EL SEGUNDO HERALD August 24, 2017 Page 3
Davis & DeRosa Physical Therapy, Inc.
Davis & DeRosa Physical Therapy, established in 2003,
provides a quaint boutique practice located in El Segundo,
California. The 4,000 square foot facility is a well known
practice offering its patients private, personal treatment by
a licensed therapist at every visit. Patients are guaranteed
one-on-one attention for their 45-minute treatment.
THE PRACTICE SPECIALIZES IN
DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT FOR:
Chronic Neck and Back Pain
Pre and Post Surgical Rehabilitation
Sports Injuries
Work Injuries
Neurological Disorders
Foot and Ankle Disorders (including orthotics)
Osteoporosis and other Age Related Disorders
Balance and Vestibular Disorders
Injury Prevention
Troy Davis Owner, PT, DPT • Chris DeRosa Owner, PT, OCS
Leo Valenzuela, PT, DPT • Lianne Nakazaki, PT, DPT
Garret Wong, PT, DPT, OCS • Tami Chang, PT • Kim Klein, PT
William Quibell, PT, DPT • Richelle Mae Milina, PT, DPT, OCS
325 Main Street El Segundo, CA 90245 310.648.3167
www.davisandderosa.com
The Jewelry Source
337 Main St. El Segundo. 310-322-7110
www.jewelrysourceUSA.com
©2007
Finding the right anniversary gift is like
a tricky, downhill
putt for birdie
This one’s in the cup, sir.
New Middle School
Principal Gooden Eagerly
Awaits First Day of School
By Duane Plank
When new El Segundo
Middle School Principal
M e l i s s a G o o d e n wa s
ruminating on her future
while growing up in North
Carolina and Delaware, it
did not seem that a career in
education was in the cards.
Although she said she had an
“amazing first grade teacher
that gave me a passion for
learning,” Gooden said she
went through a phase when
she thought, “I am going to
be an attorney and make
more money.” Once she
entered the University of
Delaware, however, she reconnected with
what she termed “a special place in my heart”
rekindling her earlier desires of pursuing a
teaching career.
Gooden’s initial foray into teaching, as a
student teacher at an elementary school, didn’t
go as planned. She said her main thoughts
after her first student-teaching assignment
were, “This isn’t for me. I am just going to
go work at a bank.”
That didn’t happen, however. Gooden’s
second student-teaching gig changed
everything. She was assigned to a middle
school, instructing special education students.
“I fell in love with the middle school,” she
said, “and I fell in love with working deeply
with kids who learn differently.”
Gooden comes to the El Segundo Unified
School District after a four-year stint as
Assistant Principal at Los Angeles High
School, and has 17 years of experience
serving secondary students--primarily in the
Los Angeles Unified School District--focusing
on special education. Gooden’s selection as
Principal was approved by the El Segundo
School Board at a special meeting that took
place on August 8.
Gooden is taking over the reins from Jack
Plotkin, who was promoted to the El Segundo
Unified School District administrative position
of Director-Innovation & Student Services.
Plotkin has had a chance to meet with
Gooden often over the summer break. He
sees nothing but continued
success in the future for the
Middle School.
Plotkin noted that with
a new schedule in place
at the school this year,
and with the continuing
challenge of implementing
t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l
Baccalaureate Middle
Years Programme, ongoing
change is imminent. After
meeting with Gooden,
Plotkin said, “It quickly
became apparent that she
innately understands how
to navigate the change
process. She has not only a
tremendous amount of experience, but a calm
and confident style that the school needs. I
know her leadership will continue to move
ESMS forward.”
Gooden appreciates the support she has
received from Plotkin, whom she calls
“an outstanding leader who has been very
supportive of my transition. I can’t imagine
walking into a better situation as a new
principal. My goal is to continue the work
he has started and build upon the programs
and partnerships already in place at the
Middle School.”
Gooden continued, “Our test scores are
very good, and we have so much to be proud
of--but I want to see every single student at
ESMS meeting grade level standards. Dr.
Plotkin definitely laid the foundations and
created a culture of collaboration amongst the
faculty…and with that, I am confident that
we will be able to work together to ensure
that every student leaving our campus will be
fully prepared for high school and beyond.”
