really helped us out,” he said.

Respect the Canines;

Some died for us


Diana L. Chapman


Disrespect.
Dishonor.
Disillusionment.
That’s the somber chill that floats in the air on a brisk sunny day at the Fort MacArthur Museum at Angels Gate Park. The angels aren’t appearing; but vandals are.
Disrespect abounds in a large, rectangular grassy area – which sadly battles to remain a military graveyard for animals, mostly dogs, that years ago protected us during the Cold War. But visitors, instead of offering dignity, settle down at the site, have picnics and leave trash behind. Dog owners allow their animals to do a dirty business on top of the graves. And worse, vandals have stolen a dozen plaques that once honored the dogs -- heroes as far as I’m concerned -- after their deaths. Which is why Dorothy Matich, 71, brought me here in the first place – to tell me about her latest quest.
She wants these animals to have the honor they deserve “as veterans” and simply started raising funds -- $7,500 so far -- to restore the graveyard and bring it back to the beautiful simplicity that once existed there. She believes acknowledging the efforts of the canines to protect us -- with a little bit of extras, including a six foot iron fence to help guard the site and an arched gateway -- is a must for our community.
Unless Dorothy has her way (which I believe she will), the site evidently will remain the sad, down location that currently reflects it today -- a grass area with a broken down white fence that surrounds it . Extinction appears near without Dorothy's efforts.
Gone now from the site were the only honors left, bequeathed to sentry dogs like: Jack, E939, who lived from March 1958 to December 1969; Lothar, 7A55, 1963-1973; Cheetah, K060, March 1965 – March 1973; Pancho 466E, Dec. 1960 to October 1968; Baron, 3F57, Dec. 28, 1957 to July 1970; and many others, including “Sam Pace, a beloved Navy Dog who lived 12 years,” and Perky, a cat owned by Col. N.H. Barnhart.
Also disappearing from the graveyard was what some believed to be a bronze sculpture of a German Shepherd, said museum curator Stephen Nelson, who picks his words carefully when he begins to steam about the damage vandals have caused. In an attempt to recreate that sculpture, the curator now asks if anyone in the community has photos of the stolen piece to contact him. He’d like to have a new one made for the restoration, unless a miracle happens and the original appears.
“I don’t even know what it looked like,” Stephen explained as we toured the site. It was stolen before he landed the job several years ago. “People should have a little more respect and contemplation for what we have here. People were literally prying up the markers. If it wasn’t your dog, why would you take it? It’s a real study in humanity.”
Yes, it is. And that’s what’s so crushing.
He also appealed to those in the community who might know the whereabouts of the original markers to return them; No questions will be asked.
As for Dorothy, who has no dogs of her own currently but helped raise her children’s dogs and who has a large heart for canines, defined what her mission’s about in one word: respect.
“I just feel like these dogs are veterans and they protected our coastline,” Dorothy told me. Many “had to be put down because they were trained killers. I get the chills when I think about it. It bothers me that so many people are disrespectful.”
If you know Dorothy, you understand she has the most dogged determination to bring back dignity to honor the veterans buried at this site; I agree they deserve more than the brownish patch of land and sorry-looking fence that surrounds the graveyard. As you possibly know from reading my past columns, I also strongly believe what we teach our kids about animals eventually translates to the relations they will have with humans.
Respect these creatures who respected and cared for us. If we can’t teach children that simple concept, then we are not doing the right thing.
As soon as Dorothy and her husband, Matt, both avid supporters of the museum who, unveiled the idea to revamp the cemetery, the director jumped at the chance. An architect was hired and the simple plans map out refurbishing the site by surrounding it with the fence, two strips of grass on either side, divided in middle by a path of decomposed granite.
The site would be surrounded with plants such as California sage brush, California buckwheat and red flowering current amid swirling ocean winds.
Of the 34 of steel plate markers, which honored the animals (mostly German Shepherds except for two cats) , so many of the plaques were stolen that the disillusioned curator finally removed and stored the remainders.
At the museum, not only has the curator collected the remaining markers, but was ecstatic when military veteran Paul Acosta visited a few years ago, saw the markers and cried out: “Those were my guard dogs,” referring to Lothar and Cheetah. He immediately turned over to the curator the dog's belongings that he kept -- their leather collars, an inch wide and nearly a half inch thick, which showed how powerful the beasts could be. He also donated to the museum a 20 foot long “working leash,” a six foot long handling leash, their stainless steel food bowls and a water bucket – the size of a kitchen pail.
While all of these items and the markers are languishing, hidden away treasures tucked in a museum with no place to display them, the current proposals will at least bring back some of the great dignity that once prevailed at the historic site, when it was a military post from 1914 to 1982 – the guardian of our harbor. The dogs arrived around 1941 to protect us first during World War II and then returned later in it it’s aftermath – the Cold War. The fort, which became a museum in 1986, was considered the first “base to use canine sentries as an integral part of its defensive plans,” the curator and his fellow author, David K. Appel, wrote in their book, Fort MacArthur.
The projected costs to refurbish the cemetery are about $20,000. Dorothy has raised thousands in several ways – her latest is selling $5 tickets for the sing-along Sound of Music playing at the Warner Grand on Sunday, May 6. The museum will receive $2 for each ticket sold.
As far as curator is concerned, this restoration project is a gesture that would dignify the deceased dogs, enhance the property, and it’s such a unique feature in the area, “it can be a feather in the cap for the whole community.”
Most of all, I believe it will be a great lesson for our children – to honor the canines that served and later died for us.

