EL SEGUNDO HERALD April 25, 2019 Page 11
ESUSD from page 5
McCann (El Segundo High School), Carley
Finkel (El Segundo Middle School), Sandee
Montrose (Center Street School), and Sherry
Schmidt (Richmond Street School).
Classified employees singled out for their
stellar service to the District in the 2018/19
school year included Enrique Barron (Student
Support/Security Services), Araceli Reyes
(Instructional Assistance), Laura Meyer (Office
and Technical Support), Francisco Gonzalez
(Maintenance, Operations and Facilities), and
Wayhu Bridge (Food Services).
Farris briefly detailed the attributes of the
educators and classified employees who were
recognized, quoting comments from their peers
that portrayed their stellar work. Moore and
Farris both noted how this was their favorite
meeting of the year, recognizing the accomplishments
of both certificated and classified
District employees. Many of the honorees
were in attendance --- and after listening to
Farris extol their virtues, they posed for a
photo with School Board members.
The Board next tackled myriad consent
agenda items, including the approval/ratification
of the February campus visit to the
Middle School by a team of members of the
International Baccalaureate Organization to
conduct their Programme evaluation visit,
which, according to Moore, went very well.
Also approved by the Board were professional
development opportunities for District
staff; a STEAM- themed assembly at Richmond
Street School that will occur place on
May 2; the High School Cheerleading summer
camp that will take place from July 22-25
and be held at the Hyatt in Palm Springs;
and the approval/ratification of an agreement
with BEST Contracting Services, to the tune
of $17,745 , for emergency roof repair at the
Middle School, which were necessitated by
the roof damage sustained by the school in
the aftermath of the April 9 windstorm that
buffeted the area.
Action items later approved during the
two-hour gathering included an agreement
with Telacu Construction Management to
provide bond management services as the
District embarks on facility upgrade programs
stemming from the Long-Range Facility
Master Plan and the November passing of
bond Measure ES.
Telacu’s Preeti D’ Souza, who attended the
meeting, was selected to helm the project.
Moore said that she has a wealth of experience
with similar bond measure projects, most
recently with the modernization and expansion
of Lawndale High School. D’Souza has
a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the
University of Bombay, as well as a Master
of Science in Construction Management that
she received from Texas A & M. University.
Moore said D’Souza, who addressed
the Board, is “very impressive.” Telacu
Senior Vice President Jay Bell was also
on-hand to explain the upcoming construction
management process and answer Board
member questions. Member Emilee Layne
had questions and concerns about the cost
of contracting with Telacu, and the timely
availability of their resources and personnel,
questioning the “District’s new approach”
to hiring a construction management firm.
“I am really having a hard time swallowing
the cost,” Layne said. District Chief Business
Official Kim Linz briefly addressed the
Board and gave her blessing to the agreement
with Telacu. The agreement, which covers
12-months, is budgeted to cost the District
$349,120.
The Board also approved a resolution
regarding District issuance of general obligation
bonds ($27 million) stemming from the
$92,000,000 in funding that the voters gave
their blessing to when they passed Measure
ES; and another resolution deeming the
week of May 6-10 as Certificated School
Employee Week.
The information pending action on the
agenda involved the possible expansion in
scope of the District’s canine search program,
which is currently implemented at the High
School. Dr. Moore recommended to the Board
that they consider expanding the program to
the Middle School. Middle School Acting
Principal Ali Rabiei will be meeting with
stakeholders about the possible change in
practice. It is expected that the item will be
brought back to the Board for them to act
at the first meeting in June.
Upcoming events on the District calendar
include Saturday’s Run for Education, and the
High School’s Drama Department presentation
of “All Shook Up,” which will start its
three-day, four-sperformance run on April 25.
The next regularly scheduled ESUSD
School Board meeting is set for Tuesday
evening, May 14. •
Community Briefs from page 3
Middle School Advanced Theatre
Presents 15 Reasons Not to Be in a Play
El Segundo Middle School Advanced Theatre
presents 15 Reasons Not to Be In a Play by
Alan Haehnel, playing May 3 and 4, 2019 at
p.m. at El Segundo Performing Arts Center.
15 Reasons Not to Be in a Play is about not
being in a play, ironically expressed through
a hilarious series of monologues, duets, and
ensemble scenes. From early traumas involving
a glory-seeking elementary school teacher to
possible disturbances in the global climate, 15.
Reasons Not to Be in a Play keeps the audience
WIC from page 3
UCLA’s Field School of Public Health said
the improved weights have a lasting effect.
“Because heavier children tend to become
heavier adults, our study suggests that improving
the diets of young children is an important
strategy for addressing our national obesity
epidemic,” said Crespi, who co-authored the
study of the Special Supplemental Nutrition
Program for Women, Infants and Children.
It’s commonly called WIC.
