Hawthorne Press Tribune The Weekly Newspaper of Hawthorne Herald Publications - Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale, El Segundo, Torrance & Manhattan Beach Community Newspapers Since 1911 - Circulation 30,000 - Readership 60,000 (310) 322-1830 - November 17, 2016 School Board Approves Memorandum of Understanding Between District, CYS By Cristian Vasquez Last week members of the Hawthorne School Board approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Centinela Youth Services (CYS) and the Hawthorne School District (HSD) that will allow CYS to collaborate with Kornblum, Ramona and Washington elementary schools, as well as Hawthorne Middle School. The MOU will remain in effect from Oct. 26, 2016-June 30, 2017 and will work toward incorporating the Students Able to Resolve Situations (STARS) program, tailored to create positive school climate activities. CYS has been providing youth counseling services, physical and mental health, as well as academic and developmental intervention since 1975 to youths and families in need. In addition, the nonprofit administers juvenile crime prevention services. Since the mid-‘90s, CYS has achieved strong outcomes with the youth it serves and has since expanded its services into many communities in need throughout Los Angeles County. The relationship between the Hawthorne School District and CYS has been ongoing since the early 1990s; at the time the Moneta Gardens area in Hawthorne struggled with high rates of gang violence. In response, the HSD decided to provide avenues for students to engage in activities that would keep them distant from interacting with criminal influences in the area, while teaching kids ways to peacefully resolve conflicts. “Peggy [Doherty, former Assistant Principal at Bud Carson Middle School] was instrumental in the creation of Moneta Gardens Improvement Incorporated,” said Hawthorne School District Director of Pupil Personnel Services Dr. Sonya Smith. “She knew the children were in danger and that we had to do something. We had some Bud Carson students go to Leuzinger [High School] and get killed, outside of the school. So she was instrumental in bringing them [CYS] into the district.” CYS has been successful in several of the District’s schools in the past, and presents no financial burden. The program will use staff members, or college interns, in training peer mediators to work with students in order for them to resolve peer conflicts and other situations. “So when there is an issue that involves some type of aggression or a dispute, it’s about asking the student if they would be willing to sit down and resolve it verbally, with the assistance of a trained mediator, as an alternative to a different type of discipline which back in the day would be suspension,” said Dr. Smith. “We look at alternatives to suspension because back then it would become zero-tolerance issues as a result of the violence.” Prior to working with CYS, student suspension was the standard disciplinary action. However, in an effort to avoid having the student potentially roam the streets and lose learning time, the District began looking for ways to keep the child at school and learning. Furthermore, the intent of the partnership with CYS was to teach students the skills necessary to become assertive, while expressing to people that they felt hurt in an effort to renegotiate a settlement. “We make assumptions that the children come to us with the skills to be successful in the classroom and in life, but we can’t control what happens outside of the school door--so for us to make that assumption is naive on our part,” Dr. Smith said. “We have to give them the skills needed to survive out there as citizens.” Through the application of Restorative Justice and Trauma-Informed Care principles, CYS is committed to empowering young people, their families, and victims of crime to become accountable in order to heal. The non-profit’s targeted demographic is youth between the ages of 7-21, with the goal to teach the young kids life skills such as peaceful conflict resolution to help them become successful and productive students and adults. In 1973, several Inglewood Police Department officers recognized that response calls included a growing number of youths who were simply being arrested instead of receiving any type of counseling or support. To remedy the problem, the officers began to connect offending youths with the better-suited services to address behavioral needs. However as street violence grew and perpetrators became younger, it became clear that there was a need for an organization dedicated to helping youth and families in high-need communities. By 1975, CYS was established. The organization was initially administered by the City of Inglewood, but CYS services would soon expand to offer support for youth and families in the neighboring cities of Lawndale, Hawthorne, Gardena and Lennox. By 1995, CYS began receiving youth referrals from juvenile court jurisdictions throughout Los Angeles County. The relationship between CYS and the HSD has been going strong for more than two decades, but there is still a need to enter into the MOU to ensure that the District is aware of who is authorized to be on the participating campuses, and what services they are provid - ing. Furthermore, through the MOU there are certain requirements that each site must meet, such as making the space available and referring a certain amount of students per month. Dr. Smith explained, “Just think about it in terms of academics: If a child were struggling to read, what would you do? You would give the extra assistance, you would refer them to intervention or afterschool tutoring. You have this whole range of services available for students when they are struggling academically. Behavioral issues are no different. They are acting out because they have a need that is not being met and it’s our responsibility to look at that child as an individual and try to find out what he or she needs and then help them meet that need.” • Inside This Issue Certified & Licensed Professionals.......................2 Classifieds............................3 Food.......................................5 Hawthorne Happenings....3 Legals................................ 6-7 Pets........................................8 Police Reports.....................3 Sports....................................4 Seniors..................................2 Weekend Forecast Friday Sunny 75˚/54˚ Saturday Sunny 71˚/55˚ Sunday Mostly Sunny 68˚/56˚ Kiwanis Club of Hawthorne Installs New Officers and Board The Kiwanis Club of Hawthorne recently held their Annual Installation as they celebrated their 77th year of community service. Past President Dr. Dennis Wild served as Master of Ceremonies. Past President and Past Region 8 Trustee Dick Huhn was on hand to officially retire the Outgoing Board of Directors for 2015-2016 and welcomed new Officers. The new Board of Directors and Officers for the 2016- 2017 term: New Directors are Paul Clark, Chip Errera, Jerry Flory, Don Harris, Andrew Jacoby, Bill Salfity, and Silvio Serrapica. The new Officers for 2016-2017 term: Treasurer Doug Herbst, Secretary Sharon Skaff, Immediate Past President Gregg McClain, President-Elect Allen Richards, and President Marco Cueto.
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