Page 6 March 8, 2018 EL SEGUNDO HERALD
Entertainment Wiseburn Appoints Silvers
Film Review
Get Out Wins Best Feature Film at the 33rd
Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards
By Morgan Rojas
for www.cinemacy.com
As if right on cue, the sun broke through the
foreboding rain clouds just as the red carpet
opened at the 33rd annual Film Independent
Spirit Awards. Located steps away from the
Santa Monica Pier, the event takes place just
one day before Hollywood’s biggest night – the
Academy Awards. But unlike the pressure of
the Oscars, the vibe of the Spirit Awards is
much more relaxed due to its purpose-driven
mission: to celebrate independently produced
and artist-driven films made outside of the
rigid and often political big studio system.
Despite the countries of origin, budgets and
(L-R) Jordan Peele, Daniel Kaluuya, and Allison Williams of Get Out. Courtesy of Cinemacy.
talent attached, all of the films recognized at
the Spirit Awards have one thing in common:
they all embody diversity, innovation and
uniqueness of vision. My brother Ryan and
I had the opportunity to cover the awards
ceremony, both on the red carpet and in the
press room (for our video interview, visit
www.cinemacy.com.)
Comedians Nick Kroll and John Mulaney
returned to co-host the event, which was
broadcast live on the IFC channel with audiences
tuning in from 56 countries. The NYC
indie rock trio Sunflower Bean was this year’s
house band, and their dreamy and melodic
guitar tunes kept the energy at an all-time
high (even with the show running 30 minutes
over its scheduled time).
Over the past three years, the films that
won Best Picture at the Independent Spirit
Awards would also go on to win Best Picture
at the Oscars the next day, including Moonlight,
Spotlight and Birdman. This year, Get
Out took home the honors and accepting the
award was the film’s director Jordan Peele,
who also won the event’s Best Director award.
That statistic would end this year, however, as
The Shape of Water wound up winning Best
Feature at the Oscars.
Voters awarded Best Male Lead to 22-yearold
Timothée Chalamet for his performance
as Elio in the breathtaking drama Call Me
by Your Name. Sweeping the awards circuit
since the very beginning, the Best Female
Lead went to Frances McDormand for her
performance as the no-nonsense Mildred in
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
Sam Rockwell took home the Best Supporting
Male award for his performance as goofy cop
Dixon in Three Billboards, with Best Supporting
Female going to Allison Janney for her
captivating performance as the critical and
cruel LaVona in I, Tonya. No surprise here.
McDormand, Rockwell and Janney would all
go on to be honored at the Oscars for these
performances as well.
Other notable awards went to Lady Bird’s
Greta Gerwig for Best Screenplay, The
Big Sick’s Emily V. Gordon and Kumail
Nanjiani for Best First Screenplay, and Ingrid
Goes West’s Matt Spicer for Best First Feature.
The Robert Altman Award, which is given to
an ensemble cast, director, and casting director
of a film considered to be a “maverick”
of the year, went to Mudbound. Director Dee
Rees gave an electrifying acceptance speech
that left the room speechless, and star of the
film Garrett Hedlund literally dropped her mic
after she spoke to signify the importance and
strength of her words.
Judging by the passion and perseverance for
positive change displayed at last Saturday’s event,
the power of independent cinema is not only
stronger now than ever before, but truly
demonstrates its ability to tell these original
stories that can impact – and even change –
the world. •
Morgan Rojas.
“A good film is when the price of
the dinner, the theatre admission
and the babysitter were worth it.”
– Alfred Hitchcock
as New Superintendent
The Wiseburn Unified School District
Board of Trustees last week announced the
appointment of Blake Silvers, Ed.D. as new
Superintendent of Schools, effective July 1.
Dr. Silvers has a rich history with Wiseburn,
having served as both assistant principal
and principal at Dana Middle School the
past 10 years.
Input for the new superintendent included
sessions with all stakeholder groups –
administrators, staff, community groups,
parents and key city and business partners.
Forums were held with constituents and an
online survey was available on the District
website. Utilizing feedback from the community,
Leadership Associates -- a premier
executive search firm -- advertised and
conducted an extensive nationwide search
for the position.
The Wiseburn Board worked with Leadership
Associates Consultants Dr. Peggy Lynch
and Dr. David Verdugo to conduct the superintendent
search and develop the candidate
profile. After hundreds of hours of analysis
and review, the recruitment effort resulted in
42 candidate requests, and narrowed down to
28 qualified applicants. The Board reviewed
all applications on Feb. 8, with six candidates
selected for interviews.