In Los Angeles County, WIC currently
serves approximately 67 percent of all infants
and about half of all children ages 1 to 5,
according to local figures. Approximately
600,000 residents and 400,000 families use the
food assistance every month. WIC organizations
-- which serve almost every low-income
neighborhood in the county -- are devoted
to improving nutrition and health among
pregnant women and young children.
The UCLA-Tulane work demonstrated the
impact that food selection for children under
5 have on obesity risk and what researchers
call “growth trajectories” for children in the
WIC program. These findings could apply to
children in other parts of the country, said
Crespi. The work is the most comprehensive
study of the effect of the government-funded
food program’s changes on obesity risk in
Los Angeles County, she said. Half of all
children under 5 in the county are enrolled in
WIC, the data showed. Researchers examined
data from 2003 to 2016 for four groups of
children: those receiving the newly formulated
food package continuously from birth
to age 4, those receiving only the original
food package, those who joined WIC at age
2 and received the new food package until
age 4, and those who joined at 2 and received
the old package.
UCLA did before-and-after comparisons
of children’s growth potential and weights
based on which WIC packages their families
received. The children who received a full
dose of the new food package had healthier
growth trajectories and lower risk for obesity
at age 4 than those who received a full
dose of the original version of the package.
Specifically, the risk was 12 percent lower
for boys and 10 percent lower for girls.
When the researchers examined growth
trajectories between those two groups, they
noticed the sharpest differences began to
develop at 6 months of age. This suggested
that a more nutritious diet led to healthier
growth in toddlers after they turned 1.
“The beneficial effect of being exposed
to the new food package, compared to
the old one, was much stronger during the
6 months-to-1-year age interval,” said Pia
Chaparro, the study’s lead author and an
assistant professor of nutrition at the Tulane
University School of Public Health and
Tropical Medicine. “This difference between
the two groups during this age interval was
large enough to set children in the new food
package group on a healthier growth trajectory
through age 4.”
Analyzing statistics for children who joined
WIC at age 2, researchers found an 11 percent
lower obesity risk for boys receiving
the new food package but no reduced risk
for girls. It is not clear whether the disparity
in risk reduction was due to biological
or sociocultural differences, Chaparro said.
Nearly one in five school-age children
and young people (6 to 19 years) in the
United States has obesity, according to the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Children
are considered overweight when their bodymass
index is at or above the 95th percentile
for their peers. Genetic factors contribute to
excess weight gain, and those are difficult
to change, the CDC admits. Federal health
officials say that sugary drinks and fatty foods
should be limited. Taking a cue from WIC,
the government recommends that children
eat more fruits and vegetables to maintain
a healthy weight and avoid health problems.
Children with obesity are at higher risk of
having chronic diseases, including asthma,
sleep apnea, bone and joint problems, type
2 diabetes, and risk factors for heart disease.
It’s worth mentioning The American Heart
Association funded the L.A. County WIC
study. •
guessing just what scenario will be next.
El Segundo Middle School’s Advanced Theatre
class contains students who have completed
at least one year of Beginning Theatre. The
purpose of the class is to learn how to put on
a show, from beginning to end, as well as to
master more complicated theatre techniques,
such as playwriting and scene study.
Director Randi Goodman remarks, “Many of
these students have taken theatre with me for
all three years of their middle school journey.
It has been a delight to see them grow and
mature. We can’t wait to share this fun show
with the community!”
Tickets are on sale now at esmsca.booktix.
com. El Segundo Performing Arts Center is
located at 640 Main Street, El Segundo, CA
90245. For more information, contact Randi
Goodman at rgoodman@esusd.k12.ca.us or
310-615-2690 x3702.
– Source: El Segundo Middle School
Single-Family and Duplex
Properties Signing Up with EDCO
A friendly reminder that you are automatically
signed up to receive the new collection
services with EDCO. Property owners will
receive the first quarterly bill in the mail in
mid- to late May from EDCO. It is up to
the owner whether they would like to pass
the $15/month/unit cost to the tenant. You
can set up an online account after receiving
your first bill. If you have questions, please
call EDCO at 310-540-2977.
As with all cities in California, the City
of El Segundo is required to comply with
certain federal and state environmental program
mandates. Compliance with the solid
waste mandates was the main reason for
the switch to automated trash collection,
while the storm water pollution prevention
program requires the City to operate and
maintain effective street cleaning operations
to ensure trash does not get into the storm
drain system (and ultimately on our beaches,
and in our harbors and the ocean).
While the benefit of the new four-day trash
collection cycle is that there will be no trucks
on City streets on Fridays, it did require some
modification of the street sweeping days and
times. The City’s goal is to minimize the impact
to the residents and maximize parking areas
adjacent to no-parking areas. More info:
https://www.edcodisposal.com/el-segundo/
service-schedules/
– Source: City of El Segundo •
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