The Palisadian-Post’s Kids Page was filled with stories by Junior Reporters, winning entries from the Pacific Palisades Library Association’s Summer Creative Writing Contest and trip summaries from local girl and boy scouts. Those who are interested in applying to be part of the Junior Reporter team in 2025 are encouraged to email mypost@palipost.com for more information.
January 11
“Dear Vany”
Junior Reporter Vanessa “Vany” Masterson answered sets of questions from Post readers in her column, “Dear Vany.” In January, Vany responded to a question about joining clubs in high school and how to excel academically, despite feeling overwhelmed by balancing studies, personal life and extracurriculars.
February 8
“In the Shadow of the Duomo”
Through a series of travel tales, Daniel Winston Gatto detailed a trip to Italy with family—including an experience seeing the Florence Cathedral, known as the Duomo of Florence.
March 28
“The Scoop Behind Frozen Fruit Co”
From a very young age, Junior Reporter Gavin Alexander said he has been interested in business, enjoying learning the stories behind products that he personally likes. As a self-described “big fan” of Frozen Fruit Co on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, Gavin interviewed Co-Founders Michael and Victoria Philippou.
August 22
“Teen View: Marginalization in Environmental Justice”
Intern Samantha Sonnett penned columns focused on climate and the environment, including on the “disproportionate impact on marginalized communities that have gone largely unnoticed until recently,” she wrote: “Many of the hardest-hit communities are low-income populations which, as reported by the International Monetary Fund, depend on natural resources to survive, such as fishermen and those in agriculture or forestry industries.”
September 26
“Summer Creative Writing Contest 2023: The Best Day Ever”
The Post ran a series of winning tales from Pacific Palisades Library Association’s Summer Creative Writing Contest 2023, which had the theme “The Best Day.” The September 26 story was the first-place piece in the Authors category (high school), written by Casey. Winners from the 2024 contest were announced in October and will be featured going forward.
November 28
“Scout Trips”
Local scouts from Troop 223 shared their experiences on recent Good Turn and Career trips. On November 28, Marcus McCannel reported from the Falcon Patrol, August Brancato from the Bruins Patrol, Maxton Flaherty from the Kahunas Patrol and Lauren Whiteley from Foxes Patrol.
December 12
“Summer Across the Nation”
To close out the 2024 Kids Pages, Junior Reporter Kamran Yashouafar wrote about summer 2025, which was “an adventurous year” for Yashouafar, who spent three weeks traveling along the East Coast, visiting New York, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
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