Page 6 December 15, 2016 EL SEGUNDO HERALD Herald in Lucca, Italy School Spotlight Standing in front of a statue of the late 19th Century Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini in Lucca, Italy are Kathy Rutledge (center) with former El Segundo cousins Donna Squiers Ferguson (left) and Jeanie Squiers Melo (right). Challenge Day at El Segundo Middle School By Cecelia Jane Stewart, Senior at El Segundo High School I had preconceived notions about my classmates in middle school. Some were mean, some nice, some annoying… and then, we were in the same Challenge Day group where we shared our deepest secrets. I realized, wow, many of my peers deal with a lot at home--a whole lot--and it was very raw and disturbing, yet very real, to understand that my peer’s lives (like my own life) are complex. Of course, one of the rules of Challenge Day is that we do not share what was confided, so I cannot and will not tell you the stories. But I will tell you that it was at that moment, as a 13-year-old, that I first realized that things are not always as they seem and that some of those walking around amongst us face adversity daily. This past week, El Segundo Middle School, for the seventh year in a row, held Challenge Day. Led by Ms. Charney and Ms. Klein, and a group of teacher, parent and community facilitators, 150 seventh graders and 80 eighth graders participated this year. Students are randomly assigned to groups of five to 10, paired with one teacher or administrator. Challenge Day is always a difficult day, but the reward outweighs the melancholia. During Challenge Day, students basically have an opportunity to tell their life stories to each other in a safe space and learn to be accepting- -as we learn that we are all the same on the inside, and all have challenges, hopes, fears, dreams and adversity. The results in terms of understanding one another are amazing. For instance, when I was in seventh grade, I was in a group with a girl who had been very mean to me. However, by the end of the day, we became friends and still talk to each other to this day five years later. As Principal Dr. Jack Plotkin shared, “Challenge Day at El Segundo Middle School continues to be the single most effective tool to help our students develop empathy, compassion and intercultural understanding and respect. I make a point to participate every year…and each year, I’m amazed by our students’ ability to be thoughtful, introspective and demonstrate kindness toward one another. We need those traits more than ever.” Challenge Day is conducted worldwide and is currently featured on the show If You Really Knew Me on MTV. The show “attempts to break down the boundaries that separate the cool kids from the outcasts in high school.” Each episode is at a different school and it follows five different students from various cliques and their journey through Challenge Day. By the end of the day, everyone has changed. Everyone is kinder, more accepting, loving and appreciative of each other and their school. This holds true at El Segundo Middle School. we were all changed by that one day together, and we are all bonded in our understanding and empathy for one another. Everyone knows about the cliques at school. Everyone knows who the “popular” kids are and who the “nerds” are. But Challenge Day changes this way of thinking. You become immersed in a new point of view, where you view everyone as your equal and the social standards that were so heavily weighed upon you begin to not matter. Challenge Day was one of the most emotional days of my life, but I feel fortunate to have been able to participate in it both in seventh and eighth grade. Social walls were broken, and all the things that I found so important suddenly didn’t matter. Challenge Day provides kids with the values they should have instilled in them. I learned the importance of being kind to everyone I meet. I want to thank Dr. Plotkin and everyone at El Segundo Middle School who worked to put on Challenge Day this year and in years past. It enables the youth of El Segundo to learn to empathize with one another and care for each other as a community of supportive peers, uplifting each other as we navigate our way into becoming young adults. • City Council from front page roof; fiber installation east of Sepulveda; and sidewalk, curb and gutter repair—with the total cost for these at approximately $1.5 million. The Council also set aside $1.2 million towards turf replacement at Campus El Segundo slated for next summer. Unfunded projects for 2016/17 include retractable bollards on Main Street ($90,000), arterial and local street rehabilitation ($500,000 and also the same amount annually thereafter) and facilities needs assessments ($350,000). Notable future-year projects on the list not yet funded include additional sidewalk, curb and gutter repair ($550,000 total over four years), Washington Park playground replacement ($600,000 over three years), and storm grade upgrades ($240,000 over four years). One-time projects waiting for funding include parking lot resurfacing ($500,000 in 2020/21), a Police Department building access control system ($150,000 in 2017/18), and a Richmond Street ball field ($150,000 in 2017/18) as well as upgrades to