April 2015 Voice of the Village

Transcription

April 2015 Voice _Layout 2 4/3/15 9:37 AM Page 1
Voice
The
Serving the Community
of Sunland-Tujunga
and Beyond
April 2015
Volume 6, Issue 4
Visit us online at
www.voiceofthevillage.org
Sky pilots: How these ‘Flying Tigresses’ soar
By Kresse Armour
Margaret Viola’s business card
gives an address in Mojave, CA, USA,
EARTH. It’s because she clocks in at
The Spaceship Company (TSC). It’s
the aerospace facility at the Mojave
Air & Space Port where Sir Richard
Branson’s White Knight spacecraft is
housed in Virgin Galactic’s hangar.
Viola, who holds a degree in physics,
is an Executive Project Specialist for
TSC. She’s also a pilot, both fixedwing and glider, who is dedicated to
mentoring students and promoting
STEM scholarships for women.
In June of this year she’ll serve as
co-pilot as she teams up with commercial pilot and seasoned racer, Anne
Marie Radel, as the pair takes on the
See PILOTS, Page 4
S-T-SH Rotary Club hosting
2nd annual Chili Cook-off
The Sunland-Tujunga-Shadow Hills
Rotary Club is hosting its second annual Chili Cook-off on Saturday, April
18, and is up to its jalapenos in some
pretty hot competition. And, appropriately, the band ‘Thunderclap,’ will be
providing the day’s lively entertainment.
Chili cooks from around the Southland are invited to ‘turn up the flame’
and prepare their best chili dish for this
fiery hometown event. In addition to individual entries, the Rotary Club is
challenging all businesses and organizations to compete in a special business/organization
chili
cook-off
category. The more, the spicier!
As for chili-cooking recipes, there
Young
Eagles
flights:
Where
kids
meet
the sky!
Page 11
Photo by Kresse Armour
Pilots Anne Marie Radel and Margaret Viola will team up for the 2015 Air Race Classic, in support of STEM scholarships.
are categories for ‘Chili Con Carne,’
‘Chili With Beans,’ and ‘Vegetarian
Chili.’ And Rotary won’t even stick you
in the hot seat: rules are that chili is to
be made at home and brought to the
event for judging in a crock pot or similar large container. Team names and
decorations are greatly encouraged and
are known to make the chili taste even
better. Bring enough chili for public
sampling – you’ll want the world to
know what good chili is!
Cost is $10 per entry. Chili aficionados are invited to taste the various offerings for a donation of $5. It’s all
money well spent. The Rotary Club is
See CHILI, Page 3
Pilot Lisa Fusano, center, prepares for a YE flight.
Blazing Star Bazaar
Treasures & Plant Sale
Little Landers Historical Society announces the April return of our annual
rummage and plant sales. Both events are fund-raisers for Little Landers and
Bolton Hall and will be held at Bolton Hall on Saturday, April 25, from 9
a.m. to 3 p.m.
Donations of new, gently used, antique, retro, vintage and collectible items
may be brought to Bolton Hall during public hours any Tuesday or Sunday
afternoon from 1-4 p.m. or on Friday, April 24 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
For plant donations, please call Bolton Hall to make arrangements.
Bolton Hall Museum is located at 10110 Commerce Avenue, Tujunga.
Additional information is available from Little Landers Historical Society,
818-352-3420 or www.littlelandershistoricalsociety.org. Or, e-mail: littlelanders@verizon.net.
Spring Carnival set April 3-5
By Mark Seigel
Carnival Chairman
The Sunland-Tujunga Chamber
of Commerce is proud to announce
that the 2015 Spring Carnival will
be held Easter weekend and will
open on Friday, April 3, and run
through Sunday, April 5, at Sunland
Park, 8651 Foothill Blvd.
The S-T Chamber sponsors this
event annually with the help of local
businesses, organizations, resident
donations and sponsorships.
And the admission is free!
The carnival will feature over 20
rides, Easter Egg Hunts, Kids
Crafts, Games and a Vendor Marketplace with handcrafted items, art
and gifts. Don’t miss this annual
family fun event.
Visit the www.stchamber.com
website for additional information
including sponsorship opportunities.
The Sunland-Tujunga Chamber
of Commerce is a non-profit organization that supports the local business community.
Check out the promotional video:
https://vimeo.com/123549958
Carnival Hours:
Friday, April 3, 5-10 pm
Saturday and Sunday, April 4-5,
11a.m. -10 p.m.
The Voice and Verdugo Hills High School in partnership to help students succeed!
Page 2
Voice of the Village
Animal Issues
Committee finds
full STNC
support on
‘compassionate’
animal rescue
letter to mayor
80 new trees
planted along
Foothill Blvd.
By Pat Kramer
By Pat Kramer
STNC Region 1 Rep/Co-chair
Animal Issues Committee
On March 11, a letter asking for a
new policy on compassionate animal
rescues, drafted by the STNC Animal
Issues Committee, received a unanimous vote of approval from the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council.
Addressed
to Los Angeles
Mayor
Eric Garcetti,
the letter asks
for a policy to
be put in place
w h e r e b y
DWP workers
c o n t a c t
SMART (Specialized Mobile Animal
Pat Kramer
Rescue Team)
of the Department of Animal Services when an animal is trapped on their equipment.
The purpose of the letter is to create a
more humane and compassionate system of animal rescues throughout the
city of Los Angeles, instead of putting
the care of a frightened animal in the
hands of an untrained DWP worker.
The basis for the letter was an incident that took place on November 14,
2014 on Jardine Avenue in Sunland
when a DWP worker arrived with a
bucket truck to help a cat that had
been trapped on a power pole for three
days. The cat was frightened and the
situation required careful handling of
the cat to get it safely to the ground.
Unfortunately, after removing the
cat from the pole, the DWP tossed the
cat from the bucket truck 15’ – 20’
from the ground, saying that it was
scratching him. Would-be rescuers on
the ground were not prepared to catch
the cat or to provide the care it may
have needed, and bystanders said the
cat may have been injured when it hit
the ground.
In presenting the letter, our Animal
Issues Committee Chair Dana Stangel
and Pat Kramer noted that the DAS
April 2015
Photos courtesy of Councilmember Felipe Fuentes’ office
Volunteers join Councilmember Felipe Fuentes in LABT tree planting project.
SMART team, led by Acting Lieutenant Navarrete with Wildlife Officer
Dinh, are specially trained to handle
frightened and possible antagonistic
animals. Additionally, they have special equipment to rescue wildlife that
may be injured or become trapped.
Presently, there is no policy for city
agencies or police to work with the
SMART team on animal rescues.
As our city becomes increasingly
urbanized and hillsides become populated, there are more cases coming to
light of wildlife becoming victims of
police as they cross into areas where
people reside. Our Animal Issues
Committee is committed to educating
our community about ways to coexist
with wildlife and, of course, to treat
all animals with compassion.
In a related matter, the city’s
Budget Representatives recently released a White Paper in which they reSee LETTER, Page 3
For the record ...
you heard it here FIRST
It’s your
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The
On March 21 volunteers from the
Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood
Council, the community and the Los
Angeles Beautification Team (LABT)
came out in force to begin the process
of planting 80 trees along Foothill
Boulevard. (There were 25 droughtresistant trees planted on the 21st, the
rest were planted the following
week). Councilmember Felipe
Fuentes (CD7) paid the LABT for
weekly waterings for the next three
years.
The Los Angeles Department of
Water and Power and City Plants donated the trees. A grant from the Bureau of Sanitation covered the cost of
planting the trees. On hand to create
the tree wells was the local nonprofit, the Los Angeles Conservation
Corps.
The trees were planted by youth
working with the Los Angeles Beautification Team as well as many community volunteers which included:
STNC Board Members Gail Carlson
(chair of the Beautification Team),
Pat Kramer (Region 1, Sunland) and
Jon von Gunten (Neighborhood
Watch Rep); and Karen von Gunten.
Also on hand for this event were
Councilmember Fuentes and STNC
President and S-T Chamber President
Mark Seigel.
