For book artist Alice Simpson, telling a story integrates her lifelong passion for dance with her background in graphic design. ”Born and raised in New York City, Simpson attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York where she studied fashion illustration. For more than 30 years, she worked as a graphic designer and fashion illustrator for various high-end cosmetic companies, such as Revlon and Estee Lauder. Her creative work appeared in national beauty magazines, including ‘Cosmopolitan,’ ‘Glamour’ and ‘Vogue.’ ”In the1980s, Simpson made the cross-country move to California to work at Redken Laboratories in the Los Angeles area. While there, she worked on advertising campaigns, packaging displays and promotional materials for beauty moguls Max Factor and Vidal Sassoon. ”In 1992, after Simpson moved back to New York, a friend invited her to the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine. ‘That experience really changed my life,’ Simpson says. Since then, she has been accepted to the prestigious school every year. ”It was at Haystack where Simpson first began creating artist, or handmade, books. ‘It was the first time in a long time that I had finally done my own creative work,’ she says. ‘It was exciting to discover what I was capable of doing when it wasn’t for a client.’ ”After discovering her love and knack for creating artist books, Simpson opted to remain in New York and make the transition from graphic artist to artist book creator. ‘With graphics, everything has to be very pristine and perfect,’ she says. ‘Artist books can be imperfect. They’re also sculptural, as well as being books, so they have more of a dimension than graphics.’ ”Simpson’s artists books combine both creative illustrations with words (stories, poems or quotes). ‘As I became more comfortable with making the books, I began discovering that I could write.’ ”At one point, Simpson went through ‘a peach phase,’ where all her artist books were based on the fuzzy fruit. The vast majority of Simpson’s books, however, incorporate the theme of dance. She attributes her love of dance to her father, who was a vaudeville dancer. ‘There was always music and dancing in my house.’ ”Simpson, who targets her books for adults, writes about various types of dances, including tango, rumba and waltz. She has even created a book based on the hit movie, ‘Dirty Dancing.’ ‘I just love the way couples configure themselves in different contemporary dances,’ she says. ”Simpson says her favorite book is usually the one she’s just finished. She compares her work to her favorite author, Charles Dickens, since many of her books are caricatures like his books were. ”Artist books, Simpson explains, are very delicate. The problem is they can’t really be handled since the oils in people’s hands can soak into the handmade papers. ‘As a result, they have to be shown under glass or must be [handled] with cotton gloves,’ she says. ‘They must also be protected from light so they won’t fade.’ ”Many of Simpson’s books fall under a ‘unique’ or ‘one-of-a-kind’ category. These books are hand-painted and likely feature calligraphy-style writing. Her other category of books are ‘limited editions,’ printed on a letter press or a computer. ”To create her 12-page, handmade books’which can take anywhere from one day to several months’Simpson uses countless tools and supplies, including handmade paper, water color, ink, acrylic and paints. In an era where many designs and artwork are computer-produced, Simpson says she only turns to the computer to generate type or to print. ”One of Simpson’s most successful books is entitled ‘Tango Bar,’ which took nearly two years to produce. The tunnel, or accordion-style, book features a man and a woman in various tango dance positions and utilizes a vibrant array of colors on each page. In addition to designing, coloring and printing each book, Simpson created a handmade box for each one (which themselves have become collector’s items). ”To date, Simpson has crafted almost 40 handmade books, which range in price from $45 to $4,000, depending on the collection. She says her business background has played a vital role in helping her market her books. ‘I do see my work as a business.”’ ”Simpson’s artist book collections are featured in the renowned collections of the Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts in New York City, Yale’s Art of the Book Collection, the Victoria and Albert National Art Library in London and many other private and public rare book collections. ”Talent seems to run in the family. Simpson’s son, Mike, of Pasadena, is a record producer for Dust Brothers. A three-time Grammy winner, he has worked with A-list musicians such as the Beastie Boys, Carlos Santana, The Rolling Stones and Beck. He also worked on the music for the movie, ‘The Fight Club.’ ”Currently, Simpson is visiting Pacific Palisades and will teach a two-day creative writing and book arts workshop on September 17-18. The workshop is for members of Journey Beyond Business, an organization comprised of highly successful business people. Participants will create one-of-a-kind artist books based on a photograph of someone special to them. ”Over the past two years, Simpson has explored her interest in working with clay. She’s even created a hip-hop series from clay and has just finished a hip-hop book. Her upcoming exhibition in New York, called ‘Urban Motion,’ will feature works from her hip-hop series. ”Simpson says she’s thankful to have such a special gift and be able to share it with others. ‘I feel very fortunate. It’s very special to do what you love.’ (Editor’s Note: Jolene Hull, a native of Iowa, is finishing her journalism degree at Iowa State University by performing a 12-week internship at the Palisadian-Post).