the Teen Center, racquetball courts, an electric charging station, softball bleachers, El Segundo median improvements, and solar lighting on Main Street. Other upcoming big-ticket items not yet in the budget include renovation of The Plunge ($800,000) and the Park Place Gap Closure Project ($10 million estimated so far in 2019/20 and 2020/21). Meanwhile water- and sewer-related upgrades, maintenance and infrastructure replacement will be paid for through enterprise funds. The gas tax covers the costs of slurry sealing ($600,000 estimated for 2016/17). Grants will subsidize lighting at Recreation Park, playground surface replacement, bikeways design, and ADA ramp improvements. The City will use Prop C monies for arterial road repair, while STPL (Surface Transportation Program-Local) exchange funds will provide $1.1 million for El Segundo Boulevard improvement work. The sheer number of projects on the docket may seem daunting at first, but Interim Public Works Director Ken Berkman welcomes the challenge. “The last budget year, we ramped up and staffed up the Engineering Division so we are in a great position to deliver a lot of projects this year under the leadership of City Engineer Lifan Xu,” he said. With the recent reorganization of the Public Works Department, now oversees the capital improvement program. Berkman joined Public Works last month after the departure of Stephanie Katsouleas and will stay on through the search for a permanent director (he is also a candidate for the job) expected to be resolved by March 2017. The Long Island native and University of Maryland graduate enjoyed lengthy stints with the Los Angeles County, Culver City and Agoura Hills public works departments before spending the last nine years in the private sector as an engineering consultant providing design and construction management services for a number of public infrastructure improvement projects. “I came in here understanding the breadth and depth of our capital program—and I’ve built my career on capital project and program delivery,” Berkman said. “It’s exciting to work in El Segundo during this time and we have a great staff here who can really get things done.” For further proof of this, he added that next week’s Council agenda will include items regarding completion of water main, water valve, and catch basin screen improvement projects; advertising for construction bids for upgrades for the Police Department and Fire Station 1; and a potential contract award for lighting at Recreation Park. • Eagles from page 5 the right spot after a penalty kick by Tyler Villalobos caromed his way and he pounded it into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead. Animo would tie the game later in the first half when Andrew Rivera scored the first of his two goals on a breakaway. Rivera then took a pass from the north side of the field and shot a high lob into the back of the goal for a 2-1 lead. Each team would score once “The winter sport scene is in full swing with teams starting their schedules and playing in December tournaments to ready themselves for their league schedules that start in January.” in the second half, but the Eagles fell short. The Eagles look for their first win today when they host St. Bernard at 3 p.m. Girls’ Basketball The Lady Eagles are a young team looking for their identity. Most of the returning players were role players on a senior-heavy team last season and have been thrust into starting roles. Against two Bay League powers, El Segundo held its own against Palos Verdes before the Sea Kings pulled away. Unfortunately, the Lady Eagles fell behind early to Mira Costa and were never close in the blowout loss. El Segundo trailed PV 38-32 to start the fourth quarter, but the Sea Kings went on a 16-4 run and pulled away for a 52-35 win. Malia Hui led the Eagles with nine points and four assists. The game between El Segundo and Mira Costa wasn’t close from the start. The Mustangs, who have played in three consecutive CIF-Southern Section finals, are loaded with a returning roster that should compete for a fourth appearance in the finals. The Eagles committed too many turnovers early on and the Mustangs raced to a 28-5 first quarter lead on their way to a 68-33 win over El Segundo. But head coach Randy Kiehm was upbeat about the loss, saying it provided the experience his players will need to compete at a higher level. You can catch the Lady Eagles in their only home game in December on Friday night when they host Lakewood at 7 p.m. Next week, the Lady Eagles compete in the Santiago Tournament in Garden Grove. Boys’ Basketball The Eagles hosted the El Segundo Tournament and though they went 1-3, they improved in each game according to first-year coach David March. In the first game against Palos Verdes, which won the tournament, the Eagles kept the game close before the Sea Kings pulled away after hitting a number of three-pointers for a 60-50 win. El Segundo fell behind by as many as 15 points before making a run and cutting the deficit to seven points in the fourth. • “The sheer number of projects on the docket may seem daunting at first, but Interim Public Works Director Ken Berkman welcomes the challenge.”
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