Gooden was selected for the position from
a pool of more than 30 applicants, surviving
four rounds of interviews of what was termed
an “exhaustive” search by District Executive
Director of Human Resources Dylan Farris.
“In the end, we had the fortunate dilemma
of choosing among several highly-qualified
candidates,” he said. “Dr. Gooden has had
success in all areas of school site leadership
Aircraft Noise Complaints
Soar Under New System
By Rob McCarthy
When asked how they deal with the sound
of jets arriving and departing around-the-clock
at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX),
area residents will shrug and either say they
don’t hear the noise anymore or it comes with
the territory, so why complain? Living in the
flight path of an international airport has a
desensitizing effect on the eardrums, though
that’s not true not for everyone. Neighbors upset
about plane noise are a small, yet vocal lot.
LAX a year ago installed a new reporting
system for neighbors of the surrounding communities
to file complaints about jet noise,
low-flying planes, changes in flight paths and
other annoyances. In that time, the number of
monthly complaints and individuals contacting
airport authorities about planes flying too low
or over their houses has increased dramatically,
according to an analysis of the community
response reports from LAX.
Last month, the public filed 5,287 complaints
about planes operating in LAX airspace. The
most recent number of grievances was nearly
1,100 higher than a year ago in July, which is
the height of the summer travel season. Four
communities--Culver City, Santa Monica,
Monterey Park and Los Angeles--topped the
list and those residents, in some cases, complained
30 times apiece to airport authorities
either by phone or online.
Neighbors who used the LAX noise disturbance
reporting system last month complained
most about unusually loud planes (2,008) and
low-flying planes (1,156). Late-night or earlymorning
flights drew 535 comments, which
LAX officials say is to be expected because
the international airport operates 24 hours a
day. Another 457 airport neighbors objected
to planes flying over their homes, but LAX
responded to those commenters that the flight
paths of incoming and outbound planes are
determined by the Federal Aviation Administration
and not the airport.
Under the year-old noise-reporting system,
airport administrations investigate and reply
to five complaints registered per person in
a month and include their findings in month
reports posted at the LAWA.org website. The
policy limits the number of public nuisance
investigations by LAX, but that hasn’t stopped
residents from Culver City to Palos Verdes from
filing multiple complaints, most of which are
about daytime air traffic.
An analysis of July’s community response
to LAX aircraft points to hot pockets in South
Bay where residents who see something, say
something. Behind Santa Monica and Culver
City, it was Inglewood residents who had the
most problems with plane noise. LAX reported
161 complaints from 22 Inglewood residents.
Nine people in Hawthorne generated 40
noise complaints last month. Seven Manhattan
Beach residents lodged 24 complaints about
planes, followed by Playa del Rey where four
people made 18 comments about disturbances
coming from the airport. The average number
of complaints per resident in those cities was
between three and four, compared to one per
month for El Segundo, Lawndale and Torrance
residents, the data showed.
Redondo Beach residents weren’t as quiet
as their neighbors to the north and east. The
beach city generated 153 aircraft complaints
last month coming from 45 individuals. Overall,
the number of noise complaints coming from
area residents has increased steadily since
January. LAX officials who prepared the July
noise and disturbance report have seen a 30
percent jump in public complaints compared
to a year ago, July 2016.
Some of the bothersome issues caused by
jets are out of the airport’s control while others
are maintenance-related as LAX continues
its modernization of terminals and runways,
administrators say in their comments left for
individuals who have complained about night
flights and planes using the outer runway
close to Imperial Avenue. “The FAA has
ultimate authority over aircraft flight patterns
and regulates virtually all aviation activity
with the major emphasis on safety,” airport
administrators charged with investigating public
comments repeat often in their findings when
aircraft deviate from normal flight patterns or
circle the airport at a low altitude.
Fog and low clouds can amplify the noise
Principal Melissa Gooden
Residents were warned about overnight noise while the south inboard runway underwent construction. Work was expected to last
from August 14 to 21. Photo Credit: Los Angeles World Airports.
See Principal Gooden, page 6
See Aircraft Noise, page 5