24 minute read
YOUTH SPORTS
from LC 04 2022
Whether it’s called puttputt, mini or goofy, miniature golf is always fun. I grew up in Ohio, and our family summer vacation destination was usually Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The drive was 12 hours from Cleveland, which was much shorter than traveling to Florida. Our priorities when vacationing were palm trees, saltwater, and seafood shacks that served hushpuppies with every meal. Myrtle Beach was the farthest north that palmettos grew, and the congestion of seafood restaurants along the coastal town’s North King’s Highway is still unrivaled. So is the number of miniature golf courses. There are more than 50, and Myrtle Beach touts itself “The Miniature Golf Capital of the World.” Putt-putt primer Kitsch is a must for miniature golf. Themes are always popular, especially when accompanied by outlandish and manufactured landscapes. The water surrounding these elaborate holes is generally dyed TyD-Bol blue, and most obstacles, whether buildings or creatures, feature moving parts. Jurassic Mini Golf in Myrtle Beach is dinosaurthemed, and when the gigantic lizards are lit up at night, it’s quite dramatic. But for audacity, nothing matches Hillbilly Golf in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The course is built into a steep mountainside, and players ride a 300foot vertical tram that travels on rails from hole to hole. There are two 18-hole courses, with obstacles like outhouses, bathtubs and moonshine stills. Miniature golf depends on good weather, which is why the South and California have so many courses. The term “putt-putt” was copyrighted by Don Clayton in 1954. Clayton owned Putt-Putt Fun Center in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and the cost to play one round at the time was 25 cents.
Putt-putt evolution “Golf courses and cemeteries are the biggest waste of real estate,” claims Rodney Dangerfield’s character Al Czervik in the golf film classic “Caddyshack.” Exactly, and that’s the main reason so many Southern California putt-putt courses have disappeared. The land they occupied was too valuable. Cassidy Olson recalls playing at King’s Beach Miniature Golf at Lake Tahoe on family vacations. That, and the disappearance of local courses, inspired him to start LA Pop Up Mini Golf, a company out of Hermosa Beach that specializes in bringing a mobile
by Jim Kalin
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ESTM ARIA IMMACUL 1906 ATA SPES NOST R A ZOEY RAVNEL and her dad at Pan Pacifi c playing the shark hole. course to people’s homes and businesses for private events. “It’s about nostalgia,” he said. Olson, who teaches high school history during the week, designs and builds the holes in his shop. He’s constantly on the lookout for items that can be converted into obstacles and hazards for his course. “I’m always scouring Amazon and antique and vintage shops for things I can cut up, slice and dice,” said Olson. His favorite obstacle is a shark he constructed from an old mailbox. Putt-putt events Olson has done some unique events. He was recently hired by a law firm downtown that occupied its building’s entire top floor. The firm requested an 18-hole putt-putt course laid out in the hallways for a happy hour party. But Olson’s favorite was an event at Dodger Stadium. He set up 18 holes along the warning track in the outfield, and each had a different Dodger theme. One hole paid homage to Justin Turner. “I built a small bridge and bought a red beard from a costume shop,” explained Olson. “The golfers had to putt the ball over the bridge and beard.” LA Pop Up Golf is the best idea I’ve heard in a long time. It’s a great addition to birthdays, corporate parties, even wedding receptions. “Age doesn’t matter,” said Olson. “Everyone can do it.” If you’re interested in adding a unique twist to an upcoming event, give Olson a call at 310-892-9988, or email lapopupminigolf@gmail.com.
CHRIST THE KING By Chloe Choi 8th Grade
Things have been going well this month for Christ the King School as all students and staff are as bustling and busy as ever. With the added precautions of covid testing and cleaning, our school has been partaking in many activities. Of course, one of the most prominent that recently ended was our school’s chocolate drive! On the first day of March, our school celebrated Mardi Gras, which is also known as “Fat Tuesday.” We celebrated with a large parade of purple, gold, and green face masks made by each of the students. What a great way to start our lenten journey!