To purchase tickets from Dorothy, please call (310) 831-2803 or e-mail her at dorothymatich@yahoo.com.; Tickets can also be purchased at the Corner Store. 1118 W. 37th Street, (310) 832-2424. Also, to report any information to the museum curator regarding stolen plaques or to supply photographs of the German Shepherd statute that once graced the cemetery, call (310) 548-2631. The museum is located at 3601 South Gaffey Street. For more information about the fort, visit www.ftmac@org.

Happenings…

For all of you who read my blog even if you don’t have kids, I thought I’d post this
as an important event for all of us 20 plus somethings.
“Eating for Healthy Aging,” will be held Thursday, April 12th from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. at Bogdanovich Recreation Center, 1920 Cumbre Drive, San Pedro. No excuses for not attending! It’s free.
Certified Nutritionist Janet Little will give a one hour lecture and fitness instructor Yvonne Beachley will give a 30 minute workout to show us how to improve our health as we age. The program is sponsored by the Harbor Community Adult School and all those who attend will receive a free pamphlet about eating well and a $5 off coupon to Henry’s Market, said Yvonne, a fitness instructor at the adult school.
Light refreshments will also be served. Please meet at the park’s gymnasium. Call (310) 619-5305 for more information.

***

Dear Readers:


People have asked why I'm reviewing or “censoring” reader comments before posting them on this blog site. I review them because after perusing other blogs, I found many comments about people that were inappropriate or didn’t address the issue in question. I enjoy reading your comments and, in fact, have posted every one I've received so far. I am happy that readers have not commented about how ugly a person is…which naturally doesn’t fit the underdogforkids site!
Sincerely, Diana

