Heart of Pegasus

By Deidre Campbell

TODAY’S READER, TOMORROW’S LEADER

There is not much that gets past eighth grader Alexandra “Ally” Shaw. Not the fast ball that is thrown across home plate into her catcher’s mitt or a used book casually tossed aside that is in need of a new home. An avid softball player and bibliophile who arrived on the Pegasus campus as a sixth grader in the fall of 2020, Shaw did not let a little thing called COVID keep her from jumping right into the middle school mix. Making a beeline to visit Mrs. Meister, she quickly made herself a presence in the library, where her love of books would eventually fulfill a much larger role as a student of service.

Shortly after she joined the Assistance League of Newport Mesa in seventh grade, Shaw discovered Operation School Bell (OSB), a program that provides uniforms, clothing, school supplies, and dental care to roughly 1,200 Newport Mesa Unified School District students in need. As part of OSB, Shaw recognized a need for students coming through

MEET MOMMA-CA

Walking into Monica Le’s cozy office, one immediately notices the array of posters and pictures that inspire childlike joy.

An enthusiastic Disney fan who also loves a good Broadway musical, Le feels at home amid the bustle of middle school students. Less Fairy Godmother, more Mary Poppins, Le invokes a sense of fun while firmly guiding students through their middle-school years. Mature beyond her years, Le relishes the nurturing role she gets to play with students at a time when they are developing their sense of identity. “It’s a really unique age group,” she says.

Aside from a short stint in corporate recruiting, Le has never deviated from her role as a kind, compassionate force for young people. While she pursued her undergraduate degree at UC Irvine, Le tutored elementary and middle school students. After college she volunteered at Camp Ronald McDonald, where she served as a counselor for children with cancer. Assigned to a cabin full of twelve- and thirteen-year-olds, Le earned the nickname “Momma-ca.” In 2019, Le’s parenting-nature was tested more personally when her aunt passed away, and Le took on the care of Donovan, her younger cousin who is now seventeen years old. Given her experiences, it is clear that caring-for-others is hardwired in her DNA.

the door to have access to books appropriate for their reading level. Like anything she sets her mind to, it was only a matter of time before the Book Brigade was born, with Shaw leading the mission to secure and distribute print resources for students in need.

Thanks to Shaw’s efforts, the Book Brigade has amassed a collection of gently used books gathered through book drives, Assistance League donations, and former Pegasus library materials set aside by Mrs. Meister. Inventoried, coded, and sorted by grade level by Shaw and other Assisteen volunteers, materials accumulated as part of the Book Brigade are available for kids to check out books based upon the appropriate Accelerated Reading level.

Establishing a vital program in such a short time is an achievement in itself, but the pure joy Shaw derives from connecting with students over their favorite books is what elicits the most gratification. Whether it’s a Judy B. Jones title or Girl in the Blue Coat, fantasy or historical fiction, Shaw’s enthusiasm for books knows no boundaries. Nor does her determination to provide access to books and motivate young readers.

ALL’S SWELL

Like the buoyancy of a surfboard, Laurie Hammond doesn’t let anything keep her down. A fixture at The Pegasus School for the last ten years, Hammond has performed many roles, from supporting the maintenance department to maintaining student records as the school’s Registrar. Much to her delight, the latest positive allows her to film various campus events. Whatever the task at hand, she loves everything about her job. “No matter what, it’s never the same day twice,” Hammond said.

A perpetual optimist, Hammond doesn’t need rose colored lenses to change her outlook. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014 after dragging her feet to get a mammogram, she credits the insistence of a surfing buddy to get screened. Had she waited any longer, the cancer would have metastasized. Despite undergoing treatment and losing her hair, Hammond was humbled by the outpouring of support from the Pegasus staff and community who helped her through a difficult time. Dr. Jane Kakkis, a Pegasus parent, spearheaded her care. “I was surrounded by an amazing group of people and knew I wasn’t going to drown,” comments Hammond who found comfort in small gestures like coconut water left at her desk upon returning from treatment.

Often found at the beach surfing on her 7’ 6” Ellis (one of thirty boards she owns) or pulling debris out of Huntington Harbor, Hammond is committed not only to protecting our ocean but also to her fiancé. Shane Coons, a corporate attorney by trade, met Hammond at a Surfrider Foundation conference months before her diagnosis where they bonded over a shared love of surfing. Given their history, it only seemed appropriate that Shane proposed to Hammond at sunset in front of the Surfline camera at the Bolsa Chica lifeguard tower this past November. Little did she know the whole proposal was strategically caught on camera.

With cancer behind her, Hammond’s focus is firmly on the future. With two pending surf trips slated for the first half of the year and a beach wedding scheduled for next September, 2023 promises to be a very good year indeed.

BY BLOCK, BY BOOK, BY BRUSH

A first-generation VietnameseAmerican, Le grew up as an only child in a multigenerational home in Orange County. Surrounded by strong women that included her mother, grandmother, and great aunt, Le learned from their resiliency as immigrants from Vietnam. In Kindergarten, Le and her mother moved to a small town in New Jersey where, as one of two Asian students, she struggled to fit in and cried every day before going to school. “I didn’t understand why no one looked like me,” reflects Le. The three years in New Jersey changed the way Le viewed herself in the world, yet, at the same time, brought her closer to her family. Upon her return to California, her family enrolled her in a Vietnamese youth group to help her learn more about her culture, giving further shape to her identity and empathy to those who might not always feel as if they fit in.

With age, Le has gained a deep appreciation for being raised in a close and caring household with her extended family who displayed what it meant to be resourceful, responsible, kind, and resilient. Characteristics Le has come to embody as “Momma-ca,” not just to her kids at camp or Pegasus students but to all those with whom she comes into contact.

As a shy, unassuming first grader in Christine Olsen’s class, Anderson Bradley does not strike me as one with the capacity to break boards at such a young age. And yet, that is exactly what he did this past September when he tested to earn his first degree black belt in Taekwondo at the tender age of six. After three years of training, Bradley and his twin sister Blake, were given the challenge of breaking eight boards in order to pass their belt testing, and pass they did.

Modest and kind to a fault, Bradley does not relish attention or accolades but would rather talk about his sisters, his family’s menagerie of pets, his love of Legos and reading, and the joy of jumping on the trampoline. Given his reserved nature, it comes as no surprise that Bradley fails to mention he also happens to be a recognized artist who was awarded second place in the Festival of Arts Junior Art exhibit in Laguna Beach this past August. While a kindergartener at Pegasus, Bradley created a colorful piece titled “Kandinsky Lines” which was then submitted by Lindsay Petralia, his

Visual Arts teacher, into the OC Arts

4 All Showcase presented by the OC Department of Education on behalf of The Pegasus School. The exhibit featured Bradley’s work and earned him entry into the Festival of Arts Junior Art Exhibit where he received a special award.

Since he received his artistic recognition, Bradley’s focus these days is making pinch pots in the family art room, swimming, and spending time helping his older sister, Ryan, (third grade) with her cooking channel. She has Anderson’s seal of approval who declares, “She’s pretty good at fruit bowls and quesadillas.”