Of course, our students have been doing quite the amount of work and feats. First of all, our kindergarten class had an exciting Dr. Seuss Day! They had a fun opportunity eating green eggs and ham as well as reading various Dr. Seuss books. Moving on, our 5th grade classroom has gone on a virtual field trip to the Griffith Park Observatory! This is truly exciting as it was completely immersive and interactive. Our Academic Decathlon team worked hard this year and went on to compete. This year was a little different from the previous years as we are slowly going back to the way it was. However, three of our students placed in the individuals. Alyssa Apan placed second place in Fine Arts, Nelson Pye III placed third place in English, and Brielle Villegas placed third place in Literature. We congratulate the three students and the Decathlon team for their hard work.
New Village Girls gala is April 24 in Little Tokyo
By John Welborne
New Village Girls Academy’s annual celebration is Sun., April 24 at the Japanese American National Museum (JANM), 100 N. Central Avenue in Little Tokyo. [That happens to be the site of the Larchmont Chronicle publisher’s great grandfather’s Union Hardware & Metal Co. — Ed.]
JANM tours will take place from 3:30 to 5 p.m., with the gala to commence with cocktails at 5 p.m. Dinner and a program follow from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
New Village is an all-girls, college prepratory charter school for grades 9 to 12. Opened in 2006, the school is located at 147 N. Occidental Blvd.
Visit newvillagegirlsacademy.org for gala tickets and more information.
Cub Scout Pack 16 Pinewood Derby results
Local Cub Scout Pack 16 held their annual Pinewood Derby race March 11 at St. Brendan School’s gymnasium.
Dens were combined, so there were two divisions of racing. A specialty contest was also held. The results of the racing and specialty judging are:
Tigers and Wolves
First place - Aiden Park (Wolf); second place - Jeraldine Miron (Tiger); third place - Hailey Kang (Wolf); fourth place - Willa Klein (Tiger).
Most Creative were Astrid Huybrechs and Jordan De Rosas, and Most Spirited were Amalia Vazquez and Charlie Cooper.
Bears and Webelos
First place - Van Liston (Webelo); second place - Jace Kim (Webelo); third place - Jamie Cooper (Webelo).
Most Creative were Belinda Vazquez and Matteo Cartagena-Fuentes, and Most Spirited were Phoenix Lay and Lucas Huybrechs.
PACK 16 Pinewood Derby champions Aiden Park (left) and Van Liston (right) with their cars. We are also congratulating the 8th graders for their acceptance letters from high school! Many have been rejoicing over these letters and we are all so proud of what we have managed to accomplish.
We have so much to look forward to! Our track and field will start very soon, and the auditions for our Spring Drama Productions have begun.
MELROSE
ELEMENTARY By Bella Cho 5th Grade
On March 14th, the acceptance letters to Melrose Elementary School have been sent out to new families. We have welcomed the incoming parents to school for in-person tours of our school. They came to classrooms to observe how we learn here at Melrose. The deadline for the acceptance or decline for the chosen students at Melrose is April 8th. We are looking forward to meeting all the new students at Melrose next year!
We will have the Jog-a-Thon, one of the biggest events at Melrose, in person. The Joga-Thon 2022, (also called the Space Race) is held to raise the necessary funds to sustain all the fabulous arts, science, and technology programs at Melrose. For the first time, there will be two events for the Jog-aThon: on March 30th at Melrose and on April 2nd at Pan Pacific Park with Melrose friends and family.
Spring break will be from April 11th to 15th, a full week off from school.
Because of COVID-19, we had 5th grade culminations online for the past 2 years. But this year, we will be looking forward to an in-person culmination for 5th grade, for the first time in 2 years!
