The Weekly Newspaper of Torrance Herald Publications - Torrance, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hawthorne, Lawndale, & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 4, No. 43 - October 23, 2014 Inside This Issue Calendar...............................3 Certified & Licensed Professionals.....................14 Classifieds............................4 Crossword/Sudoku.............4 Food.......................................9 Legals..................................13 Pets......................................15 Police...................................13 Politically Speaking............5 Real Estate.........................16 Sports................................ 6-7 Weekend Forecast Pediatric Therapy Network Hosts Halloween Ball Pediatric Therapy Network volunteers get their party on at the PTN Halloween Ball; their “Guess Who” costume won first place in the group competition. For more about the Halloween Ball, see page 2. Photo by Osvin Suazo, ozzy.suazo@gmail.com. School Board Approves GATE Parent Conference By Cristian Vasquez Members of the Torrance School Board unanimously approved the Torrance Unified School District GATE Parent Conference scheduled for Jan. 31, 2015 at Torrance High School. It was stated that 12 classroom teachers are needed to facilitate the specific session planning and conference organization, which is “not to exceed 10 hours per teacher.” Each teacher will be assigned at an hourly rate of $39.53, for a total amount of money not to surpass $4,743.60. Said funds will be provided by the TUSD GATE budget account. Torrance Unified School District is in the phase of recharging its gifted program within the district’s classrooms and simultaneously wants to recognize the significant impact that parents have on “the academic and social development of their gifted child.” The challenge with gifted students is that gifted children learn differently, socialize differently, and interact with peers and adults differently. The GATE Parent Conference would be the first in its kind in TUSD and parents of gifted children “will be invited to attend a day of informative sessions facilitated by TUSD staff and guest speakers nationally known for their work with gifted children.” Priority registration will be given to the parents of students in the gifted category, See School Board, page 14 Friday Partly Cloudy 76˚/62˚ Saturday Partly Cloudy 76˚/59˚ Sunday Mostly Sunny 70˚/58˚ Council Presents Proclamation Declaring Oct. 20-24 Red Ribbon Week By Cristian Vasquez In the constant fight against drugs, the Torrance City Council urged all of its residents to participate in the yearly drug awareness event Red Ribbon Week from Oct. 20-24. “Parents are the main deterrent against drugs,” Red Ribbon Chair for Torrance Council of PTAs Michele Nadeau. “When parents talk to their kids about the dangers of drugs, those kids are less likely to smoke marijuana, use inhalants, cocaine and LSD than kids whose parents say nothing.” Red Ribbon Week was born in response to the murder of DEA Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena who was tortured and killed in Mexico in 1985. Camarena was assigned to work undercover in Mexico to investigate a major drug cartel believed to include officers in the Mexican Army, police and government. On his way to lunch with his wife, the DEA agent was kidnapped and his body found a month later. “Growing up Enrique ‘Kiki’ Camarena wanted to make a difference,” Nadeau said. “He worked his way through college, went to the marines and became a police officer. Despite his mother’s protests he joined the Drug Enforcement Agency.” After the murder of Camarena, angered parents and youth across the country began wearing Red Ribbons as a symbol to their commitment to raising drug awareness and educating people on the destruction caused by drugs. “In memory of his battle against illegal drugs, friends and neighbors began to wear red satin badges,” Nadeau said. “Parent coalitions formed against drug and alcohol abuse were formed. The red ribbon campaign has reached millions of US kids since the first campaign in 1988.” Red Ribbon Week has been celebrated nationwide since 1985. This year’s theme, Love Yourself Be Drug Free, aims to further enhance the drug-awareness education efforts that everyone involved with the campaign has been advocating for years. Nadeau did speak on issues such as the dangers of prescription drugs and the ease with which teenagers can obtain such substances. “After Marijuana, them most common drugs that teens are using to get high are prescription drugs,” Nadeau said. “12 to 17 year olds abuse prescription drugs more than ecstasy, heroin, crack cocaine, methamphetamine combined. More than 70 percent of 12 to 17 See City Council, page 13
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