EL SEGUNDO HERALD April 25, 2019 Page 5
School Spotlight
Douglass
MORTUARY
“Our Family Serving Yours Since 1954”
B U R I A L - C R E M AT I O N - W O R L DW I D E T R A N S F E R
P E T M E M O R I A L P RO D U C T S
500 EAST IMPERIAL AVENUE
EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA 90245
Te l e p h o n e ( 3 1 0 ) 6 4 0 - 9 3 2 5 • F a x ( 3 1 0 ) 6 4 0 - 0 7 7 8 • F D 6 5 8
Burkley Brandlin
Swatik & Keesey LLP
AT T O R N E Y S AT L AW
Lifetime El Segundo Residents
Living Trusts/Wills, Probate, Employment Law, Personal Injury
Trust and Estates Litigation, Business Litigation, Civil Litigation
310-540-6000
*AV Rated (Highest) Martindale - Hubbell / **Certified Specialist Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law, State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization
Eagles Win Another Ocean Title
Story and Photos by Gregg McMullin
The El Segundo High School baseball and
softball teams have all but wrapped up a
share or an outright Ocean League title. The
boys volleyball team is poised to win a share
of the Ocean League, but needs to finish its
schedule strong.
The baseball team’s dominance of the Ocean
League is nothing new. In the past six years,
the Eagles have won or shared in five league
championships. With some key players returning,
the prospects of a 37th league title seemed
likely and it would also be the third in a row.
The Eagles swept an improving Lawndale team
3-1 and 4-0 and have won the last 29 of 30
meetings between these two teams.
The Eagle baseball program celebrated
its 13 seniors on Senior Day by honoring
Ethan Burner, Benny Casillas, Kyle McMullin,
Ian Bonham, Dylan Marquez-Wasson,
David Brady, Bailey Davis, Chance Nelson,
Cam Dornblaser, Cooper Sutherland, Quin
Kirsten, Matt Romero and Marcellus Henry
before the game. The ceremony was a fitting
tribute to these special players who
have continued to make the Eagle baseball
program a success.
El Segundo’s supremacy over Lawndale
continued with a convincing 3-1 win. Aiden
McRoberts continued his magic on the mound
by limiting the Cardinals to four hits and
one walk while striking out a season-high
10 batters. He improved to 4-0 in league
play with an ERA of 0.25.
El Segundo has had its challenges scoring
this season, so it has leaned on good pitching
and sound defense. It didn’t change against
Lawndale. With McRoberts doing his share
and the defense playing magnificently, the
offense did just enough to provide the sixth
win in a row.
In the third inning, Brendan McAndrews
scored on Benny Casillas’ double and then
scored on Matt Romero’s RBI single. In the
fourth inning, Julian Rodriquez singled and
scored on an RBI double by Ian Bonham
to make it 3-0.
The Eagles essentially wrapped up their
37th league title at Lawndale. It was another
Sports
On Senior Day these 13 seniors pose, after being honored, prior to the game. Bottom row: Cooper Sutherland, Chance Nelson, Benny
Casillas, Ethan Burner and Ian Bonham. Top Row: Matt Romero, Quin Kirsten, Kyle McMullin, Dylan Marquez-Wasson, David Brady,
Bailey Davis, Marcellus Henry and Cam Dornblaser.
DEADLINES
OBITUARIES: Monday at noon.
CALENDAR ITEMS: Monday at noon.
PEOPLE ITEMS: Monday at noon.
CLASSIFIEDS: Tuesday at noon.
LEGAL NOTICES: Wednesday at 11:00 am.
REAL ESTATE ADS: Monday at noon.
AD CANCELLATIONS: Prior Thursday.
LATE CANCELLATIONS WILL BE
CHARGED 50% OF AD
See Sports, page 14
El Segundo School Board Looks at
District Safety, Hails Employees
By Duane Plank
Tuesday evening’s well-attended and only
regularly scheduled meeting of the month
for the El Segundo School Board featured
a presentation made by Superintendent Dr.
Melissa Moore regarding the ramping-up
of school site safety plans, as well as the
recognition of top-flight educators and classified
employees.
The final presentation of the evening was
helmed by El Segundo Police Department
(ESPD) Chief Bill Whalen, who updated the
members on matters relating to the department
and the bolstering of school site safety in El
Segundo Unified School District. Whalen
meets with Moore on a quarterly basis, and
currently briefs the Board twice a year.“I feel
honored to work with Chief Whalen,” Moore
said, and noted innovative programs that the
ESPD and the District are implementing.
Whalen espoused his and the department’s
efforts to protect the students and District
personnel. “I applaud [the Board] and Dr.
Moore” in all the steps that have been recently
enacted to ensure school site safety,
encouraging all involved to “think outside
the box.” He also talked about the challenges
law enforcement personnel face with the
decriminalization of marijuana in California,
and how it affects students.
Twenty years after the school site shooting
at Columbine High School that resulted in
the deaths of 12 students and one teacher
and shocked the country, Moore reported said
she thought it was a good time of the year
to “take stock of everything we have done
over the past year,” calling it “a considerable
amount.” Last year at this time, Moore
said the District was in the research mode
to develop “next best steps” in school site
safety after the Feb. 14, 2018 shootings at
Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
She noted a couple of recommendations
that evolved from the school site safety assessment
were the expansion of the canine
search to El Segundo Middle School, which
will also help deal with vaping concerns on
campus, and the prioritization of implementing
a new batch of District-wide cameras. IT
Executive Director Danny Gauna spoke to the
Board about potential camera systems that the
District is evaluating. Prior to the meeting,
Moore had called the current camera system
obsolete and “in some ways antiquated and
not efficient.”
Gauna spoke of and how an updated camera
system would not only be centralized, but
would be of great benefit to strengthening
the District security apparatus.
Moore said that any implementations
and recommendations regarding school site
security were based on studious research,
and not just knee-jerk reactions to school
site violence.
Moore’s presentation also touched on the
RULER program, which offers increased
social emotional support to students, as
well as noting the upgrades to the school
site visitor management system and the District
implementation of a tip line to aid the
security process. Moore also highlighted that
the District had added two safety specialists:
that the ESPD had provided a second
resource officer, and that there was a concerted
effort made by the District to engage
with community partners. Moore also noted
how the fencing around District school site
perimeters will be or has been strengthened
and that school office entryway areas will
be buttressed.
Moore advocated the advent of the tip
line program, where parents and students
can alert the District to perceived possible
safety issues. She also stressed the need of
the “see something, say something” mantra
to keep District personnel in the loop in case
possible security issues arise.
Executive Director of Human Resources
and Facilities Dr. Dylan Harris made the
employee recognition presentation. Educators
of the 2018/19 school-year included Megan
ESUSD
See ESUSD, page 11