Corpus Christi School Principal Paola Sessarego—who took over the position on Monday, July 1, from Suzanne Stewart Duffy as she retired—answered questions about her history teaching, her goals while in the role and more.

How long have you been teaching? How long have you been at Corpus Christi School?

I’ve been teaching for almost 35 years—all of which have been in Catholic schools. I spent 25 years at Saint Monica Prep in Santa Monica and joined the faculty at Corpus Christi School nine years ago as a fourth-grade teacher. I went on to become the eighth-grade teacher and vice principal.

What is your background?

I was born in Brazil, but my parents are originally from Genova, Italy. We briefly moved back to Italy for three years, but returned to San Paulo, Brazil, for the remainder of my childhood. My brother and I spoke Italian at home, Portuguese when out in Brazil and English at the American School we attended in Brazil.

I played tennis for Brazil’s national team and was offered a scholarship to play tennis at USC. I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. I graduated with a B.A. in teacher education from USC and received my M.A. in education from USC as well.

What are your goals as the new principal of Corpus Christi School?

My top priority as principal is to make sure that we have a strong curriculum and that our students are well prepared for high school. I also want to ensure we care for our students’ social and emotional needs.

Most importantly, we must continue to partner with our parents to instill good values in our students. We want Corpus graduates to go out into the world and be kind, caring individuals with a strong sense of community.

How is the Pacific Palisades community integral to your mission at Corpus Christi School?

Everyone knows everyone in the Palisades. Our mission is to have a tight-knit community that is there for each other. A community where when someone is in need, we are all there to support one another. We are purposeful in instilling solid values and helping students create a strong community.

The Palisades is unique because most of the students who come to our school live here. Many of them even walk to school. There is an existing sense of community already, but we want to help teach our students how to make a difference and help others.

Why do you think parents in the community should consider Corpus Christi School for their children?

I think Corpus Christi School is a little jewel in the Palisades. We provide a vital education and strong sense of community. This is what we strive for.

People are coming together to help each other and graduating students who truly will make a difference in the world. I want all of our students to work to make their community a better place.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Being from Brazil, I love watching soccer, especially the World Cup. I love playing pickleball. We also have season USC football tickets. I’m a die-hard fan. Fight on!

Corpus Christi School, located at 890 Toyopa Drive, is a kindergarten through eighth-grade co-ed Catholic school. The school’s academic approach “develops engaged minds, cultivates work ethic and fosters a lifelong love of learning,” according to its website.

“We encourage curiosity, critical thinking and rigorous analysis,” the website continued. “Not only do our students master subject matter, but they graduate possessing the skills to succeed in high school and beyond.”

For more information, visit corpuschristi-school.com.

The following piece was penned by Ginny Winn—a Palisadian for more than 30 years. If you have a poem you’d like to submit for consideration in a future edition of the paper, send it to mypost@palipost.com.

No expiration date
I’m traveling on to celebrate
Hear ye hear ye
Another Thanksgiving year
And as each passes
more becomes clear.
Gratitude peaks my attitude:
I’m still here !
Time, precious time
This is yours, this is mine
Time to give huge
gratitudinous thanks.
I wish that our bounteous table
of people who love
of people who thrive
who are consciously alive
Know it, show it and glow it!!
Breathe in ~ Delish !
Breath out ~ your wish !
And what is the name
of your favorite dish ?
Give thanks and pray
that the whole wide world
All together Now ~
Could take a gratitude bow
Turn to each other
Smile and say
Happy Thanks~giving Day !

Local Scouts from Troop 223 Share Their Experiences on Recent Good Turn and Career Trips

Marcus McCannel

The Falcon Patrol of Troop 223 had a Good Turn Trip dedicated to spreading positivity in our community on Sunday, November 10, with the HangOutDoGood group. The day began at my house, where we gathered, ready to donate our time and energy to those in need.

We started the project by spending the first 20 minutes decorating 50 lunch bags. On each bag, we drew positive messages and cheerful drawings to brighten the days of those receiving the lunches. Then, we split up, making 50 PB&J sandwiches and packing them with water and other food, like cookies, a granola bar, and chips.

Once our preparation was complete, we packed the lunches into our cars and drove to the designated drop-off location, where we added it to the growing pile of lunch donations those in the community provided.

This Good Turn Trip not only allowed us to provide meals to those in need but also strengthen the bond in our patrol. It was amazing to see everyone come together, focusing on service and helping the community.

We look forward to more opportunities like this, that show even small acts of kindness can make a big difference.

August Brancato

For the Troop 223 Bruins Patrol Career Trip, we visited the NFL offices with Mr. Andrew Uhm who is the director of engineering in the Next Gen Stats division of the NFL.

We toured the dynamic headquarters, with some incredible views of the NFL offices and SoFi Stadium. We saw the news studios, the podcasting rooms and the conference rooms where many famous athletes and coaches have been interviewed.

We learned about the purpose of Next Gen Stats and the colossal amount of data they gather from wearable technology. Next Gen Stats gathers this intelligence from RFID transmitters (built by Zebra Technologies) that are placed in the players’ pads, the footballs, the end zones and the yard markers, and how Next Gen Stats organizes the data that the transmitters provide.

They can use the data gathered to make charts upon charts of player statistics, team statistics and even game statistics. This information provides a more exciting and in-depth NFL experience.

We viewed some playthroughs from recent games and noticed how each of the transmitters are programmed to follow their specific player on the field. We saw how the transmitter embedded in the football clearly showed where the football was on the field and its relationship to each player on the field.

We heard a story about early days of the transmitters where the frequencies they were using to transmit information from a game at SoFi was the same frequency that police choppers were using to survey the area—it disrupted the Next Gen Stats information stream! Luckily, the NFL quickly made a compromise with the sheriff’s department.

We as a patrol learned about many career opportunities in the NFL and realized how fun it could be working there. We admired how incredible it was that such a huge and influential company does all these things just in our backyard.

The Bruins Patrol includes: August Brancato (patrol leader), Rowan Woodruff, Lincoln McCannel, Leo Holmes and Leo Huang.

Maxton Flaherty

On November 16, the Kahunas Patrol went to the VA to help rebuild the Japanese Garden built by Japanese American veterans after WWII.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the famed Japanese Garden of the VA was not maintained. It served as a place for many veterans to heal; it was a staple of the veteran community. Being left unmaintained, it was subject to overgrowth.

As a patrol we helped clear lots of overgrown plants from the garden, further beautifying it.

Lauren Whiteley

For the Foxes Patrol Career Trip, we visited the Lexus dealership in Santa Monica where we learned about selling cars and how to connect to a customer.

We first learned about what a day was like for General Manager Matt Unger and Product Specialist Golnaz “Naz” Mojtahedi. They told us how it can be exciting meeting new people. They also enjoy when customers can be a challenge, it’s more fun and a good experience for them.

Naz said she spends a lot of time connecting with her customers. She said that it is important to keep in touch with her customers even after the purchase. If you treat the customer right and have a good time selling the car to them, it’s a nice memory for the seller and you.

The last thing we talked about was how to sell to the customer. Pitching a product is easy, but in order to get the sale, you need to listen to the customer’s needs and understand how your product will address them. Matt said it is always important to give the customer good service and a great time.

Overall this experience was great! We even got some delicious cookies in the end. Thank you, Matt Unger and Golnaz Mojtahedi.

For more information about Troop 223, visit troop-223.org.