Hawthorne Press Tribune
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 61, No. 33 - August 15, 2019
Inside
This Issue
Calendar of Events.............2
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.......................6
Classifieds............................3
Entertainment......................2
Food.......................................6
Hawthorne Happenings....3
Lawndale..............................4
Legals............................. 4,5,7
Real Estate...........................8
Weekend
Forecast
Friday
Mostly
Sunny
71˚/62˚
Saturday
Mostly
Sunny
69˚/62˚
Sunday
Partly
Cloudy
70˚/62˚
The Weekly Newspaper of Hawthorne
A Disney Day for the Doggies!
Hawthorne Police Department’s popular K9 Scottie (second from left) joined his friends from Canine Companions for Independence for a great time at the Disney Staff Appreciation Day last week.
Photo: Hawthorne PD
Wiseburn School Board Approves
New Principals at Its Recent Meeting
By Duane Plank
the Board for his selection and quipped that
The Wiseburn School Board, meeting for the
he would be rewarding his family members
first time since Friday, June 25, last Thursday
(who attended last Thursday’s proceedings)
evening approved the selection of Hugo Rios
by picking up the dinner tab after they left
to become the new principal at Peter Burnett
the meeting.
Elementary, and Lisa Willberg to take over
Willberg moves to Cabrillo after serving as
at Juan Cabrillo Elementary.
the assistant principal at R.H. Dana Middle
Rios, who is replacing Kim Jones, boasts a
School. She has worked in education for 14
16-year career in education, serving stints as
years, the last eight for Wiseburn Unified
a teacher, PTA president, district-wide safety
School District. She is replacing Lisa Baggio,
committee member, and assistant principal.
who found a post closer to her home as
He has worked in classroom settings for a
the principal at Palisades Elementary in the
dozen years in elementary and middle schools,
Capistrano Valley School District.
spending the past four years as an assistant
Superintendent Dr. Blake Silvers called
principal in the Fullerton School District
Baggio’s departure “a tough loss.” On the
where he was tasked with, among other duties,
promotion of Willberg, he noted, “She is going
reinforcing school safety tenets and fostering
to do a phenomenal job.” Silvers shared that
a collaborative culture to promote high-level
the District was looking to fill the assistant
achievement.
principal position at Dana and the combined
Emailed Rios, “I am honored to be the next
assistant principal position at Burnett/Cabrillo.
principal of Peter Burnett Elementary. As
Willberg emailed, “I am truly thrilled to
principal, I plan to create a relationship-based
be serving as the next principal of Cabrillo
culture with parents as partners. My primary
Elementary. Cabrillo has such a warm, childcentered
focus will be to promote a positive school
atmosphere and I have already felt
climate so that students, staff and parents
so welcomed by the students, teachers and
feel welcome and continue the tradition of
families that I have had the chance to meet
academic excellence at Peter Burnett.”
in these early days of my position. I am so
Rios holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees
impressed and excited by all the wonderful
from California State University, Long Beach
things already happening at Cabrillo and it
and said he “believes in the power of public
will be an honor to help continue the forward
education to transform a student’s life. I know
momentum that is already taking place. I am
a quality education will propel a student
truly looking forward to working with our District’s
into a bright future. I am committed to the
youngest and most energetic learners!”
achievement of all students and am eager
Continued Willberg, who was also in attendance
to make a difference alongside all members
at Thursday’s meeting, “My goal will
of the Bulldog community.” Rios thanked
be to continue to support our school family as
we work together to meet the academic and
social-emotional needs of our students in the
most engaging and affirming ways possible.
As our teachers continue work to build a
true professional learning community at our
school, 2019/20 is sure to be a great year at
Juan Cabrillo Elementary.”
Assistant Superintendent, Educational
Services Dr. Aileen Harbeck helmed a special
presentation that featured a curriculum
overview and touched on District tenets of
ongoing continuous improvement. Harbeck
showed test results to the Board, beginning
in the 2015/16 school year. The upward trend
in test scores, she said, “shows we are on the
right path.”
Harbeck also rolled out information on a
District initiative labeled “Guiding Coalitions—
A Culture of Collective Responsibility,” which
is built on the framework of defining learning,
developing practices that have impact on
learning, and establishing systems that address
what to do when students are struggling. Areas
of emphasis include Mathematics, English
Language Arts/English Language Development,
Science and STEM. A representative from PS
Arts spoke about the different options that will
be available to Wiseburn students music-wise,
and then administrator Sarah Nitsos provided
an overview of the Performing Arts curriculum.
The second presentation, titled “District
History Capture Project,” involved Silvers
informing the Board of a request to continue
the work of Jack Goode -- a teacher and principal
at Cabrillo who chronicled Wiseburn’s
See Wiseburn, page 8