LC Section One 01 2023

Locking

By John Welborne

During her inauguration speech on Dec. 11, Mayor Karen Bass emphasized the need for all Angelenos to “lock arms” to address homelessness. She said that the voters elected her to lead and that she would, adding:

“But I am also asking you, Angelenos, to join me in moving our city forward.

“In addition to asking you to join me in bringing Angelenos inside, I am also calling on you to lock arms with me to make our neighborhoods — every neighborhood — safe, through a strategy that is informed by our communities.”

Her inaugural remarks touched on many issues of the day, but the main focus was on addressing homelessness. She stated that her first act as mayor would be to declare a state of emergency on homelessness, an action she took the next day at the city’s Emergency Operations Center. In the past three weeks, she has taken other steps set forth in her speech, such as where she said:

“If we are going to bring Angelenos inside and move our city in a new direction, we must have a single strategy to unite our city and county and engage the state, the federal government, the private sector and every other stakeholder.

“And so I call on our City Council, and our City Attorney and City Controller, to continue the work we started during the transition on a unified and urgent strategy to solve homelessness.

Hancock Park has been planting trees

By Suzan Filipek

Mid-December saw landscape workers and their vehicles along several streets in Hancock Park. They were there for a big project — planting approximately 25 trees in community parkways. Funds from dues collected from members of the Han-

Marlborough School is in capable hands

By Casey Russell

As the ninth head of school at the oldest independent girls’ school in Southern California, Jennifer Ciccarelli has her hands full. Hancock Park’s Marlborough School, originally called St. Margaret’s School for Girls, was founded by Mary Caswell in 1889. It is the educational home to 530 girls and young women in grades seven through 12 and has a long legacy of being a national leader in girls’ education.

The Larchmont Chronicle sat down with the head of

school to talk about her new position, the post-pandemic school culture and her hopes for Marlborough in the coming years.

“I get really excited about new opportunities and learning new things,” said Ciccarelli, who took over at Marlborough last summer Ciccarelli told us, “I’m a person of ‘yes’… [and] Marlborough was an easy ‘yes’ because I had known about [it] for a long time and, as soon as I started to learn more

See Marlborough, p 26

Larchmont enjoys winter wonderland

By John Welborne

The culmination of a crisp but sunny Saturday filled with holiday festivities on Larchmont Boulevard was the official dedication of the new café lights crossing high above the street in the 100 and 200

North blocks of the Boulevard. Joining the Larchmont Village Business Improvement District and many of its member property owners as donors to the project were the merchants’ association (the Larchmont Boulevard Asso-

ciation — LBA), individual LBA members, Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell’s Council District 13 office, several residential associations including Windsor Square and Hancock Park, and Wilshire Rotary.

n Terms of new councilmembers also have been inaugurated

arms to address homelessness is top of mayor’s agenda

NEW MAYOR AND NEW NEIGHBOR Karen Bass emphasized the need for all Angelenos to lock arms to address homelessness during her December 2022 inauguration speech.

Photo by Gary Leonard

NEW COUNCILMEMBERS were inaugurated in December. At left, at Pan Pacific Auditorium, is Katy Young Yaroslavsky (CD 5) with Rabbi Adam Kligfeld and Congresswoman-elect Sydney Kamlager behind her and daughter Yael mugging through the podium. At right, Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez (CD 13) offers remarks after being sworn in by Unite Here Local 11 executive vice president and nationally acclaimed labor leader Martha Santamaria (left).

JENNIFER CICCARELLI in her office at Marlborough.

By John Welborne

New

At this time of year, we contemplate the coming months and what they hold for our neighborhoods and our city. We hope there will be some success in dealing with the homelessness crisis.

There have been numerous changes among our fellow residents elected by us to represent us in our local government. We all should support the efforts of our new mayor, new city attorney, new city controller and new and old members of the city council.

As Mayor Karen Bass has emphasized in both word and deed (an example being her early visit to the Hall of Administration where she garnered the unanimous support of the Board of Supervisors), we all must “lock arms” to remedy the myriad problems affecting, and caused by, people living on our streets, sidewalks, parkways and other places that are not indoors.

To address these issues, one leader is needed, and Mayor Bass is willing to be that leader. Let’s hope that all of our other elected officials indeed lock arms with Mayor Bass and pull in the same direction — to help both the unhoused and everyone else in Los Angeles.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Sat., Dec. 31 — New Year’s Eve.

Sun., Jan. 1 — New Year’s Day.

Mon., Jan. 2 — Rose Parade.

Tues., Jan. 10 — Mid City West Neighborhood Council board meeting, 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. Check midcitywest.org for details.

Wed., Jan. 11 — Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council board meeting, 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. Check greaterwilshire.org for details.

Mon., Jan. 16 — Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Sun., Jan. 22 — Lunar

New Year. Thurs., Jan. 26 — Delivery of the February issue of the Larchmont Chronicle

Letters to the Editor

‘Times’ turns 100 Today [12/05/2022] is the 100th birthday of the Los Angeles Times, and yet I had to learn of this occasion by reading the New York Times. Not one word of this notable day on the front page of our local flagship newspaper. Aren’t you [Los Angeles Times] embarrassed? I would be.

Toby Horn Miracle Mile

Can’t wait for Lucy’s We are looking forward to eating at this iconic Los Angeles gem! [“Breaking news: Lucy’s El Adobe Café is reopening,” Dec. 2022]. Our family will become regular customers to enjoy the great food and warm hospitality!!!

Stephanie Tusques Glendora

Return memorabilia!

Regarding your article concerning new shops on Larchmont: The memorabilia

on the walls of Village Pizzeria belong to the Cohen family. [“Tenant construction underway at Boulevard shops, some opening,” Nov. 2022]. Full stop. The new owners need to return it.

I have been going there since they opened in the mid 90s. I have watched the collection grow and even contributed to it. It is unconscionable that it is being held hostage by the new owners. I will not eat there or recommend any friends frequent Village Pizzeria until the right thing are done and the memorabilia is returned to the Cohen family. I will urge all friends and neighbors to do the same.

Cinzia Zanetti Hancock Park

I am responding to the article about Village Pizzeria and the amazing Steve Cohen. I have known Steve for close to 30 years as we were both in the food industry. I have got to say there is not a better, loyal, honest guy that I have met in years

We joke that we have become as close as sister and brother as we both come from NYC.

It’s truly a travesty what the new owners have done to Steve and his family after all the years of hard work they put in.

I have had many experiences with people in the film industry who think they are the “smartest” best qualified to do just about anything

(Please turn to page 3)

Write us at letters@larchmontchronicle.com. Include your name, contact information and where you live. We reserve the right to edit for space and grammar.

That’s the question inquiring photographer Casey Russell asked locals.

“To get to know more people in Brookside. We’ve been in the neighborhood two years. And we want our orange tree to grow oranges this year!”

oasis in the city”

Thank You for supporting our Larchmont businesses!

‘What are your hopes for the new year?’

Adam, Laura and Archer Abramson Brookside

“I hope for all the empty shops on Larchmont to open, and I hope to eat more pie.”

Miles Millar

Windsor Square

“I hope for more parking on Larchmont Boulevard.”

Al Gough

Hancock Park

“Health. That’s the most important. That, you can’t buy.”

Melkon Baghdasyan Majestic WJ Larchmont Village

(Continued from

when, in fact, they don’t have a clue about how or what it takes to run a business, let alone a food business.

They should have kept Steve on for at least a year to carry over a smooth transition and assure themselves that the success he created would be theirs as well.

I really hope these folks do a turnaround and treat Steve in the manner he deserves. This comes from not only a patron but a good friend. They should have kept

When I learned Steve was passing the business on I was relieved to hear he would be there during the transition — assuring us all that VP would be the same. This never happened.

As a member of the Village Pizzeria (VP) family, I felt the need to comment on this article. I have been eating at VP for nearly 20 years. Even when I moved east, I would drive through Hollywood just to grab a slice and visit the family!

I stopped in one time out of curiosity. The one thing that caught me off guard was Steve’s memorabilia. Why was it still there? Why would these new owners feel the need to keep Steve’s memories and not create their own? I did not know it at the time, but these items had become a point of contention, (including NYC street signs I had donated to the walls). Now that I have learned what the owners have done, it baffles me they want to put up this fight and to treat Steve and his family in this manner.

To the New Owners: pull these items down. Pass them back to Steve and his family. Create your own Village Piz-

Big Sunday to host MLK Day Clothing Drive

In honor of the New Year, Big Sunday plans to put together 2,023 winter clothing kits at its annual MLK Day Clothing Drive & Community Breakfast on Mon., Jan. 16, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The nonprofit’s block party-style event will be at 24th St. Elementary School,

2055 W. 24th St.

The Blue Breeze Band will perform, arts and crafts projects will be offered, and a civil rights exhibit will be on display.

Participants can sponsor new clothing bags for $25 apiece and volunteer in person to help

pack the kits. To find out more about these and other opportunities, visit the group’s website, bigsunday.org.

To be COVID-19 safe, only donations of new clothes and shoes will be accepted. Everyone 5 and older must be vaccinated.

VICE PRESIDENT Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff were joined by Big Sunday Executive Director David Levinson (far right) and about 1,500 people to help fill bags of food at the recent Thanksgiving Stuffing event at Baldwin Hills Elementary School. Photo by Bill Devlin

Terri Aronson Hollywood Dell

Larchmont

(Continued from page 1)

Contributions are still being welcomed, and the Larch-

month.

In the hours leading up to the illumination, there was lots of holiday related fun on the street at the LBA’s annual Holiday Open House. A small open-air bus shuttled shoppers up and down Larchmont for free, and the bus went all the way to the Rotary Tree Lot in the 500 North block of the street. There, Santa listened to requests, surrounded by green firs and Boy Scouts from Troop 10.

Along the Boulevard, walkers, shoppers, and diners enjoyed live music performed throughout the day. Another highlight, in the middle of the main shopping area — in the Tailwaggers parking lot — was a fenced-in field of fresh snow, brought down from nearby mountains to create a frosty play land for children (and pets).

Trees

(Continued from page 1)

cock Park Homeowners Association (HPHOA) pay for the project, said HPHOA president Cindy Chvatal-Keane. She and members of the association’s tree committee have been working for months with arborists and city staff to prepare for this latest round of tree plantings.

Larchmont Chronicle staff spoke with members of a seven-person crew installing two large camphor trees (Cinnamomum camphora), during the afternoon of December 15, in the parkway on the north side of Sixth Street, just west of Highland Avenue. The workers commented on what is well known to local gardeners, the firmness of the clay soil in this part of town. But aided by a small tractor, the diggers

were getting the job done, creating large, square holes

In addition to the Sixth and Highland location, new trees can be seen on Hudson, June and Las Palmas in Hancock Park. Learn more about, and see beautiful photos of, Hancock Park’s parkway trees: tinyurl.com/2bca72u2.

ready to receive the new trees.

NEW TREES for the streets of Hancock Park include this camphor tree being planted on the north side of Sixth Street, just west of Highland Avenue.

SANTA CLAUS set up shop at the Rotary Tree Lot, where Scouts from Troop 10 were present as part of the festivities.

LIGHTS SHINE ABOVE many of those involved in installing them.

STREETLIGHTERS at the Dec. 3 dedication of the new Larchmont café lights included people partly responsible for promoting and funding the lights. Attending were, from left: Patty Lombard, Patti Carroll, Cindy Chvatal-Keane, David Rhodes, Heather Duffy Boylston and Todd Warner with Santa Paws and Mrs. Claws.

mont Chronicle hopes to publish a full list of donors next

FRESH SNOW in the Tailwaggers parking lot was a treat for families, including pets.

Holiday cheer, fundraisers and parties abound for locals

An ivy-covered wall of champagne-filled glasses greeted 500 decked out guests sporting velvet jackets, satin holiday frocks and heels made for walkin’ at the Dec. 4 Junior League of Los Angeles annual Harvest Boutique fundraiser at the Skirball Cultural Center.

JLLA President Joy C. Williams proclaimed that the 23rd annual event would set the tone for the remainder of the year, and this party didn’t disappoint. Final numbers aren’t in yet, but ticket sales and the live auction alone raked in more than $125,000 for JLLA community projects.

Upon arrival, guests bid on silent auction items including a private suite at Crypto.com Arena, getaways to Iceland and the island of Capri and autographed movie posters and sports memorabilia including a boxing glove signed by Muhammad Ali. More fun was had with the many boutiques that set up tables for shopping and gifting, donating 20 percent of their proceeds to the organization.

Guests feeling lucky could drop their coin on a $25 wine pull that guaranteed “every ticket wins a mystery bottle of wine.”

Attendees were then ushered into the hangar-like Guerin Pavilion to celebrate the three honorees of the occasion, Community Achievement Award winner

AT MUD AUSTRALIA, NGA members and guests included, from left to right: Nora Suk, Susan Kneafsey, Megan Drynan, NGA President Beverly Brown, Michaela Burschinger and Erin Garvan.

Jesse Draper (founding partner of Halogen Ventures), Community Achievement Award winner

Melissa Hanna (co-founder and CEO of Mahmee) and Spirit of Volunteerism Award winner

Gayle Wilder (active JLLA member since 1991).

