Page 4 January 17, 2019 EL SEGUNDO HERALD
School Spotlight
Wiseburn Board Honors Tragedy
Victims in First Meeting of 2019
By Duane Plank
Last Thursday evening, Wiseburn School
Board met for the first time in 2019. What
should have been a positive look forward
to the remainder of the cuurent school
year started off on a somber note, with
Board President JoAnne Kaneda opening
the meeting paying respects to Wiseburn
residents Jolene Gardner Castillo, a playground
supervisor at Anza Elementary; and her
daughter Payton Castillo, a fourth grader at
and Anza. The two were tragically killed in
a horrific automobile accident in the early
morning hours of Jan. 1. Kaneda asked for
nine seconds of silence to honor the passing
of the 9-year-old Payton.
Superintendent Dr. Blake Silvers had sent a
letter out to Wiseburn Unified School District
families after the accident. He noted that the
“entire Wiseburn community is devastated by
the news,” and offered all possible support
to the surviving members of the Gardener
Castillo family as well as to Anza students
who had to cope with this tragedy when they
returned to school on Jan. 7.
An emotional Anza Principal Alberto
Paredes spoke to the Board, mentioning the
incredible support given to his school and the
entire district in the wake of the tragedy. “It
has been very hard,” he said. “I just want to
show my appreciation and gratitude” for the
support shown, he said, by Silvers, Wiseburn
personnel and neighboring school districts
that banded together in the time of need to
offer their services and staff to help in any
way possible.
At the conclusion of Paredes’ remarks,
Kaneda said, “Thank you for your leadership,”
and noted how the tragedy has affected the
whole Wiseburn community.
New Wiseburn Education Foundation
(WEF) Interim Executive Director Rebecca
Marie Hamburg Cappy, asked in December
to fill the position temporarily, was next
to address the Board. She updated current
initiatives and spoke about the possibility
of a WEF 2019 summer camp. Later in the
meeting, the Board ratified Cappy’s selection.
Board member reports then followed,
with Dr. Neil Goldman commenting on the
“senseless tragedy” that occurred on Jan. 1,
echoing thanks to Paredes and all who have
been involved in support of the community.
“Our hearts go out to the family,” Goldman
said, and “our thanks go out” to all in the
Wiseburn community who have offered
their support.
Member Israel Mora also commented on
the tragic accident and lauded neighboring
districts for their offers of support. “Great
to see,” Mora said. “I appreciate it deeply.”
He also spoke of the conclusion of Phase I
of Wiseburn High School and other facility
construction projects on the docket in the
calendar for 2019.
Member Nelson Martinez also mentioned
the “senseless tragedy” and thanked the
District leadership, offering that the Board
would “continue to see what we can do to
help.” He also noted the opening of the new
gymnasium that took place on Dec. 20.
In her comments, Kaneda also mentioned
the loss of the two Wiseburn family members,
emphasizing how hard it is to cope with
the “realization that those people are just…
not there” anymore. She spoke about the
grieving process and thanked surrounding
districts for their support, response and
“love” prevalent when students returned to
school on Jan. 7. She also mentioned the
grand opening of the gym, pointing out a few
Board members who were in attendance
on Dec. 20 and had “attempted” to play
basketball at the opening -- apparently not
too successfully.
District Chief Financial Officer David
Wilson elaborated on new California
Governor Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget,
which at this point earmarks more money
for California schools -- welcome news to
state educators. Wilson said that there is
a “long time between now and June 15”
when the state budget will be approved and
implemented, but preliminary information
appears to be positive for California school
districts as Newsom takes over the reins of
the governorship.
Prior to the meeting, Silvers had commented
that after the tragic traffic accident, the people
in the classrooms had shown a tremendous
amount of leadership. [It made] “a huge
difference as the whole community mourned.
When one of us grieves, we all grieve,”
he said. He also discussed the December
gymnasium opening, calling it “awe-inspiring
when you walk into that building and see it
come to life.”
Looking forward to rest of the 2019
school year and beyond, Silvers said
that Wiseburn continues to strengthen its
relationship with the community, including
upgrading facilities, ramping up security
at campuses and “trying to make the right
decisions” -- as well as increasing its social
media footprint that is key to a transparent
communication process. He also noted that
while new facilities are a welcomed upgrade, it
is the actual teaching and learning that occurs
in said buildings that will ultimately define
success for Wiseburn. He said he is always
“mindful” of the classroom teachers, giving
them free rein to explore new, innovative
classroom strategies.