PaliHi Days: The Class of 64
By Bonnie Graveline Worley (Editor’s Note: Bonnie Graveline Worley graduated from Palisades High School in the summer of 1964. Raised in Pacific Palisade, she attended Palisades Elementary and Paul Revere before entering Palisades High School as a 10th grader in 1961. Her class was the first graduating class to go all the way through Palisades High. Their 40th Reunion will be held at The Beach Club in Santa Monica on October 9. After high school, Bonnie married Carl Worley and was a stay-at-home mom while raising their two daughters. She and her husband live in San Juan Capistrano and are enjoying their four grandchildren.) Our graduating class of S’64 from Palisades High School started elementary school in the fall of 1951. Our classmates attended either Palisades, Marquez, Canyon, Kenter Canyon, Brentwood, or UCLA (UES) elementary schools. During the 6th grade many of us remember reading in the ‘Weekly Reader’ (a newspaper our schools received each week), that the Russians had launched Sputnik’the first satellite ever! We were all very afraid of the Russians and people were building bomb shelters. These shelters cost a few thousand dollars and were dug into the ground and packed with food and supplies so if necessary, you could survive for months. The top of the bomb shelters looked like manhole covers. There was a bomb shelter around the corner from my house on Chapala; I wonder if it’s still there after 45 years? ”” ”Back then, La Cruz between Swarthmore and Sunset was still a dirt road. The street ran past the side of Bay Pharmacy, past Ebsen Dance Studio (owned by Buddy Ebsen and his sister Velma), and no one could figure out why it was NEVER paved. You could drive to the back of Woodbury’s 5 & 10 Cent Store on Sunset and Dilly’s had the best ice cream ever. The Hot Dog Show on Sunset had a miniature train track up near the ceiling running around the room, and the Bay Theater (our one and only movie theater) was another hang-out for us kids. We had celebrities in our neighborhood: Groucho Marx’s daughter, James Arness’ kids, Betty Hutton’s daughter, Grace Kelly was renting a home on Alma Real, and Vivian Vance (Ethel on ‘I Love Lucy’) lived on Ocampo. Not to mention the future U.S. President (Ronald Reagan) was living on Amalfi. Also on Amalfi was Jerry Lewis. ”When we entered Paul Revere we met many new classmates from all the local elementary schools I mentioned earlier. We became a very close class in Paul Revere and remained close all the way through Pali High’520 students graduated from Revere in June 1961 and were basically the same students who made up the 487 seniors who graduated from Pali in June 1964. When we were in the 8th grade one of the most memorable mornings at Paul Revere was when John Glenn was launched into space. ”As 9th graders we knew our ‘brand new’ high school was nearing completion and we all voted on the school name, the school colors and the school mascot. We chose Palisades High for the name, royal blue, columbia blue and white for the colors and Dolphins for the mascot. Everyone was thrilled to be going to a school right in our hometown. If the new high school had not been built we would have gone to University, about a 20-minute drive from the Palisades. Palisades High School was built on the site originally called ‘All Hallows Farm,’ the first home of Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. Reunion committee member Wendy Price Anderson recalls: ‘Before the high school was built, Temescal Canyon Road didn’t go through to PCH. At the end of the canyon there was a pier with a restaurant where people ordered clam chowder in china bowls and when they were finished eating they just threw the bowls out into the ocean. A man I met on a hike one day told me that people go diving for them today.’ ”On September 11, 1961, Pali opened with only 10th and 11th graders. The boys gym was complete, but not the girls gym. For one semester the girls all had P.E. in the multipurpose room (now Mercer Hall) where the P.E. teachers turned up the hi-fi and we all learned the ‘new’ dances, like the twist! ”We all loved the beautiful new school, it was modern, fresh and clean’and earthquake proof. We had more school spirit than anyone could imagine. We lost every football game the first year (we had no senior football players), but our ‘spirit’ was the envy of all the schools we played. We sophomores were not old enough to drive, so we all went on buses to the away football games. When our buses showed up at the other schools our rivals could hear us coming from a mile away. We were singing and cheering so loud! When Bob Sawyer finally scored our first touchdown (in the fifth game of the season at home against Fairfax) we cheered for at least 10 minutes! What a thrill!!! ”Our principal was Dr. Herbert Aigner, who was very fair and respected by most everyone. We had many excellent teachers who have stayed in contact with some of our classmates over the years. Our 40th reunion is coming up and thanks to the efforts of classmate Janie Redmond Mueller, nine of the original faculty members will be attending: Richard Farnham, Rose Gilbert, Ralph Hedges, Annette Herbst, Fred Johnson, Paul Jordan, Ray Normandin, Arthur Thomas and Thomas Weese. ”We had some very tragic times too. Our class lived through the Brentwood and Malibu fires, where many of our friends lost their homes. Many students had their homes burn to the ground, leaving them with nothing but the clothes on their back. The most tragic, but most memorable day was in the 11th grade when an announcement came over the P.A. system during 1st period that ‘President Kennedy has been shot.’ Later that day the sad news came over the P.A. system that our beloved President John F. Kennedy was dead. Teachers cried, students cried and the school was closed for three or four days. ”Our class produced many doctors, lawyers, and professionals. Among them is Dr. Barry Sears, the creator and author of ‘The Zone Diet,’ psychiatrist Kay Redfield Jamison, author of ‘An Unquiet Mind,’ and Joseph Gold, a world-famous violinist who has performed with the great Jascha Heifetz. We also had the late Rusty Hamer who played ‘Rusty’ on ‘The Danny Thomas Show.’ Sadly, we have lost 26 classmates out of a class of 487. The Vietnam War began and we sadly lost young men from our school, including two classmates, Todd Swanson and Pete Drusdeau. ”The favorite music groups of our high school days were Dick Dale and The Deltones, Johnny Mathis, Ricky Nelson, Elvis, the Beach Boys and the Beatles. We had a dress code that girls today would not believe. Girls always had to wear dresses or skirts to school and socks or nylons at all times…never slacks, jeans, or bermuda shorts. Your skirt had to be knee length and we all took pride in ourselves. The way students dress today is quite different. Y-Teen Club jackets were forbidden at PaliHi. Therefore, the two girls’ Y-Teen Clubs in our class, The Polynesians and The Shardanees, could only wear their club jackets off campus. Girls had beehive hairdos and used lots of hairspray. Girls would wear large plastic rollers to bed, to get that perfect bubble hairdo the next day. We did not have curling irons and blow dryers unless we went to a beauty salon. ”People felt we were the ‘Cream of the Crop’ and envied our school. The parking lot was full of new shiny cars and he would say ‘those kids’ cars are better than ours!’ It was true’this was a wealthy school. Our classmates’ parents were doctors, dentists, psychiatrists, business owners, and film industry people. The school was almost entirely Caucasian, we had one black student and two Asian students. There was no such thing as busing in those days. ”When we were in the 11th grade, we voted on our graduating classes’ name (the Spartans) and colors (brown and beige). We had our senior prom in the school’s multipurpose room and our Spartan Class Grad Night was held at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Ironically, that was the same hotel President Kennedy’s brother Robert, would be assassinated in exactly four years later in June 1968. ”Attending school from 1951-1964 and living in Pacific Palisades all those years was definitely living the ‘Happy Days.’ ”For reunion information, go to www.pali64.com or contact reunion committee members: Wendy Price Anderson, 459-8334, e-mail: Pricelesseaview@netzero.net; Janie Harris Hansen, 818-990-1630, e-mail: JanieHansen@juno.com; Bonnie Graveline Worley, 949-661-7661, e-mail: BWorley@cox.net; Ileen Cohen Eatherton, 714-960-4105, e-mail: Oileen@socal.rr.com.
