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Hawthorne Press Tribune
Herald Publications - Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale, El Segundo, Torrance & Manhattan Beach Community Newspapers Since 1911 - Circulation 30,000 - Readership 60,000 (310) 322-1830 - September 21, 2017
LA Rams, Special Olympics
Team Up for Football Camp
On September 14, the Los Angeles Rams and Special Olympics Southern California hosted a FUNdamentals Football Camp and Punt, Pass and Kick Challenge. The event featured 70 Special Olympics athletes
and 15 coaches from Los Angeles, with a special appearance by Rams’ all-pro punter Johnny Hekker (facing the group in the photo). Photo by Will Navarro
Wiseburn School Board Looks Forward to
Migration of Students to Douglas Street
By Duane Plank
will be missed by all the teachers, students and
Last Thursday evening’s meeting of the
parents she has served over the last 20 years at
Wiseburn School Board was bereft of special
Burnett. We wish her well in her retirement.”
presentations, which is par for the course for this
Johnstone was grateful that Conde agreed
time of the school year, according to District
to stay on until the end of September,
Superintendent Tom Johnstone. Johnstone, who
noting that “to have a new principal and a
is entering his final year as Wiseburn Unified
new secretary would have been a disaster.”
School District Superintendent and will be
Johnstone reported that the District is actively
retiring in June 2018, said that “we let the dust
searching for Conde’s replacement. He said
settle” during these first few weeks. He noted
that filling Conde’s spot isn’t easy, but that
that special Board presentations usually start
when they do find a suitable replacement
taking place at the end of October, and ramp
he hopes that person will be working in the
up as the schoolyear approaches the spring,
District for the next 20 years. “We don’t like
because “people want to share everything that
to play musical chairs” with District positions,
they have done over the year.”
he said, noting the lack of turnover of key
So the Board members, minus Vice President/
personnel at Wiseburn.
Clerk JoAnne Kaneda who was out of town,
Another new principal, Lisa Baggio, who
dove right into their reports and lauded the
is now in charge at Juan Cabrillo, is also
presentation made by District keynote speaker
settling into her new position. She emailed
Travis Allen during the kick-off presentation
that “the first weeks of school have been
the first week of school. Johnstone also spoke
busy. We have had our Kindergarten/TEDDE
about how the parameters of education have
orientation, the start of rigorous academics such
shifted, noting “how the world has changed
as CGI and our new English Language Arts
so dramatically and how information doubles
Wonders curriculum. I even found the runaway
itself every couple of months, and you can’t
gingerbread men from Ms. Schhumacher’s
teach the way you did back in 1900 and expect
TEDDE class! I look forward to more fun
our kids to stay competitive on a world stage.”
learning adventures!”
Action items were next on the agenda,
Other action items tackled by the Board
with a resolution honoring the retirement of
included an agreement with S.T.A.R, Inc.
Pam Conde, the office manager and head
involving the District’s GATE program,
secretary at Peter Burnett Elementary, topping
agreements with P.S. Arts to provide visual
the list. Conde will be onsite at Burnett until
and performing arts at Anza Elementary, and
September 30. She agreed to stay on for the
renewal for the ninth year of the agreement for
first month of the new school year to help
P.S. to provide the District Arts coordinator.
the new principal, Kim Jones.
A memorandum of understanding (MOU)
In her first year at Burnett, Jones appreciates
was approved with El Camino College to bring
having an experienced hand to help her navigate
students to Wiseburn and pick up their early
through the first month. “Pam Conde is the
childhood education units. Johnstone said that
heart of Peter Burnett Elementary School,
it was his hope that some of the El Camino
“she emailed. “In my short time as principal, I
students would eventually work in Wiseburn,
have seen the commitment and dedication she
and that the program helps establish a “bullpen,
provides to the entire school community. She
or junior circuit” of possible new teachers.
The second MOU involved sharing employees
between Wiseburn and the Da Vinci schools.
There was only one minor item on Thursday
evening’s agenda concerning the construction
projects at the new high school. Johnstone
said construction is proceeding at a great pace,
“really coming along nicely.” Though no firm
dates have been set for the administrators,
support staff, teachers and students to move
into the facility, it certainly appears that it will
all occur within the next two months.
Vince Madsen, District Director of Facility
Planning and the point man on the new high
school construction project, emailed that “it
looks like we have worked through most of
challenges and things are coming together inside
and outside of the high school building. There
have been a lot of dramatic changes to the
building in the last month. We are still working
on finalizing some of the building systems with
final testing starting up very soon and are still
very hopeful we will be able move into this
world-class facility this fall. It has been nice
to finally see a lot of things accomplished and
come together so quickly now.”
Viewing District financials was also on the
agenda. Said Johnstone, “We are still in good
shape. We have healthy reserves, which are
necessary” because of the burden California
taxpayers and school districts have for their
part in providing funding for state retirees.
Dave Wilson, District Chief Business Official,
sparred a little with some Board members about
finances, but it appeared that all was well on
the monetary side.
The next regularly scheduled Board meeting
for the WUSD is slated for Thursday evening,
September 28, at the building on Aviation
Avenue. But Superintendent Johnstone pulled
out his crystal ball. “The November Board
meeting will be in the new [Douglas Street]
building,” he predicted. “And it’s gorgeous.” •
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.......................5
Classifieds............................3
Finance..................................2
Food.......................................5
Legals................................ 6-7
Looking Up...........................7
Pets........................................8
Police Reports.....................3
Seniors..................................2
Sports....................................4
Weekend
Forecast
Friday
Sunny
70˚/61˚
Saturday
Sunny
71˚/60˚
Sunday
Sunny
77˚/63˚
The Weekly Newspaper of Hawthorne