The luncheon featured a

green salad starter with candied pecans, tomatoes and grapefruit; a main course featuring buttered mashed potatoes and rosemary chicken with sautéed vegetables; and an irresistible dessert plate of mini chocolate soufflé, lemon meringue tart and a ridiculously large dark chocolate-dipped strawberry. The JLLA, built as an “organization of women whose mission is to advance women’s leadership for meaningful community impact through volunteer action, collaboration and training,” was established in Los Angeles in 1926. Harvest

Boutique Co-Chair Jane Davidson’s great-grandmother, Ethel Coleman Toll, lived in Windsor Square and was the JLLA President in 1943.

“This event was meant to reignite, rebuild and reconnect,” said current president Joy C. Williams. “I’m so proud of this community and grateful for the people who have made it a success, and we’re so fortunate to be able to give back.”

ooo

After a two-year COVID hiatus, the threat of rain, followed by actual rain, couldn’t stop neighbors young and not-as-

young from flocking to the Dec. 4 Brookside Annual Holiday Caroling Party on South Tremaine Avenue. Nearly 100 eager revelers popped in early to the home of Brookside Homeowners’ Association Communication Chair Loren Dunsworth, where they were treated to hot mulled wine, eggnog, hot chocolate, candied chocolate peppermint bark and an array of holiday cookies and treats. The evening’s main attraction, a glowing horse-drawn carriage carrying Santa and Mrs. Claus, made (Please turn to page 8)

HARVEST BOUTIQUE VIPs: Rosie Herzog (Harvest Boutique co-chair), Tessa Madden Storms (VP development), Joy C. Williams (president), Jane Davidson (Harvest Boutique co-chair) at the Junior League event.

PAST PRESIDENTS AND MORE: Alexa Bleifer (past president - 2012-13), Julie Guest (past president - 2005-06), Katherine La Spada (president-elect - 2023-24), Joy C. Wiliams (president - 2022-23), Lisa Miller (past president - 200405), and Wendi Woods Chandler (past president 2003-04) attended.

Around the Town with Sondi Toll Sepenuk

Election

(Continued from page 1)

“I call on the County of Los Angeles, with its authority over health, including mental health and substance abuse, to lock arms  with me —

and we have already started these discussions.”

Local resident — and now city attorney — Hydee Feldstein Soto confirmed in a recent conversation that she and the mayor are meeting regularly. Also, on Dec.

325 N. Larchmont Boulevard, #158 Los Angeles, California 90004

windsorsquare.org

157 N. Larchmont Boulevard

Happy New Year!

As our annual calendars turn once again, so do our thoughts — to all kinds of fresh beginnings. We would like to note a few new things that 2023 is ushering in for our Windsor Square neighborhood.

First, Windsor Square welcomes a new councilmember, Hugo Soto-Martinez. Due to recent redistricting, our neighborhood (formerly in Council District 4) was merged into Hollywood’s Council District 13 under the now former councilmember, Mitch O’Farrell. In his City Council election campaign challenging O’Farrell, Soto-Martinez emerged the victor in November. Your association welcomes our new councilmember and looks forward to working with him and his staff — as Councilmember Soto-Martinez appoints the people who will assist us constituents with concerns such as sidewalk repairs, traffic issues, tree trimming, and more.

For further information on our new district and councilmember, go to cd13.lacity.org (which was a still-evolving website as of our deadline for the Larchmont Chronicle).

Larchmont Village has new faces working in new retail spaces on the block. As reported in the Chronicle last month, the former Lipson Building (now Larchmont Mercantile) has leased all fourteen of its ground-floor tenant spaces. Across the street, Bacio di Latte is hard at work with remodeling at 141½ N. Larchmont, on its way to becoming the Boulevard’s fourth ice cream (in this case, gelato) outlet — a number that includes the Thrifty counter in Rite-Aid, of course!

We welcome all of these new retailers and remind everyone in the community of a very good resolution for the New Year: Let’s keep Larchmont vital by shopping and dining locally!

In that connection, your association joined with merchants, landlords, and other nearby associations in funding the new “café lights” now zig-zagging above Larchmont between Beverly Boulevard and First Street.

Even with slightly sagging real estate sales nationwide, houses in Windsor Square continue to change hands, and construction sites dot our residential blocks. New owners should remember that they are responsible for protecting and watering their street trees, even during lengthy remodeling projects. Water by hand, if the sprinkler systems are not operating, but do not neglect protecting the valuable resource of our tree canopy. Also note that the WSA is happy to provide a free street tree where there is an empty space on the parkway in front of your home. Contact us at: wsinfo@windsorsquare.org.

We wish all Windsor Square residents a happy and healthy 2023!

The Windsor Square Association, an all-volunteer group of residents from 1100 households between Beverly and Wilshire and Van Ness and Arden, works to preserve and enhance our beautiful neighborhood. Join with us! Drop us a line at 325 N. Larchmont Blvd., #158, Los Angeles, CA 90004, or visit our website at windsorsquare.org.

20, the mayor met with the five-member County Board of Supervisors, and they unanimously expressed their support for the mayor’s emergency declaration.

Getty House

An exact move-in date to the official mayoral residence, Getty House in Windsor Square, has not been announced, but the mayor told this reporter — at the Hugo Soto-Martinez inauguration — that the interior painting had been completed the day before.

Councilmembers too

Other local inaugurations of the newly elected took place at the Pan Pacific Recreation Center for CD 5 and at the Echo Park United Methodist Church for CD 13.

At Pan Pacific, earlier in the day of the mayoral inauguration, Katy Young Yaroslavsky was joined on stage by her family, including husband David (a Superior Court Judge, who administered her oath of office), their three children (including the irrepressible and youngest, daughter Yael), David’s father, former supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, their rabbi, Adam Kligfeld, and Windsor Square neighbor and environmental leader Mary Nichols. Congresswoman-elect Sydney Kamlager served as master of ceremonies.

The following weekend, on Dec. 17 in the Echo Park church’s community room, CD 13 Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez was sworn in by Unite Here Local 11 executive vice president and nationally acclaimed labor leader Martha Santamaria.

Among those joining Soto-Martinez were fellow new Councilmembers Eunisses Hernandez (CD 1) and Tim McOsker (CD 15), as well as Councilmembers Nithya Raman (CD 4) and Marqueece Harris-Dawson (CD 8).

State Sen. Maria Elena Durazo (who worked with Soto-Martinez at the hospitality workers union Local 11) spoke, as did several clergy members from the church. State Sen.

Ben Allen attended, as did Mayor Karen Bass and Assemblymembers Miguel Santiago and Rick Chavez Zbur.

Echo Park United Methodist Church was founded in 1906 and has a long history of involvement in labor, immigration and social justice issues.

An essential element of the mayor’s Dec. 11 message was that needed housing should be built everywhere. She said: “We know our mission — we must build housing in every

neighborhood. And the very best way for this to happen is by neighbors working together and deciding where housing should be built.” The mayor said to us: “This is my call to you, L.A. — to welcome housing in every neighborhood.”

There certainly are places in Greater Wilshire where needed housing, including affordable and permanent supportive housing, can be welcomed and built, and it should be.

LARCHMONT CHARTER SHOOL students Alicia and Esther Kim started the Katy Yaroslavsky inauguration by plucking the traditional Korean zither, the gayageum.

NEW COUNCILMEMBER Hugo Soto-Martinez (CD 13), at Echo Park United Methodist Church, addresses attendees including (center background, from left) new Councilmembers Eunisses Hernandez and Tim McOsker (obscured), State Sen. Maria Elena Durazo, Councilmember Nithya Raman, Mayor Karen Bass and Assemblymember Miguel Santiago.

It’s ‘go time’ for District 5 Hitting the ground running in CD 13

The other day, I was driving with my son Gabriel down Olympic Boulevard and the woman in the car next to us rolled down her window and yelled over, “Councilwoman, we’re so excited for you! I’m so glad you got elected.” We started talking to each other until my son yelled from the back seat, “Mommm, green light! Go! Stop TALKING!”

Gabriel was exactly right. It’s time to stop talking and start doing. We have a green light to move this city forward, and I’m so ready to get to work.

When I first considered running for this position in 2019, I thought long and hard about how difficult the job would be. Many consider our problems unsolvable; our city ungovernable. But I often think of Teddy Roosevelt’s line that if it’s not hard, it’s not worth doing. And we can do hard things.

I ran for office because, when you walk out your front door, so much about your everyday experience, both the positive and negative, is the result of local government’s decisions. No other level of government plays a larger role in the quality of your day-to-day life. Are there parks within walking distance

of your house where you can meet your neighbors or bring your kids to play? Is it safe to cross the street or jump on your bike or simply walk your kids to school? Are people on our streets being offered appropriate services and housing, and second chances when they slip up?

Those elements of your day-to-day experience in your neighborhood are what proactive policymaking and providing excellent constituent services is all about. It’s an incredible opportunity, and an incredible responsibility.

Our problems as a city are difficult, and the challenges ahead of this council will be great. But I am guided by all of my constituents who share my belief that things can absolutely get better — that they have to. And that the way to make them better is by approaching each challenge with intelligence,

My parents immigrated here and worked as street vendors for most of my life to give my five siblings and me more opportunities than they had in Mexico. Now, I am so proud to represent District 13, including historic Windsor Square and Larchmont Village, on the Los Angeles City Council.

As we begin this new chapter, our office will be eager to meet the community and provide a seamless transition of constituent services. Get in touch with us at: councilmember.soto-martinez@ lacity.org or 213-472-7013

As a lifelong Angeleno, I have seen the best and the worst of what this city has to offer. I want to build on our successes and bring in the sense of urgency required to solve our homelessness, housing, public safety and climate crises. With over 16 years fighting for workers in Hollywood as an organizer with Unite Here Local 11, I helped workers and businesses find common ground and deliver fair contracts.

On the City Council, we will collaborate, listen and build coalitions. Working with neighborhood councils, homeowners’ associations, business interests, grassroots organizers and policy experts, we will deliver solutions for the 13th District and citywide.

We are ready to hit the ground running. In my first City Council meeting, I supported Mayor Bass’ Emergency Declaration, and we already introduced motions addressing the housing crisis, making our

streets safer for our children and easing traffic in the district.

Keep your 2023 resolution to make a positive difference in this world.

JOIN US!

Follow what our office is doing at HugoForCD13 on social media. (Please turn to page 8)

Wilshirerotary.org • (213) 220-1837

Council Report by Hugo Soto-Martinez

Council Report by Katy Young Yaroslavsky

Wilshire Rotary sends sincere thanks to the many community friends who supported our Pumpkin Patch and Christmas Tree Lot again this past year!

Around the Town

(Continued from page 5) cheery rounds through the winding streets of Brookside, carting children and their parents from street to street, belting out holiday songs to their hearts’ content. Spotted in the crowd were Kes Trester with adult children Luke and Jordan, Deborah Stein, Dana Peterson, Laura Siegel and Bob Wenokur, Laura and Adam Abramson with son Archie, Gina and Jonathan Rudnick with daughter Pearl, and many new and young families who

have recently made Brookside their home. By the smiles seen on the children’s faces, these families may never leave! ooo

Suzanne Henry Chase

A Los Angeles native, Suzanne leaves her husband, companion of 69 years, three children: Lee Ashton Chase, Jr., Steven Hawley Chase, Cynthia Chase Frandsen (Victor), seven grandsons: Michael, Christopher, Taylor, Austin Chase, Chase, Henry, Victor III (Tripp), Sumner Frandsen, and her sister, Cynthia Henry Thielen, of Kailua, Hawaii.

Suzanne graduated from El Rodeo School in Beverly Hills, Marlborough High School, and Stanford University. Upon retiring from teaching elementary school, Suzanne was active in the travel industry. She travelled the world with her family, and especially with her husband, Lee — often shipping one of their antique Ford cars to tour with other like-minded friends.

No services will be held, as per Suzanne’s wishes — just hold pleasant memories. Adv

Ecclesia Gnostica Gnostic Christian Church Bishop Dr. Stephan Hoeller

National Giving Alliance (NGA) members and their BFFs showed up in force on Dec. 1 to shop at Beverly Boulevard’s Mud Australia, a Sydney-based company that offers handmade porcelain home goods. NGA was the beneficiary of 20 percent of sales from 4 to 7 p.m., so local members wanted to show their commitment to the organization by buying for a cause. NGA Hancock Park is the local chapter with a mission to improve the quality of life for economically disadvantaged individuals within its community by collecting, purchasing and distributing new clothes, linens and personal care items for eight local agencies. Shoppers on the list snacked on cheese, crackers, fruit and nuts while they sipped champagne and ooo’d and aaaah’d at the pastel-colored plates, vases, bowls, wine glasses and platters that give an airy quality to any table setting. Favored by celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow, the guests all made their own difficult picks of “Which color should I choose?” Enjoying the light-hearted decision making were Michaela Burschinger, Megan Drynan, Megan Derry, Nora Suk, Susan Kneafsey, May Isbell, Heather Duffy Boylston, Julie Hoegee and store manager Erin Garvan. ooo

Several Windsor Square neighbors were in the spotlight at the Assistance League of Los Angeles’ annual meeting on Dec. 7.

League’s founder.

Flo Fowkes and Kiel FitzGerald also came away with honors for their work for Operation School Bell.

ooo

homes tour) and an exciting 2023 to come. Marine Corps representative Dylan Barney thanked all of the guests for each bringing an unwrapped toy to donate to the Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots holiday toy drive. WSHPHS president Richard Battaglia welcomed guests and encouraged new members to introduce themselves and reveal what brought them to the historical society.