As a writing and reading coach, it was a frustrating moment for me at the school book fair. A mother wandered in with her son, about 13, wanting to get him a book. I’ve known him for about a year, and he has excellent writing abilities.
As I was telling his mother about his writing skills (she only speaks Spanish, so he translated for me), it came as quite a shock to learn that he doesn’t like to read!
“No!” I told him. “That can’t be so! You write pretty well. What do you like to do? What are your interests?” He hummed and hawed and finally admitted he liked comic books. Aha! ”I have just the books for you!” I said, and dragged him to the cartoon series, “The Bone,” which is a popular seller with the students. I am a big advocate of getting kids to read – and for the most part I don’t care what it takes. If it’s a cartoon book or that silly guy, Capt. Underpants--about a school principal who turns into a chaotic hero wearing diapers—that makes them read, SO BE IT!
Why? Because reading can save their lives! It helps to nurture, water and prune them for the future. If this seems hard to believe, many college graduates I know, including myself, read comic books. I know one college graduate who read comic books until age 26! It’s a great place to start and, like with anything else, they will graduate to the next level.
About the age of 12, I fell heavily for historical romance novels. I read one after another. I couldn’t put them down. I finally went comatose from reading the same plot. (You know, the one where the guy has jet black hair, the “panther” walk. Lo and behold, because of myriad misunderstandings, the most gorgeous woman who ever walked the face of the earth and the panther guy just can’t seem to get along.)
About age 15 or so, I stopped reading romance novels. All the guys looked the same (see above), all the gals looked the same (see above), and there was just no way they could communicate to make their romance a go – until finally, the fog cleared and they saw each other as they truly were! Finally.
And amen. That was enough of that. (I’m not dumping on romance novels. They are great. I was just ready to move on.) I graduated. And read different novels after that….Those romance novels just brought me to the next spot. So I was excitedly showing this student the “Bone” series, which I realize is a bizarre bit of comics that the mother just looked at with a poker face. But it actually stoked the boy’s interest, and I knew we were getting somewhere.
Until the mother made him put them back on the shelf. Trying to honor her request, I pulled out another fantastic book. She shook her head and said: “No animales.”
But all I could think about was: this isn’t about the mom. This is about what her son likes. And he likes animals. We put that book back on the shelf, too. I was disappointed.
Not as much as the young boy was, who probably will go on not enjoy reading – until he’s told, yes, go ahead and read what you like.
Feeling somewhat dejected about the whole thing, I was happy the next day when the student wandered back in by himself. I don’t know what exchange his mother and the student had, but there was definitely a difference about what he picked to read. He bought two books, both about World War II, including Theodore Taylor’s, Air Raid-Pearl Harbor!
I’ve since been reading that book and it’s a remarkable retelling of the days prior to the attack – and a great lesson about the many layers of human mistakes – that led to us, as a country, to be so unsuspecting of Japan’s intentions.
It reminds me of the similar mistakes we can make as parents, when we decide exactly what our children should or should not read – when our most important determination should be just to get them to read, read, read – and read again.
No matter what we like.

Shorts & Sweets:


Teaching a writer’s workshop at a Leland Street Elementary School Career Day recently, I presented the students with a rather unorthodox writing approach. The style encourages them to put their thoughts on paper as quickly as possible so they can learn to enjoy writing.
This time, after giving them a beginning sentence, I asked them to put their pens to paper for five to ten minutes without thinking about it too hard. They are not allowed to lift their pens off the paper. They must write, write, write.
I am always happy seeing what churns out, and I find out what I usually discover at any school – loads and loads of raw talent that take so many shapes and form. Here’s just one kids approach to a “writer’s warm-up.” They had the choice on this day to write starting from “I am a wolf…or “I am a shark” just to see where their pens will take them.

Here is what one child wrote in five minutes:

I AM A WOLF

I am a wolf. I am slick and fast. I love to run fast around the woods
hunting my prey. I have sharp teeth. I always howl at the moon every
night. Some people fear me and some don't. They love to hunt me for my
warm fur. Still, no one can catch me. I love being a wolf.

By: Mark Gonzales
Age: 10
Grade: 5th
School: Leland Street

***

The other day at the Starbucks in Von’s on 25th Street, I was standing in line when I heard two high schoolers talking about reading the Chicken Soup for the Soul books. Since I wrote probably a dozen stories for those books, my ears perked up.
But alas, the discussion was more about the pre-teen books – which I never wrote for. So I quit eavesdropping and went back to paying attention to my order.
“I was reading this story Firmer Ground,” one of the girls said and I believe she added that it was a good story. I swung around as though I just won the jackpot lotto and yelped: “That’s my story!”
“Wow, it’s so nice to meet a writer,” one of the girls said and we began to discuss writing. I later found out their names – Hannah Cortez and Marlene Espinoza, both 14.
I babbled on to the girls and the charming younger brother they had in tow and went on for several minutes. By the time I was through, they were ready to get out of there. They ran home and told one of their mothers!
The mother, Shari Cortez, thought she knew me. We know each other through our volunteer work. (That’s so San Pedro).
Of all the people who read the stories I wrote for Chicken Soup, the biggest fans were teenagers. They still call me. They write me and I can’t tell you how good that makes me feel – especially when they read a story like Firmer Ground about one of my high school friends who dealt drugs and died at 16.
His death was what stopped me from experimenting with drugs – and that’s why I wrote that story for teenagers – the glimmer of hope that maybe it will give them the courage to do what they want to do – not what their friends want them do. And drugs are often on that list.

Dear Readers:
This science teacher from Dana Middle School wrote about the service and the impact of the death of San Pedro Dana's Middle school special education teacher, Kimberly Larsen.

