Larchmont Chronicle
presort standard u.s. postage
paid
south gate ca. permit no. 294
OCTOBER 2010
vol. 47, no. 10 • delivered to the 76,439 readers in hancock park • windsor square • fremont place • park labrea • larchmont village • Miracle Mile
SECTION ONE
Ceremony marks improvements to Burns Park Plaque dedicated
PETS OF LARCHMONT. 21-23 MIX with goblins in Wilshire Park. 8 CLIMBING top of Mt. Kilimanjaro. 10 YARD SALE for ailing baby.
12
HOME TOUR visits historic sites. 17 NEW MUSEUM, new gallery. 18 HALLOWEEN fashion parade.
24
PRESCHOOL creatively.
26
Robert Burns Park is a play area for youngsters, a picnic area for families and an exercise locale that boasts a free yoga class. New playground equipment, fencing, shade trees, canopies, benches and a restroom are among the amenities recently added to the park at the southwest corner of Van Ness Ave. and Beverly Blvd. These upgrades, under direction of local resident Margy Hudson, were celebrated at a ceremony in the park Sept. 23 attended by Councilman Tom LaBonge, other city officials and neighbors. Many of these improvements have been financed by the city Department of Recreation and Parks. An improved irrigaSee Burns Park, p. 6
Dining out Restaurants are featured in our annual guide. Ad deadline is Mon., Oct. 18. Please call 323-462-2241, ext. 11 to reserve space.
THE BACKYARD of the Larry Guzin home drew block captains to renew acquaintances and hear from police and emergency preparedness officials.
L.A. High students score, school stays autonomous Improvement was highest in its rank By Suzan Filipek A celebratory mood is in full swing at Los Angeles High, since student test scores were released last month that saved
ART STUDENT honored in D.C. 33
SECTION TWO Real Estate Home & Garden
NATURAL Kitchen. Book is more than about cooking. 6 EARTHQUAKE! Know the drill.
4
SOCIETY salutes Legion building. 5 For Information on Advertising Rates, Please Call Pam Rudy 323-462-2241, x 11
GEARING UP FOR the Larchmont Family Fair on Sun., Oct. 24 are front row, Jake Juno-Kasofsky; second row, Addison Kruse, Scotty, Michael and Julia Hanna; third row, Suzanne Phillips, Jill Kafofsky, Peggy Bartenetti, John Winther, Betsy Malloy and Michelle Hanna. Story on page 9
the campus from an outside takeover. “We’re really happy,” said school principal Elena Anthony of the results of the state Academic Performance Index released Sept. 13. Boosting spirits even more was the added news that L.A. High’s scores had improved 59 percentile points, more than any other traditional Los Angeles high school. The Olympic Blvd. campus was among five in the Los Angeles Unified School District under threat because of chronically failing scores. It was among campuses on a Public School Choice set for takeover or closure if test scores didn’t meet a 600 mark. Students’ scores in math, English, social science and science totaled 623. While still below the state’s target of 800, on a scale of 200 to 1,000, it is on an upward trend. “We’ve got to keep it up,” said Anthony. L.A. High alumni Bruce Corwin, chairman and CEO of the Metropolitan Theatres chain, presented the school’s testing coordinator Donna Spencer-Griffin with a plaque and $1,000 from the Harrison
Block captains learn safety procedures at area meeting In Windsor Square Sixty Windsor Square Association block captains and guests gathered at the S. Norton Ave. home of Larry and Wendy Guzin in September to improve their efforts to serve the community. Block captains are volunteer liaisons between their neighbors, the police and the board of directors of the Association. After a buffet dinner catered by Prado restaurant, a speakers’ program began with a welcome and thank you to the block captains by Association See Windsor Square, p. 11
On the Boulevard Glimpses by Jane The beat goes on… whether it’s lining up car pool schedules, settling youngsters in college or attending fundraisers, Larchmontians have been busy. *** We spotted Vince Bertoni in line at Peet’s
See LA High, p. 15
www.larchmontchronicle.com ~ Entire Issue Online!
See BLVD., p. 16