Although the search was nationwide, the
Board realized it did not need to look far to
find their new superintendent and appointed
Dr. Silvers, who will be formally approved
this month. Based on stakeholder feedback
and leadership profile, it was decided he was
the best fit for Wiseburn from an incredibly
talented group of candidates.
Board President JoAnne Kaneda, stated,
“Dr. Silvers’ leadership and commitment to
Wiseburn is tried and true. Over the past 10
years at Dana Middle School he has worked
with an outstanding staff to take the school
to new heights as a National Forum School
to Watch, a California Distinguished School
and a Gold Ribbon School. Dr. Silvers’
leadership has resulted in the expansion of
Career Technical Education pathways, most
specifically engineering, innovative STEAM
programs and collaborative relationships with
teachers and staff resulting in numerous
awards for Dana Middle School. I look forward
to working with him to promote our
schools with top quality education preparing
students for university, technical trades and
well-paid careers in the 21st Century.”
Board member Dr. Neil Goldman, said,
“With an excellent track record of success,
Dr. Silvers is an incredible asset to the District
as we head into the future. He has been
recognized for his excellent communication
skills, ethical leadership and ability to think
outside the box. As an innovator, he was the
architect of an unparalleled Positive Behavior
Support System that has resulted in a model
school culture and a community of respect.
Dr. Silvers has also led all efforts throughout
the District to keep our schools as safe havens
for our students.”
Dr. Silvers stated, “It is a distinct honor
to be selected by WUSD as the new superintendent.
I am excited for the future of
Wiseburn, a community that I am proud to
call my second home. Our team will continue
to provide the best instructional practices in
the classrooms, and the healthiest and safest
environment for all of our students. I look
forward to collaborating with our teachers,
staff, students and parents to elevate the
district to the next level.”
Dr. Silvers earned his Doctorate from the
University of Southern California and has
his Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees from
Loyola Marymount University. He has been
a middle and high school teacher, mentor
teacher, assistant principal and principal.
– Content From Wiseburn USD Press Release •
Finance
Growing Your Business? These 3
Financing Mistakes Can Cost You Big
(BPT) - Starting a business can be tough.
Growing one can be even harder.
Dr. Nacondus Gamble knows this all too
well. After her optometry practice, The South
Eastern Eye Center, began to establish a
reputation for great patient care, Dr. Gamble
decided she was ready to expand. So she
began looking for business financing to open
another location in Georgia. That’s when she
discovered that many lenders don’t share her
commitment to high-quality service.
“I called a couple of places, but I just felt
like they were taking advantage of me,” she
said. “It was unnecessarily harsh.”
Dr. Gamble ended up borrowing through
Funding Circle, an online platform focused
exclusively on small business loans. Known for
its speed, transparency and customer service,
Funding Circle has helped more than 40,000
businesses around the world get financing,
says co-founder and U.S. managing director
Sam Hodges.
Today there are more options than ever
before for businesses looking to grow. While
some of these newer options can offer a
significant leg up, others can actually end
up doing more harm than good.
When shopping for a business loan, it’s
easy to become overwhelmed by fast-talking
salespeople, endless strings of acronyms and
confusing terms. If it’s unclear how much
you’ll really pay for financing, that’s a good
sign you should walk away, Hodges cautions.
A good lender will always be willing to
help you calculate the Annual Percentage
Rate (APR) and explain all the terms of
your loan clearly. They’ll also help you
understand what fees you can expect over
the life of the loan - some lenders sneak in
additional hidden fees, concealing them in
fine print or confusing legalese, which can
significantly inflate the cost.
Term loans are often the better option,
Hodges says. They allow businesses to borrow
a set amount of money for a specific
purpose, like hiring new staff or stocking up
on inventory. The funds are then paid back
over a set amount of time, with consistent
monthly payments and no surprise fees.
While many finance providers have your
best interests at heart, the truth is that not
all do. Some use irresponsible or misleading
practices and take advantage of small business
owners’ need for cash.
After seeing countless small businesses
get stuck with credit products they couldn’t
afford or understand, a coalition of small
business advocates, lenders and online
credit marketplaces came together to launch
the Small Business Borrowers’ Bill of
Rights. As the first-ever gold standard for
responsible business lending, the Bill of
Rights outlines the rights and safeguards
that small businesses should expect from
finance providers.
These include the right to transparent pricing
and terms - ensuring business owners
can see the cost and terms of any financing
being offered in writing and in a form that
is clear, complete and easy to compare with
other options - and the right to non-abusive
products that won’t trap you in an expensive
cycle of re-borrowing. Before you take out
any financing, check if your lender has signed
on at ResponsibleBusinessLending.org.
Considering a loan for your business? You
should know the five things business lenders
typically care about when evaluating your
application. To maximize your success, read
more at www.Made2DoMore.com. •