YOUTH SPORTS

Serena Williams’ farewell to tennis in September made such an impact that television viewers who rarely followed the “sport of kings” found themselves tuning in to her final three games at the U.S. Open.

“It was very emotional watching her last appearance,” said Zoe Vines, a freshman at Immaculate Heart High. “She is such a legend and icon within the sport that it felt like I was watching something bigger than I could fully grasp at that moment.”

“She’s had an incredible career,” added Immaculate Heart tennis coach Tom Hardy. “She’s retiring at the right time.” Panda power

Immaculate Heart, a private college prep school for young women grades six through twelve, competes in the CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) in the Southern section, Division 4. The school offers students 10 different varsity sports throughout the year, and one-third of the girls participate on at least one of the teams. The school mascot is the Panda and its school colors are navy and white.

Tennis is one of the more popular sports at Immaculate Heart. The program is in its 12th year. There are 29 players on the JV and varsity teams combined, and close to 40 girls tried out.

Hardy is in his fifth year as the Pandas’ head coach. He played tennis at John Burroughs High in Burbank, then afterward toured with the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) until he blew out his elbow. He also gives private tennis instruction on the side. Pedigree power

Larchmont resident Zoe Vines competes on the JV squad as a singles player.

“I love the focus it takes to play one-on-one and feel I thrive in this environment,” said Vines. “Who knows? Maybe some day I’ll play doubles as well, but for now, I enjoy playing singles matches.”

Vines, who began playing tennis at age 13, has pedigree with clout. Her grandfather, Tom Runnels, played MLB (Major League Baseball) for the Cincinnati Reds, then was head coach of the Montreal Expos for a year. Her father, Trevor Vines, is a household name for anyone who is a fan of the X Games and Freestyle Moto X trick riding. He has retired from competition and now owns TV Land MX, a private dirt bike park that offers instruction and miles of

by Jim Kalin

trails. The park is in Ashtabula, Ohio, and Zoe visits her father every summer.

“I love riding dirt bikes and spend quite a bit of time on the tracks back in northeast Ohio,” she said. “It’s been the best of both worlds, living in Los Angeles and then visiting Ohio, where I have access to 50 acres of land with multiple motocross tracks in my backyard. I am so grateful for all of these experiences and can’t wait to see where they all take me over the next few years and into adulthood!” Veteran power

A varsity tennis match consists of three singles matches and three doubles.

“Emma Nord is our top singles player, and our No. 1 doubles team is Asha Goyal and Meha Holden,” said Coach Hardy. Emma and Asha are seniors and the team co-captains.

Two stars from last season

FRESHMAN Zoe Vines.

SENIOR Emma Nord.

have moved on to collegiate tennis. Mikaela Mansilla walked on at UCSC (UC Santa Cruz), and Lauren Cruz is expecting to do the same at Loyola Marymount University.

“High school sports are about building structure and setting the athletes up for success in all aspects of life,” said Hardy.

Indeed. Game. Set. Match.

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THE CENTER FOR EARLY

EDUCATION

By Eloise Cotteleer 5th Grade

This year, our upper elementary classes will be the first to experience an overnight trip since the start of the pandemic! Our overnight trip creates an experience for students to explore outdoor science while playing fun games, team building and taking a break from the internet.

Science teachers Nacisse Demeska and Lauren Trammell will lead this outdoor adventure. Dameska has been the leader of this trip for 20 years and is so excited that students finally get a chance to experience this amazing program in person. “Having the natural world as your classroom is pretty special! I love witnessing the good it does when our students have time to slow down in nature. Additionally, whenever we step out of our regular rhythms in life, we learn something new about our world, about other people in our community, and about ourselves. I’m most excited for those kinds of moments — the kind of moments that help us feel a deeper connection to the earth and to each other,” Dameska said.

Since lots of students have not been away from home like this, many people are practicing by having sleepovers to get used to spending the night away from home. We are all looking forward to time together away from school, and getting to know each other and ourselves better. ST. JAMES’ EPISCOPAL By Evan Listi 6th Grade

Hello again! I can’t wait to catch you up on everything that is going on here at St. James’! On Oct. 7, all students were dismissed early so they could start the two-hour drive to El Capitan, where our annual Family Camp Weekend takes place. It was my second time going, and I had so much fun! It was such a cool experience to see my classmates outside of school.

Last month we also had standardized tests, sixth grade elections, Korean drumming performances, a fall dance and Halloween celebrations. Our most unique Halloween tradition is the mask parade in which students march around the school in Halloween masks we made in art class.