April 2015
Page 3
Growing Up In Sunland
Geronimo: The wildest kid in Sunland
By Tom Gilfoy
I had some pretty wild friends growing up in Sunland, but none quite so
wild as my pal, Geronimo. He was the
only kid in Sunland who my dad eventually told me I couldn’t have as a
friend. I mean he really was wild, and
dangerous too. He never killed any of
his friends, but he came close. Once, he
even came close to killing himself. I
know his real name, but it’s just as well
I don’t include it here. After all, he
could still be living among us so why
give him away. Besides, as a kid, he
only answered to Geronimo, anyway.
He was part Indian, or at least
claimed to be. He gave himself the
name Geronimo, and I think the rest of
us went along because calling him by
that name reinforced our belief we were
hanging out with a real live Indian. The
fact he was a couple of years older than
us, and only seemed to play with
younger kids, is probably something a
child psychiatrist would have a lot of
fun analyzing.
Geronimo led our gang of young followers into many questionable activities. One was sneaking into the old
Sunland Grammar School building at
night where he organized rubber gun
battles in the darkened hallways. These
battles were, in their own way, sort of a
poor man’s forerunner to the now popular games played with paintball guns.
Geronimo taught us how to make the
guns, which, basically, only amounted
to a piece of wood carved to look a little
like a long-barreled pistol with a
clothespin serving as a trigger. With
thick, powerful rubber bands, the guns
were reasonably accurate. If you were
hit at close range, you could get a pretty
good sting. It was fun shooting each other in the
Sunland rattlesnake: One of Geronimo’s playmates.
school’s halls this way, and we kept it
up until my dad found out what was
going on and put a stop to it. As best I
recall, it was at about this time he put a
permanent stop to my playing with
Geronimo altogether. As things turned
out, it was a good thing he did too ––
getting stung by a rubber band was
pretty mild compared to some of the
things that happened later.
In fact, it was only a short time later
when Geronimo shot one of us with a
real pistol. About 70 years later I saw
the victim of the shooting, my friend
Johnny O’Connell, at a class reunion
and asked him to refresh my memory
about what had happened. Not surprisingly, Johnny has an indelible memory
of the incident. He told me he was with
Geronimo and some other friends at a
neighbor’s house when Geronimo
started horsing around with a supposedly unloaded .38 caliber revolver. It
Letter gets full STNC support
LETTER, from Page 2
searched the goals of the city’s various
departments. In regard to the Department of Animal Services, the White
Paper states, “The Department of Animal Services is charged with the responsibility to promote and protect the
health, safety and welfare of animals
and people in Los Angeles.” Accordingly, one of the DAS’ goals is to become a no-kill shelter by 2017.
The White Paper further states that
“the LA City Council is deliberating
whether to raise the limit of number of
cats owned by city residents from
three to five,” which would help to
keep the population of cats out of the
city’s shelters. We believe this is
clearly indicative of progressive, compassionate and forward moving deliberation — and possible legislation —
in support of all shelter pets, but with
specific consideration for the welfare
of cats. If there is ever a situation where an
animal requires rescue (such as the cat
on a power pole), please contact L.A.
Department of Animal Services at:
213-485-8613. The SMART team is
available 24/7, anytime in any weather
and will be contacted by LA DAS if
you request their help.
If an animal is being abused or neglected, contact the Animal Cruelty
Task Force (a division of the LAPD)
at 213-486-0450. To report an animal
crime in progress, please call 911.
Within our own community of Sunland-Tujunga, the STNC Animal Issues Committee holds meetings on the
4th Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m.
at North Valley City Hall, 7747
Foothill Boulevard, Tujunga. We welcome anyone in our community with
an interest in animal issues to attend
our meetings and to hear informative
and exciting presentations from people involved in all areas of animal rescue or care.
wasn’t long before he started pointing
it at his friends and pulling the trigger.
The click, click, clicking made Johnny
so uncomfortable he got up to leave. As
he was walking by, Geronimo pointed
the gun at him, pulled the trigger one
too many times and fired a live round
into Johnny’s stomach. Johnny recalled it didn’t hurt too
much at first and that he remained conscious as he was driven down to the old
Doc Mahon office on Foothill Boulevard. Doc couldn’t do much for him
and called an ambulance. It was only
later, when Johnny was being rushed to
the hospital by ambulance, that he finally lost consciousness.
Eventually, Johnny fully recovered,
but not before he became quite famous
for being the only kid at Verdugo Jr.
High with a real bullet lodged inside of
him. In those days they didn’t dare remove the bullet until Johnny had re-
gained enough strength from the initial
trauma to withstand the operation. The
result was he carried the bullet around
inside of him for about six months before they finally operated and took it
out. During the interim, I was among
his many friends who were always asking Johnny to pull up his shirt so we
could look with amazement at the
rather pronounced protrusion on his
back where the bullet had come to rest.
Another of Geronimo’s dangerously
bizarre activities was playing with rattlesnakes. Not surprisingly, he handled
them quite carelessly, with impunity really, claiming that even if one bit him it
wouldn’t matter as his Indian blood
made him immune to the snake’s poison. To the surprise of no one, he was
eventually bitten and when his punctured hand started to swell, Indian
blood or no, he rushed himself down to
Hober’s corner drug store in hopes of
finding some antivenin. Not finding
any, he was leaving the store when he
lost consciousness and fell down on the
sidewalk out front. He was rushed to
the hospital by ambulance where his
life was saved.
An interesting epilogue to this latter
episode is that Hober’s Drugstore (more
recently known as Sunland Pharmacy)
later gained a reputation as being the
only pharmacy in the entire San Fernando Valley that kept a permanent supply of antivenin in stock. Lloyd Hitt,
who later became the store’s proprietor, does not recall whether the Geronimo incident is what caused them to
start keeping the supply on hand, but it
does not seem unreasonable to speculate that this may well have been the
case.
Reach Tom at:
gilfoytom@gmail.com
STNC public meeting is scheduled
on April 8 at North Valley City Hall
The public is invited to attend the next meeting of the Sunland-Tujunga
Neighborhood Council, to be held April 8, at 6:30 p.m., at North Valley City
Hall, located at 7747 Foothill Blvd., Tujunga.
Celebrate the 2014 STNC Board’s Year in Office and its accomplishments. Learn about current issues facing the community as well as the
STNC’s current projects and 2015-16 goals.
For more information about the STNC and visit: stnc.org
Chili Cook-off planned by Rotary
CHILI, from Page 1
a 501(c)3 that works to support many
good community causes and occasions
like the annual Sunland-TujungaShadow Hills July 4th Parade down
Foothill Boulevard.
Volunteers are welcome and appreciated.
The event will be held at the Elks
Lodge, located at 10137 Commerce
Ave., Tujunga. Competition starts at 11
a.m., with judging beginning at noon.
Terrific hosts that they are, the Elks will
have beverages available at the Lodge.
Entry forms may be obtained at the
S-T Chamber of commerce or by emailing chism957@gmail.com.
Page 4
April 2015
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
PILOTS, from Page 1
2015 annual Air Race Classic. The
four-day event will send racers on a
sky-high course that starts in
Fredricksburg, Virginia, zig-zags over
10 states, and ends in Fairhope, Alabama.
They’ll be racing in Radel’s sleek
Gumman Tiger. A longtime pilot,
Radel grew up in a ‘flight friendly’
family. Her brothers are also pilots.
Her father was an oilman, who piloted
a Mooney Mite all around West Texas.
“It was faster than driving,” Radel
said. “He made all of us love flying. I
thought it was all magic. You’d pick a
field to land in and shoo away the
cows.”
Radel, who holds an Airline Transport Pilot rating (single and multi-engine), as well as a Commercial
seaplane rating, also flies traffic watch
over the Los Angeles basin as a relief
pilot for AM Station KNX 1070
NEWSRADIO.
And she is passionate about racing.
Her logbook tells of air races from all
around the country, one even taking
her from Oklahoma City to St. John,
New Brunswick, Canada, a distance
of 2,400 miles.