Kimberly's funeral had a big impact on me. I've always wondered what it would be like when I experience that moment, that true once-in-a-lifetime experience, death. I've always tried to rationalize it with a mix of spirituality and science, thinking that we're matter/energy, and we're the universe itself that has become self aware of itself through its own Infiniteness. And being one with this One self aware Reality, being this eternal Energy that precedes time and the physical limits of the universe, I've always tried to convince myself that there's no such thing as "death."
Kimberly's passing has passed through the veil of such "philosophical" ramblings, and made my heart heavy. I took the attached picture of her less than a year ago, where there was no signs of anything wrong and suddenly...this!
How am I going to rationalize this one? At her funeral, as I watched a full cargo ship disappear over the horizon, this poem came to me and I wrote it as fast as I could:
once Born in a world of Form,
from place to place on earth we roam;
entangled in the Web of Time,
we resonate as a faint chime;
once in a while our waves overlap,
filling our soul without a gap;
and then comes time for us to Go,
to our Source of Ceaseless Flow!
Although the ship merely journeyed over the horizon and I know it didn’t cease to exist, our lives are fragile and short indeed. Let's enjoy every second and take every opportunity to be a kind and loving person for all the living (our own creation)…like Kimberly was....
Thanks,
Ash

Dear Readers: Mr. Kimo Harris sent this to me after I left the publication of MoreSanPedro, where I served as a columnist for nearly four years. I appreciate his comments and thought you might enjoy reading them...Diana


Aloha Mr. Editor,

My name is Kimo and I'd like to applaud one of your columnist for the "More" publication in San Pedro. Her name is Diana Chapman. We subscribe to the Sunday Daily Breeze, and I find her work to be worthy of being in a paid publication, yet please be assured that I am delighted that her work is being published period. And to have it in a free publication is truly a community service.

We started reading the More on a regular basis because of Diana. It is my philosophy that the news oriented columns are more suited for the Daily Breeze, and with the More being a "San Pedro" community paper, it's refreshing to read a column that exclusively deals with concerns directly affecting our community. To read Diana's column gives a reader insight to ways of improving our citizenship within our own community which will have a direct impact on the South Bay as a whole. For too long, San Pedro has had an unfair reputation in some corridors of the South Bay. I have been here for over 19 years and know of this rep first hand. Diana has taken the course of action that challenges our community to look inward, and she's given us the tools to do so. One example would be her column about the Supervision aides at Dana Middle School. It was a call to all parents that when your child's safety is at stake, the unnecessary verbal abuse towards these aides is counter-productive. Sure they know who these parents are, but they are not in the business of monitoring each child's whole life. Therefore, one way to provide a safe environment for all students is to monitor who is on campus by requiring valid identification. The jist of this column was to enlighten parents to the positive impact of this effort. This brings about more cohesion and cooperation between parents and the school, which is a big plus for our students and the community at large. Another example would be her column entitled "The Tale Of Two Cities", talk about speaking the truth. I believe that this column is profound and that it will only enhance readership. And her most recent column in the February 3rd edition is a solid example of the value of her columns. It has inspired debate, and it also inspired me to write this letter. I have attached a copy of my response to her column and would hope that you could find the time to read it.

So in short, I believe that Diana is truly providing insight that any community could use, and that we in San Pedro are the fortunate beneficiaries. A consistent dose of wisdom can only catch on and spread like wild fire. I was raised in Hawaii and have seen first hand that the strength of a community is a direct result of the humanity within that community. Face lifts, economic progress, and so on, are just attachments to the character and spirit of the citizens within in a community. And it always starts with one sincere individual to step forward. Diana is one such individual. And this citizen of San Pedro thanks you.

Regards,
Kimo
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Readers:
From watching space aliens to yodeling singers, please don't forget the lovely Warner Grand Theater's Sundays are Fundays -- dedicated to bring families back to the historic era in downtown San Pedro.
Coming up are some family favorites, both on Sundays at 2 p.m.
E.T. will play April 1 at a cost of $5 for adults and $2 for children under the age of 12.
The story about the space alien who lands in a family's backyard and eats up M&Ms, turned immediately into a family classic -- which all ages can enjoy.
Another family treasure, the sing-along Sound of Music, will be shown May 6 for $10 a ticket on the day of the showing and $5 for advanced ticket sales.
Susan Wilcox, a constant volunteer for the Warner who helps run the Sunday's are Fundays program, said: "a costume contest and other nutty things relating to the theme of the movie, will be included in this showing." For further information, call(310)833-8333 or visit the website at www.warnergrand.org. The theater is located at 478 Sixth St., San Pedro.