This year, we will be putting up Aladdin. With casts being picked and stage crew teaming up, our play will be as lively as the ones held before! Aside from so many fun activities, we have also been focusing on Lent. Eighth graders are leading Stations of the Cross every Friday, and everybody has been extra good trying to keep our lenten promises.
NEW COVENANT
ACADEMY By Dale Lee 11th Grade
Merry March! For this year’s Winter Camp, our 4th-12th grade Huskies adventured to Idyllwild Pines Camp, all the way up in the San Jacinto Mountains. This was a brand new camp for NCA and a new experience for some students with snowy weather and icy ground. After the long drive up to the camp, students enjoyed the fresh mountain breeze but maybe not icy weather. Hoodies, coats, and warm clothes were a must this time around with temperatures dropping below freezing overnight. However, that didn’t stop students and teachers from having fun. Camp Games went on strong with indoor activities and even some snowy games. Although our elementary Huskies couldn’t attend, they had their own fun with a market day where they were able to buy snacks and different treats during lunch time.
St. Patrick’s Day is also coming up and students can wear green to bring spirit to the season. Make sure to bring your own green spirit and maybe win some extra-credit points for some classes. Easter is also coming up so look forward to Easter service and the Easter break that follows!
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THIRD STREET By Nikka Gueler 4th Grade Welcome back Larchmont Chronicle readers! Today we are starting off with something exciting for the parents. On March 17th a fundraiser was held at the beautiful Carondelet House (venue close to downtown), which included a silent auction where parents got to bid for homework passes for their children, lunch with a teacher, and other donated items. A fun night was had by parents, teachers, and school administrators! As of now, LAUSD has relaxed its mask policy for students who no longer need to wear masks outside. Masks are still required inside classrooms. I am pretty sure people are going to take advantage of that during PE.
IMMACULATE HEART By Kellyn Lanza 11th Grade Happy April from Immaculate Heart! We are now in the fourth quarter of the school year and looking forward to our Spring Break later this month after several especially busy weeks of school activities. March started off with our annual Spring Luncheon, which brought our school community together in-person for the first time for this event since the pandemic started. Along with a meal, parents and students enjoyed an afternoon at the Glendale Hilton that featured a silent auction and raffle prizes, plus performances by our Genesians drama group highlighting the Spring Musical production of “Mama Mia!” Our always-anticipated tradition known as the Junior Ring Ceremony honored the Class of 2023 on March 8 when families and friends gathered as the juniors received their class rings. The formal ceremony and liturgy officially recognized the juniors’ transition to the rank of upperclasswomen. Meanwhile, the softball, swim, and track and field teams were celebrated in the final pep rally of the 2021-22 school year. The juniors were awarded the most spirit points through the pep rally’s fun games. Immaculate Heart also welcomed the new season with a Spring Fling dance in the cafeteria on March 12th. Our seniors also recently embarked on their four-day Kairos retreat. Now students and faculty are busy preparing for our most beloved tradition, Mary’s Day, which will take place April 29th. This year’s theme will be “Rooted in the Heart of Mary.”
CENTER FOR EARLY EDUCATION By Ren Lisenbery 5th Grade
At the Center for Early Education, we have a beloved tradition, the CEE Olympics. The CEE Olympics take place over two days in May, and all students in grades K through 6th participate. This year’s CEE Olympics is the 40th Olympics. This tradition continued through the pandemic, where we had both a virtual and hybrid event. This year is the first time since the pandemic that it will be completely in person, which we are all very excited about. The CEE Olympics has an opening ceremony and a closing ceremony. Our Olympics has a dance and sports component. The dance portion incorporates dances from all over the world that we are learning right now. The sports portion includes activities such as an obstacle course, races, jump rope, cup stacking, and many more. Each grade is split up into four teams and they are all assigned different countries to represent. The countries that score the highest points win gold, silver, or bronze. While everyone wants to win, at the end of the day it is just about having fun and working your very best. OAKWOOD SCHOOL
By Scarlett Saldaña 11th Grade Once students return from a fulfilling Immersion and a restful Spring Break, Oakwood will hold one of our most important events, Diversity Week, which has since been renamed the IDEAS Summit. Every year, a different theme that relates to our work with diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) is picked, which allows our school to discuss various topics that connect to understanding ourselves, human rights, and social justice. A few years ago, one of our themes was called, “Intersectionality,” and we learned about respecting each other and the elements of identity that make up who we are. Another theme was “Race Talk 360,” in which we focused on the topics of race and ethnicity, as well as racism within white supremacist culture. This theme helped spark a conversation about retiring the past Gorilla mascot due to the racist tropes that connected to the animal itself, which allowed us to change our mascot to the Owl, displaying how influential these discussions are.