Radel is also an ASCAP songwriter
with her own publishing company,
Flaunch Music Co. (www.flaunchmusic.com). Her song ‘See Her Fly’ is
played at the start and terminus of the
Air Race Classic every year.
She was inspired to write it, she
said, “By all the women racers I’ve
Photos by Kresse Armour
Anne Marie Radel, photo at left, is president of the San Fernando Valley NinetyNines, an active chapter of the women pilots organization. Above, chapter
members ‘fly low’ in Pasadena’s annual Doo-Dah Parade.
met along the way.”
The Air Race Classic has drawn 55
teams this year, all of which will be
looking to set new speed records. The
ARC, which began in 1929 as the first
“Women’s Air Derby,” started with 20
female pilots who tore through the sky
from Santa Monica, California, to
Cleveland, Ohio, landing at the site of
the Cleveland National Air Race,
which was already underway. Though
women had been barred from this
male-only event, it didn’t deter the 20
pilots from coming to the party. The
Women’s Air Derby would earn its
nickname, “The Powder Puff Derby,”
from humorist Will Rogers, who was
attending the National Air Race with
good friend and pilot, Wiley Post.
Staff Acknowledgements:
Voice of the Village is published on the first day of each month by the Sunland-TujungaShadow Hills Community Fund, a non-profit 501c3 organization established to provide financial support to student organizations at Verdugo Hills High School through matching grants
for community service performed by the students. VHHS Journalism students are encouraged
to write for Voice of the Village. Content may also be submitted by people in our community,
who may send in articles, letters, photos, and announcements for publication –– the content of
which expresses the views of senders and is not necessarily that of the Voice of the Village.
The Voice promotes submission of articles on subjects of interest in our community and reserves the right to edit articles and/or to not publish them. Deadline for advertising, articles
and announcements is the 15th of each month.
Manager/Publisher: Brenda Fortune
Editor-in-Chief: Kresse Armour • editor@voiceofthevillage.org
Managing Editor/Photographer: John Emig
Staff Reporter: Eric Owens
Advertising/Account Manager: Ruth Logan • adsales@voiceofthevillage.org • 818-397-3835
Distribution: John Clausen • voiceofthevillage@gmail.com
Voice of the Village: P.O. Box 4323, Sunland, CA 91041
E-mail: voiceofthevillage@gmail.com
Website: voiceofthevillage.org
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S-T BRANCH LIBRARY
DO IT CENTER
RALPHS, VONS and
FRESH & EASY markets
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VERDUGO HILLS HOSPITAL
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McDONALDS
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ANGELES GOLF CLUB
VERDUGO HIGH SCHOOL
In the weeks following that first Air
Derby, the idea for a national
women’s pilot organization took off.
Letters were sent to all 117 female pilots in the United States, inviting them
to Curtis Field, Valley Stream, Long
Island, New York, on Nov. 2, 1929.
They would have dinner and talk
about the future of women in aviation.
Ninety-nine of them responded.
Among them was Amelia Earhart,
who would serve as the first president
of an organization that would come to
be known as the ‘The Ninety-Nines,
Inc.’ It is now more than 6,000 members strong, with chapters in more
than 35 countries.
Radel is current president of the
San Fernando Valley Chapter of the
Ninety-Nines, and she and Viola will
be flying the ARC for a tremendous
cause –– broadening hopes and horizons for women. As ARC Team #24,
they’re raising funds for Virgin Galactic’s STEM scholarship program,
which benefits women seeking careers
in the fields of science, technology,
engineering and math (STEM).
Viola’s hometown is Oshkosh, Wisconsin, site of the world famous an-
See AIR RACE, Page 5
April 2015
AIR RACE, from Page 4
nual air show. And while all kids have
their various interests, for Viola it was
jet engines and space ships. As soon
as she was old enough to get a work
permit, her first job at Oshkosh was
folding T-shirts.
“The pivotal moment came,” as
Viola describes it, “when I saw Spaceship One.” Richard Branson’s White
Knight. It was love at first sight. “The
idea of Spaceship One landing in Wisconsin –– the excitement, the prestige,
the glamour, the greatness of it,” she
said, “was combination of everything
I loved in life.”
As the aerospace industry contin-
ued to rocket forward, she set her
sights and hung in. And noting the
many industry changes since that long
ago day in Oshkosh, she said, “The
job I have now didn’t exist.”
Radel and Viola happened to meet
one year in Oshkosh –– two high-energy, accomplished women who both
wanted to inspire and foster opportunities for others –– and Team Tigress
was born. They’re on a mission this
year to make a difference in the futures of young women, by making
their racing effort a fundraiser. After
racing expenses, all proceeds will go
to Galactic Unite.
“Galactic Unite aims to support stu-
dents who want to advance their education in STEM fields,” Viola said.
“All scholarships offered through
Galactic Unite come with the option
for mentorship within the team at Virgin Galactic/TSC, so not only do students find financial support for their
goals, they find a bridge of mentorship that can support them as they
look further ahead to their careers.
There are no overhead costs to this
program, so all donations are allo-
Page 5
cated directly to its scholarships.”
Readers: you’re encouraged to ‘go
along’ on this ride. There are two
ways to track progress and donate to
ARC Team #24. Go to:
www.teamflyingtigresses.com
Or, visit gofundme.com/sixeasy
For more information about the Air
Race Classic, visit the website:
airraceclassic.org.
For more information about the
Ninety-Nines: sfv99s.org.
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Page 6
Upcoming Events
STNC Community
Cleanup planned
As an integral part of the STNC’s
Outreach Committee, the Community
Cleanup Committee is making a big
difference in our local communities.
People are taking pride in the beautification of our Foothills. The next STNC
Cleanup Day will be held Saturday,
May 2 from 8:30 – 11:30 a.m. The location is Foothill Boulevard and Valmont Street in Tujunga.
Sunland-Tujunga
Library April events
The Sunland-Tujunga Library, located at 7771 Foothill Blvd., Tujunga
offers the following events for April:
Tuesday, April 7, 4-5 p.m.
RETRO SHORTS: 16mm Films
from USC’s Hefner Moving Image
Archive
• “Field of Honor” (1973) 14 min
Student Academy Award winner in
1975. Director, Robert Zemeckis.
• “The Face of Lincoln” (1955) 22
min
Academy Award winner for Best
Short Subject 1956. • “The Doomed” (1958) 21 min
Writer-Director, Ramzi Thomas.
Monday, April 27, 11:30 a.m. –
12:30 p.m.
BOOK CLUB
• Join the Sunland-Tujunga Book
Club in reading “Anil’s Ghost,” by
Michael Ondaatje. Ask for a library
copy to check out at the reference desk.
Every Wednesday at 10 a.m. and
10:30 a.m.
COMPUTER TUTORING
Learn computer basics though a oneon-one, 30-minute tutoring session
(reservation required). Call to reserve
your time slot: 818-352-4481.
Crows Nest to host
Elks fundraiser
The Crows Nest and Sports Grille,
7270 Foothill Blvd., Tujunga will host
an Elks Lodge STEMPPy fundraiser on
Monday, April 13. Join us for breakfast,
lunch or dinner. The fundraiser will run
from 8 a.m. – 11 p.m. Takeout is also
available. A percentage of sales will
benefit the Elks PURPLE PIG FUND.
For more information call 818-3530852.
Elks Omelet Bar set
April 2015
Poetry Corner
Los Angeles Poet
Society will be
featured at Village
Poets on April 26
The Village Poets of Sunland-Tujunga are delighted to announce that in
celebration of National Poetry Month,
April 2015, poet, Jessica Wilson and
members of the Los Angeles Poet Society (LAPS) will feature at their upcoming Monthly Reading Series,
Sunday, April 26, 4:30-6:30 p.m.
In celebration of this special occasion, the event venue location will be
the McGroarty Arts Center, 7570 McGroarty Terrace, Tujunga, the former
home of John Steven McGroarty, designated Poet Laureate of California in
1933. LAPS is a not-for-profit community
organization. They work to create and
bridge the creative community all over
Los Angeles County and partner with
literary Los Angeles.
