Page 6 November 1, 2018 EL SEGUNDO HERALD
See Eagles, page 13
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
CLASSIFIED ADS – ONLY $40
for twenty words or less.
Email class@heraldpublications.com or call 310-322-1830 for more information.
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
Santa Monica Gets the Heck
Knocked Out of Them by Eagles
Story and Photos by Gregg McMullin
The 2018 high school football regular season
has come to an end for the El Segundo
Eagles with their 22-16 overtime win over
Santa Monica. It was a game riddled with
injuries, penalties and drama. Plus, fog was
an issue. This was also a game that both
teams would need to win for any chance of a
wild card berth to the CIF Southern Section
football playoffs that opens Friday night.
Even with the win and a 5-5 overall record,
the Eagles were left out of the playoffs for
a number of reasons.
One of the better-kept secrets of the season
was that Eagle defensive coordinator
Dan Heck was retiring after the season was
complete. Coach Heck has been the defensive
coordinator for the past 8-plus seasons. He has
developed some of the best defensive units
in terms of fewest allowed points not only
in the South Bay, but in the CIF Division
the Eagles have played in during his tenure.
He had told a few of the coaches back in
August that it was time for him to step down.
It was something the program was keeping
hush for varied reasons. In fact, the players
only found out just a few days before the
game against Santa Monica.
Head coach Steve Shevlin said he gathered
the players before the Samo game and challenged
them to play with as much intensity
and passion as Heck had coached them. The
result was the defense playing perhaps its
best game of the season.
In what would be the final game of the
season for both teams, it wasn’t without drama
prior to the start of the contest. This was a
Wiseburn Board Gets Dashboard
Update, Aquatics Center Numbers
By Duane Plank
Last Thursday evening, the Wiseburn Unified
School District was privy to one special presentation
regarding the mandated implementation
of the California Dashboard Local Indicator
Report, which attempts to give accountability
to how districts track continuous improvement.
It also provides information about how local
educational agencies and schools are meeting
the needs of the state’s diverse student population,
based on a “concise set of measures.”
The Dashboard is in year two of utilization
and is considered an efficient way of reviewing
the performance of school districts by
displaying state and local measures to assist
in identifying strengths, challenges and areas
in need of improvement.
District Assistant Superintendent, Educational
Services Dr. Aileen Harbeck’s presentation,
required to be reported to the Board at this
time in the school year, featured seven local
indicators of how Wiseburn serves student
needs. Speaking of implementing the data culled
from the Dashboard, Superintendent Dr. Blake
Silvers had said that “what we are trying to
do is to figure out where our gaps are, figure
out which areas are strengths, which areas are
challenges. We are doing a lot of work right
now. The teachers are working hard -- working
on certain curricular issues that we have.”
Harbeck said that surveys were taken by
leadership teams at each District campus to help
with the acquisition of the required Dashboard
information. Said Superintendent Silvers: “We
are responding to areas that we need to help
support…including principal work groups, to
provide and strengthen goals for the year, with
the idea of promoting continuous improvement.”
He emphasized that from the District to the site
level, the Dashboard is utilized as the framework,
but is not the “nitty gritty” of the numbers.
Harbeck summed up the presentation, noting
that the review of local indicators “points up
a continued focus on initiatives that promote
student safety and learning as well as the continuing
need to promote parent participation
and student connectedness on all campuses.”
Board comments were brief, with members
Roger Banuelos and Nelson Martinez unable
to attend. Dr. Neil Goldman mentioned that
he planned to make school site visits, a sentiment
echoed by member Israel Mora. Board
President JoAnne Kaneda said that no news is
good news, because that meant there was no
bad news, adding, “Everything is going well,
and I appreciate the efforts on everyone’s part.”
Chief Business Official David Wilson reported
that the new Aquatics Center is tracking to
come in under budget. Post-meeting, he emailed
that the numbers were as follows: Wiseburn
had pledged to invest up to $6 million and
approximately two acres of land; the City of
El Segundo pledged $1.8 million; the group
South Bay Sports and Health and Recreation
were pledging up to $6 million; and El Segundo
Unified School District also pledged significant
financial support towards the joint project.
Director of Facilities Planning Vince Madsen,
who had his contract extended until the middle
of November, made his report and gave kudos
to City of El Segundo officials for helping bring
the Aquatics Center project come to fruition
and talked about the moving parts that have
been fine-tuned to parry down the stakeholder
costs. “We believe that we are going to come
in under budget,” Madsen said. He added, “We
did something that no one has done in California”
and did so with “really good numbers.”
Goldman had noted how Wiseburn was responsible
for implementing financial resources
for the Aquatics Center. “What this means,
for the community, is our commitment was
$6 million, and our highest priority was to be
fiscally prudent,” he said.
Madsen next reported that construction is
moving forward as the District works to get
the pool, gymnasium and turf field online.
He noted health department approvals being
sought, the installation of final accessories
surrounding the pool, and ramping up facility
landscaping -- as well as the Nov. 15 date for
the beginning of the project architect “punch
list,” which is a document that is prepared near
the end of a construction project listing work
not conforming to project specifications that
the general contractor must complete before
receiving final payment. Emailed Madsen after
the meeting: “We are very hopeful to have City
staff onsite Nov.15 for equipment training, staff
orientation trainings and other prep activities
getting ready for the opening of the pool.”
In his comments, Silvers talked about safety
and traffic challenges as students enter and exit
the new Wiseburn High School. Madsen added
that the District is working with the City of El
Segundo to develop plans to increase safety
around school sites. Silvers also spoke about
revamping Wiseburn’s website saying. “We are
pretty much there, almost at 100 percent,” he
said. He also mentioned that the District was
conducting interviews with master plan specialists
as it forges ahead in developing the document.
He said he was confident that whatever group is
selected would engage with the community,
seeking their input. Prior to the meeting, Silvers
expressed that he is eagerly awaiting the opening
of the sports complex, with the crown jewel being
the gymnasium facilities that could possibly
debut in December. “The gym is just such an un-
believable structure,” he said. It is just beautiful.”
The Oct. 25 meeting was the final regularly
scheduled session prior to the Nov. 6 mid-term
elections, which should prove to be a low-key affair
in Wiseburn. The District floated a $29 million
bond ask in June, but the measure did not receive
the necessary 55 percent of yes votes. And while
three School Board seats are up for election
(Mora, Banuelos and Martinez), the incumbents
are running unopposed for their next terms.
The next regularly scheduled Wiseburn School
Board meeting is set for the open session to
commence at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 15. •
James Amerault wraps up Samo running back Zaire Martin-Thomas as #6 James Fraelich closes in to finish him off.
Coach Dan Heck is surrounded by most of his defensive unit after his final game. “I’m so proud of every one of these guys,” he said.