Dear Readers:

Please consider this site a place to post items going on at your school, fundraisers for a non-profit entities involving children, children’s submissions and other possibilities by sending them to hartchap@earthlink.net. Your voice will be welcome at this post site, especially for events involving children. ..


At this time, I want to send many special thanks to Its’ A Grind – a coffee house on Western Avenue in San Pedro that has supported several schools by providing free coffee for many school events. San Pedro High School, Dana Middle School, Crestwood Street Elementary and Taper Avenue Elementary have all benefited from support from owners, Karen Anderson and Robyn Richardson, a mother-daughter team who partnered to run the chain at this location.
“We just help as much as we can,” Karen told me yesterday. – who frequently has encouraged schools to consider her spot as a place for students work to shine, such as having poetry readings or one-person skits at the sight.
I thank Karen and her daughter for what they do for children and the many local businesses who reach out and support their schools.

By Diana L. Chapman

A beloved Dana Middle School teacher, who came into field of education later in life and carried on a brave face for the school’s staff and students while she faced a terminal illness, passed away Tuesday night at the age of 51.
Kimberly Larsen, held many other occupations including raising goats, before becoming a full fledged special education teacher for the past five years at the middle school where she snatched the hearts of many students and cemented close relations with staff members.
As a volunteer at Dana, my limited amount of time with Kimberly led me to respect her as she continued to bring a vibrant energy to the campus, despite her fight with cervical cancer, and always told everyone she was doing great with a big smile.
The staff appeared lulled by her faith that she would survive and was shocked and heartbroken when she died suddenly at her San Pedro home.
“Kimberly loved kids and life,” said Principal Terry Ball, who was confounded by the times he went to help Kimberly and found her helping him instead. “She poured herself into her work, not because she was a workaholic, but because of her love for kids. When she was ill, I wasn’t only lulled by her faith, but by her upbeat an exuberant personality. When I would try to encourage her, she would turn tables on me and end up encouraging me—no matter how ill she felt. I always felt better after I spoke with her. We all continue to grieve and be heartbroken.”
While she decided to pursue an educational course later in life, her friends at the school said after she tried several other careers she returned to the one thing she loved ….”children,” explained her close friend, Brian Spencer, a counselor at the school.
Quickly after she arrived, Brian explained, they had a bit of a “who are you” attitude and then realized that they had similar priorities: they were there for children, they were there to help people and they were both extremely forgiving even when people treated them harshly.
After that, they were so close it was as though they’d known each other all their lives and Brian became close with the entire family, including her 15-year-old son, Cameron, and her husband, Brad.
“I knew I had a special connection with her and I never thought anyone else saw that,” explained Brian, who said he later discovered she had established similar friendships with many others. “It was just how we connected. It was just how she was. She fought for people. She fought for her students. And she didn’t have a problem with that. She has a passion for children and a passion for life.”
Calling her “Earth Momma,” Brian said when you find a friendship like that, it’s something to be cherished – which others at the school full-heartedly agreed with – and most of all – she taught her special education students to be their own greatest advocates.
Students who had graduated constantly came back to praise Kimberly for the efforts she acclaimed for them, often carrying gifts and words of appreciation -- especially that she taught them that no one could fight better for a student then the student themselves.
“She was just great with kids and she always as very protective,” said Dana’s special education coordinator, Hengameh Rahmanou. “She was always on the internet doing research trying to do the right for her kids. She had kids to this day still coming back to see her. She’s such a well-known figure.”
At one point, Kimberly became the special education coordinator but became frustrated when she found she wasn’t having enough one-on-one- relationships with children. She dropped the position to return to teaching.
“She was my rock,” said Sherry Graves, a special education clerk at Dana. “All I had to do is let her know what I needed or what a student needed and it would happen. Her students always came back to see her.”
Kimberly joined Dana in 2001 after years in a series of other occupations, including raising goats, being a full-fledged nursery manager and prior to that was a substitute teacher for three years. She also taught kindergarten at Point Fermin Elementary School. But before ever beginning a career in education, Kimberly gathered a vast knowledge about plant life and managed plant nurseries for five years from 1987 until 1993 in Albuquerque, N.M. and later held a similar post from 1993 to 1998 in Bellingham, Wash. Her family owned a farm in Ferndale, Wash. before returning to San Pedro, where she was born.
Brian, the counselor, said he has to fight away tears just thinking about Kimberly and how she would visit his office to help him take care of his plants. Several employees said they were dependent on her not only to brighten their day, but to come in and nurture the plants she had bought them.
Kimberly graduated with BA in Philosophy in 1987 from the University of New Mexico and when she returned to her birth place of San Pedro, she attained a master’s degree from Cal State University, Dominquez Hills, in special education.
She is survived by her, son, Cameron, her husband Brad; her parents, Ethel and Rorvik Johnson, of San Pedro; a sister, Diane Berkey of Washington and a brother, Dennis Berkey of Colorado. She is also survived by numerous cats and dogs she’d rescued.
A celebration of her life has been schedule for Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m at the Cabrillo Beach Youth Waterfront Sports Center, 3000 Shoshonean Road. Instead of flowers, the family has requested that visitors bring food for this event.
The family also requests that those wanting to given donations to either her son’s college fund or a pet rescue organization. To give to Cameron’s college fund, makes checks payable to the Dana Staff Association for a college fund and drop them off at Dana’s main office.
Or because Kimberly was a woman “who cherished all living things” and rescued many animals, donations can be sent in remembrance of her to Rover Rescue, P.O. Box 424, Redondo Beach ,California or visit the website: roverrescue.com under the “You Can Help” section indicating the donation is in remembrance of Kimberly.
Please post your thoughts about Kimberly at the Underdog site because that’s exactly what she was -- a fighter for the underdogs in life.