LAPS began in 2009 with East Los
Angeles Poet, Jessica M. Wilson, with
a goal of uniting literary Los Angeles!
LAPS has created writing showcases
to serve the many creative communities of Los Angeles County. LAPS has
currently served: Downtown Los Angeles, Venice Beach and Venice, CA,
North Hollywood and surrounding
areas.
The LAPS mission is to fuse the
communities of Los Angeles and
Southern California Poets, poetry organizations, writer groups, booksellers, publishers, literary enthusiasts
and supporters into a unified social
and literary network. LAPS’ focal point is to publicize the
events and achievements of its members. LAPS also organizes and promotes events, pulling from within its
own community, to create and sustain
Los Angeles’ literary anchor.
For more information about LAPS,
visit the website: http://www.losangelespoetsociety.org/
Poets are welcome to sign-up for the
open reading upon arrival. Light refreshments will be served and a $3 donation is appreciated. Bring your
friends and enjoy an early evening of
poetry in this beautiful setting surrounded by the Verdugo Hills and the
San Gabriel Mountains.
Village Poets of Sunland-Tujunga:
http://www.villagepoets.blogspot.com
The Elks Lodge will host its monthly
Omelet Bar on Sunday, April 19, 9 a.m.
– noon. This event, held on the ‘Third
Sunday of the Month,’ offers one of the
best breakfasts in town, served up hot,
fresh and to your order. Cooks are great
and the atmosphere is family friendly.
The Elks Lodge is located at 10137
Commerce Ave., Tujunga. Phone 818352-2098 for more information.
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6934 Foothill Blvd, Tujunga, CA 91042 • (818) 352-6085
Retirement Planning Associates
Tel (818) 781-7721 Ext. 25
Stocks
Fax (818) 787-2232
Municipal Bonds
Efax (847) 628-0426
Closed-End Funds
rpa@retirement-planning.com
Mutual Funds
James A. Ellis Retirement
7145 Woodley Avenue
Van Nuys, CA 91406-3932
Sunland-Tujunga Employer Plans
Registered Representative of, and securities offered through, J.K.R. & Co. Inc.
Lions Club
Member NASD, SIPC
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Be of service, be a volunteer!
April 2015
Page 7
Opinions
Letter
Out-of-towner
building 242
McMansions?
No way!
Dear Editor:
Once again, some deep-pocketed
out-of-towner wants to come up here
and destroy all he sees. Build 242 “McMansions” in the “canyon?” I’d like to
know how much this developer and
others like Robert Hall have given to
our councilman, one Felipe Fuentes,
otherwise known as the do nothing invisible man. We haven’t had a decent
representative on the city council since
Wendy Gruel, who fought against “McMansionization,” Home Depot, and
countless other attacks on our rural
well-being. She respected what this
place was all about. Perhaps it’s time to
launch a recall petition against Mr.
Fuentes. Developers continually exceed
what is legal around here, and apparently the building department, the city
council, the planning commission and
everyone else involved is too busy
counting their money to notice. Enough
is enough!
Come back Wendy, we need you.
William Winkler, Sunland-Tujunga
Huntington’s Asian
Gardens curator to
speak at Descanso
The featured speaker for the Pacific
Camellia Society’s last meeting of the
season will be David MacLaren, curator
of the Asian Gardens at the Huntington
Gardens and Library in San Marino. He
will be making a PowerPoint presentation about the
new, multi-million dollar Chinese Garden,
including what’s
been completed
so
far
and
what’s planned
for the next
phase of construction. MaDavid MacLaren
cLaren is also
responsible for the Huntington’s collection of approximately 1,400 camellias.
Also on the program will be Dr.
Bradford King, a former psychologist
at USC, who, since his retirement, has
turned his research skills from human
to plant behavior. Dr. King will be
speaking to us about the proper way to
fertilize camellias.
The meeting will be held Thursday
evening April 2, at Descanso Gardens
in La Canada, at 7:30 p.m. The public
is invited. Admission and refreshments
are free. For more information write
to: gilfoytom@gmail.com. Or, call 818790-6947.
Wildness vs. civilization: An equestrian’s viewpoint
By Susan Kelejian
Horse people are a different breed;
they find a place spiritually, emotionally, and physically satisfying joining
up with their animal of choice, in varying degrees of each component and
often simultaneously. Often it feels like
it isn’t a choice: it’s a way of life, a deep
connection in the soul. We just aren’t
“right” when we don’t get to the barn.
We ride when we are happy, when we
are sad, depressed, lonely, joyous, excited, need a work out, or to see friends.
We go to our horse for comfort, to
grieve, to bond and to express our unconditional love. We have been known
to anthropomorphize them and they can
become replacements for humans, we
give them human traits and qualities.
Regardless of when they don’t bend to
the leg, give in the bridle, go straight
down the line or the number of other
things they might have an opinion
about, horse people can’t live without,
well, horses. It goes deeper than nonhorse people think.
We spend hours at the barn, around
the sage brush, the manure, the sweet
feeds, the sweat. We are community, we
are the horse tribe, we’re the balance of
the natural and unnatural world. We
fight the builders and developers and
earth-movers because this is our soul,
this is our passion, this is so embedded
in our spirit that we are the representatives of what is free and full of spirit.
We don’t do it for money –– good lord,
we’ve all gone broke with the love of
these creatures; we just find more and
more creative ways to afford them.
We joke about it being in our DNA
(it actually could be a genetic memory)
and having to go to “horses anonymous” meetings because of our nearobsession with them. What I look at is
the deeper meaning
of what they represent for us. I have
found that they are
the manifestation of
carrying us at a balance between our
longing for wildness and desire for
civilization. As riders, it is the literal
symbol of the “in
between” of those
two worlds: we bridle
that
1000
pounds of power
and we ride the ever
constant fluctuation
between letting go
and being in control. We ride the unknown –– no matter
how good a rider, or
for how long, we
know that horses
have many variables, and even
good riders take
falls.
What
happens to rural Photos accompanying this article feature some of the
pockets in urban many people at Rancho Tujunga, in Big Tujunga Canyon,
cities, like horse who love horses and mountain trail riding .
property and open
land is a microcosm of a bigger picture: upon these activities, incorporating our
the way we as humans evolve from our social outlets, our attachments to others,
innate wildness and choose a more civ- our places where we find our groups,
ilized, strategized, domesticized way of tribes, and clans. It is a mixture of the
life. There are, of course a myriad of wild and the civilized; it is a choice of
benefits to human societal advance- a first world country that wants to techments, including social structures that nologically evolve without losing symcan be perceived as order, safety, and bolic, mythic, and ancestral meaning.
comfort. On the other hand, losing our
Here, in our rural community, many
wildness, or the ability to walk harmoniously in nature, might be the single of the socio-political-economic divimost destructive force for us as hu- sions between hierarchies diminish
mans, driving us around a particular association with this
further away from unique animal. When I was a kid in the
instinct and intu- south San Fernando Valley, we rode our
ition and into a horses over the hills of Tarzana and
world led by tech- dead end streets leading into trails that
nology, greed and could take us from Woodland Hills to
Malibu. I galloped down the wash of
corruption.
Many of us like the Sepulveda Dam and met up with a
having one foot on gaggle of girls on their horses to ride
either side of the bareback on Sundays, all day. That of
proverbial fence. course, is gone, due to mini malls,
We are drawn to housing developments, and the illusion
the elements of the of progress. I left to live in Ojai for a
natural world and number of years, finding that the orange
yet many of us de- groves there mirrored an early Los Ansire to stay safe, or geles and the stories my father, a surat least take calcu- veyor in the 1940s, told me about. I
lated risks while returned to Los Angeles a few years ago
pushing at the to Shadow Hills, once again, finding
edges of literal and that I could have one foot in the country
figurative compla- and one in the city. Now what? Am I to
cencies in contem- face the unforgiving change of housing
porary life. These projects and tunnels?