Sunday Eucharist 11:00am

Sunday Eucharist 11am

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Father William Patrick Wolfe died peacefully on December 1, 2022 in his beloved home city of Los Angeles, California.

William (“Bill”) was born to his loving parents, Charles and Bridget “Polly” Wolfe on January 21, 1944 in Los Angeles. He was raised in View Park and attended Transfiguration and St. Bernadette Catholic Schools. He went on to attend Loyola High School and was a proud graduate of the class of 1962. After high school, Bill felt called to the priesthood and attended St. John Seminary College in Camarillo, California and was ordained in 1970. After his ordination, Bill received a Canon Law degree from Catholic University in 1978. He then returned to Los Angeles and served in the Archdiocese of Los An-

June Bilgore received the prestigious Anne Banning award, named after the

William Patrick Wolfe

January 21, 1944 - December 1, 2022

geles Marriage Tribunal while assisting in various parishes.

He served as the pastor of St. Ambrose Church in West Hollywood, CA until his retirement.

Some of his most proud moments, however,  were those involving his family and their special moments in the Catholic Church: he baptized his niece, nephews, great-niece and great-nephew. He said the mass for the Rite of Marriage for his sisters and niece. He concelebrated at the masses for the Sacrament of First Communion and Confirmation for each of his nephews and niece.

Outside of the priesthood, Bill was an avid golfer and enjoyed playing a round

several times a week as a clergy member of the Wilshire Country Club. While he loved the game, he truly valued the companionship of his friends and brother-in-law, Don, that he played with. He was a devoted Uncle and was very involved in the upbringing of his niece and nephews. “Uncle Bill” was always willing to lend a listening ear, help with homework, or “chauffeur” when needed. He found joy in an excellent meal and was a wonderful dinner and lunch companion. Bill would always have his meal accompanied by a chilled martini, and found happiness in a cigar with a crossword puzzle at the end

The Windsor Square-Hancock Park Historical Society fittingly picked the 100-yearold Tam O’Shanter for its annual holiday party on Dec. 11. Just steps from Walt Disney’s favorite table, more than 65 members chatted, cheered and toasted a successful year (including the $16,000 raised from November’s Rimpau Boulevard

of an evening.  Bill is survived by his sister, Maureen Binder (Donald), brother-in-law, Stephen Holz, his niece and nephews: Michael Holz (Ivy), Anne Angelico (Andrew) and Matthew Holz (Sadé) and his great-niece and great-nephew Caroline Angelico and Henry Angelico. Bill is preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Polly Wolfe and by his sister, Therese Holz.

Bill’s Funeral Mass was held on Tuesday, December 13, 2022 at Holy Cross Cemetery 5835 W. Slauson Avenue, Culver City, California 90230. Internment followed the funeral mass. A reception celebrating Bill’s life was held at Wilshire Country Club.

In lieu of flowers we ask that you make a donation in Bill’s name to a charity that is meaningful to you.

New member Elizabeth Yeo said she has lived in Hancock Park for more than 20 years and now is both intrigued and excited to get to know the history and architecture of the homes she drove past for all of those years. Linda Nelson and Michael Madison recently moved to Hancock Park after living in Downtown Los Angeles the past nine years. “We joined because we wanted to know more about the history of the area,” said Linda. “We were drawn to Hancock Park because it is quieter and has such beautiful architecture, and we love the idea of shopping locally.”

Windsor Square residents and new members John Iglar and Jeremy Braud chose the area because of their own (Please turn to page 10)

CD 5

(Continued from page 7) urgency and compassion.

Every morning I wake up and visualize what I want Los Angeles to be. I ask that you join me in that visualization, and, over the next four years, we will build that future. I can’t do it alone, but together we will make great things happen for Council District 5, and for Los Angeles.

NEIGHBORS enjoy the horse-drawn carriage festivities in Brookside.

AT THE TAM O’SHANTER, new Historical Society member Cynthia Paciolla introduces herself as Society president Richard Battaglia officiates.

BROOKSIDERS Adam and Laura Abramson and son Archie exude holiday spirit.

Girl Scout cookie season brings a new flavor! Sales start Jan. 17

By Casey Russell

The largest girl-run business in the world, the Girl Scouts, will be starting its iconic cookie program on Tues., Jan. 17 with online sales. The resulting cookie deliveries begin January 29. Booth sales will take place from Fri., Feb. 10 through Fri., March 10.

For years, the Girl Scouts have been tantalizing taste buds with their delectable cookie delights. The first known sale of cookies by Girl Scouts was in 1917. That year, the Mistletoe Troop girls in Muskogee, Oklahoma, baked cookies and sold them in their high school cafeteria as a service project. In 1936, the national organization started working to license commercial bakers to produce cookies to be sold by their members nationwide.

Sales clearly grew in popularity and now, sweet-lovers across the nation look forward to Girl Scout cookie season.

Raspberry Rally

This year, fans will be able to buy long-time favorites like Thin Mints, Samoas, Tagalongs and Do-si-dos at local booths. The newest flavor, making its debut this selling-season, is a spinoff of the Scout’s trademark Thin Mints, called the Raspberry Rally. It will only be sold in

limited quantities online. The crispy, thin cookie looks a lot like a Thin Mint but is infused with a raspberry flavor rather than a minty one.

Elianna Isbell, a junior at Immaculate Heart, has been in the Scouts for 10 years and has sold annually. When asked what the experience of selling cookies has taught her, she

said, “It has taught me confidence in talking with other people — especially doing it from such a young age. I would go to my mom’s office in the beginning and then I scaled-up to standing in front of Ralph’s, or on Larchmont.”

According to May Isbell, Troop number 15875’s troop leader and Elianna’s mother, Larchmont Boulevard is a sought-after location for booths. The Service Units of each group have to sign up for booth locations. But, Isbell says sign-ups probably won’t open up until early January.

The Girl Scouts offer girls an opport unity to learn entrepreneurial skills, practice problem-solving and gain confidence while building community, making friends and spending time in nature.

The younger Isbell said, “I like the values I’m taught… the community is something I value.” She also loves the

hands-on experiences Scout camping excursions have given her. “I’ve learned things that have really enhanced my childhood and growing up.” The Immaculate Heart student said she hopes to be a troop leader in the future. “The whole organization is so friendly and welcoming wherever you go.”

Cookie lovers’ taste buds will be welcoming the opening day of sales, and buyers can be proud to support the Girl Scout organization. Part of the money raised from each box sold goes back to the seller’s chapter which collectively decides how to spend the proceeds. Some money goes to service projects that help the community, some goes to the troop’s outdoor excursions, and some is used to improve weekly meetings.

For more information, visit girlscoutsla.org. Next month, local booth locations will be in the Larchmont Chronicle

Wilshire Wildcats Fastpitch is here

Wilshire Wildcats Fastpitch Spring season 2023 starts Mon., Jan. 9 and continues through Sun., May 7.

Late registration is underway and continues through Fri., Jan. 27.

The girls’ league softball practice continues on Mondays and / or Wednesdays at Lemon Grove Recreation Center, 4959 Lemon Grove Ave. Games are offered in four age divisions from 6 to 16-years old, plus All-Star teams in the spring and holiday tournaments during the fall.

For more information call or text Coach Keith at 323383-5954 or email president@ wilshiresoftball.com, or visit wilshiresoftball.com

Around the Town

(Continued from page 8)

upbringing and the neighborhood’s historical significance. “We’re from the East Coast and New Orleans,” explained Iglar, “and we wanted to move to one of the most historically preserved areas of Los Angeles. We appreciate the history and want to help preserve it.”

After introductions, guests enjoyed the dining choices of prime rib, pan-roasted salmon, roasted turkey and vegetarian entrees. Longtime members Milli Schuber, Carol Wertheim and Myrna Gintel were all ornamented in their holiday best while celebrating and savoring their English trifle dessert, a fitting finale for a group that was overjoyed to be together in person, celebrating history and friendship and a year of success.

And now you’re in the Larchmont know!

GIRL SCOUTS (left to right) Winnie Baird of Windsor Square and Alice Killoran, and Ella Wolovitch of Ridgewood Wilton were selling cookies to high school students in front of Larchmont Charter School at Lafayette Park last year.

Local dental practice is a decades-old family affair

By Casey Russell

On the corner of Larchmont Boulevard and Rosewood Avenue sits a homey dental office that has been serving the Larchmont community for decades.

In 1983, Dr. Arthur Kezian began practicing on Larchmont Boulevard working with another dentist, Dr. Charles Sweet, who had been running his office there since the 1940s. When Dr. Sweet retired, Kezian took over the practice, and it has truly become a family affair.

joined the practice upon graduating. Dentistry brought them together and has been a huge part of their family’s life as the Kezian clan has grown.

The couple has two adult sons, Michael and Steven, also dentists. When asked about growing up with two dentists for parents, Steven (whom patients call Dr. Steve) said, “All they talked about was teeth.”

He recalls going into the office every weekend when he was young. He said, “I would hold a flashlight while we were fixing the X-ray machine or whatever. Our first jobs were to do the accounting at the office.”

day. “It’s a little crowded. We’re all running around, but it’s fun. Any time I need some advice or have a question, I have three great mentors,” said Steven.

LITTLE FREE LIBRARY outside the Kezian dental office.

Michael Kezian joined the family practice in 2015.

Steven Kezian joined a few years later.

Narine Tashjian, who Dr. Kezian met at UCLA’s dental school and later married, (Please turn to page 12)

As a way to expand, see more patients and be a bit more independent, Michael took over Dr. Karl Zeiler’s practice, just up the street, doing business as Larchmont Dental Associates. All four Kezians are at the original office together every Thurs-

The Kezians strive to treat their patients like family They have four generations of patients and a big part of the family’s style is their sensitivity with the people they serve. They believe in taking time to show patients what is going on, so each choice is understood, says Steven. “We give them the recommendations we’d give our own family members. Everything we do is for the health of the tooth and prolonging the teeth.” Dr. Steve even mans the phones at the office each weekend to ensure patients with dental emergencies will be taken care of.

Steven says that the family members pride themselves on making sure everything is cosmetically sound. They use tooth-colored crowns and

•

The Beauty of Experience

Larchmont Chronicle JANUARY 2023 HEALTH, FITNESS & BEAUTY 11

shops cater to the beauty-minded

By Casey Russell

For those interested in scent and skin care, three new shops in the Larchmont Mercantile will be welcome additions to the neighborhood.

Skin Laundry, 132 N. Larchmont Blvd., has been open since July for its signature laser facials. “We kind of made laser facials a thing,” said Skye Bonfante, assistant clinic manager at the Larchmont location. The company’s 15-minute treatments focus on the second layer of skin — the dermis, which Bonfante said home skin care products and even European-style facials can’t reach on their own.

Many Skin Laundry clients are looking for improved skin elasticity, plumpness and hydration. Others seek solutions for hyperpigmentation.

Skin Laundry’s treatments are performed by registered nurses and, according to Bonfante, are “quick, convenient and super results-based.” To learn more, visit: skinlaundry.com.

The Scent Room, 142 ½ N. Larchmont Blvd., which was originally set to open in October, ran into some difficulties trying to secure a contractor.

But, Sam Clark, owner of the Boulevard location, told the Chronicle, “We’re finally back on track, and it’s looking like a January opening.” The team has been working hard locking down some amazing scent collections from around the world. According to Clark,

Kezians

(Continued from page 11)

fillings, so things can be functional, solid, long-lasting and also cosmetically appealing.

They offer teeth whitening, veneers, porcelain crowns and dental implants. They also use

the company will be “bringing dozens of new perfume lines to the Los Angeles market, some of which will be debuting in America for the first time.”

For more about the company, visit: thescentroom.com.

Credo Beauty, 136 N. Larchmont Blvd., expects to open in

cutting-edge technology with digital X-rays and CT scans.

The Kezians feel fortunate to be practicing in this area. Arthur Kezian grew up locally, attending Hollywood High, and passed by Larchmont Boulevard often. “The Larchmont community has

mid-January. This will be the company’s second Los Angeles location and its 12th store. All of its products are cruelty-free and aimed to create a safer and more ethical beauty industry. According to Jessica Fitzsimons, Credo’s director of public relations, Credo has transformed what the term “clean” truly means in the under-regulated beauty industry, and the brand is known as the fastest-growing clean beauty retailer. Said Annie Jackson, Credo’s co-founder, “Larchmont Village is such a charming street with beautiful, independent shops and great restaurants, with some very like-minded businesses. So, it made so much sense to open Credo there.”

She went on to say, “We have been looking on this street for quite some time and are extremely excited to unveil

given us so much, we want to be able to give back,” he said.

Nine years ago, the dentists put up their little free library on the wall outside their offices. It was very well received and, five years ago, they added a dog station with treats for dogs and bags for owners. These things “help us feel really connected to the community,” said Steve.

Arthur Kezian started the Dr Arthur A. Kezian DDS Science Scholarship about six years ago. It is offered to high school seniors and undergraduate and graduate students going into careers in science. The Kezians read through about 100 applications every year and then choose one person to whom they award a $1,200 grant. Applications for the next award just opened, with a due date of Fri., March 31, through drkezian.com/science-scholarship/. “We’ve been here 40 years, and it’s very fulfilling,” said Arthur Kezian.