Dolphins Ready to Reclaim Throne
PALISADES HIGH GIRLS TENNIS PREVIEW
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
Losing in the City Section finals last season might have been the best thing that could’ve happened to the Palisades High girls varsity tennis team. Although the Dolphins breezed through the season undefeated and earned the top seed in the playoffs, returning players are still upset they lost the match that counted most. So this year’s team won’t be satisfied just making the finals. It wants to win Palisades’ first championship since 1998 and restore pride to a program that has produced 17 City titles since the sport was sanctioned in 1975. The Dolphins will try to accomplish their goal without a single senior on their roster, but what they might lack in experience they make up for in talent and depth. ‘We’re definitely stronger this year than last while [defending champion] Granada Hills has lost a lot of players,’ said head coach Bud Kling, who has led Pali to City titles in his 20 seasons. ‘A lot will depend on how much our younger players improve and how much production we get from our No. 2 and No. 3 doubles.’ Knowing he would miss part of the summer to attend the Olympic Games in Greece, Kling appointed juniors Krista Slocum and Brittany O’Neil as team captains and they gladly accepted the challenge of running preseason workouts. ‘Even though the tennis season is only one semester, we look at it as a year-round sport,’ said O’Neil, who will likely play No. 1 or No. 2 doubles. ‘Every player was required to play nine events over the summer and we’ve all been working hard on our fundamentals and conditioning.’ Slocum, who will return as the Dolphins’ No. 2 singles player, said she takes her role as captain seriously: ‘It’s a big responsibility because everyone looks to you for answers but I like it because you get respect too.’ Slocum said she prefers high school to junior tennis because of the team concept. ‘It’s easier to stay serious and focused when you have a team that’s counting on you,’ she said. Sophomore Olivia Colman returns to play No. 1 singles, having enjoyed a successful summer on the junior circuit. She took first place in the 18s at the Northridge Open in August and won the Women’s Division of the Santa Monica Women’s Open on Labor Day. Making the Dolphins’ singles lineup even more formidable is the addition of Contessa Brown, a transfer who was voted most valuable player at Culver City High as a freshman last season. Sophomore Lauren Pugatch returns to play No. 4 singles. ‘Olivia is one of the top players in the City, Krista and Contessa are interchangeable at No. 2 and No. 3 singles and Lauren has a year’s worth of experience now,’ Kling said. ‘Getting Contessa was huge because not only does it strengthen our singles, it also adds a very good player to doubles.’ Though he has yet to pick his doubles pairs, Kling has a bevy of quality players to choose from. Juniors Yasmir Navas, Sarah Jurick, Dina Quick, Cassie Boyd, Mary Logan and Lotte Kiepe will challenge for roster spots along with sophomores Masha Elakovic, Elieka Salamipour, Sophie Yoo, Alex Kling and freshmen Lisa Mesrop and Sarah Yankelevitz. ‘ I definitely think we’ll be better this season than last and I’m looking forward to it,’ Navas said while breaking in her new Babolat racket. ‘I played singles last year but I’m looking forward to playing doubles this year. It’s comforting to play with someone else because you can talk and you’re not all alone out there.’ C.W. Brown, Contessa’s father, will coach the junior varsity, which primarily consists of a promising crop of ninth graders like Kathryn Cullen, Yasamin Ghiasi, Chloe Haddad, Erika Lee and Genna Rochlin. ‘It’ll be great for the program to have a qualified assistant coach like him [Brown] because our practices will be much more efficient,’ Kling said. ‘The younger kids will get more instruction and that frees up time for me to drill the varsity players.’ Kling said the lack of quality competition last year ultimately hurt Pali when it met Granada Hills in the finals because the Dolphins had not been tested. So Kling dropped small private schools Crossroads and Marymount and added perennial Southern Section powers Malibu and Mira Costa to the Dolphins’ schedule. ‘We don’t play in the strongest league so I’ve tried to balance that with more difficult nonleague opponents,’ Kling said. ‘Even if we lose, I’d rather have the experience of playing close, competitive sets because it will help sharpen us up for the playoffs.’ With such a young team, Kling knows the future of his program is bright. And he hopes this is the year the Dolphins break through and reclaim their place as the elite program in the City. ‘It’s been awhile since we’ve won, so I’m hoping this will be the year,’ Kling said. ‘I think we have a good chance.’
Retooling for a Repeat
PALISADES HIGH GIRLS VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW
Faced with the difficult challenge of defending the City championship it won in November, the Palisades High girls varsity volleyball team begins the season with a new coach and seven new players. How quickly those new players develop could determine whether or not the Dolphins pin a 23rd championship banner to the wall of their gymnasium. ‘It’s harder to stay at the top than it is to get there,’ Pali’s senior setter Diana Grubb said. ‘We know every team we play is going to be up for us. There are really only a few of us who know what it feels like to win a City title so our success will depend on how well the younger players handle the pressure.’ The Dolphins’ new coach is Cheri Stuart, who also teaches biology and physiology classes at Pali and serves as the school’s athletic trainer. ‘I see a lot of promise but I don’t necessarily think a City championship is the goal this year,’ said Stuart, who was a scholarship player at Northern Illinois, where she earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. ‘I have a lot more talent to work with than I thought I would coming in. I’m not going to say we can’t win City’maybe we will. But the proof is in the pudding.’ Grubb has had to play for a different coach each of her four years at Pali and admitted it has made for a difficult situation. ‘It’s not even weird anymore, it’s more like extreme frustration,’ she said. ‘But you have to keep an open mind and play within whatever system the coach wants. For example, we’re still running a 5-1 (a formation that uses only one setter) but our method of defense and offense will be different this year.’ A key factor in Pali’s pursuit of a repeat will be how well senior Natasha Vokhshoori adjusts to the middle blocker position after having played outside hitter last season. Stuart described her top offensive weapon as ‘a fiery player who isn’t satisfied with anything less than the kill.’ Alongside Vokhshoori in the middle will be freshman Alex Lunder, a tall and mobile player who adds another dimension to Pali’s attack. ‘Alex is not only a volleyball player, she’s an athlete,’ Stuart observed. ‘She is very coordinated and when she she’s connecting she’s an awesome hitter.’ Two fearless freshman, Jenna McCallister and Teal Johnson, will likely start as outside hitters. Juniors Megan Chanin and Corey Koffman and freshman Rachael Erlich will be the all-important defensive specialists and junior Kaylie McCallister, Jenna’s sister, will play opposite hitter and back up Grubb at setter. ‘Kaylie has good court awareness, she’s very versatile and she leads by example,’ Stuart said. Rounding out the varsity squad will be Margarita Juarez at outside hitter and Alina Kheyfets at middle blocker. ‘All of our freshmen are very disciplined in practice, they want to learn and they are pushing the seniors, which is good. I expect my players to give their best and I know if I hold them to high standards they won’t play scared.’ Because she is still learning her team, Stuart said she is curious to see who steps in to fill various roles as the season unfolds. ‘No matter what level you play at, every team needs a leader and a cheerleader, a motivator. Every team develops its own unique personality.’ Coaching the junior varsity team will be former Dolphin player and 2001 Palisadian-Post Cup award winner Ian Wolterstorff, who assisted coach Cari Klein at Marymount High last season. ‘It’s fun to be back at Pali,’ Wolterstorff said. ‘I actually like this more because I’m able to do a lot more teaching. A lot of these girls are just learning how to play.’
Pali Football Drops Opener
Maybe it was the long bus ride. Maybe it was first-game jitters. Whatever the reason, Palisades High’s varsity football team looked out of sync and was unable to overcome costly mistakes in a 25-10 season-opening loss Friday night at Sylmar. In the debut of new head coach London Woodfin, the Spartans took advantage of Pali’s poor kick coverage to start drives deep in Dolphin territory. ‘Our offensive line needs to do a better job protecting the quarterback and our special teams just weren’t up to par,’ said Pali’s first-year head coach Leo Castro, who did not enjoy his debut nearly as much as his counterpart. ‘We have five running backs that could start on any team in the City. So we can move the ball fine. But when we get in the red zone we have to score.’ Pali’s only touchdown came midway through the fourth quarter on a 99-yard interception return by junior Andre Harris, but it was too little too late. A bright spot for Palisades was the kicking of Dylan Cohen. He booted a 42-yard field goal in the second quarter and had four punts of 45 yards or more. But the Dolphins’ senior quarterback was pressured all game, completing two of seven passes for 12 yards. Anthony Anaebere led Pali’s rushing attack with 12 carries for 63 yards and Robert Gillette added four carries for 40 yards. ‘Our offense was out there 70 percent of the time, we just committed stupid penalties and basically hurt ourselves,’ said Henry Argueta, Pali’s junior linebacker and tight end. ‘They burned us on two long passes but mostly we gave them great field position. It seemed like they began every possession at our 20.’ After a scoreless first quarter, C.J. Gable returned a Palisades punt 61 yards to set up a 33-yard touchdown pass from John Austin to D’Andre Goodwin. Later, Gable returned a kickoff 80 yards to set up a nine-yard scoring run by Marc Alanis that gave Sylmar a 12-3 halftime lead. Gable gained 121 yards in 10 carries, including a 47-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. ‘Coach [Castro] told us after the game that one loss doesn’t make the whole season,’ Pali senior linebacker David Villalobos said. ‘So we can’t hang our heads. We just have to execute better from here on out. If we give Dylan time to throw, he’ll make plays for us.’ In the preceding frosh/soph game, sophomore receiver Jevon Crowder caught touchdown passes of 30 and 50 yards from quarterback Michael Latt as the Dolphins tied host Sylmar 12-12.
Marymount Volleyball Loses Season Opener
In a showdown between two of the top prep girls programs in California, Marymount High’s varsity volleyball team opened its season with a 25-22, 25-23, 25-21 loss to visiting Manhattan Beach Mira Costa Monday night. Marymount coach and Palisadian Cari Klein hopes her team will respond as it did last year when the Sailors dropped their season opener to Mater Dei before reeling off 36 consecutive victories on the way to their fourth consecutive CIF Division IV state championship. ‘We were right there, we were in every game, we just couldn’t finish them,’ Klein said of Monday’s loss, the Sailors’ 19th in her seven seasons at the school. ‘They were tall’it was like playing a college team’but we did a pretty good job blocking. We’re young and I was moving the girls around a bit. I’m still learning this team whereas last year I knew what my players could do in every situation. I’m hoping we will take this loss to heart and play better if we meet them again in a tournament.’ Mira Costa is ranked No. 1 in California by PrepVolleyball.com while the Sailors are No. 13. Marymount’s roster includes five Palisadians: senior Christina Woodward and sophomores Kelly Irvin, Audrey Eichler, Ali Hoffman and Madison Wojciechowski.