We have this unique combination of
risks at times become a way of life being a country of forward motion, the
–– passions turned romance of Manifest Destiny and the
in to hobbies and undeniable ability to compartmentalize
then into a daily the destruction that manifests from the
routine. We be- so called destiny: the slaughter of an encome dependent
See VIEWPOINT, Page 14
Page 8
April 2015
Restaurant of the Month
Giamela’s offering tasty Italian fare
Established in 1964, for more than 50 years Giamela’s has been serving up
Italian food so good that it tastes like it came straight from your grandmother’s
kitchen. The atmosphere, with its red-and-white checkered tablecloths and
walls arrayed with colorful mirrored beer signs, is friendly and pure hometown.
Service is fast and the menu full of classic Italian dishes. Soups, salads, pasta,
hot and cold sandwiches round out the tasty selections. The Pepper Steak Sub
is a local favorite. Take-out pizza at night is a long-standing tradition. Catering is
also available, call Elia at 818-530-8933. Giamela’s is located at 8728 Foothill
Blvd. (corner of Foothill and Sunland). Phone is 818-352-2285. Check out the
website at: www.giamelas.com.
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The Voice is a non-profit newspaper that provides opportunities to Verdugo Hills High
School journalism students
Your advertising dollars help
support VHHS student success
April 2015
Page 9
Refreshing rainfall brought relief to our parched Foothills a few weeks back, and
with it came a rainbow that spanned the mountain sky bringing a beautiful ray of
sunshine to local residents.
Shop the Rock! Shop the Rock! Shop the Rock! Shop the Rock! Shop the Rock!
Page 10
April 2015
Religion
Easter Week
Services at SH
Presbyterian
Church
Laying of stones at Jain Hindu Temple
The Shadow Hills Presbyterian Church, located at 10158 Johanna Ave, Sunland, (corner of
Sunland and Johanna), will hold
Holy Week Services at the following times:
• Maundy Service, Thursday
April 2, 7 p.m.
• Easter Service, Sunday April
5, 10 a.m.
A Pancake Breakfast and
Easter Egg Hunt (ages 0-10) will
follow the Easter Sunday Service.
Shadow Hills
Presbyterian
Church 2015
Blessing of the
Animals
A beloved community tradition continues as Shadow Hills
Presbyterian Church celebrates
The Blessing of the Animals on
Saturday, April 25, 11 a.m. – 1
p.m.
Shadow Hills Presbyterian
Church has a 60-year history of
welcoming all of God’s creatures. From the early years,
when folks in the community
rode their horses to church, to
our recent Sunday evening “Pets
Are Welcome” services, Shadow
Hills Presbyterian Church has
shared the community’s love of
animals.
Pastor Arlo Tysinger will pray
for each animal that is present,
and a complementary photo will
be taken. Andy’s Hot dogs will
be available, also.
So, bring your horses, cats,
dogs, llamas, iguanas, fish, hamsters, goats, sheep, rabbits,
lizards, birds –– all of your furry,
feathered, hairy, and scaly
friends are welcome!
Shadow Hills Presbyterian
Church is located at 10158 Johanna Ave (at Sunland Blvd),
Sunland. For more information call 818-353-2500.
Or,
email:
info@shadowhillchurch.org
For the record ...
you read it here FIRST.
Its your
e
c
i
Vo
The
For more information on the
Jain Temple
visit:
jaincenter.org
The Jain Temple of Los
Angeles has ‘broken
ground’ on a new location
on Commerce Avenue in
Tujunga. Members gathered amid much tradition
and celebration. Dr. Jasvant Modi, lower left, and
his wife, Dr. Meera Modi
(not pictured), were major
financial contributors to
the temple.
Photo by
Corina Roberts
John Denver
used to sing
about the stunning beauty of
‘fire in the sky.’
An exquisite
mountain portrait
in stone is captured at sunset
by local photographer Corina
Roberts.
April 2015
Page 11
Introducing young people to the thrill of flight
The Experimental Aircraft Owners Association offers free flights to kids.
EAA offers ‘ticket’ to high adventure
On the fourth Saturday of
every month, the Experimental Aircraft Association
(EAA) offers young people a
special ticket to an amazing
adventure –– a free introductory ride in a small plane.
The EAA wants to share
the thrill of flight. Kids ages
8-17 are invited to come out
and participate in the ‘Young Eagles
program.
It will be a day they’ll never forget.
Locally, Chapter 40 of the EAA, is
offering flights at Whiteman Airport in
Pacoima, located at the corner of San
Fernando Road and Osborne Street.
See YOUNG EAGLES, Page 13
Page 12
April 2015
Jim and Anita
Sutton celebrate
70 years
Jim and Anita Sutton celebrated
their 70th wedding anniversary on
February 18. They were married
in Santa Monica in 1945 toward
the end of World War II. Jim and
Anita were stationed in several
communities throughout the USA
before moving to Tujunga in
1964, after Jim retired as a
Commander from the U.S. Navy
with 22 years of service. The
couple just completed their 51st
year of living in their home in the
Crystal View area, as one of the
few known original homeowners.
Family from Colorado, New
Mexico, Washington and local
communities gathered on
Valentine’s Day to celebrate this
momentous occasion. Jim and
Anita have 4 children, 6
grandchildren and 12 great
grandchildren. April 2015 Voice _Layout 2 4/3/15 9:38 AM Page 13
April 2015
Page 13
Free introductory flights for kids
YOUNG EAGLES, from Page 11
To date, the EAA has flown more
than 1.5 million young people, many of
whom have gone on to earn pilots licenses and pursue careers in aviation.
Rides include pre-flight inspection
training, and kids all receive certificates
commemorating their rides.
The next Young Eagle day will beheld Saturday, April 25. Participants
should arrive at Whiteman Airport no
later than10 a.m.
Many of the monthly Young Eagle
rides are given by member of the San
Fernando Valley Chapter of the NinetyNines, an international women’s pilots
association. Regular contributing pilots
include Ceci Stratford, Lisa Fusano,
Ruth Logan, and Stacie Crowther.
The Ninety-Nines also sponsor Explorer Post No. 747, which is also based
at Whiteman Airport, a program where
young people have the opportunity to
study aviation and earn their wings.
For more information on membership at Explorer Post 747, contact Ruth
Logan at: www.sfv99s.org.
For more information on Young
Eagle flights, call the EAA Chapter 40
Hotline at 818-725-4247. Or, check out
the website at: www.eaa40.org.
ABOUT EAA:
The EAA has been in operation for
more than half a century. Founded in
1953 by a group of individuals in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who were interested in building their own airplanes,
EAA expanded its mission of growing
participation in aviation to include antiques, classics, warbirds, aerobatic air-
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Front, from left, young aviation enthusiasts Archie Mendoza and Alexandra
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It has grown from a handful of aviation enthusiasts to an international organization representing virtually the
entire spectrum of recreational aviation.
EAA is the only association that offers the fun and camaraderie of participating in the flying, building, and
restoring of recreational aircraft with
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The EAA is now more than 180,000
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on being able to build an aircraft for the
price of a car -- with many of these
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For more information on this exciting and innovative organization, visit
the EAA’s website at eaa.org.
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Page 14
Call LA Sanitation
for easy bulky item
pick up
Community News
Elks Lodge
establishes
community library
Have a couch, mattress, piece of old
furniture, a table, chairs or dresser that
you need to dispose of?
Residents are encouraged to recycle
bulky items through charitable organizations and thrift stores.
However, if you are unable to do so,
LA Sanitation (BOS) will pick-up your
large or bulky household items, such
as mattresses, couches, and other furniture from all residents serviced by
the City of Los Angeles free of charge.
To make arrangements to have these
items removed from your curbside,
please call us at 1-800-773-2489, from
Monday through Friday, between 7:30
a.m. and 4:45 p.m., at least one day before your regular collection day.
BOS does not collect automotive
parts, construction materials, commercial materials, and cardboards. Sanitation also picks up ‘white goods,’ large
household appliances, free of charge.