Michael and his wife, Maryse Gellad (who also is a dentist), are expecting their first child in February. Gellad’s father is a dentist as well, so the family has six dental professionals at family gatherings. “We share this passion. When we get together, it’s all we talk about. We don’t feel like we’re working when we’re [at the office] because we’re hanging out with family,” said Steven Kezian.

Whenever the elder Kezians slow down, the brothers will become partners, but that doesn’t look like it will happen anytime soon.

Said Arthur Kezian, “It’s very fulfilling. [Our kids] are achieving those successful moments in dentistry that are really rewarding [for us, as] parents, [to see].” The family is bound together by a love of the work they do. “It’s been a huge part of our whole lives,” said Steven Kezian.

a brand-new store concept for the Larchmont customer. More information can be found at credobeauty.com.

Just south of Peet’s Coffee at 120 N. Larchmont Blvd., Thirteen Lune now has signage in the windows. According to the company’s website, the store is “designed to inspire the discovery of beauty brands created by Black and Brown founders that resonate with people of all colors.”

The Larchmont flagship location is the first standalone retail location for the e-commerce shop (which is also JCPenny’s flagship partner for in-shop stores). Store owners hadn’t been reached at the time of this writing, but the Larchmont Chronicle will update readers as new information becomes available. To take a look at their online presence, visit: thirteenlune.com.

skin deep

by Dr. Rebecca Fitzgerald

It’s that magical time of year when we’re all super busy abandoning our New Year’s Resolutions. Just think of it as one door closing and another opening because winter is the ideal time to achieve the best skin you’ve experienced in years. How’s that for a new goal?

Halo Laser Treatment is the very first hybrid fractional laser to marry ablative and non-ablative wavelengths. Stay with me now. What this means for you is not only can we customize Halo to your precise skincare needs, we can address the dermis to stimulate collagen and elastin, and the epidermis to reduce brown spots and sun damage, minimize pore size and improve texture and tone. You can expect far less downtime compared to other ablative lasers - approximately five days of mild to moderate swelling, redness and flaking.

What you’ll experience is the Christmas morning of skincare treatments. What wonderful result will appear in the mirror each morning? After minimal recovery time, you’ll face the dramatic sloughing of brown spots and sun damage to reveal positively glowing and plumped skin; then reduced crow’s feet, fine lines around your mouth and other creases; and in time, tighter, firmer, more youthful skin. And just like that you’re back on track.

Dr. Rebecca Fitzgerald is a Board Certified Dermatologist located in Larchmont Village with a special focus on anti-aging technology. She is a member of the Botox Cosmetic National Education Faculty and is an international Training Physician for Dermik, the makers of the injectable Sculptra. She is also among a select group of physicians chosen to teach proper injection techniques for Radiesse, the volumizing filler, around the world. Dr. Fitzgerald is an assistant clinical professor at UCLA. Visit online at www.RebeccaFitzgeraldMD. com or call (323) 464-8046 to schedule an appointment.

With more than 3,600 healthy babies delivered annually, CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center has established Southern California's leading maternity care center over the past 100 years. Now, in exclusive partnership with the neonatal team from Children's Hospital Los Angeles Medical Group and our innovative new fetal surgery facilities, we offer the highest level of care for you and your newborn family.

Rest assured you've made the best choice for your nevVborn child at CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center

Larchmont Charter’s World Fair returns to Hollygrove campus

By Caroline Tracy

Members

of

the Larchmont Charter School (LCS) community recently gathered for the post-pandemic return of the school’s World Fair. The beloved fundraising event took place at LCS’s Hollygrove campus last month, and many from the surrounding neighborhoods enjoyed the festivities.

Celebrating the many cultures that are represented at LCS, the World Fair featured a plethora of food offerings, performances, games and crafts. Filipino favorites such

as chicken skewers and spring rolls and boba tea from Taiwan were highlights. Many other countries and regions, including but not limited to Korea, Japan, Iran, the Caribbean and Latin America were represented.

As in years past, a bake sale featured many international treats, including homemade babka.

The edible school yard program at each campus made food and crafts to sell as well including decorated tea towels, herb bundles and handmade tea.

Craft tables offered holiday decoration tutorials and beading. A group of third graders made bracelets and donated some of the proceeds to a charity supporting unhoused youths.

“We are so grateful to have brought back the World Fair to the Hollygrove campus this year,” said event chair Mark Daley Kennedy. “We celebrated with art and food from 15 different cultures that our school represents, and fun was had by all. We look forward to continuing the celebration in 2023.”

kramer law

HEALTH CARE DIRECTIVES

California law provides each of us with the ability to make sure our health care wishes are known and complied with in the event we are unable to make these decisions ourselves. In an Advance Health Care Directive, you designate an individual whom you direct to carry out your wishes regarding choice of hospital, your doctor, support staff, treatment, and end-of-life issues if you become unable to speak for yourself. Healthcare providers must follow your Agent’s instructions.

The significance of having an AHCD cannot be overstated. Privacy laws and liability issues have made it increasingly difficult for doctors and hospitals to discuss medical matters with family members – even a spouse or parent! Consequently, without an AHCD, it may be the courts or hospital administrators determining your care.

In response to the growing importance of every adult having an Advance Health Care Directive (AHCD), the California Secretary of State has established a state-wide AHCD Registry. Should you become injured, ill, or otherwise unable to speak for yourself, your healthcare provider or Agent may request information from the state-wide registry regarding your healthcare.

Stephen W. Kramer

PARENT VOLUNTEERS and Larchmont Charter teachers (left to right) Cheryl Himmelstein of Miracle Mile, Julie Johnson of Windsor Square, Betsy Cavalier of Larchmont Village and Daryl Redbone sell “stone” (vegetable) soup along with crafts made by students.

NEZAHUALPILU DANCE troupe performs its traditional ethnic Aztec dances for the World Fair. Photos by Nona Sue Friedman

‘Nextdoor’ post changes the life of a mother and daughter

By Nona Sue Friedman

Veronica Chaberski of Hancock Park has been enjoying jazz at the Catalina Jazz Club with Eve, shopping with Rita and going to a museum with Joanne — and that’s in one week! It’s a full and varied schedule for the widowed 81-year-old who moved here from Florida a year ago. However, Chaberski’s life here was not always this full.

After her husband passed away in 2020 and the pandemic hit, Chaberski’s vibrant friend network in Florida went from 20 people to two. She decided it was time to move west to be within walking distance of her daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter in Hancock Park.

After the move, she had trouble making friends in her new home. Her daughter, Monica Corcoran Harel, noticed her mother’s zest for life was dimming. Her mom was always the life of the party or the one throwing the spontaneous cocktail and dance get-together. Now, her mom wasn’t putting on her daily “make-up face,” she had no activities or outings scheduled, and she wasn’t her usual vivacious self. Harel realized that her mother was lonely and needed friends her own

age. Harel wanted to help.

She knew that loneliness, especially in seniors, is harmful to physical and mental well-being.

Harel wanted to invite some of her friends to bring their moms over for a backyard get-together. This could be a chance for her mom to meet peers. But it just wasn’t working out. COVID-19 kept rearing its ugly head.

One day, Harel spontaneously decided to post a notice titled “My mom has no friends” on Nextdoor. She

described her fun, outgoing, music-listening, artsy mother to everyone in the neighborhood. Harel didn’t even tell her mom she was doing this. The following day, her mom saw the post on Nextdoor. Her only comment to her daughter was, “Did you have to mention my age?”

The post attracted hundreds of responses of all different ages who wanted to meet, socialize with and get to know Chaberski. She started reaching out to responders singly, but it was too overwhelming

to reply individually. Harel and her mom decided to start a new group on Nextdoor called “My mom has no friends.”

The new group, which has about 100 members so far, has met once in person and has planned a Dec. 29 get-together at the Original Farmers Market.

Between the initial post on Nextdoor and the first in-person meeting, Chaberski has gained four friends. She thinks she will make another three at the next couple of gatherings.

The post has been a lifechanger for both mom and daughter

With her new pals, Chaberski has become an active member of this community, joining the Ebell of Los Angeles and the Assistance League. She has encouraged her new-found friends to bead and knit with her. Regarding Larchmont and Los Angeles being her new home, she says, “It’s absolutely fabulous! I love all the creative people who are genuinely happy for you if you are happy.”

As for Harel, a journalist, she wrote about the post and her mom in a story for New York Magazine. After the article appeared there, the story was picked up as a television show with 20th Television that Harel will adapt for the screen.

Now each time she and her mom spend time together — which is often — she wonders if the particular new story her mom is relating would make for a good episode.

If you are looking to expand your community, check out the group on Nextdoor under “My mom has no friends.” Another meetup is planned for January.

Miracle Mile 2023

Our year-round guide to lifestyle, entertainment, residential and business news (last year’s cover, above) will be published with the March issue of the Larchmont Chronicle. Advertising deadline is Mon., Feb. 13. For more info, contact Pam Rudy, 323-462-2241, ext. 11.

Doreen Cohen, DPT Doctor of Physical Therapy Specializes in: Lower back pathology Manual Therapy Pilates

Dr. Jason Gordon, DPT Doctor of Physical Therapy Specializes in: Sports rehabilitation, Functional training and manual therapy.

Dr. Zachary Lygizos, DPT Doctor of Physical Therapy

Specializes in: Orthopedic Injury Manual Therapy Sports Medicine

Celebrating 37 Years Serving the Greater Los Angeles Community

Dr. Sylvia Chac Liang, DPT Doctor of Physical Therapy Specializes in: Knee and back pathology, Pediatric physical therapy

27th 37th 37th

ORIGINAL POST on Nextdoor for Veronica Chaberski.

NEW COVENANT

ACADEMY

Dale Lee 12th Grade

When the weather starts to get chilly and hymns play on the radio, you know it’s the holiday season.

As NCA’s first semester of the school year came to a close, students, teachers and staff celebrated with a Christmas service. From concert dances by our young Huskies to the traditional faculty carol sing-along, it was fun to be festive before the three-week long break.

Though finals may not be something students look forward to, we did enjoy being served breakfast by our PTA. Maybe muffins, milk and grilled cheeses gave our students some strength before testing.

As the last college applications are submitted and our seniors await some early decision letters, we want to congratulate them as they’ve worked diligently through this difficult process.

The boys’ basketball season is also off to a great start! With their first game of the season resulting in a win, we hope to continue seeing success, as our boys play hard. Make sure to come to some of our games and cheer them on!

MARLBOROUGH

By Avery Gough 11th Grade

December was an exciting, activity-filled month. Marlborough’s numerous choir groups performed at the Winter Choral concert on Dec. 9.

The Winter Art Show was scheduled for Dec. 14 and featured student-created work. All grades celebrated the end of our semester on Dec. 16 at our on-campus Winter Fest event. Student and parent volunteers hosted different activities, such as games, slides, food and a raffle. The event is always a great way to spend time with friends before separating for the holiday break.

We return to school on Tues., Jan. 3. On Sat., Jan. 14, the 10th and 11th grade classes have their semi-formal. The dance will be in-person again at the Avalon in Hollywood. This year, the theme is Nature / Garden. Luckily for us, we will have a three-day weekend to recover!

CATHEDRAL CHAPEL SCHOOL

By Olivia Sherman 6th Grade

This year, CCS had a Christmas program for all grades on Dec. 20.  Kinder and first-grade students enjoyed a field trip to the Huntington Library in Pasadena and we’ve started basketball season. Our girls’ and boys’ teams

are practicing three days a week.

The 8th graders are diligently prepping to take their high school placement tests in January. CCS will also be celebrating Catholic Schools’ Week, which begins on Sun., Jan. 29 with an Open House and Book Fair at 11 a.m. If you are unable to join us on Sunday, you are invited to join us on Thu., Feb. 2 from 8:30 a.m. to noon for an Open House. In addition to our Open Houses, the student ambassadors give tours every Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. If you are interested, please call: 323-938-9976. CCS wishes you a wonderful New Year.

LARCHMONT CHARTER HOLLYGROVE

By Yena Rhee and Alastair Ayandele 4th Grade

songs in other upcoming Morning Sings. He also mentioned the possibility of a special guest that he will bring in for the rap part.

We hope the Year of the Rabbit brings the best for you, your friends, your family, your favorite sports team and the world!

MELROSE ELEMENTARY

By Stella Coppola 5th Grade Decem

ber was a fun month at Mel rose.   Fifth graders started Garden Rang ers with Garden Ranger Beau. We had an awesome time learning and exploring in the garden, from trying dill to finding a chrysalis.  We will meet with him every Thursday before Conga Kids and I am so exited!

Speaking of Conga Kids, every Thursday before recess we’ve been learning the Danzon, salsa, Afro-Brazilian dance, and my personal favorite, an authentic jazz mix.

We are excited for the start of 2023!   Not only will it be a new calendar year, but the Lunar New Year will also be celebrated.  Our art teacher, Ms. Sabina, said, “We’ll probably make a big dragon.”  We’ll have some students be the dragon’s legs and walk around the pavilion. We are using a dragon because it symbolizes good luck, strength and health.