Student named top 100 in Music Center competition
Ava Louise Winer is among 100 Southern California high school semifi nalists in The Music Center’s 34th annual Spotlight Competition. Winer, a Marlborough 12th grader, competed in ballet. The Grand Prize Finalists will perform June 15 at 7:30 p.m. at The Music Center’s Ahmanson Theatre.
Construction is almost completed after nine months of renovations to drinking fountains, bathrooms, and ramps to make the school ADA (American Disabilities Act) compliant. We are also getting new playground equipment. TK (transitional kindergarten), dates are expanding from September 1 to February 3rd, so you can register your child for TK if they are turning five years old between these dates. In other good news, the library reopened on March 14 with a new librarian, and the campus reopened to parents on the same day. Finally, things are getting back to normal.
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GIRLS ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP ACADEMY (GALA) is on the eastern edge of Los Angeles High School’s campus, on West Blvd. The photo shows the 2016 opening of the all-girls school.
GALA celebrated five years of fundraising with virtual event
By Billy Taylor
Last month, Friends of GALA, the support group for the Girls Academic Leadership Academy (GALA), located at 1067 West Blvd. adjacent to Los Angeles High School, hosted its fifth annual fundraising event for the only all-girls public school in Los Angeles.
The event was a March 18 virtual fundraiser called #LaunchHERfuture. Friends of GALA honored five women leaders who have made transformative contributions to Los Angeles. Honorees included actress Geena Davis; Ruthe Farmer, founder of the Last Mile Education Fund; Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Director of Los Angeles County Public Health; Dr. Soniya Gandhi, Vice President of Medical Affairs at Cedars-Sinai; and Patricia Hain, Executive Director of Nursing at Cedars-Sinai.
“GALA offers a unique learning option for our families and provides a clear pathway to college and STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math] careers for girls in Los Angeles. These girls are the future leaders who will allow our city to achieve its full potential as a leading center of innovation,” said Dr. Elizabeth Hicks, GALA founder and principal. “Launch Her Future is really about inspiring girls to follow their dreams of making impactful contributions to our world, and it’s about communicating the message that an investment in girls’ STEM education is an investment in a bright future for our city.”
In 2021, GALA had a 100 percent college acceptance rate, including from Ivy League universities and all University of California campuses including UC Berkeley and UCLA. HOLLYWOOD
SCHOOLHOUSE By Sienna Light 6th Grade
Welcome back! Many things have already happened this month at HSH, so I will summarize the most important. Just last Friday, 6th grade students received their acceptance letters from secondary schools! The schools that this year’s 6th grade got accepted to includes Archer, Brentwood School, Buckley, Campbell Hall, ESLA, Harvard Westlake, Immaculate Heart, Marlborough, Oakwood, Pilgrim, and Sierra Canyon. I am congratulating everyone in sixth grade, and I am excited to see how everyone does at their new school.
This past Monday, Hollywood Schoolhouse celebrated our Grandparents and Special Friends Day, and we had a community circle that everyone got to view on Zoom. Part of the sixth grade got to share a special quote that they wrote about their grandparent or special friend. Many presented in the community circle, and everyone caught a glimpse of what HSH life is like for many.