For more information:
http://www.lacitysan.org/solid_resources/refuse/services/bulky_items.htm
The Elks Lodge is encouraging
the Sunland-Tujunga community to
read, and has joined a growing
trend to make books available to
more people. The Elks Lodge has
recently installed a small “Free Library” in the front of their facility,
located at 10137 Commerce Ave.,
Tujunga. The project was completed by Jim Saurer, with assistance from Bill Andrews and Earl
Bouchard. For more information
about other Elks’ projects, or to
learn more about joining this active
community organization, call 818352-2098.
The Elks Library appears to be an
immediate success, as
pedestrians walking by have
stopped and selected a book
before continuing on their walk.
An equestrian’s viewpoint
VIEWPOINT, from Page 7
tire culture, for one. Americans live the
double edge sword of a Capitalism ––
a belief that we can do anything we put
our minds to, a freedom of expression
and thought and belief, and the flip side
of greed, ego, misplaced power, and destruction of others.
The symbols of freedom for us
Americans: the eagle, the mustang.
Powerful representations of our wildness, our hope, and our connection to
spirit. And yet, so many of us are ready
for the diminishment of these symbols
and for them to be replaced with a dollar sign. We plan to build high-speed
rails, cutting through the veins of the
April 2015
earth, upsetting the natural balance of
the last vestiges of this land. We thirst
for status and monetary gain by building housing where it is not needed or
wanted by the existing community. To
me, this is a direct fear of our wildness,
and it is masked in so called progress,
expansion and need.
There was a 1982 film titled, “Koyaanisqatsi” -it is a Hopi word for “life
out of balance.” I believe it exemplifies
what we wrestle with as Americans,
bred with the thoughts of gain and social evolution, built on the backs of others, always striving for more.
Sometimes however, that more can lead
us to our demise. We often forget to
take a look around, to what is real, and
to see what is profound in its simplicity.
Photo by Earl Bouchard
The horses. These unique animals in
relationship to humans have led us
thousands of years to where we are
now. We certainly would not have had
the social and technological advancements without them. From food to agriculture, to transportation, war, sport and
now to the last stages of our attachment
to them, we find more and more that
they give us service, that they have the
capacity to heal us. They are far more
profound in how they are connecting
with us now, a sentient being literally
carrying us into our future from the
past. They carried our cavalry through
the desert hills of Afghanistan 10 years
ago; they allow the disabled child to
find his core strength or her first words.
With Veterans, they bridge the gap between the nightmare of combat and
civilian life by healing the trauma of
war. People recover
from addictions of
drugs, alcohol, eating
disorders with equine
assisted
therapies,
bringing back a sense
of self, a sense of self
worth.
Development isn’t
an evil –– it is a drive.
Sometimes, a misplaced drive, a denial
of what is gnawing at
us to not look at our
own wildness. A fear
of the chaos that it
might represent of we
just allowed ourselves
to be, and not wish for
more, more, more, as
we find ourselves
never satisfied. Devel-
opment in its creative form can be destructive, and it’s just not needed everywhere, all the time.
So I challenge all of us to ask ourselves the question: “Where do I want
to live, in the wildness of my soul or the
safety of the civilization? Can it be
somewhere in the in-between? And if
so, what does it take for the land to be
left alone? What does it take to not lose
the last vestiges of our sacredness as
human beings?”
For me, I’ll always find my answer
in the eye of a horse.
Susan Kelejian is a published author,
a professor at Woodbury University, a
Mental Health professional and Riding
Instructor at Shadow Hills Riding Club,
and Artistic Director of Equine Dell
Arte, a unique theatre company that
combines actors and horses.
April 2015
Page 15
S-T Chamber President’s Message
Farewell, Foothills
communities
I have been absolutely blessed over
the past 11 years with the opportunity
to serve the Foothills communities
through my work at the YMCA and involvement in the Sunland-Tujunga
Chamber.
The accomplishment of both organi-
zations, during my tenure, enables me
to leave with a sense of pride that our
community is a better place as a result
of our dedicated staff and volunteers.
I am confident that our communities
are poised for greatness. The key to unlocking that greatness will be our ability
to understand the inter-relatedness of all
our work and together creating a more
collaborative environment focused on
the greater good of the community. I
have no doubt that this will be
achieved.
I recently accepted the position as the
Executive Director at the Westchester
Family YMCA in Los Angeles. While I
am excited about this new chapter in
my career, I am also saddened by how
I will miss those with whom I’ve developed relationships with over the years.
Although my involvement at our Y
and Chamber will change, I find comfort in knowing that through change,
there is growth.
Finally, I want to thank everyone for
providing me with a sense of belonging,
connection, purpose and support, which
made the Foothills community an extension of my family! With heartfelt gratitude,
John Loussararian
Vice President of Social Responsibility, YMCA of the Foothills
President, Sunland-Tujunga
Chamber of Commerce
Family owned RE firm celebrates 10 years, opens new office
This year marks the 10-year anniversary and a new location for Seward
Real Estate & Financial, Inc. Formerly
located in La Crescenta, the company
has moved to 9687 Sunland Blvd.,
Shadow Hills. What started out a
decade ago as a garage space consisting
of two desks, a bookcase, two file cabinets, and a couple of computers, has
grown into a beautiful 2000-square-foot
office space.
The success of the business is attributed to joint efforts of members of the
Seward family and professional team.
The father, John Seward, serves as broker. His son, Nick Seward, and John’s
right-hand, oversees management and
operations, while daughter-in-law, Marina, manages the underwriting. John’s
wife, Rachel, will head up community
engagement.
The family has the support of team
members Virginia, Elvis and Tina, who
are well informed and dedicated to the
success of the business. “As a team, we
collectively participate in the customer’s realization of the American
Dream – home ownership,” they say,
and all look forward to working in the
Shadow Hills community and building
upon the successes of the past 10 years.
For more information, call 818-352-
Mountain Lions
Dear Dana:
I live near Hillhaven in Tujunga, and
my neighbors are talking about mountain lion activity. What does this mean?
I have pets, and I’m here alone pretty
often. Should I be worried?
Dear Reader:
Once again, we are hearing about
mountain lion sightings in town. These
have been near Hillhaven, Reverie and
Inspiration Way. People are getting
worried for their pets and themselves.
Members of the Seward Real Estate & Financial team gather in their brand new offices on Sunland Boulevard.
6338, stop by the office, or visit
www.sewardfinancial .com.
And a message from Seward:
Special thanks to our contractors,
suppliers and vendors that went above
and beyond in every way to get us in
our new office. We thank you sincerely.
We couldn’t have done it without all of
you…
Andy Thrift Home Improvement •
Arya Technology – IT/Computer specialist • Adler Networks • Ysani Design
All Things Animal
It is not typical mountain lion behavior
to attack humans. We are not part of
their food chain. (You can find the real
numbers
online
here:
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/lion/attacks.html; you will see that they are
very low.) Mountain lions are not lying
in wait for us out there. They are simply
living their lives. Their lives and the
lives of their prey are closer and closer
to us now because of the drought we are
experiencing. They are here for the deer
and the water, not the humans.
One more thing that seems to be
pushing them into neighborhoods lately
is the ongoing nighttime construction.
This creates noise and light that no wild
animal likes. They go over the hill and
there they are and there’s YOUR backyard...(but they don’t even want to be
seen by you!).
Finally, mountain lions have very
large territories. When a mother mountain lion has her babies, they depend on
her at first. She teaches them everything. But when they get bigger, they
as they are moving from one living area to another. This is the
very reason things like overpasses and underpasses for nature are so vital. We cannot
block wildlife from getting to
the territories they need to survive.
You DO need to be VERY
careful about your outdoor animals. Mountain lions, but coyotes, raccoons, ringtails, hawks
and owls might be around and
can be opportunistic with small
dogs, cats, chickens, etc. Supervise dogs, and keep all animal
areas and coops very secure and
clean. Empty water containers at
Photos by Denis Callet
night. Keep cats indoors whenA female mountain lion makes her way
through our local woods. Photo at lower left is ever possible. Do not feed
of a mountain lion’s track.
wildlife. Many small steps are
necessary.
don’t hang out in groups anymore, they
Remember that we live adjacent to
are solitary. They need to disperse to
the Angeles National Forest and that
find and claim their own territory.