Parents and relatives are encouraged to attend the Lunar New Year themed Morning Sing, which will be on Fri., Jan. 20. It’s a little early, because the official Lunar New Year starts on Sun., Jan. 22. The Lunar New Year animal for 2023 is the rabbit. The rabbit symbolizes courage, prosperity, kindness and longevity.

In addition to our special Lunar New Year Morning Sing, our music teacher, Mr. Malcolm, plans to have some hip hop and rap

We had Young Storytellers Workshop where six, 5th graders’ stories were chosen and preformed by a cast of professional actors! The event can be  described in one word: Awesome!

On Dec. 3, we had our family fun night at the Groundling’s Theater with their Improv. group. I love theater and this was no exception. It was funny, creative and interactive fun for all ages!

Two days before winter break we had round-two of our genius hour presentation. This time our parents got to come. I got to showcase a first draft of my “Titanic: A New Musical.”

Last, and most exiting of all, we had our winter performance. It featured all grades performing all types of songs in front of teachers and parents for a funfilled way to end the year.

Happy New Year to students and readers!

Omar Douglas formerly at Larchmont Barber

ST. JAMES’ EPISCOPAL

SCHOOL

By Evan Listi 6th Grade

Hello! I can’t wait to tell you about everything that will happen this January at St. James’! We will return from Winter Break on Mon., Jan. 9 and finally get to see our classmates and teachers again. Starting January out strong, we will have our first

2023 In-N-Out day on Thurs., Jan. 19, which is always fun for students and parents.

Only a couple days later, on Wed., Jan. 25, our Head of School, Mr. Reinke, will be giving his State of the School address to families; providing an overview of the past

year and sharing his vision for the future. That same day, St. James’ will welcome 10 students and two teachers from our sister school in Korea, the Munui School. They will be here until Sat., Feb. 4 and St. James’ families will be hosting them. We haven’t been able to do this for two years due to the pandemic.  It’s such a wonderful opportunity to learn about each others’ cultures.  We are thrilled

to be able to show them our school and Los Angeles.  Another thing to look forward to is the Lunar New Year celebration! It is our annual tradition that includes the bowing ceremony as we head into the Year of the Rabbit.   I’m excited and wish you all the best in the new year!

CHRIST THE KING SCHOOL

By Joshua Lo 8th Grade

Throughout December, students learned the importance of sharing with the less fortunate. They have generously donated toys for our annual Christmas Toy Drive.  The toys were donated to needy members of our community.

Students in grades three through eight had a wonderful time when they traveled with their teachers to the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center to see Debbie Allen’s production of the “Hot Chocolate Nutcracker.” I was one of the performers!  It was an amazing experience to be part of such a big production.

Our Pueri Cantores school choir joined other parish choirs and participated in a concert in Christ the King Church on Dec. 9 called, “Lessons and Carols.” And, the school’s Christmas pag-

eant was held on Dec. 15.

Our basketball team is hard at work, hoping to make our school proud when they compete in games against other schools in the new year.  Team members are doing their best to condition their bodies and practice their skills.

Eighth-grade students have been busy this month submitting their high school applications.  We thank God for everything we have, and especially for the birth of Jesus. We wish all our readers a happy and peaceful new year.

THIRD STREET SCHOOL

By Ren Stoppani Brown 5th Grade

Our wonderful three-week winter break will end on January 9. On Fri., Jan. 13, there will be a Spirit Day. Students can wear their clothes inside-out and backwards. It will be a fun way to start the new year! There will be no demons on this Friday the 13th.

At the end of January, the fifth grade will visit Astro Camp, their second overnight field trip of the school year. Our last trip was great and this one will be just as great. We will all be graduating at the end of this semester, so this is our last chance to do something like this.

Away from school: comics, musical theater and painting denim

By Casey Russell

Every month, the Larchmont Chronicle gives readers a chance to find out what’s going on at local schools. This month, we thought we would take a moment to give you a glimpse of how some area kids spend their time away from school. Enjoy!

Sasha Bogosian, 14, whose family has lived in Larchmont Village for 12 years, raises funds for the art therapy program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

The teen, who has lived with cerebral palsy since birth, began painting denim as art therapy and as a fun craft. She came up with the idea to give back to her community and, for a donation, will handpaint jeans and other denim items.

In six years, she has raised more than $60,000. Bogosian is featured in a new children’s book, “Young Change Makers — Heroic Kids.” To learn more about her or to purchase Sasha’s denim art, visit: thesashaprojectla.org.

Emerson Kelly, 9, a student at Larchmont Charter Hollygrove, spends much of his free time drawing comic strips. His inspiration — the graphic novels he loves to read. “I like them all!” he says.

Kelly specializes in superhero comics, which he draws in black and white.

Two of his strips feature characters of which he is the secret identity; Power Boy and Chunky Chain, a character who carries a chain of hotdogs for use against bad guys.

For now, the fourth-grader displays his work on a big board in his bedroom. But Kelly hopes to write and draw graphic novels as a career

HOLLYWOOD SCHOOLHOUSE

By Miles Hoffman

6th Grade

Hello everybody, and happy holidays. I love this time of year. Winter break is here and I have some exciting plans. I will be going to a sleepover with my best friend and might even go to Big Bear.

My 6th grade classmates and I just finished our Shark Tank project. We paired up into groups of three, and we created our own business. We had to buy supplies that we used to design our products and we also had to make a whole presentation about our company. After months of hard work, we put all of our products on display to sell at the Winterfest. Some of our products included necklaces, keychains, earrings, pet toys and

when he’s older.

Lucy Gleim, a sixth grade student at Hollywood Schoolhouse, has a passion for musical theater, singing and giving back to her community. Gleim has been doing musical theater since the age of 4 and says, “Singing has always been a way to express myself. Acting is telling a story… [and] when I’m memorizing my lines, I feel accomplished and confident.”

The young thespian has been in more than 12 productions at Youth Academy of Dramatic Arts, and hopes to continue pursuing musical theater as she grows.

On the community service side, Gleim worked with her school doing student-led lemonade stands and extra chores, as well as decorating bottles to serve as coin-col-

flower pots that we made out of cardboard. Along with our snack booth, we raised $1,768.

You might be wondering what the Winterfest is. Well, the Winterfest is an event that everybody who is currently enrolled in the school can attend, and even past graduates are invited. There are little booths that sell items in the yard, and once you get to the turf, there’s a DJ. There is also a hot chocolate booth and there are many food stands. This past Winterfest, there was even laser tag! I am so sad that this was my last Winterfest at HSH.

At Hollywood Schoolhouse, we like to help people in need. We’ve held food drives, painted new tiles, participated in a beautification project and more. As one of our many efforts to help people in need, we are going to be decorating gift bags for Project Angel Food. We will put our best efforts in them, because even the smallest of things can impact someone’s life.

lecting devices for their goal of raising $21,000 to help build new water wells in Malawi through Water for Africa. She also volunteers at Goodwill sorting and organizing donations. She says, “My whole family feels so proud, glad and happy to help other people in the world.”

These three young people are a good example of the interesting, dedicated youth in our area. This community is full of kids discovering and delving into their passions and sharing their gifts with the world.

SPEAKER SERIES

Dr. Lisa Damour

Wednesday, January 18, 2023 @ 12 PM. Virtual Event.

Dr. Michael Thompson

Wednesday, February 1, 2023 @ 7 PM. In-Person Event.

COMIC STRIP drawn by Emerson Kelly.

SASHA BOGOSIAN painting.

EMERSON KELLY, comic strip artist at Larchmont Charter Hollygrove. LUCY GLEIM, sixth grader at Hollywood Schoolhouse.

A sport for fitness, mental acuity and community

By Casey Russell

When people think of working out, the first thing that tends to come to mind is a traditional gym. But, not far from Larchmont Boulveard, there’s an alternative to the norm. Hollywood Boulders (1107 N. Bronson Ave.) has been offering a different fitness experience to people in our area since 2016.

Essentially, bouldering is rock climbing without ropes or harnesses. With just special shoes and safety mats, climbers are challenged to scale short routes, figuring out a “problem” (as the sequence of moves used to complete a climb is called).

Climbers move vertically to get to the top of a less-than20-foot wall or horizontally from one end of a “problem” to another. The sport takes balance, strength and mental fortitude.

Having started out as a training method for mountain climbers, bouldering morphed into a sport of its own, and it’s grown in popularity. Now there are artificial walls and boulders in climbing gyms all over the world, and Hollywood Boulders is proud to be one of them.

Mario Guillen, manager at the climbing gym, said, “Climbing is a great way to work out, meet people and

ing and inspiring.” What sets climbing apart from other sports, in his mind, is the fact that there is no competitiveness — except with yourself. “It’s just you and the wall,” he said.

Though Hollywood Boulders is primarily a bouldering gym, it does offer cardio, free weights, yoga and fitness classes. It also has monthly group meetings such as She-rocks (a women’s meet-up), Queer

Crush (a night for the LGBTQ crowd to come together) and Largartijas Climbing Cru’ (a meetup for people of color).

The gym is open weekdays from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and weekends from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Drop-ins are welcome for a $30-$35 daily guest fee. Memberships are available at a rate of $95 per month (plus a one-time $100 initiation fee) and give members access to all of the Touchstone (Boulder’s umbrella company) locations across California. Kids under 13 are free to climb with a member parent.

For more information, visit touchstoneclimbing.com

Kids can explore new interests at nearby winter camps

By Nona Sue Friedman

There is plenty of fun to be had for vacationing kids the first week of January. Following is a selection of camp options for your school-aged child. Spaces fill up quickly; don’t delay in registering.

Science

Learn about and celebrate the miraculous ocean at Heal the Bay’s winter camp. This organization has been an advocate for the Santa Monica Bay for 30 years. It has lots to teach and share with the

next generation at its winter camp.

At the program, campers will learn where whales go in the winter and why tide pools are important. They will perform science experiments, play games, do crafts and, of course, go to the beach.

Kids in transitional kindergarten through sixth grade can participate Mon., Jan. 2 to Fri., Jan. 6, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Daily cost is $80; weekly cost is $400. Register at healthebay.org.

Rock Band

Does your child want that air guitar imitation to come to life? At School of Rock winter camp, that can become his or her reality for a week — no experience necessary.

Campers will explore different instruments through games, activities and lessons. They will work on multiple songs with their bandmates throughout the week. The session culminates with a live show at a venue in the neighborhood.

The camp accommodates 7to 10-year-olds, Mon., Jan. 2 to Fri., Jan. 6, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at 7801 Beverly Blvd. The camp costs $525. Register at schoolofrock.com.

Sports

Pan Pacific Park Recreation Center hosts “The best camp!” according to Floyd Thweatt, program coordinator. With more than 100 games in its arsenal, there’s never a dull moment. Days are filled from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. with games, arts and crafts, food

projects and sports. This winter camp includes a field trip.

Pan Pacific has been rebuilding its community since the summer, and lots of kids from the neighborhood participate in its programs. Don’t be surprised seeing some forgotten but familiar faces.

Kids five to 13 will have a blast here from Tues., Jan. 3 through Fri., Jan. 6. The cost is $135 for the week. Register online at laparks.org or stop by in person at 7600 Beverly Blvd.

become part of a community. I haven’t met another group of people that is so encourag-

CLIMBERS find a different experience at Hollywood Boulders.

For Loyola basketball, defense and rebounding are a priority

Who’s the NBA’s greatest defensive player ever? Dennis Rodman was certainly the most colorful, and he ranks No. 1 in total career rebound percentage. Bill Russell had more rebounds in NBA Finals appearances than anyone else. Or how about Hakeem Olajuwan? He ranks No. 1 in career blocked shots.

“I’d say Michael Cooper and Hakeem Olajuwan were the greatest defensive players,” said Loyola High School Head Basketball Coach Damaine Powell.

Big D

Powell should know what

he’s talking about. He adheres strictly to drilling and repetition of fundamentals, and for him, it’s all about defense and the boards. His players practice defending against the pick-and-roll offensive play, and also work the shell drill, which teaches team defense and positioning.

“The focus of all my teams is defense and rebounding,” stressed Powell. “That’s what wins championships.”

Powell is in his second year at Loyola. Previously, he coached at St. Paul High School in Santa Fe Springs

The Plymouth School

Sports

for seven years. His teams won four conference titles there. He also coached at Cal State University, Dominguez Hills for 10 years where his teams were conference champs three times.

Before Cal State, he was head coach at Compton College after he served as assistant coach at USC, his alma mater.

Powell and the Loyola Cubs have their work cut out for them this season. At one point last year, they were 18-2. Presently they are playing about .500.

“We lost 10 seniors after last season,” said Powell.

Up and down

On November 23, in a game against Mira Costa, Loyola was held scoreless for the entire fourth quarter. This was an example of Powell’s philosophy that defense wins games, and unfortunately, it was his Cubs whom were made the example. Behind a formidable defense, Mira Costa defeated Loyola 57-46.

“They were a senior-laden team and have a great coach,” explained Powell. “It was a perfect storm of their great defense and our failure to make shots.”

A week later, Loyola traveled to Artesia to play Kennedy

High School, and this time, Powell’s offense and defense churned full-force. They defeated Kennedy 67-22, which was the lowest number of points Kennedy has been held to yet this season.

The Cubs’ best offensive game was also their worst defensive showing. In a high-scoring shootout on Nov. 19 against Centennial (Bakersfield), Loyola lost a close one 71-70. They went well past their scoring average — 58.6 points per game — but also finished above their 51 points allowed per game.