I remember the day I met him. It was a few months ago in one of my writer’s workshops at the Boys and Girls Club.
The teens in the club’s College Bound program were writing essays for their applications, and I asked them to jot down 10 great things about themselves. While other kids’ pens and pencils flew, the one belonging to a 17-year-old named Emmanuel didn’t move an inch. Not even a half-inch. In fact, when I peered over, there was nothing more than a dot.
I looked at him and said: “Why haven’t you written anything?” I kept prodding him about it.
Finally, he looked at me, somewhat sorrowfully, and in front of the entire class of perhaps 16 students announced that in his honest opinion, “I’m a failure. There’s nothing to say. My grades are a 1.8. I move all the time. I’ve never done anything.”
It’s a rare moment when a kid speaks so candidly about himself in front of a class. Of course, I didn’t believe him. I continued trying to pull out some of his potential, knowing that somewhere there had to be some raw, untapped talent--a gold nugget, if you will. All it needed was a bit of coaxing. Sometimes, it comes from an expected place.
Other students began sharing their lists. Whispers passed between Emmanuel and the girl sitting next to him, Annabel. Suddenly, Annabel announced loudly: “Emmanuel, aren’t you a sergeant in the junior ROTC?”
I stopped dead in my tracks.
“What?” I yelped, turning on my heel and looking directly at him. “You’re a sergeant in the junior ROTC and you think that’s nothing!?! Emmanuel, that’s huge! Think about all the things that says about you. It means your committed, determined, disciplined.” Looking rather surprised, it was clear Emmanuel had never thought of it that way.
Since this happened a few months ago, Emmanuel now has an excellent mentor, George Mayer, to work with at the Boys and Girls Club. Annabel helped him realize his great potential. And the changes Emmanuel has undergone are remarkable. I am sad to report that his mother is being transferred again and now he has to move to Florida. While that breaks my heart as I moved many times in my life and know the struggle, I was able to tell Emmanuel that he will survive because now he has a better sense of himself.
Proudly coming to my most recent writer’s workshop, Emmanuel wore his crisp blue junior ROTC uniform, polished black shoes and stood tall. I asked him to write a piece about his mentor in the next 10 minutes. When I read it, I was so moved I made him share it with all the class and told his story that when he joined he wouldn’t write a line.
I’d like to share this with you, readers, because in every child there is a gold nugget just waiting to be mined:

About George Mayer, my mentor
It was about eight weeks ago when I met my mentor. When I first set eyes on him, I’m not going to lie, I didn’t know what to think. However, the second he started talking and telling me about himself, I was profoundly amazed. He started telling me how he survived the most devastating tragedies of humanity. That tragedy was the Holocaust, and based on his experiences from surviving the Holocaust, and being accommodated by some of his closest friends, who were surprisingly German. That kind of altruism and amity inspired him to go out and help other people the same way he was helped in his time of need.
Later on, he asked me what my aspirations were and what my ultimate goal in life was and when I was able to confide in him, I felt like finally there was a person who was willing to listen to me and my story. I told him my dream was to be deeply involved in law, perhaps a district or defense attorney. I told him what I was able to overcome and he even suggested to me some advice on some of my current problems. I am 17-years-old and in the J.R.O.T.C. program with a 4.0 GPA for the fall semester in my junior year and I aspire to be a district attorney.
I chose that profession because I believe that people should hold themselves accountable for their actions no matter what the circumstances are and once they stoop themselves below reproach, they must suffer the consequences. I feel I can be one of those people that forces people to hold themselves accountable for their actions.
Anyway, I also found that Mr. George has an extreme passion for sports, especially college sports. I was shocked as I have the same interests as him in professional basketball and we would talk about who is going to win the championships and who is going to win the MVP. The only thing that I found presented a problem was that I only get to see him once a week and sometimes, I’m not there (Boys and Girls Club) that day. Other than that, I have the utmost gratitude and respect for his influence on me and how I want to live my life.
I hope I can be the kind of person in the future that has had the impact on people’s lives as he has had on mine. When I am able to do that, I will be able to say that: “’Hey, I made a difference.” I did everything I could to better myself and increase the welfare of all humanity. Until then, I will continue to work for my goals.

Bravo, Emmanuel! One thing for sure, now you can write!

Remember when I told you about the LA Surfbus – which takes inner city kids on waves, literally, and teaches them to enjoy the ocean – and be safe?
One day a week and all summer long, the kids learn how to dive into waves and ride them in, climbing on surf boards, flying on bogey boards and often body surf to the shore line – and many of these children have never even been to the beach.
Toward the end of the summer, I was able to surf over to Huntington Beach and spot
the kids in the waves myself. Some of the kids thought it was the last day and when I told them it wasn’t, they were begging me to let them come back.
I, unfortunately, wasn’t the woman to grant them that magic wish. But Mary Setterholm, a surfing champion, was. When they surrounded her to ask if they could return, she nodded her head with a smile and the kids ran off screaming in the ocean: “We get to come back. We get to come back,” and then gleefully, some of them jumped on their instructor’s back.
Here’s what the kid’s said to me about the program:

§ --Lauren Alleshouse, 8, : “I learned to go by myself and when this big wave was coming, I made it all the way to the shore.”

§ --Kaitlyn Andrews, 10, who lives near the water, said: “I’ve lived by the beach my whole life and don’t swim. I just had a good time and I’m not scared I’m going to drowning anymore. I learned to surf, body board, go under waves. I never did that before.”

§ --Charlene Ramirez, 8, “What did I learn? I learned about surfing. It’s a lot of work to learn and you have to keep practicing.”

§ --Tatianna Newborn, 8, “I liked going under the waves and throwing water at the instructors.”

§ --Chris Vu, 7, who jumped on the back of a surfboard and rode it into the shore: “Actually this is my first time. I was just lucky I guess.”

§ --Kyria Washington, 12, “It was the first time I ever learned bogey boarding. We got to swim around and I learned how to swim in deep, deep, deep water.”

Mary, who won the women’s national surfing championships in 1972, became like a magic fairy Surfmother – after an incident at the beach took her for another journey in life. She was teaching a bunch of kids how to surf when all of a sudden lifeguards ran by and a helicopter flew overhead Later, she learned a 13-year-old girl, who had come from the inner city, had drowned.
That’s when she decided she would get as many land locked kids down to the beach, especially kids who wouldn’t normally receive such opportunities. She pays for the program through donations and her private Surf Academy.
Every day, I thank God for people like Mary. She may not have been able to stop that little girl from drowning that day, but she probably will help prevent such horrible mishaps in the future.
And that’s no wipe out.