Sometimes we catch a glimpse of them
See ANIMAL, Page 16
Page 16
All Things Animal
ANIMAL, from Page 15
this is their home, too. Seeing a mountain lion or his tracks is not an emergency situation. (The animal tracks
could even belong to a bobcat! Most
mountain lion “sightings” are actually
large bobcats!) If you’re worried about
finding a mountain lion in your backyard, I suggest you get a small inexpensive air horn. Mountain lions do not like
a lot of noise, and they will usually run
from it. If you ever find yourself in the
rare situation where you do feel threatened by a mountain lion, make yourself
big, loud and unexpected. You want to
scare him away.
Mountain lions are incredible. They
are keystone species that has a HUGE
impact on the environment around
them. Did you know that our awesome
songbird population is dependent upon
the mountain lion? The mountain lion’s
favorite prey is deer. Deer’s favorite
food is flowering plants. Songbirds
also need flowering plants to survive. If
the deer population gets out of control,
April 2015
they will eat all the flowering plants,
and the songbirds will disappear. So,
next time you hear the song of your favorite local songbird, I hope you’ll take
a minute to silently thank your friend
the mountain lion!
Hope you’ll submit a question for an
upcoming column! Contact info is:
info@terangaranch.org
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April 2015
Page 17
School News
Plainview’s young artists
Plainview Avenue School PTA Reflections Participant List:
• Primary Division Medal winners
(Grade 1-3 students who advanced to
Division)
Literature:
Tristan Gonzales – 1st Grade
Abril S. Anavisca – 1st Grade
Film:
Nicholas Shone – 2nd Grade
Photography:
Christopher Shone – 2nd Grade
Visual Arts:
Nicholas Shone – 2nd grade (advanced to State)
• Intermediate Division Medal winners (Grades 4 and 5 students who advanced to Division)
Visual Arts:
Elly Shin – 4th Grade
Jerom S. Kim – 4th Grade
• Primary Participants Certificates
(Grades 1st, 2nd, 3rd)
Visual Arts:
Olivia Wilgus – 1st Grade
Franklin Wilgus – 2nd Grade
Abril S. Anavisca– 1st Grade
Triston Gonzales – 1st Grade
Film:
Photography:
• Intermediate Participants Certificates (Grades 4th, 5th)
Visual Arts
Diego Daniel Barrera – 4th Grade
Cristian
Delapena – 5th Grade
London C. Torres – 4th Grade
Alyson Padilla
– 5th Grade
Christopher
Johnson – 4th
Grade
Elly Shin – 4th
Grade
Jerom S. Kim –
4th Grade
Plainview student winners and participants in the National PTA Reflection
Arts program. Above, second from left,
Nicholas Shone, 2014 state level winner, is again in the running for the
2015 competition. Below right, PTA
President Dan Hatcher and young
artist Olivia Wilgus lead the flag salute
prior to the awards ceremony.
Literature:
Tristan Gonzales – 1st Grade
Eric Owens’ Sports Roundup
By Eric Owens
Voice Sports Columnist
Dons Soccer Roundup
On Feb. 13, the reigning City Section
D2 Champion Lady Dons soccer team
hosted a special night game ‘aka Senior
Nite’ against their rivals from Arleta.
Senior forward and captain Makayla
Nichols goal in the 54th minute secured
a 1-1 draw to extend their program’s
league title streak to six in a row.
Nichols’ goal against Arleta was the
48th in her four-year career at VHHS
and set a new season-record best at 18
at the time this article went to press.
The day after the rival contest, the Lady
Dons learned that they were rewarded
with the top-seed in the Los Angeles
City Section Division III playoff tournament.
In conclusion, the soccer team
crushed its first postseason opponent,
Roybal, 7-0 on Feb. 20. Senior co-captain Beth Blackwell contributed a hat
trick and assisted the first goal of the
game from Ashley Rivera, who had two
goals overall; junior City Final hero
Danielle Gelsinger poured in two assists; while Makayla Nichols and Erin
Timmins assisted two goals and freshman Katie Flores and Diana Chilian
each scored.
In Division 3 Finals on March 6, Verdugo Hills Dons Girls Soccer Team
took the championship. Verdugo beat
Maywood 3-1.
HS Basketball Roundup
Senior center Adrian Gutierrez and
the Dons boys’ basketball team concluded their final two weeks of the season with a 56-46 win at home vs.
Chavez on Feb 11 and a 72-60 victory
at Arleta on Feb 13.
Next, the Dons (ranked 6th in Division 1) squared off against the Eagles
of Bell on Feb 18 in which we won 6252 in overtime to give head coach Jared
Gibson his first victory in Division 1).
Senior starting point guard and 2014
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East Valley League MVP, All Day Otte
made two huge free throws to send it to
overtime and that’s when the Dons
ended the game on a 16-4 run. Senior
Leoni Aleksan posted a career-high 28
points.
Unfortunately then fell on the road to
#3 and East Valley League rival Polytechnic 49-50 two days later. Gutierrez
finished with 18 points, while senior
Shane Hughes-Williams had 17 points.
Baseball & Softball Recap
The Crescenta Valley High baseball
team played a scrimmage contest at
Stengel Field on Feb. 5 against Golden
Valley in which UCLA bound-ace and
CIF Champion Brian Gadsby threw a
No Hitter striking out 10 over the
course of four innings. The Falcons
won the game 11-0 following a 10-6
win over VCS.
UNLV grad Matt McCallister won
the now ‘McCallister Family Homerun
Derby” at the 2015 Verdugo Hills
alumni baseball game held on a very
cold and rainy February 7. Current Yankee pitcher and Tujunga Little Leaguer
Mike D. Noteware’s three-run short
helped the Alumni beat the varsity 7-6.
Junior Bree Harmon pitched the
Lady Dons softball team to a 5-1 Lincoln Tournament win over the Pythons
of Panorama. Harmon struck out five
batters allowing one run in 7 innings to
win her first varsity contest in the circle.
Freshman catcher and CIF Champion
Ashley Wright went 3 of 4 with a double.
The Lady Dons hosted the Lincoln
Classic on March 7 starting with your
Dons vs. Sherman Oaks CES. They’re
continuing with games featuring teams
like Village Christian from nearby Sun
Valley, Faith Baptist and Channel Islands. Mid-March, they hosted the
alumni game.
Finally, junior Clay Suggs, the
younger brother of Jesse – who struck
out a major league draft pick in 2012,
pitched a 7 inning complete game for
the junior varsity Dons baseball team
against the previously unbeaten San
Pedro Pirates on February 21st in which
we won 6-1. JV ends the month at 2-1
overall.
In the San Pedro game, new players
(Aurelio ‘Boo’ Colon, Jose Zamudio
and Mason Van Kempen) all record
their first hit at home, while returnee
Victor Brito’s RBI double scored left
fielder Vinny Mahoney after his single
broke up a No-No with one out in the
bottom of the 3rd. Starter Clay Suggs
had the best performance I have ever
seen from him giving up two hits and
one earned run. Suggs also got the opposition to pop up 11 times and ground
out seven times as well as had 13 first
pitch strike on 81 pitches under first
year coach Eddie Marquez, Jr.
Page 18
April 2015
Girls soccer team wins Division 2 final
VHHS Sports Roundup
By Edward Tatulian
Girls’ soccer season has been indescribable. From having a “rebuilding
season” after losing 11 of last year’s 18
players, to winning the L.A. City Section Division 2 girls’ soccer final, our
girls’ soccer team has been phenomenal.
Our varsity girls’ soccer team tackled
the competition, winning 11 league
games and ending only one in a tie.
Throughout the duration of their season, the girls’ varsity soccer team lost
only five of the 27
Marywood. Verdugo prevented
games played, winning the other 20.