Lastly, a special announcement was made about the Read Across America contest that kindergarten-sixth grade got to compete in. The goal was to read as many books for your grade until the end of February, and the grade with the most books at the end, would get a special prize. In the end, in the lower elementary, the 2nd graders won, and in the upper elementary… first prize went to 6th grade!
LARCHMONT CHARTER By Hajoon Koo and Luke Magnusen 4th Grade
It’s been some rough times with a war going on. As different students started to talk about the news in line, the teachers started to talk about it in class. In our class at Larchmont Charter School Hollygrove, after watching a video, I asked our teacher when we were going to do something about it. The next day, we had a class vote and agreed to take action. We wrote on posters to brainstorm: What do we want? What do we want to know?
How do we resolve this? What are our limitations? We decided to join UNICEF USA’s Kid Power program to give food to malnourished kids because we saw that UNICEF was already helping in the Ukraine and we hope we are helping too. It is important that kids and as many people as possible are able to help in as many ways as needed. We are also having a good time when we are donating food bars by doing exercises assigned with our class. We’re also going to write letters to American, Russian, and Ukrainian officials and collect money to be donated directly to Ukrainian relief efforts.
PAGE ACADEMY By Amiely Rodriguez-Lopez 8th Grade
Hello everyone; happy spring! We recently had Panorama pictures and it was a very nice moment that I won’t forget. The entire student body got together to take a school picture, just like old times before Covid-19. It’s nice to be able to appreciate the little things that we had previously taken for granted.
This month we have Spring Break from the 11th through the 15th; all the students are excited! Easter is coming up on the 17th so before heading into break, we have class parties, egg hunts, and the students get to meet the Easter Bunny!
Earth Day falls on the 22nd this year. Our school does fun activities such as planting vegetables and fruits, as well as talking about different ways to help take care of the Earth. Earth Day is a learning experience for the students but also a fun experience… one of the best days of April!
On the 29th, we have Graduation Pictures for our 8th grade and Junior Kindergarten students. I can’t believe we’re already preparing for graduation! That means our annual standardized testing is coming up soon, so all Kindergarten through 8th grade students will be busy preparing to get outstanding results!
The Jeffrey Foundation celebrates its 50th on May 4
By Suzan Filipek
The Jeffrey Foundation will celebrate its 50th anniversary serving children with special needs and their families on Wed., May 4 at a party from 1 to 3 p.m. on the Foundation patio.
Advanced RSVPs are required to attend the event at 5443 W. Washington Boulevard in Los Angeles.
“The Jeffrey Foundation has successfully navigated the many challenges facing nonprofits to serve children with special needs and their families. However, in 2020, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world faced a challenge like one never experienced before,” said Alyce Morris Winston, CEO and Founder of The Jeffrey Foundation. “I’m proud to say that we’ve successfully navigated these troubling times and developed additional methods to assist children with special needs and their families. Our new remote online services are a perfect complement to our inperson events and programs.”
Winston opened the doors of the Jeffrey Foundation in 1972 with the desire to give her son, Jeffrey, who had muscular dystrophy, a better life. After quitting her job as a model for Max Factor, Winston began to develop a grassroots program to provide children with special needs with activities and outings they could enjoy.
To RSVP for May 4, call 323965-7536. For more information, visit thejeffreyfoundation.org.
Walk for Wishes is April 2 at Coliseum
Walk for Wishes is back, in-person at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, 3911 Figueroa St. in Exposition Park, on Sat., April 2 at 9 a.m. Registration begins at 8 a.m.
The nationwide fundraiser celebrates the more than 500,000 wishes that already have been granted while raising funds for future wishes. Walk Teams powered by families, companies and others are encouraged. Funds raised support the granting of lifechanging wishes for children with critical illnesses.
The annual Trailblaze Challenge (to tackle a 28-mile trek from Big Bear, along the Pacific Crest Trail) is May 13-15.
