Page 2 July 30, 2015 Hawthorne Happenings News for the ‘City of Good Neighbors’ From City Clerk Norb Huber Historic Tour of Special Olympics The competitors who arrived here in LA last week to compete in the Special Olympics are special. They were excited and grateful to be in America. Hawthorne had the opportunity to host 100 of these athletes. It was great to see them at a dinner sponsored by the Hawthorne Kiwanis Club. The goal of the Special Olympics movement is to provide opportunities for people to overcome and participate. It’s all about inclusion. It’s not about who the strongest or fastest is. It’s about working to be their best at whatever they attempt. We can learn a lot from these world games. Too often our youth sports competitions teach kids that a few are winners and everyone else are losers. Too many kids go away thinking they aren’t good enough. We really need to stress that participation is winning. “Successful Aging” I guess when you turn 60 you start thinking about the important questions in life like “What are you going to do in retirement?”, “Where would you prefer to live during your “golden years”? We also hear a lot of slogans like, “If you have your health you have everything”, “You are as old as you feel”, and “Enjoy it while you can”. How about, “Use it or you will lose it.”? I came across a term recently that intrigued me, “Successful Aging”. What in the heck that does that mean? Are we successful if we are healthy and live to be 80 or 90? Is the person who lives the longest the winner? Am I a loser if I die young? Some people spend their lives trying to live longer. They live life afraid to try or do anything out of their comfort zone. Yes, it’s great to be concerned with what we eat, whether we exercise and get enough rest, but God only knows when our time will be up. Why not enjoy our journey? To use a few more phrases, “Don’t forget to smell the roses along the way”. How about, “Have a cold one!”? National Night Out – This Tuesday, Aug. 4 Several of the homeowners associations of Hawthorne have come together to help coordinate our National Night Out event that will be held at the civic center on the evening of Tuesday, August 4. Free food is promised and presentations by our police and fire departments are on the schedule. Our civic center is located in front of city hall on 126th Street. Come out and help us say NO to crime and YES to Good Neighbors. Hot Now, But Wet is Coming The weather is hot and humid now and it’s no doubt going to continue through August and September, but our weather people tell us that El Nino’ is on its way. Now, they tell us to start worrying about flooding, mudslides and rough commutes that are predicted this Fall and Winter. If you have not checked out your roof lately, it might be wise to see how old your roof is and replace it now. I just helped my mother-in-law get her house reroofed. The contractor told me that the price of materials is already starting to increase. The longer you wait the higher the price will go. Since we haven’t had much rain, there are a lot of roofs that have not been really tested lately. I would highly recommend that you get your house ready for the rain to come. No, I do not own a roofing company. After you get your roof done, relax and have a cold one knowing you’ll be nice and dry all winter long. What is your favorite Cold One? Summer is a great time to cool off with a “cold one”. I’m conducting a survey of my readers and would like to know what your favorite cold one is? Is it lemonade, Coke, an Arnold Palmer, or something a little stronger? Please email me your vote. I will post our results next week. Email me at: norbhuber@gmail.com Yes, your vote is confidential and will only be used for this survey. • Visit us online: www.heraldpublications.com Community Briefs Attend West Basin’s Town Hall for Water Saving Tips & Drought Info West Basin Municipal Water District’s Board of Directors invites the community to attend a Town Hall event in Inglewood on Saturday, August 15 at 9:30 am at Hollywood Park Breeder’s Cup Room, 3883 W. Century Blvd., Inglewood CA 90303. Water service El Camino College students who have completed the online application are invited to campus to receive assistance in the enrollment process from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 27 to August 14 in the Student Services Center. Students need to simply check in with the Information Desk staff in the lobby for directions to the next step. To get the most out of their visit, students representatives and West Basin staff will be in attendance to answer questions and present on the state’s water supply, emergency conditions and solutions. Continental breakfast will be served. Please RSVP by August 7 by visiting: www.westbasin.org/townhall. El Camino College to Offer Enrollment Services Assistance should bring their El Camino College ID number. This ID number is assigned shortly after submitting an online application for admission. The Fall 2015 semester at El Camino College begins August 22. There is still time to apply and register for Fall 2015. Hundreds of classes added! View www.elcamino.edu for more information. • Classifieds The deadline for Classified Ad submission and payment is Noon on Tuesday to appear in Thursday’s paper. Advertisements must be submitted in writing by mail, fax or email. You may pay by cash, check, or credit card (Visa or M/C over the phone). Errors: Please check your advertisements immediately. Any corrections and/or changes in an ad must be requested prior to the following Tuesday deadline in order to receive a credit. A credit will be issued for only the first time the error appears. Multiple runs will only be credited for the first time the error appears. No credit will be issued for an amount greater than the cost of the advertisement. Beware: Employment offers that suggest guaranteed out-of-state or overseas positions may be deceptive or unethical in nature. If you have any doubts about the nature of a company, contact the local office of the Better Business Bureau, (213) 251-9696. Herald Publications does not guarantee that the advertiser’s claims are true nor does it take responsibility for those claims. Apartment For Rent 2BD/2BA. Large Apt. In ES quiet gated building. W/swimming pool, laundry facility, pond w/ water fall $1800/mo. No pets. Call Mike at (310) 322-7166. Employment Display Ad Sales Position. We need an experienced Display Ad Salesperson for Herald Publications. You would be hired and considered an Independent Contractor. Territories include Torrance, El Segundo and Hawthorne. Full or part-time positions are available. 