In other news, we have a bunch of exciting things coming up in November! First, there is the fall production, “Scenes and Sonnets,” on Thurs., Nov. 17th. Students in grades four, five and six have been devising this show since early September. Also, the yearly book fair is taking place the week after Thanksgiving break. We are thrilled to have that back up and running after two years. The last thing I’ll share is that tours are being held on Thursday mornings at St. James’ for prospective families.

Overall we have a lot to look forward to in November at Saint James’! OAKWOOD SCHOOL

By Scarlett Saldaña 12th Grade

Last month, Somos Unidos, Oakwood’s Latinx Affinity Group, invited Mexican folk dancers and a mariachi band to celebrate Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month. The lively music and performances made for an exciting lunchtime, as students and faculty were brought together to join in the festivities. Along with the music and dances, the cafeteria also served Cuban food, and continued to feature cultural dishes throughout the month to celebrate.

This month, before students head out to enjoy a restful Thanksgiving break, Oakwood will hold their annual Thanksgiving Assembly.

Students are given the opportunity to present a group or solo dance, or even sing and perform with their band. There is an annual tradition of having one of our English teachers recite a lovely poem he or she recently enjoyed, or one that applies to the upcoming holiday.

A few musically inclined faculty members also sing or play an instrument along with other teachers, and it’s always great to watch them perform right along with students. One of my favorite performances, however, is the one that brings several student bands up to sing and present an original piece.

The assembly consistently promotes a fun, uplifting energy that brings an excitement I’ll HOLLYWOOD

SCHOOLHOUSE

By Miles Hoffman 6th Grade

Many things have happened at Hollywood Schoolhouse since my last article. First of all, we had our Harvest Festival. It included fun games, good food, line dancing and even a petting zoo! During the Harvest Festival, my 6th grade classmates and I sold baked goods to raise money for our Ditch Day. Instead of having regularly scheduled classes, on our Ditch Day we all get to go to an amusement park or do something else fun together.

My 6th grade class is doing a lot of cool projects at school, and so far, my favorite is Shark Tank. Of course we are not going to be on the show, but we are going to be put into groups of two and make a product to sell at this year’s Winter Fest in December. My partner and I are having the class bring in their old clothes, and we are going to spray paint over them. I hope our business will be a success!

Though the projects that we are working on in class are exciting, the biggest thing happening so far this year is that the 5th and 6th graders are going to Catalina Island. During this trip, we will be doing a lot of fun activities like day snorkeling, night swims and so much more. Personally, I have never been to Catalina Island, so what better people to go with than my classmates?

THE WILLOWS

By Simone Meltzer 8th Grade

The Willows has had the same beloved librarian since the school’s founding… until now! This year we are all excited about a new face joining our library staff.

Kate Rao brings fresh energy onto campus and is optimistic about her first year here with us. Before this, she worked as a librarian in the kids’ sections at Alhambra Public Library and Palos Verdes Public Library. “I didn’t like to read at all when I was younger. I think maybe the first book I read was when I was 21,” she said laughing. “I had a really boring job… it was a way to pass time.”

Whether or not she liked to read as a kid, Rao loves nothing more than helping kids find their passion for literature. “I honestly like all grades equally,” she said, when asked what her favorite age to work with is. She added, “Little kids are so cute and sweet and easy to organize… but older kids are more able to have deep conversations.” Kate, despite being new to our community, is looking forward to seeing her ideas come to life.

LARCHMONT CHARTER HOLLYGROVE By Yena Rhee and Alastair Ayandele 4th Grade

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, many exciting things will be happening in November! We are looking forward to Thanksgiving Morning Sing, our Thanksgiving food drive and, of course, Thanksgiving break.

Thanksgiving Morning Sing will include songs with themes about family and being thankful. Two songs are “Over The River and Through The Woods” by Lyndia Maria Child, and “Thank You For Hearing Me” by Irish singer, Sinead O’ Connor.

In addition, for our annual Thanksgiving Drive we will collect items to create Thanksgiving care bags. The care bags traditionally include canned vegetables, cranberry relish, piecrusts and filling and a turkey gift card for the families supported by Pacific Clinics. LCS will distribute the bags on Nov. 18.

In honor of Thanksgiving, we asked our assistant principal, Ms. Julie, what she is grateful for. She shared, “I’m grateful for my children, parents, school, health and being a principal at Larchmont.” We asked a classmate and she echoed, “I’m grateful for my family.” Lastly, we asked our teacher, Ms. Jill, and she replied, “I am thankful for my health, my family, my dog Monkey and our school that lets us do fun things like yoga and have a therapy dog.”

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