Swingmen

Loyola is a young team, mostly comprised of sophomores and juniors. There is one freshman on the varsity squad, though. Quincy Watson is a ninth grader, and plays point guard. He’s just 5’9”, but his abilities and skills soar much higher.

Junior Hugh Vandeweghe is listed at 6’7”and plays center.

“We don’t have a traditional center,” said Powell. “He’s our best 3-point shooter and works from the perimeter.”

Vandeweghe also happens to be the nephew of NBA Hall of Famer Kiki Vandeweghe. Kiki was a two-time All Star, and in 1983, while playing for the Denver Nuggets, scored 51 points against the Detroit

IMMACULATE HEART

By Kellyn Lanza 12th Grade

Happy New Year from Immaculate Heart! We ended 2022 with lots of events that rang in the holidays with festive cheer, starting with our high school and middle school open house events that showcased our academic programs and extracurriculars. Those prospective students who would still like to attend Shadow Visits (half-day school visits enabling prospective students to attend classes and meet teachers and students in the classroom setting) can continue to register for them in coming weeks through our website at immaculateheart.org.

Last month, the Class of 2024 hosted the annual Justice Fair. The juniors worked in groups to

Pistons in a triple overtime game.

Hugh Vandeweghe’s counterpart for the Cubs is Jonas de Krassel. The two are swingmen, which are players who can play as shooting guards or small forwards, switching between positions.

“Hugh and Jonas are two of the best wing players in the country,” said Powell.  “They can both shoot the threepoint shot, handle the ball and are great passers. We’ll have a chance in every game we play this year because of those two guys.”

make unique stocking stuffers, and then donated the profits to four different charities. Before heading into the first semester’s cumulative assessment period, IH hosted the Christmas art show and concert, and then we all enjoyed the Christmas Program before the start of our holiday break. Many of us also attended the annual Winter Formal dance, which took place on Dec. 16 at the Castaway in Burbank.

During the break, the soccer and basketball teams completed their pre-seasons and began competing in games. Also, during the holidays, high school students volunteered at the annual Homeboy DriveThrough Christmas Caravan to help spread joy, gifts and needed items to local families. Similarly, our middle schools shared donations they had gathered through the Adopt-a-Family program.

It was a busy end to a busy first semester. We now wish everyone the very best in 2023!

LOYOLA SWINGMEN Hugh Vandeweghe and Jonas de Krassel.

Youth

by Jim Kalin

Cub Scout Pack 16 Raingutter Regatta results sail in

By Jim Kalin

Local Cub Scout Pack 16 held its annual Raingutter Regatta race Nov. 12 in the gymnasium at St. Brendan School. Webelos 1 and 2 were combined, so there were four divisions of racing. A specialty contest was also held. Below are the results of the racing and specialty judging.

TIGERS: 1st: Carson Chong with his boat “Monk.”

WOLVES: 1st: Jeraldine Miron with her boat “Creeper 143.”

BEARS: 1st: Spencer Sauer-Portes with her boat “Pop Pop.”

WEBELOS 1 and 2 combined: 1st: Christian Cordero with his boat “Ze Pigeon” and 2nd: Belinda Vazquez with her boat “S.S. Steven.”

Honorable Mentions

Henry Fiedler: Honorable Mention for Best Design.

Astrid Huybrechs: Honorable Mention for Most Creative Design.

Aiden Park: Honorable Mention for Best Design and Execution.

Jordan De Rosas: Honorable Mention for Best Design.

Amalia Rempis: Honorable Mention for Most Fashionable Design.

EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

LOS ANGELES Isabel

Viola

12th grade

The ESLA community wound down our first semester of the school year in a whirlwind of final assignments and exams. It was a small stretch of time between Thanksgiving and winter break.

We had our annual Lessons and Carols feast. One of three ESLA feasts, Lessons and Carols is the holiday affair. With a student and

parent choir, a brightly lit tent and a delicious meal, it’s always an event filled with festive spirit.

In other news, ESLA has brought back a lunch tradition that we haven’t seen since before the pandemic. Two days out of the week, students and faculty will be assigned seating during lunch. This gives members of the community an opportunity to talk to people with whom they would not normally have the chance to. Students from across different grades are seated together with teachers whom they may never have had before. This practice was a long-standing ESLA tradition before the pan-

demic, and everyone is excited to see how the return of the seating arrangement goes!

ST. BRENDAN SCHOOL

By Jack Byrne

8th Grade

Saint Brendan School had a great December. With Christmas spirit, we hosted a successful toy drive and donated all the toys to Alexandria House. We also collected gift cards for Adopt-A-Family.  Students could bring a gift to be given to a family

in need for Christmas.

There was also the Christmas Program on Dec. 14 during which every class sang Christmas songs. For example, the 1st and 2nd graders sang “All I want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth’’ and the 3rd and 4th graders sang “I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.” At the end of the program, every class came together to sing “Feliz Navidad.’’ The event was very fun and brought the school community together.

Finally, the boys and girls basketball seasons are starting and we are hoping to be as successful as we were last year.

RAINGUTTER REGATA champions: (left to right) Belinda Vazquez, Carson Chong, Jeraldine Miron, Christian Cordero and Spencer Sauer-Portes. CUB SCOUT PACK 16’S Regatta boats.

Local AYSO teams advance to playoff games held this month

By Suzan Filipek

Soccer was in full swing on local turf last month with players from Larchmont Charter, St. Brendan, Third Street and other schools winning AYSO Region 78 Hollywood-Wilshire games.

The teams advanced to the Area League Champion playoffs Jan. 14 and 15 facing teams from Beverly Hills, Culver City, Los Feliz, Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, South Los Angeles and West Los Angeles.

The All-Star Tournament is Jan. 21, 22, 28 and 29. Locations are to be determined.

“With the World Cup going on right now, the timing couldn’t have been better in terms of soccer interest,” Kurt Muller, regional commissioner of AYSO 78 Hollywood, told us last month.

Some playoff games were scheduled not to conflict with the World Cup, he added, “most notably the USA game, so that families could catch that game on TV.”

Here are some results from the recent Hollywood-Wilshire championships:

Boys 10U final: Red Raptors won over the Silver Serpents  4-2 in extra time;

Girls 10U final: Watermelon Warriors won over the Golden Pandas;

Girls 12U final: Blue Wolves won over the Lucky Lilacs.

Boys 12U final: Satan’s Flaming Takis won over The Soccer Team. (The game extended

into the evening with a thrilling penalty kick tiebreaker.)

While fall is the group’s primary program, the season returns in March for Spring Clinics and possibly a Spring League. Details are expected on the website in January, ayso.78.info.

Batter up for Warriors spring season

Players aged 4 to 12 are welcome and encouraged to sign up for the early bird discount, offered through mid-January, for the spring season of Wilshire Warriors Baseball at Pan Pacific Park.

“Everyone plays, and fun is the goal,” said Warriors VP of Recreation Joel Rubin.

Evaluations for the community-based, nonprofit baseball league are scheduled for Sat., Feb. 11. Practices for the season begin in mid-March, and the season is tentatively scheduled to begin March 17 and continue to May 21.

Each team will have a practice once a week in the late afternoon or early evening.

Games for the older kids will be on Friday nights and on Saturdays for the younger age groups.

The littlest players, ages 4 to 6, don’t attend evaluations and don’t have weekday practices. They practice and play games on Sunday mornings, Rubin told us.

“If we have enough interest for 13- and 14-year-olds, we will try to put together a season for them,” he added.

Visit wilshirewarriors.com.

Pediatric Dentistry

Randall E. Niederkohr, D.D.S. Member American Dental Association Diplomat of American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Orthodontics Available

BOYS 10U: Coaches Todd Schulman, Silver Serpents; JP Finkelstein, Red Raptors; and Jason Sperling, Silver Serpents.

BOYS 12U: Coaches Gary Shaffer and Jay Lay, Satan’s Flaming Takis; and Kyle Ross, The Soccer Team.

GIRLS 10U: Coaches Amy Reitsma-Cho, Watermelon Warriors; Rebecca Weiss and Abigail Shrier, Gold Pandas.

GIRLS 12U team.

Helping kids become comfortable with responsibility

By Casey Russell

The beginning of a new year always feels to me like a chance to reset, rethink and start anew. I like to mentally gauge what’s working and what can be improved upon. I write a few goals for the year and, though I only meet about 60 percent of them, over time, changes get made.

This year, I’ve been thinking a lot about what I am responsible for. How did I learn to be comfortable with the responsibilities I’ve had at each point in my life? And, what can I, as a parent, do to help my daughter learn to be comfortable taking on more responsibilities and challenges as she grows?

From a young age, I was given small responsibilities — the same ones I gave my daughter when she was young. I was responsible for putting away my toys, taking my dishes to the sink when I finished eating, brushing my teeth and helping put clean silverware away. I remember feeling proud that I was helping (most of the time) and I learned that, in a family,

PAGE ACADEMY

Isabella Argiropoulos 7th Grade

Hello my Larchmont neighbors! December was a busy yet funfilled month for us. Our student council organized a toy drive for children who are less fortunate. Thank you to all who donated, as it was an amazing success!

On Dec. 9, Page students from preschool through 8th grade performed in “Let it Show!” — a Page Academy holiday special. The students were in top form and families and friends had a blast while also partaking in many holiday treats during our pre-show holiday bake sale!

OAKWOOD SCHOOL

By Scarlett Saldaña 12th Grade

Coming up at Oakwood is our annual Spirit Night!

Filled with basketball varsity games, music and dance performances, students from the elementary and secondary schools will come together to celebrate school spirit. This is one of my favorite events, as there’s always delicious food and it’s exciting cheering Oakwood on with the whole community.

In mid-January, the high school visual arts department will have a “High School Film Screening.” Students are given

people pitch in and help keep things nice for everyone.

Learning to help out and be responsible for ourselves is an essential part of growing up. And, as parents, it’s our responsibility to guide our kids through this process.

So, what are some age-appropriate tasks kids can take on?

Toddler tasks

Toddlers want to get in on pretty much everything. So, this is a great age to delegate some easy tasks. Need help putting that new package of toilet paper rolls in the cupboard? Hand it to the toddler. Folding laundry? Have your little one find all the matching socks. Fido need food? Show your little one how to feed the pup. Floorboards looking dusty? Ask the person lowest to the ground to put a sock on her hand and wipe off the dust.

Tasks for young kids

As kids get to the preschool / kindergarten age, they are ready for more involved tasks: clearing the table, making a bed, ensuring that the sink is tidy after teeth brushing

There was more feasting and also Secret Santa gifts at our holiday parties on Dec. 15, with a special visit from a certain jolly guy in a red suit and white beard!

Second term report cards went home on Dec. 22 as the holiday break began. Classes will resume on Mon., Jan. 9, and our second quarter honor roll assembly will be on Fri., Jan. 13.

In honor of Martin Luther King Day on Mon., Jan. 16, Page Academy will spend time during the month learning about this great man in American History.

We will round out the month on Mon., Jan. 23, with the 100th Day of School festivities, where our students are encouraged to dress as if they were 100!

All our best wishes for a healthy and happy New Year from the students and staff of Page Academmy!

the chance to showcase their creations, whether they are class projects or personal films. Along with this, Choreolab, Oakwood’s student-driven dance company, will perform at the Winter Dance Concert with the hip-hop and modern dance classes.

Lastly, the high school students will have their Semi-Formal. Coordinated and planned by representatives from the student council, past themes have been “The 70s,” “Under the Sea,” and “Slumber Party.” I always enjoy this event because there’s an activity for everyone. Whether you would rather dance or watch a movie with friends, the event provides all of this, as well as a photo booth, and even foods like pizza and cotton candy.

Tips on Parenting

by Casey Russell

is complete, picking up their own bedrooms, helping water the garden, dusting surfaces or scrubbing table tops, helping chop potatoes (while supervised) and making sure coats and shoes are put where they belong after coming in the door.

Elementary responsibilities

Elementary-aged kids can be responsible for exercising the dog in the yard or picking up the poop when walking the dog with an adult. They can clean out their own lunch bags and remember to pack their reusable water bottles and homework each day. Kids this age can assist in making — and then can make — their own lunches, and they can help with all sorts of food prep. Unloading the dishwasher and deep-cleaning their own bedrooms (with a checklist) are great tasks for this group. Kids this age can help shop for groceries and then help bring them in and put them away. If younger siblings are involved, these older counterparts can help out with bath time or hair brushing. There is a pride that can come from being entrusted to help care for someone.

Tasks for pre-teens

As kids get to the pre-teen stage, it’s important to allow them the space to remember responsibilities on their own. Constant reminders will do kids this age (and beyond) a disservice. Providing a way to help her remember on her own will be much more beneficial in the long run. Chore charts work well for many families. Punishments for forgetting to do things often backfire, making the responsibility (and the parent) seem like the enemy. Small rewards for showing self-reliance work much better and can increase self-esteem. And kids this age can do a lot! They can do their own laundry, or at least fold and put away laundry that is done. Trash and recycling duty can be delegated to this crowd, as can washing the car. A room or two can be assigned to pre-teens on apartment / house cleaning day. Planning and making a weekly meal is great for this age group, as well.