20% commission on all sales. If interested please email your resume to management@heraldpublications. com. No phone calls please. Employment P/T scanning work and data entry positions. Flexible schedule. Perfect for someone willing to work a few hours per week. 310-335-6841. Employment Jons Marketplace (all positions available) Job fair August 7, 2015 from 11-3pm 4848 West 190th St Torrance, CA 90503. For Lease New 3 bedroom 2 bath 2 car garage storybook exterior, designer interior: bosch appliances, w/d, 3 bedroom 2 bath 509 richmond, el segundo. Open house sat/sun 1 to 3 p.m. No pets. $5,500/Mo 310-578-6064. For Sale Brand new $1400 Americh 5’ft right hand whirlpool jet bathtub model 6030B with tile flange for sale by builder. Best offer over $200. Garage Sale Sat. 8/1 -7:30-11AM 903 Cedar St. El Segundo. Furniture, household, accessories, & decorative items in great condition! Help Wanted Specialty Doors hiring full time apprentice for Door Technician position. Must pass background + drug tests and have mechanical skills. Benefits include, 401K, Healthins, vacation- call 310-223- 3933. House for Rent 3BD/1BA house with LG living RM, Fireplace, HDWD Floors, plus bonus room. 2-car garage. 944 Cedar St. ES. $3250/mo. Contact Mike 310- 962-2414. House for Rent TORRANCE Cottage front, spacious 1b 1b, bkfst area, new floors, paint, w/d h/u, patio, gardener/water $1675/ mo 310-530-8245. Room for Rent South Torrance Walteria House Room for Rent $900 + Utilities 1/2 Block from De Portola Park All new kitchen and bathroom appliances w/ new carpet, floors and windows. Washer & Dryer too. Two bedroom home w/ large private back yard. 3108 Winlock Dr. Currently available as of July. Call - (310) 517-9677. Dana Middle School Extended Day Program Ready For Second Year By Cristian Vasquez For Dana Middle School Co-principals Dr. Blake Silvers and Aileen Harbeck, providing a safe learning environment for their students extends beyond regular school hours. So when a need to provide students with a safe afterschool haven was identified, an idea was born and efforts were put into place to develop the proper program. That idea grew into The Waves, Dana Extended Day Program, and is now ready to begin its second year at Dana Middle School. “We had a program that offered afterschool services but there was a disconnect. Every time you have someone come in that is from an outside entity that might be a contracted source, you lose that connection,” Dr. Silvers said. “We felt that it would be in our best interest if we had a program that had a stronger connection [to students].” With a strong sense of confidence in their leadership skills and with support from the district, Harbeck and Dr. Silvers moved forward. Today The Waves Dana Extended Day Program provides Dana Middle School students an afterschool program that allows them to receive more than homework support and which is led by highly-qualified and credentialed instructional aides. “Our goal is to provide students with something that they like to do after school so that they aren’t there just doing homework,” Dr. Silvers said. “Since we have skateboarding activities, we brought in adults who have been skateboarding for a long time so that the kids are doing it the right way. We have a gardening club, we have the cooking experience, we have taken them on field trips to the Getty, to the movies and all different types of other activities.” The program includes homework supervision, tutoring, sports activities, arts and crafts, as well as special club activities such as dance, drama and flags. Also offered are computer activities and other education-based games, all with a 1-to-20 staff to student ratio. During its first year of existence, the program registered as many as 104 students [December 2014] and averaged 96 enrolled students between March and May. “Our goal is to have it grow. I always like to joke that we are looking at Operation 200 because we are aiming to get 200 kids,” Dr. Silvers said. “Based on most of the research that we have been able to conduct, we know that there are about 200 kids that can benefit from afterschool care so our goal is to get at around 200; that would feel like we are meeting the demand of the population that we are serving.” During the June 11 Wiseburn School Board meeting, a report was presented to the board where the numbers of the program were highlighted, such as enrollment and cost. The program does ask for a $55 enrollment fee. There is also a $150 fee for the after school portion of the program [2:45 to 6 p.m.] and $90 for the before school part of the program [6:30 to 8 a.m.]. While it hasn’t been finalized, raising the afterschool fee to $165 is being considered but it has yet to be approved, if at all. “Our initial push was to avoid having kids hanging out afterschool on the streets, at Costco, at McDonalds or the library and have them participate in something that is relatively affordable,” Dr. Silvers said. “This offers an affordable opportunity for parents to keep their kids on campus afterschool, in a safe environment. We are seeking to get members of our staff, that are working the afterschool program, out into the community to see where kids are hanging out so that we can identify groups of kids that might benefit from the afterschool program and who might not be in a safe environment after school.” Affordability was a big concern moving forward with the program and continues to be a priority as it enters it second year. “We wanted to make it accessible to everybody and I know that Dr. Johnstone [Wiseburn Superintendent] is very much into not wanting to exclude people because they can’t afford something,” Dr. Silvers said. “It was really important to us to provide something that didn’t seem like an astronomical price and that not everybody could participate in. I think as we move forward, one of the challenges and one of our goals is to reach those students who really can’t afford what we are offering now.” Simultaneously, it is important for the program to engage students in a manner different from the regular school day but that ensures that students are learning. “We know that students have been in school all days and they want to have some kind of enrichment activity to be able to decompress, experience other things and doing it in a structured, methodical and systematic way,” Dr. Silvers said. “We have staff members that are excited, engaged with the kids and they know what they are doing.” However, the ability to provide an efficient and affordable afterschool program extends beyond Dana Middle School. “We are all operating from the exact same platform, from the exact same foundation and with the exact same goals and that is when you have a good system,” Dr. Silvers said. “We are launching into the second year with a lot of optimism and a lot of excitement about where this program can actually go. “Dr. [Tom] Johnstone, who wrote a lot on afterschool programs, was very involved with afterschool programs when he was at Lennox and it is a passion of his,” Dr. Silvers said. “We all think alike and from his leadership we are able to guide our school in the direction that we feel kids would benefit and in this case, this is one of those programs.” •
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