Dancing Delegates, Arnold, and Me
By KAREN WILSON Palisadian-Post Intern Emeritus There were at least two Palisadians present at last week’s Republican National Convention’Arnold Schwarzenegger and me. And while the Governator is actually a former resident who was there serving as a keynote speaker, and I’m a current townie who was busy soaking up her first political event, I will say that as thousands of delegates waved ‘Arnold!’ signs in the air at Madison Square Garden, I felt a touch of local pride. Welcome to the Grand Old Party convention, held this year for the first time in New York City. As an 18-year-old intern at Entertainment Weekly (EW) magazine, I had given politics a backseat to showbiz this summer. Previous to attending the convention, I had only one political event under my belt’a Sean ‘P. Diddy’ Combs press conference, during which the rap magnate unveiled his plans to reach out to young voters. Shortly after 9 p.m. last Monday, I hurried down 34th Street towards the Garden, flashing my press credentials and wishing I were home watching reruns instead of being wanded by security in my too-high heels. I made it to the fifth floor Time magazine workspace, home to all Time Warner media personnel. The Time office, crunched between those of CNN and ‘The News Hour with Jim Lehrer,’ was equipped with several computers, which were being used for online research and photo editing. While Senator John McCain was getting ready to start his speech, I was led upstairs to the sixth floor and entered the arena itself through Gate 64, where foot traffic was at a standstill. Turned out that CNN’s broadcast booth was located just inside, and reporters Wolf Blitzer and Judy Woodruff were on the air. Security came through to keep the crowd moving, and I made my way to the Time magazine area, located about 40 feet to the right of the keynote podium. Immediately, I noticed a bleacher of cameras. Located across the floor from the stage, it rose up from a sea of delegates, supporting television cameramen shoulder-to-shoulder. Every basketball-sized lens was trained on the podium, where McCain would soon stand. Directly underneath the cameras was a giant flat-screened TV monitor, which served as the TelePrompTer. Over the next few days, I kept my focus trained on the PrompTer, trying to spot the places where the politicians went off script. While McCain and Laura Bush kept faithfully to theirs, Schwarzenegger did a little improvising, and Rudy Giuliani went completely off track as the crowd roared its approval. Also of interest to this young reporter was the row of photographers sitting two feet from the podium, snapping shots of the keynotes; when President Bush spoke at the end of the convention, many of them had been replaced by security personnel. Night two was a banner occasion for me, as Laura Bush is an idol of mine, and the aforementioned Gov. Schwarzenegger was to take the stage. During Laura’s speech, the composed First Lady kept one leg bent behind the podium, while the other tapped the floor’whether from nerves or to pace herself, I couldn’t tell. As Arnold stepped out, I looked directly across the floor at his wife, Maria Shriver, and their four children, who sat in an area reserved for political heavyweights like George Prescott Bush and Condoleezza Rice. The delegates on the floor waved blue and white signs (in a fun twist, our town’s official colors) that read ‘Arnold!’ I took delight in noting that the youngest Schwarzenegger son joined in the fun, waving a banner himself. I had two sightings that night, first passing ‘The View’ co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck in the corridor leading to the arena, and, once inside, exchanging smiles with Bob Dole as he left a CNN interview. After he’d passed, I was busy loitering in the aisle, trying to peer up at the back of Larry King’s head as he broadcasted live, when I felt a searing pain in my foot- a Dole staffer, not watching the floor either, had crushed my left toes with his wingtip shoe. Hobbling now, I was almost brought to tears’not by the pain, but by the energy in that hall during the speeches. As Laura had gone through her lines, they had been a roar from the crowd, an energy of togetherness I’d never felt before. It was like the world’s best high school pep rally, but a thousand times better. There I was, on the edge of my seat, realizing that, at age 18, I was a part of something that was Very Big. From George and Barbara Bush holding up hand-painted ‘We Love Laura’ posters, to every ‘Four More Years’ sign being waved by a delegate, there was just something raucous and magical taking place at the Garden. At the end of the night, I reached under a delegate’s seat and snagged an ‘Arnold!’ poster. Exhausted from working all day at EW, I decided to watch day three on television. As Dick Cheney and Zell Miller got the crowd on their feet, I was envisioning the real Garden scene and comparing it to what I was seeing on the screen. On night four, I snagged a half-hour floor pass and put it to use during New York Governor Pataki’s speech. It was prime time and the floor was gridlocked. I stood between the Illinois and Mississippi delegations and looked around. The Virginia delegates had autographed their signpost, while the Hawaiians had affixed a traditional floral wreath to theirs. A Michigan delegate, meanwhile, wore a customized T-shirt that read ‘Kerry Flip-Flops’ against a picture of a Heinz ketchup bottle. As I snapped his photo, I accidentally bumped the woman next to me. As she swung around, I caught the name on her credentials: it was Campbell Brown, co-host of NBC’s ‘Weekend Today.’ Then, I passed right by the heavily guarded seats where the First Family was seated, and snapped a photo. Later, the president’s speech was going smoothly when a flailing protester wearing a sign reading ‘Pink Slip Bush’ was hustled through the press area by security, and, like a modern-day politically-motivated Cinderella, she left behind a leather sandal. Soon, reporters had descended upon the shoe, snapping photos, passing it around, and smirking about the incident. When it’s no longer needed as evidence, look for it on eBay. At 11:05, Bush told the crowd that he owed his blunt persona to ‘the lady up there,’ gesturing to the seat usually occupied by his mother, Barbara. However, she wasn’t actually present during this declaration. Afterwards, balloons and confetti spilled from the ceiling. As people poured from the arena, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ blared. Remaining delegates began dancing as the convention came to an end. Stray balloons floated from the ceiling and I stood at the rail, ringed on all sides by neon signs declaring the presence of NBC News, Bloomberg Media, even Al-Jazeera. I realized that I’d never again follow a convention, or listen to a Cher CD, or watch a nightly news program on television and not think of this moment. It was the perfect time to give my arm a little pinch, and the perfect time to say good night. (Editor’s Note: Palisadian Karen Wilson is still in New York, working hard at Entertainment Weekly, and is looking forward to sophomore year at UC Santa Barbara, which begins later this month.)
Preferential Parking Debate Highlights Council Agenda
The four main agenda items on tonight’s Pacific Palisades Community Council meeting at 7 p.m. in the Palisades Branch Library community room, 861 Alma Real, include: 1. Parking: The board will decide whether it should support or oppose the proposed preferential district for streets adjacent to the business district and the Palisades Recreation Center. A color-coded map showing all the impacted streets is now on display in the library. A mandated L.A. Department of Transportation public hearing on the district has been scheduled for Monday, September 27 at 7 p.m. in Mort’s Oak Room (see related story and map, page 4). 2. ‘Mystery pond’ report: Daniel Hackney of the L.A. Bureau of Sanitation, who is coordinating city, county and regional government response, will discuss the problem at PCH and Chautauqua, as well as other ‘dry weather’ storm-drain issues. 3. Inclusionary Housing: A report by Gil Dembo and Don Scott on the Garcetti-Reyes proposal being considered by the L.A. City Council which would require developers building new housing to offer a number of housing units to be sold or rented to people of low-and moderate-income in the same project. According to the Los Angeles Business Journal (September 6), a City Council committee hearing on Garcetti-Reyes will be held later this month, and a ‘revised ordinance could come back to the council by early next year. Any ordinance passed would likely be phased in starting in 2006.’ 4. Cancellation of Commuter Express Route 430, the bus line linking Pacific Palisades and downtown Los Angeles: A report by the council’s transportation advisor Steve Lantz on possible further action. The public is invited. For more information about the Community Council, visit www.pp90272.org.
Renaissance Academy Delays Opening Day
On Tuesday, Renaissance Academy Charter High School principal Paul McGlothlin wrote a letter to Renaissance students and families informing them that the first day of regular classes at the 881 Alma Real building would be delayed until Monday, September 13. School had been scheduled to start yesterday. ‘I used to joke that the paint would still be wet on opening day, and as it turns out it will be,’ McGlothlin wrote in his letter. ‘We have made this decision to avoid exposing our community to very unpleasant fumes and to allow the Alma Real facility to thoroughly air out.’ The letter, posted on the school’s Web site (www.rahigh.org), also updated 10th, 11th and 12th grade students who will be taking classes at SMC that those courses will begin as planned on Friday, September 10. Yesterday morning, RA teachers Susan Caggiano (English) and John Kannofsky (visual arts and technology) stood in front of the Alma Real building to meet the handful of students who had not been informed about the opening day delay. Caggiano handed out a printed version of the letter on the Web site. Parent volunteer Joe Sheppard, whose two teens will be attending Renaissance, stood at the park entrance to meet students headed to school. ‘We tried to call everyone and we sent a mass e-mail [about the delay],’ said Kannofsky, who greeted 10th grader Thomas Kaesln walking towards the school with his aunt at 8:45 a.m. A Topanga resident, Kaesln said, ‘According to the principal, the first day was today,’ and he hadn’t checked the Web site or gotten a call telling him otherwise. Palisadian Jacqueline Steinberg, an 11th grader transferring from the Archer School, also showed up with her mother, Joy, on Wednesday, thinking it was the first day of school. Instead, she spent the morning touring the Alma Real school facilities with architecture and environmental science teacher Stephanie Besch. Though McGlothlin announced on the Web site that ‘construction has been completed,’ the school still looked like a construction site as workers in the downstairs classroom area secured bathroom and light fixtures. One of the floors had not been laid and paint cans, tools and ladders cluttered the floor. The facilities were not yet furnished. Upstairs, RA teachers looked for a room to hold a meeting in the also unfurnished administration offices/conference rooms’some carpeted and some with hardwood floors. The area smelled strongly of paint as contractors and workers continued to work despite all the people passing through. McGlothlin assured students and families that ‘this delay will not affect the overall instructional program. We are simply treating Wednesday and Thursday as staff development, or student free days.’ Students who showed up yesterday were instructed to check the Web site to find out about transportation plans for Friday, when they will travel by school bus from the Alma Real campus to SMC’s Stewart St. campus for 9 a.m. classes. They will return to RA by bus at 2 p.m. that afternoon.