Teen responsibilities

As the teen years hit, pretty much any chore a parent is capable of doing, a teen is also capable of. It is important that teens learn to do the things they’ll soon need to do on their own. If they’re not yet making and cleaning up a family meal, now is the time to ensure that happens weekly. The same goes for laundry duty and cleaning. These skills are necessary life skills and, if kids don’t learn

and practice them now, they’ll be at a disadvantage later.

Mowing the lawn and yard work are great tasks for teens (and can provide an extra source of income if neighbors want to hire them). Teens can be handed the plunger instead of  being saved from a clogged toilet by super-mom coming to the rescue. Basic home repair (fixable with a screwdriver, a changed light bulb or fuse box adjustment) can be delegated to kids this age.

The funny thing is, with establishment of the feeling that each family member helping makes life run smoothly, chores and responsibilities don’t feel like punishments. They can actually make everyone in the family feel needed. It’s nice to feel needed — to know that what you bring to the table matters and helps make life easier for everyone.

Sure, kids (and adults) may still grumble from time to time. But they will also be more confident, more self-assured and more prepared for life. And, as a bonus, they will be much more welcome as guests and partners.

So, as this new year starts on its way, maybe take a moment to see how the kids in your life can take on some new tasks. Who knows? Maybe they’ll thank you for it later.

For more parenting tips, check out my book, “The Handbook for Life With Little Ones: Information, ideas and tips for birth to age five,” on Amazon.

Theater’s struggles underpin Justin Tanner’s new work

Last year was, as Dickens wrote, “the best of times, it was the worst of times” for Los Angeles theater. In 2022 we were treated to some first-rate plays, such as “The Lehman Trilogy” at the Ahmanson, “Inheritance” at the Geffen, “Andre and Dorine” at the Los Angeles Theatre Center (LATC), and, again at The Music Center’s Ahmanson Theatre, “Come From Away.” These four plays had government (England, Spain, Canada) funding for their development. (To be clear, the production of “Inheritance” was homegrown but imported much of the physical aspects of the London production). However, the British Arts Council recently eliminated funding for such theaters as the Donmar Warehouse, Watermill and English National Opera, so who knows where the next incubators will be.

The above productions almost made up for a deadly “Oklahoma!,” an overblown “Slave Play” and a ludicrous “King Lear” (at the Wallis), among others. And while these plays did have their development cycles (especially “Oklahoma!” and “Slave Play”), I am going to venture that American plays are developed now — for absolutely legitimate reasons — with more of an eye to the politics of the play or playwright than the quality of the content. It is a swing of the pendulum we have to pass through in order to achieve true equity

onstage.

The other Dickensian issue of ’22 (and 2023) is Covid, along with the flu and RSV. Performances get cancelled. Plays (unless they star Hugh Jackman or Lea Michele) are running at 75-80 percent capacity, often ending their runs early. Producers are wary about investing in new plays, let alone developing them, and audiences, especially older ones with disposable income, are hesitant about being in crowded spaces — and they probably will be more so come the winter.

The big corporate theaters will survive, providing us with a stream of mostly bland entertainment at exorbitant prices. Smaller, more experimental work — the American entrepreneurial version of state subsidies — will struggle. Some of the reasons for that struggle underpin the Rogue Machine’s production of Justin Tanner’s “Little Theater,” at the Matrix in Hollywood.

Thirty years ago, Mr. Tanner was the enfant terrible of Equity Waiver Theater (the actors’ union “waived” salaries so that members could be seen by producers). His early plays were produced in multiple venues, won numerous awards, played in New York, and earned Mr. Tanner (who appeared on the cover of LA Weekly) a deal at Universal. This was possible when there were 100 or so

Theater Review by Louis Fantasia

small theaters in Los Angeles opening a dozen new plays a week in a city that still had multiple newspapers. Tickets were, maybe, $12, and rent might be $500 a week, which is what a producer pays per night now. Mr. Tanner’s tone was part Woody Allen, part Bret Easton Ellis, which captured the Los Angeles moment. An up-and-coming playwright (or director!) could actually get reviewed in the Los Angeles Times, and audiences came to the funkiest parts of town because odds were good that something creative, or at least interesting, was onstage. It would have been fun if “Little Theater” had celebrated some of this insanity. Instead, Mr. Tanner seems more concerned about writing a forgiving portrait of himself, and less so of his boss at the Cast Theater, Diana Gibson. In this play, Zachary Grant, Jenny O’Hara and Ryan Brophy bring the stage versions of Tanner, Gibson and Tanner’s friend Andy Daly to life under Lisa James’ capable direction. The opening night audience was filled with “little theater” luminaries of the period, who laughed at

What To Watch For

January sees a flood of musicals:

“Mean Girls” (Pantages, Jan. 4-29), 323-468-1770, hollywoodpantages.com;

“Grease” (La Mirada, Jan. 20- Feb. 12), 562-944-9801, lamiradatheatre.com;

“The Lion King” (Pantages, Feb. 2- Mar. 26);

Sondheim’s “Sunday in the Park With George” (Pasadena Playhouse, Feb 14-Mar. 19), 626-356-7529, pasadenaplayhouse.org;

“The Secret Garden” (Ahmanson, Feb. 19-Mar. 26), 213-628-2772, centertheatregroup.org.

inside jokes about The Times’ Sylvie Drake or LATC’s Bill Bushnell. But, overall, it’s hard to see why anyone under 50 would care about what was, once, the worst of times

Marlborough

(Continued from page 1) about the school, I fell in love with it.”

Ciccarelli, who was selected from a field of more than 200 candidates, previously shared her expertise and enthusiasm for girls’ education at multiple schools across the country, including Columbus School for Girls in Ohio, where she was head of school from 2014 before coming to Marlborough.

Advantages

The longtime educator touts the advantages of single-sex schools and told us the benefits are huge and clear on a lot of levels. “My theory is that when you have a girl-centered education, girls can play all the roles that are possible for human beings. So, they’re not told what they should or shouldn’t do. They are the leaders everywhere. They get the message that girls and women lead. They don’t get the message that they should quiet their voices, they should get smaller, they should shrink back, which is the message that our society sends girls. And so, for girls in particular, single-sex education is extremely valuable and the research does bear that out.”

The head of school notes that girls who have grown up with this unfettered education are in the habit of living this way. When they graduate, they go out into the world with the assumption that this will continue. And, when they “bump up against a counter-narrative,” said Ciccarelli, “they say, ‘woah, woah, woah, what’s going on here?’ And they use their voice, and they speak up and they fix it.”

Pandemic impacts

Ciccarelli believes strongly in the Marlborough goal of helping students lead lives of purpose. When asked about how the pandemic continues to affect school life, she said, “The pandemic really loosened things up a lot, and what

and the best of times.

Through January 8. Tickets: roguemachinetheatre. org or 855-585-5185. Rogue Machine at the Matrix Theatre, 7657 Melrose Ave.

I know as an educator is that kids thrive with boundaries. So, the fewer boundaries you put in place, [the more] unsafe things start to feel —not just for the rule followers. And you lose focus on what you should be focusing on, which is the learning and creating a lovely, supportive community.” Ciccarelli said Marlborough staff is working to put some loosened boundaries back in place.

The new head of school believes teachers around the country did as great a job as they could, but that learning online is not the same as being in person. She said the learning loss was real. According to Ciccarelli, math is the most concretely visible area where changes have occurred. She has noticed that students are not as willing to dig in — they are not as focused as previous students have been. The educator said, “It’s like the muscle for executive function and attending has atrophied.”

Ciccarelli said she also has noticed that kids are a little more risk adverse. They stick to what they know — stay with people they knew from the schools they came into Marlborough from. She said, “We are doing a lot of support on social dynamics and how to be kind to each other — how to reconnect with somebody after you’ve been in a fight and those day-to-day social skills. And, I suspect that we are going to decide to teach them more explicitly.”

The years to come Regarding curriculum, Ciccarelli said the school is in phenomenal shape. “It’s an extraordinary school with a fantastic reputation of being a really academically rigorous, relevant and thoughtful school.” She said, “One of the things Marlborough does really well is it gives our students a great foundation of all those traditional academic skills… And then, pretty early — through some of the electives — students get the op(Please turn to page 27)

Blunt takes on the Wild West; Over the top in India, Babylon

The English (9/10): Six-part TV miniseries. Prime. TVMA. Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer star in this western about an English woman who comes alone to the wild American West to avenge the death of her son in 1890. There she meets Spencer, a Native American U.S. Army veteran with problems of his own. It starts with a violent bang and slows down a little in the middle until the denouement. This is a well-satisfying Western with terrific performances and exceptional evocative cinematography topped off by a superb script.

Avatar: The Way of Water (8/10): 190 minutes. PG-13. For $400 million, one would think a movie should be perfect and wonderful. This one isn’t. Oh, one can appreciate the amount of money spent to make it because the special effects are fabulous and worth the price of admission. And that’s good because the story

Marlborough

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portunity to apply those skills to some passion of theirs.”

The school has a great infrastructure in place to set up opportunities for students to explore their passions out in the real world. “We have connections at lots of the hospitals, research areas, nonprofits and in the [entertainment] industry. This is a fantastic, world-class city and we’re right in the middle of it.” Ciccarelli marvels at the students’ exciting endeavors. “That’s something that Marlborough is already doing quite well, and I want to continue to build on that.”

The head of school also is mother to daughter, Perry, a new seventh-grade student at the school. “When I started to meet Marlborough girls, I thought to myself, ‘Oh, this is Perry’s school.’ Because they are kids who love learning, they are deeply engaged in what they’re doing, they care passionately about what they care about and that is Perry to a T.”

Now that she’s taken some time to listen, observe and ask questions, Ciccarelli is starting to think more about goals. In particular, she’s thinking about the partnership with Los Angeles and how Marlborough students can take the incredible skills they’ve learned and work on thinking about some of the problems that exist in Los Angeles and how to help solve them — mostly through nonprofit work and some of their capstone research programs.

“I’m also always thinking about access to a Marlborough education.” She believes

isn’t just weak, it is absurd.

I know this is fantasy, but to have a Stone Age people with bows and arrows taking on an advanced, sophisticated society with post-modern weapons makes one wonder who is kidding whom?

Character development? Forget it. These are puppets on a string. You see one; you’ve seen them all.

Let’s get back to the special effects. This is the best 3D I’ve ever seen. Unlike other 3D films, it does not weaken the color impression of the film, and the 3D is real 3D, not just the stuff that came out in the earlier part of the century. This leaves a very positive impression on the viewer.

The story, as I said, is silly beyond words so I won’t waste any more words on that. It makes me wonder why director James Cameron would waste the money hiring stars like Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney

in the really talented girls in Los Angeles having access to the school. Ciccarelli wants to make sure that these girls are finding out about the school and can find a way to come.

“Marlborough has worked hard to keep socio-economic diversity as a part of the school. So, a lot of our families are middle-class families who you would assume would never qualify for any financial aid. But they do qualify for it… We offer scholarship and financial assistance all the way across the financial spectrum.”

The relationship with the town the school is part of is also important to Ciccarelli. Twice a year, the school has a meeting with immediate neighbors — inviting them to the school and giving a state of the school update. Marlborough informs the neighbors about all the on-campus events, especially if the events are going to affect parking. The school also is a venue for Windsor Square Association board meetings, and the school makes its facilities available in other ways.

“We expect our students to be great neighbors. When they are here and out on Larchmont Boulevard, they are representing Marlborough all the time, and we expect them to be respectful. Girls’ schools in general trust the students to do the right thing… And they do.”

Weaver, Stephen Lang and Kate Winslet when they disguise themselves in motion capture costumes that make them look totally different. These films are basically cartoons, and three hours plus is far too long. Even in the realm of whatever this is, the only thing this has to offer is visual.

RRR (8/10): 197 minutes. R. Over the top, violent, singing and dancing, absurd battles and fights, attractive stars, totally ridiculous story based upon India’s fight for independence in the 1920s — this has it all. It’s entertaining and tense. It’s a buddy movie but they aren’t Hope and Crosby. They are Komaran Bheem (N.T. Rama Rao, Jr. aka N.T.R.), a Gond man looking for a girl who was stolen from her village by the evil British overlords, and Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan), a lieutenant in a local regiment of the British Army. Theirs is an amorphous relationship, to say the least. It’s long with innumerable twists and turns; little of what you will see is even the slightest bit believable or realistic but,

hey, it’s a movie! Relax and enjoy it. Stay for the credits that contain lively singing and dancing.

Living (8/10): 102 minutes. PG-13. William (Bill Nighy) is an old man who works as a supervisor in a Kafkaesque bureaucratic office where the modus operandi seems to be to stall every application that is submitted. He is soft-spoken but feared by the people who work for him, including relatively new hire Margaret (Aimee Lou Wood), who is a free-spirited young woman, the only female employee in an office of three other male workers. As he gets to know her by observing her, he comes to realize that there is a different way to live. This starts out slowly and doesn’t seem to make much sense until it really picks up.

Babylon (3/10): 190 minutes. R. The first hour is, in a word, atrocious. It’s convoluted, meaningless (except to show rampant debauchery and to flash some bare breasts), if not ridiculous. Worse, the sound is horrendous. It’s not only far too loud (the opening approximately half hour is almost enough to deafen hapless viewers) but also muffled and difficult to comprehend the dialogue, although maybe that’s a blessing.