Marywood from
Verdugo won
scoring and vicethe most games in
versa in the duration of the game,
both the Los Angeles City Section
pushing it to
penalty kicks.
Division II Girls’
Soccer Standings
Our own freshand the East Valley
man Brisa Flores
was not fazed, preGirls
Soccer
Photo by Edward Tatulian
Standings.
venting all but one
On March 6, our
goal during the
girls’ varsity team faced off against shootout from entering her post. Her
team retaliated brutally. Players Beth
Blackwell, Danielle Elsinger, and
Kelsey Sanford scored their penalty
kicks securing a victory for Verdugo 00 and shootout 3-1.
The season came to an end on March
10th to the hands of the Cathedral
Catholic High School Donst in the 2015
CIF Southern California Regional
Girls’ Soccer Championships presented
by Farmers Division III tournament.
Our varsity girls’ soccer team had a
win-loss-tie ratio of 20-5-2 overall and
11-0-1 in league.
Boys Baseball hoping to nab
a top 3 in league standings
By Andrew Angelastro
Since everyone, except for David, is new
to the team, they are putting a lot of focus
on training them in core skills, such as
servings and return, and communication
for when they are playing a doubles
match. Though they are new to the program, some players are showing a plenty
of talent to the sport. Captains David
Kevliyan and Kenny Gonzalez are having the players work hard and have fun
amongst each other in the sport.
David Kevliyan has been on the team
since he was in freshman year. “Actually,
in 9th grade year, I was going to do football, but then I said ‘You know what? I
want to try something new, something no
one actually does nowadays,’ which I figured was Tennis, the last thing I would
play, and I just stuck with it.” He is the
only returning player this year as well as
last year. His attitude towards the sport is
not competitive, but rather it’s the finding
the enjoyment in playing the sport. David
said, “As I said, just try to have fun while
playing. That’s what I tend to do. If I win,
I would win. If I lose, I would lose. It just
matters that I had fun.”
Every game so far has not been
a league game, meaning that the teams
The Verdugo Hills Dons baseball that Verdugo have been playing against
team can expect the month of April to so far are not on the same level of skill.
be eventful. The first game of the As of March 11th the Dons are on a
month has yet to be announced, but the three game winning streak. The first
second and third games are taking place game which kicked off their winning
on April 8th and 10th against the Mon- streak was against Golden Valley High
roe Vikings. These
School. The final
will be very interscore of the match
esting games conresulted in 6-3 in
sidering
both
favor of the Dons,
teams are doing
which started the
well at this time.
Dons’
winning
The first game
streak. Next they
against Monroe
took on Paraclete
will take place at
High School and
Monroe
High
won with an ending
School, while the
result of 4-1. Culver
second will be
City High School
played at home.
High School didn’t
The next game will
seem to be much of
be against Bell
a challenge against
High School and
the Dons considerwill be a part of the
ing the score was 6Tiger Classic Tour1.
nament on April
The Dons in
11th. On the 15th
the East Valley
Photo by Christian Morales
and 17th, Verdugo
Baseball standings
will take on Poly
are holding 4th
High School. The first game will be at place, being behind 1st place Cesar
Poly High School, and the second game Chavez High School, 2nd place Grant
will be held at Verdugo. Another game High School, and 3rd place James
that will be a part of the Tiger Classic Monroe High School. Although the
Tournament is against San Fernando Dons have not grabbed a spot in the top
High School. This game will be held on three standings yet, I have great confiApril 18th. Arleta High School is clash- dence in our varsity baseball team that
ing against the Dons on April 24th at they will soon climb the ranks and
Verdugo Hills High School. The last make it to the top. The Dons are known
two games in April will be against El to start their seasons slow and end their
Camino Real and Grant High School. seasons on a high note. The Dons have
Grant will be at Verdugo Hills while the high hopes and would appreciate the
El Camino Real will be apart of the support of all of their fans by attending
Tiger Classic Tournament.
their home and away games.
tha Contreras (outfielder), and Tiffany
Corrales (middle infielder) are helping
with practices and working with the
two newest freshman varsity players,
Ashley Wright (starting catcher) and
Grace Pazos (outfielder). They’re hoping for a good season, although it may
be more difficult with such a young
team going into division one. They
started off well after winning their first
home tournament game against
Panorama beating them 5-1.
The returnees and the new players
are excited to start their season because
they take joy in playing softball. Their
season last year went very well, making
New season and new captains
for VHHS Boys Tennis team
Photo by Christian Morales
By Cristian Morales
Winter was an enjoyable season filled
with exciting sports. Now that spring has
arrived, new sports are arriving as well.
Of the sports, boys tennis, is prepared to
have an enjoyable season. The boys tennis team has two captains: Kenny Gonzalez and David Kevliyan. This is Kenny
Gonzalez’s first year in the program, and
he shows some natural talent at the sport.
David Kevliyan is the only returning
player that has been in the program since
9th grade. He stuck to the program for
four years and has enjoyed every bit of
it. Both these guys are determined to
make the season a fun and enjoyable one
for the players.
The captains work out their boys by
having them run a few laps, do stretches,
do four hill runs, and do push-ups. The
captains also may add to the workout, as
Kenny Gonzalez said, “Sometimes I just
add things that I feel like they should be
doing... so if they’re being lazy, I make
them do more, and if they’re doing
everything fine, they do less work.”
Verdugo Hills Softball prepares for upcoming season
By Caitlyn Sealander
The Verdugo Hills softball team is
preparing for their upcoming season.
Returning players are helping the new
players to get ready for their first round
on a varsity team. Kacee Howser (starting pitcher and third baseman), Saman-
it to city championships. Leading to
them making it to division one. One of
the returnees, Samantha Contreras,
said, “I’m excited for this season. I love
softball; a majority of my time goes into
it. I’m dedicated to the sport and my
See SOFTBALL, Page ??
April 2015
VHHS
2K15
event
showcases
talent
Page 19
School News
VHHS students wowed the crowd March 20 with dazzling performances. Below
left, emcees keep the show lively. Below right, the ‘People’s Choice’ winner.
VHHS Softball preview for 2015 season
SOFTBALL, from Page 18
team. I have faith in our team having
another great season although a lot of
the girls are younger. Our coach has
been pushing us to do well, and we’ve
gotten a lot of support from our parents
and our school.” Another player, Desiree Marquez, said, “I feel like we’ve
put in a lot of work during practice, and
being in fall and summer ball has really
prepped us to do good.”
They also have plans for fundraising
and donating to non-profit organizations. They’ll be selling popcorn and
giving to goodwill to raise money for
season and to give to a good cause.
They’ll be holding the Goodwill
fundraiser on March 28th in the student
parking lot at Verdugo from 10:00 AM
to 2:00 PM. Anyone interested in donating can drop off the items there or email
coach
Eddie
Marquez
at
emarq69@yahoo.com.
Although their practices may be
straining, the girls are willing to put in
the work. During their practices they
start off by stretching and doing progressions. Then they do fielding for infield and outfield for about the first
hour, and afterwards, they practice hitting. Their season kicks off March 11,
starting with their toughest opponents:
Cleveland, Poly, San Fernando and Arleta. That should set a tone for the rest
of the season, which we all hope will be
a good one.
Page 20
April 2015
99s helping Girl Scouts earn aviation badges
Girl Scouts earn
Aviation Badges
with SF Valley
Chapter of 99s
“Pi in the Sky,” held March
14, 2015 (that’s 3.14.15, think
back to your geometry class)
at Whiteman Airport in Pacoima, was a very sweet day
for the Girl Scouts of Greater
Los Angeles. With the help of
the event’s sponsors, the San
Fernando Valley Chapter of
the Ninety-Nines, an international women pilots association, 41 Girl Scouts earned
their aviation badges. Members from a total of 12 Girl
Scout troops took to the tarmac and learned about the
aerodynamics of flight from
prop to rudder. The day also
included a tour of the control
tower. The annual event is
geared toward expanding leadership skills and opportunities
for Girl Scouts who may pursue careers in aviation.

April 2015 Voice of the Village

Transcription

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