Revere Raises Funds for Major Rehab
By MARILYN HAESE CEREGHINO Special to the Palisadian-Post A fall campaign at Paul Revere Middle School aims to raise $200,000 in funds for renovating the school library and making significant campus improvements. The ball got rolling when a private citizen donated a $100,000 matching grant to improve facilities and the PRIDE booster club, PTA and the school administration together also donated $100,000. The fundraising campaign is now going out to parents and friends in the community in hopes to double this initial amount and make a ‘Revere Renaissance’ a reality. ‘Everyone has always agreed that our middle school is situated on a beautiful campus,’ said parent volunteer Scott MacGillivray, ‘but it’s 50 years old this year and it’s time to make it a more vital center of learning.’ MacGillivray, a West L.A. architect who is PRIDE’s vice president overseeing fundraising, is a veteran of teaming up with other parents for school improvements that have included creating playgrounds and a new library at Kenter Charter Elementary School in Brentwood and the complete rebuilding of the Brentwood Science Magnet’s outdoor campus. Targeted for updating is Revere’s sizable but outdated library. ‘This is a nice-sized library, but it needs to be comfortable and attractive for students to spend more time in it. Most of all, it needs the right resources, such as books, computers and reference materials,’ said MacGillivray, who is providing his architectural services pro bono. Efforts are currently underway to redo the library from floor to ceiling. Plans for furnishings include replacing the cumbersome rows of work tables currently there with reading clusters of comfortable chairs, smaller work space areas, new high efficiency lighting for better illumination, card catalog computers, indoor trees, new carpeting, a new color scheme, artwork and a large, glass entry door. Also planned for installation are wireless docking ports for more computers and laptops, and a new book club room and listening lab. Plans for updating the library’s operations include the procurement of more books, a review of teachers’ needs, and a repositioning of the circulation desk and check-out procedure, including bar coding of books and elimination of the entry turnstile. In addition, plans are underway to build a separate teachers’ library stocked with books, CDs, DVD and videos for faculty to share. Also on the library committee’s ‘wish list’ is the creation of an adjacent outdoor ‘Reading Garden’ to be entered from the library through a glass-wall entry, with seating areas, arbors and shade. Elsewhere on campus, slated improvements include a boot-camp style ‘Obstacle Course’ as well as benches and outdoor seating areas, trellises and landscaping for the eighth grade quad. Additionally, a new stage curtain, theater lights and a thrust stage are scheduled upgrades for Town Hall. The school district has also allocated funds for a new sound system in the 900-seat auditorium which will help support, among other activities, the school’s orchestra and choir programs plus the new drama program. ‘This new effort is expected to raise the school stakeholders’ consciousness of the possibilities that exist for our kids in the public school system,’ MacGillivray said. A resurgence at the middle school began last year with the installation of a new administration, led by principal Art Copper, and an increased level of parental involvement and fundraising support. Last year’s ‘Ride the Wave’ campaign resulted in more than $200,000 in parent donations and grants. Residents should look for information in the Palisadian-Post in upcoming weeks regarding an open forum meeting at the Paul Revere library. Community Match Donations can be made out to ‘PRIDE-MATCH,’ and mailed to Paul Revere Middle School, 1450 Allenford, Los Angeles, CA 90049. Contact: Scott MacGillivray at 479-1974 or at TSMAIA@aol.com or e-mail Marilyn Haese Cereghino at: haese@haesewood.com.