For more information on both events visit Make-A-Wish at wish.org/la.
BUCKLEY SCHOOL By Jasper Gough 12th Grade In late March, the Upper School students went on various retreats, separated by grade, to different places around Los Angeles. The Seniors went to Canyon Creek where, thanks to Fulcrum, we participated in guided bond-
MARLBOROUGH SCHOOL By Avery Gough 10th Grade Marlborough Students return from spring break on April 11th. On the 24th, it is the Sports Hall of Fame ceremony. Our most celebrated athletes will be inducted into our own Hall of Fame, and their photos will be displayed in the hallway outside of the gym. It is incredible to see how many athletes our school has produced. Also, the 22nd is the 50th year Reunion Tea Event. The following day is Alumna Day. Seeing old friends and how the school has changed is such a rewarding experience. On the 24th we will celebrate the retirement of our amazing
Aviva to host ‘Art of Giving’ under the stars May 7
Aviva Family and Children’s Services’ annual fundraising event, The Art of Giving, is on Sat., May 7 under the stars from 4:30 to 8 p.m. at Saddlerock Ranch in Malibu. Food will be prepared by chef (and Windsor Square resident) Nancy Silverton and her restaurant Pizzeria Mozza. Mixologists will serve up cocktails. A silent and live auction will be held, and live painting and music will be featured at the event. Billy Harris will host, and honorees include Regina Bette, Aviva outgoing president and CEO (after 11 years), also a Windsor Square resident. Other honorees are Kaiser Permanente and Tiffany Haddish. Founded in 1915, Aviva has grown exponentially and today serves more than 9,000 children, youth and families each year. Tickets and more information on the May 7 event can be found at aviva.org/artofgiving.
ing experiences. I’m extremely thankful for the opportunity to get closer to my classmates before this year is over. On the 4th of April, the Middle and Upper school students will
headmistress who has guided so many young girls through Marlborough and beyond. We are so grateful, yet we are going to miss her dearly, and wish her the best in the future. There is another headmistress lined up that we are excited to welcome in the 20222023 school year. In exciting news, the Marlborough Comedy troupe WEBCCAM presents You Should Know This By Now. This is a stand-up comedy performance that will take place on the 26th and 27th. In other performance arts news, the 22nd is the Spring Choral Concert. Lastly, on April 13th, in the South Place is the After Hour Arts (AHA) Improve Presentation of Tiger Eating Leather, An Interactive Improv Show & Carnival. Marlborough students are always so creative and come up with the most interesting events to share.
ST JAMES By Aki Kapur 5th Grade Happy Women’s History Month from St. James’ Episcopal School! During the month of March, our school is teaching us about women who changed the world through their activism. The other day, we got to learn about all these women activists who were under 21 and were able to make a difference in their communities and the world. Like Marley Dias who started #1000BlackGirlBooks where she got over 1,000 books to donate to Black students all over the country. I hope that one day, I am able to make a big difference in the world like these women did. We have also been working really hard to take care of our school gardens, which has helped us learn about how to be greener and protect the earth. We just got water bottle filling stations all over school so that we don’t have to have plastic water bottles on campus anymore. I really enjoy learning about all the different ways we can be more green.
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return from Spring Break and resume classes for the last half of our second semester. The Parents Association will hold an afterschool assembly about internet safety with guest speaker Lori Getz on the 5th to talk about education on the digital front. On the 8th, the Buckley School will celebrate art students who’ve earned awards for painting, photography, and film. The school will display the art along with an explanation by its creator. After that on April 22nd, the Middle and Upper School Dance Concert will showcase dances from many different cultures. New students will be inducted into the National Honor Society on the 27th. These students will now take on more responsibility and partake in more projects and events both in and outside of school. Lastly, on the 29th, the Upper School students will elect new representatives for their respective grades. These representatives will be in charge of handling class events like prom, spirit week, sweatshirts, etc.