In other District news, the much-anticipated
grand opening of the El Segundo-Wiseburn
Aquatics Center took place on the chilly
morning of Saturday, Jan.5, kicking off at
10:30 a.m. with comments from officials,
followed by open swimming in the
facilities pools, with attendees taking
advantage of food trucks, live music and
various community informational booths.
The new facility, which boasts a 53.2-meter
competition pool, is a result of a joint-use
agreement between the City of El Segundo,
Wiseburn, and the El Segundo Unified School
District, and is located on the northwest
portion of the Douglas Street property that
houses Wiseburn High. Silvers called it “a
really fulfilling day,” thanks to the partnership
among the three entities.
The next regularly scheduled Wiseburn
School Board meeting is calendared for
Thursday evening, Jan. 24. •
Eagles Take Hold of Their Season
Story and Photos by Gregg McMullin
It’s just the second week of January and the
Eagles are in the hunt for Ocean League titles
or playoff berths. Both soccer teams swept their
matches, the girls basketball team improved to
4-0 in league play, the boys team knocked off
Lawndale in overtime and the girls water polo
team defeated Santa Monica in an epic battle.
Boys Soccer Team in Control
The third-ranked Eagles improved to 4-0
in the Ocean League with wins over Culver
City 4-3 and 3-2 over Lawndale. The Eagles
have had plenty of success this season passing
on offense and using an aggressive, physical
defense. It showed against Culver City in their
come-from-behind win.
El Segundo scored in the first few minutes of
the contest, but Culver City responded shortly
afterwards. The Centaurs’ Green Rashid gave
Denis Vezina is on the attack against Culver City. He later scored the tying goal to make it 2-2.
Culver City a short-lived 2-1 lead. That goahead
goal woke up the Eagles, who stepped
up their aggressive defense and offense. El
Segundo’s offense kept up the pressure and
controlled the pace. Denis Vezina took a pass
and made a header over Centaur goalie Marco
Vazquez to even the score.
In the second half, El Segundo continued
to control the pace of play. The Eagles had
plenty of opportunities to score, but came up
short. Finally, Alejandro Martinez took an errant
pass and headed it to the back of the net
for a 3-2 El Segundo lead. Jack Finders has
had another great season and his left-footed
shot found its mark for a 4-2 lead. With time
winding down in regulation play, Leiva Joufred
scored for Culver City to make it close but
their comeback came up short.
Against Lawndale, the Eagles surrendered
an early first half goal and then fell behind
2-1 in the second half before getting the tying
and go-ahead goals for the win. Casey Lund,
Malcolm Holtzmann-Cisse and Ciaran Feeney
each scored for the Eagles.
The Eagles were on the road yesterday at
Santa Monica and a win would give them
their first 5-0 start in Ocean League play in
the program’s history. They host Hawthorne
on Friday at 3 p.m. and Beverly Hills next
Wednesday at 3 p.m.
Lady Eagles
Soccer Team in Control
With their come-from-behind 2-1 win against
Culver City and their 6-0 shutout of Lawndale,
the Lady Eagles are in a logjam at the top of
the Ocean League standings. El Segundo’s
only loss in Ocean League play was to Beverly
Hills, so it is tied with Santa Monica, Beverly
Hills and Culver City – all with 3-1 records.
El Segundo faced Samo yesterday at home
before going on the road for the next two and
returning home next Friday at 3 p.m. to host
Culver City.
Lady Eagles Basketball Team
on Top of Standings
The Lady Eagles are being chased by the
rest of the Ocean League teams after wins over
Culver City and Lawndale. Their 4-0 start in
Ocean League play is the best start to a league
schedule in the program’s history.
The 52-40 win over Culver City was an epic
victory over a team El Segundo had defeated
just four times in their past 20 meetings. Malia
Hui had back-to-back three-pointers to give her
team a 13-3 lead. Her three-pointer early in
the second period extended the Lady Eagles’
lead to 18-3. The Centaurs started to connect
from long range and climb back into the game
with four three-pointers in the second period.
Culver City drew closer in the third quarter
when Heaven Cooper sank two free throws to
make it 25-23, but Reese Jones responded with
a long-range jumper to make it 28-23. Story
Noble’s jumper extended to the lead to 36-26
and El Segundo went on to the historic win.
El Segundo had its most productive first
quarter of the season against Lawndale. The
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#3 Story Nobel scores two of her 19 points against Lawndale’s
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See Eagles, page 8