Apparently director Damien Chazelle is trying to tell a story of depravity in early Hollywood and the change

in Hollywood from silent to sound (Gadzooks; what a novel idea! It’s only been done countless times).

After 60 painful minutes it picks up a little. There is one good bit about reshooting a scene over and over before they can get the sound correct, but even that is overblown. Constant retakes are part of the biz.

Brad Pitt’s bland performance is less than tantalizing. Diego Calva gives a good performance, but the person who steals the picture is Margot Robbie. The film only shows life when she and Jean Smart, infra, are onscreen.

I’m not sure why they named 70-year-old Jean Smart’s character Elinor St. John. That must be some sort of reference to Adela Rogers St. John who was a screenwriter and reporter who wrote classic Hollywood interviews in the ‘20s and ‘30s, but was in her 30s during the period covered by this film.

As an aside not relevant to this movie, her fascinating biography of her Los Angeles attorney father, Earl Rogers, “Final Verdict,” is a book that captures a lot more accurately the life in early Los Angeles than does this bloated orgiastic phantasmagoria. Be that as it may, Smart’s performance is right up there with Robbie’s as the best parts of the film. Alas, too little to save this turkey that drones on for more than three hours.

Esco brings East Coast-style pizza and passion to La Brea

By Vivian Gueler

There’s a new pizza man in town! Already having won over local residents by participating at the recent Taste of Larchmont and Larchmont Family Fair, the affable Esco (Esteban Plutarco Gutierrez) recently opened Esco’s Pizza located next to Bludso’s Bar & Que on La Brea Ave. Esco brings East Coast flavor to Los Angeles with his New York style pizza, pastas, salads, chicken wings, and classic New York sandwiches; the bacon, egg and cheese sandwich, the chopped cheese sandwich and the Parkside Cubano.

Menu items are a culmination of Esco’s New York upbringing and Mexican-German heritage.

Originally from Harlem, Esco worked at his father’s New York deli as a young child.  Through his teenage years, he helped run the family pizzeria in Astoria.  After having earned a degree from Buffalo State College, Esco worked as

PILGRIM SCHOOL

By Allison Pak 9th Grade

Decem -

b er was a busy month at Pilgrim celebrating many successes. We had the fall sports banquet for high school and middle school girls’ volleyball, high

a social worker.  In 2015, he sold his sneaker collection to finance a move from New York to Los Angeles.  It was in Los Angeles where Esco began his formal training as a restaurateur. His first gig was at Prime Pizza on Fairfax Avenue, followed by a stint at The Dime, where he was hired to curate a new menu. Hands-on training followed at Vito’s Pizza, Joe’s on Sunset, Osteria La Buca (where he mastered the

school and boys middle school flag football and high school and middle school cross country. Pilgrim won two championships: girls’ volleyball and boys’ flag football!

We had our seventh winter festival at which we had dance and band performances, games and food. We also raised money for different charities Pilgrim students are passionate about: The Sasha Project LA (thesashaprojectla.org), Friends of

onerous skill of making a Neapolitan pizza) and South End in Venice.

In 2021, Esco was contacted by rapper Biggie Smalls’ daughter, Tyanna Wallace, and Tyra Myricks, daughter of fellow late hip-hop legend Jam Master Jay of Run-D.M.C., to help open Juicy’s Pizza. In March of 2022, Juicy’s was taken over by business impresarios Everett Smith and John Zapp, who partnered

the LA River (folar.org), Extraordinary Families Foster Care and Adoption (extraordinaryfamilies. org) and also for 2023 Class Trip Associated Student Body Activities.

The high school students will go on a snow trip in January and we look forward to it. We will go to Big Bear for two nights, a Pilgrim tradition. Students will be able to choose to either go snowboarding, skiing or just spend time with people.

with Esco to open Esco’s New York-themed pizzeria, which features a New York subway car and a decked out lounge used for private events, Sunday football viewing parties and local hip-hop fêtes.    Eager to become involved with the local community, Esco outlines (in his heavy Harlem accent), “I’m a people person. I love people and that’s a big part of having an eatery for me.” An avid graffiti artist, Esco further notes, “To tie in art, social work and pizza, I’m in heaven… It’s the

For more information about Pilgrim School, please visit us our website at: pilgrim-school. org.

THE OAKS SCHOOL

By Amelia Goldberg 6th Grade

December was a seriously festive month for The Oaks. The first two events we had, which took place on Dec. 2, were interconnected. The craft fair had student entrepreneurs selling their crafts at school. This year, I sewed bags and scrunchies to sell. The holiday bazaar had small businesses (including

ultimate platform for me.” Always smiling and happy to chat with his customers, Esco is clearly passionate about gratifying his patrons.

Esco plans to expand the menu once he has an established team in place. In the meantime, he heeds his father’s advice, “Everything’s going to work out just fine.”

Esco’s Pizza is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sun. to Thurs., and 11 a.m. to midnight, Fri. and Sat.

Esco’s Pizza, 615 N. La Brea Ave.

some of our parents) come to the Oaks and sell their products.

The craft fair committee is so dedicated. This year, my teacher sold her ceramics for the first time. Both the holiday bazaar and the craft fair donate a portion of the sales to local nonprofits chosen by the 6thgrade class. This year’s choices included Alex’s Lemonade Stand, My Friend’s Place and LA Suicide Prevention Network.

We also had the Winter Sing. The students performed songs they had been practicing for almost a month! This year, I sang, “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles and “Mister Blue Sky” by ELO. These traditions made December an amazing month at the Oaks.

ESCO worked at several pizzerias before opening his own.

LOCAL RESIDENTS have had a taste of Esco’s pizza at the Larchmont Family Fair, above, in October, and the Taste of Larchmont in September.

Portuguese dining downtown from the A.O.C. team

Renovated boutique hotels with beautiful restaurants have been sprouting in Downtown, Hollywood and points west. At times, they join high-octane neighborhoods; other times they are a bright spot amidst city blight. L.A. Proper is in the latter category. The hotel sits on a faceless street, at least at night. When we went there for dinner, the only clue that we were in a bustling city was an enormous line that snaked along an adjacent block from some unseen music venue or club.

Once inside, the lobby is welcoming, as is Caldo Verde , the Portuguese- and Spanish-inflected first-floor restaurant from James Beard Award-winning chef Suzanne Goin and restaurateur Caroline Styne, the team behind A.O.C. and the late, great Lucques, among other eateries. Large windows face the street, which promises to be busier during breakfast and lunch service. Celebrity designer Kelly Wearstler created a mix of wood, textiles, Judson stained glass and leather — all of which somehow match the com-

THE WILLOWS

By Simone Meltzer

8th

Soccer was on everyone’s mind a lot in December because of the World Cup.

Grade

At The Willows, even the non-athletes got involved in the excitement. The whole school was enraptured by the commotion of it all, and people of all grades, including teachers, packed into the science lab at lunch to watch. They talked and argued noisily over each other. This World Cup was especially bittersweet for many dedicated football fans, as it might have been the last World Cup for some of the greats, namely Neymar of Brazil, Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal and Argentina’s Lionel Messi. It seems that everyone has a preference for one of these three legendary players (even though Ronaldo is obviously the best).

The sporting event inspired friendly-yet-heated debate throughout the school. Regardless of personal allegiances, I feel The Willows embraced how sports can bring people together. I bonded with kids and teachers I never would have. Whether we are rooting for the same team, against the same team or engaging in spirited argument, events like the World Cup show that even if you’re not a die-hard fan, you can still get involved and feel like you’re a part of something.

fort of dishes such as $48 piri piri chicken (a spicy dish originating in Africa from Portuguese chile peppers called piri piri in Swahili), the signature dish Caldo Verde, a rock crab, linguica, mussels and potato stew, $72, and the $19 dish aptly named “small plate of salty favorites,” which features Iberico ham, Spanish anchovies and aloreña olives, a prized variety of pickled olives from Spain.

We four were seated in the bar area and, in retrospect, I wish we had pushed for a table in the main dining space which had more atmosphere, although the multicolored bottles of liquor behind the bar held a fascination of sorts. We quickly availed ourselves of some of the offerings, including a $21 mezcal, amaro and nixta elote (corn) liqueur cocktail and a $13 pomegran-

ate fizz from the free-spirited (non-alcoholic) list containing black tea, pomegranate shrub and vegan egg white (probably aquafaba, the liquid in cans of chickpeas or other beans which froths up exactly as does egg white).

Food was delicious and beautifully presented, with careful attention paid to balancing colors and textures. We ordered many of the enticing-sounding starters as sides. We began with a plate of persimmon wedges showered with pomegranate seeds, baby greens, spiced pepitas, spoonsful of queijo

fresco — a Portuguese fresh cheese similar to farmer’s cheese, only better — and drizzled with brown butter, $19. An $18 hearty, nicely chewy kale and farro dish was amplified with scallion kimchi, cashews and crunchy fried shallots. Is it possible to resist mushrooms and polenta? We happily dug into their version with sautéed chanterelles tossed with rapini on a polenta base and decorated with sieved egg. Sherry vinegar enlivened the taste of the $21 umami-rich dish. Our favorite vegetable side, however, may have been the $16 roasted carrots with green harissa (a Tunisian pepper sauce) and pistachio dukkah (an Egyptian spice blend with nuts and seeds.)

We also shared three protein-centric selections. Perfectly cooked prawns with chunks of garlic were

stained red-orange from arbol chile and enhanced with salsa verde for $26. The $24 squid stuffed with chorizo made a perfect flavor combination. Piquillo peppers, aioli and mustard greens complemented the dish. The only flavor disappointment of the evening was the $31 bluenose (Antarctic butterfish) with fideo (short thin noodles popular in Spain and Mexico) and sofrito (a Puerto Rican sauce usually made from tomatoes, peppers, garlic and onions). The fideo was satisfying, but the fish was bland.

Another dining option at L.A. Proper, also from Goin and Styne, is the rooftop restaurant Cara Cara. The menu is short, but the view goes on for days.

Caldo Verde, at L.A. Proper Hotel, 1100 S. Broadway, 213-806-1023.

On the Menu by Helene Seifer

Compelling concerts at Disney Hall

By John Welborne

Get a great musical start to the first months of the new year at Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave.

Michael Tilson Thomas will lead the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a program of Debussy and Messiaen on Fri., Jan. 6, and Sat., Jan. 7, at 8 p.m. and Sun., Jan. 8, at 2 p.m.

Tilson Thomas returns to conduct Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 — the composer’s final completed symphony — on Fri., Jan. 13, and Sat., Jan. 14, at 8 p.m. and on Sun., Jan. 15, at 2 p.m.

John Adams will conduct his opera “Girls of the Golden West” on Jan. 27 and 29 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and seven soloists. Originally scheduled for Los Angeles in 2021, the production, like most of the Philharmonic’s 2020-21 sea-

son, was cancelled due to pandemic restrictions. For the production, which originated in San Francisco in 2017, director and librettist Peter Sellars draws on memoirs and historic texts to bring the California Gold Rush to life — from a point of view that conflicts with the traditional romantic view of the Gold Rush and its Forty-Niners.

Yuja Wang & Dudamel

Serious music lovers, many pianists included, said over the recent holidays that Los Angeles soon will be the location of one of the most significant series of piano concerti in recent memory. This coming February, spanning two weekends, starting on Feb. 9, esteemed pianist Yuja Wang will join Gustavo Dudamel to perform all four Rachmaninoff piano concerti.

Wang also will perform

Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and his Symphonic Dances. Those two pieces will be performed on Friday, Dec. 10. The schedule for the four Rachmaninoff concerti is: Concerto 1, Thurs., Feb. 9; Concerto 2, Sat., Feb. 11 and Sun., Feb. 12; Concerto 3, Thurs., Feb. 16 and Fri., Feb 17; and Concerto 4, Sat., Feb. 18 and Sun., Feb. 19.

Pianist Lang Lang also comes to Disney Hall in February — to perform a new work by Helen Grime and the Piano Concerto by Edvard Grieg on Thurs., Feb. 23, at 8 p.m.

There are many more concerts at Walt Disney Concert Hall in the coming weeks, including celebrity recitals, an organ recital, jazz, new music, symphonies for youth, conductor Roderick Cox, violinist Ray Chen and more. For a full concert schedule visit laphil.com.

Letters

(Continued from page 3) zeria. Show your patrons who YOU are.

Jason Manacker Pasadena

I have been working for Paramount for 24 years. We have been visiting Larchmont, and Village Pizzeria since the beginning. Steve and his family have always treated us like family, and we have done all that we could throughout the pandemic to support their business. Additionally, we have had many, many events at the studio where we had them cater the food.

It’s heartbreaking to see how the new people have taken advantage of Steve. We will never support that kind of sleazy business and will not eat there unless and until they make good on their promises to Steve and Village Pizzeria.

Bob Wishnefsky Glendale

Give Steve Cohen of Village Pizzeria back all his memorabilia. He gave so much to Larchmont for so many years. How has this not happened already — especially if it is in the legal contract? It doesn’t speak too well to the character of the current ownership.

Tommie Fahn West Los Angeles

Note: Reaching out to the restaurant’s new owners, the Chronicle learned, just at our deadline for this issue, that the disputes between buyer and seller are continuing and possibly are advancing to litigation. A representative of the ownership group told us the new owners will continue exploring conciliatory options with previous owner Steve Cohen, but that their suing him is likely.