ST3411 by Signal Tribune

4 SIGNAL TRIBUNE NEWS Fledgling Polaris Arts Academy to perform its first production with the musical Annie Adam Buchsbaum Editorial Intern

The sound of kids yelling in unison reverberates through Polaris Arts Academy. It’s one of the rehearsals for Annie, surely. The stage is wide here. The academy is less than two months old. Kids and parents are shuffling in and out, while a choreographer helps move objects in and out. They’re all gearing up for the academy’s upcoming production– the first public show by the academy– of the musical Annie. The academy provides lessons in basic dance forms, singing, acting and music– the unison of which perfectly matches their musical production. The troupe, composed of students of the academy and a few adult actors, rehearses quite often. The summer-camp children rehearse daily, while the rest rehearse twice a week, each group in roughly two-hour sessions. Saturdays,

the whole cast comes together for fourhour rehearsals. Dress rehearsals begin this weekend. Kymberli Gentile, the owner of Polaris, will be there every step of the process. Karen McCullah and her daughter Madison are each cast members. Karen is an ensemble member, while Madison is little orphan Annie, the lead, herself. Madison has been acting for about the past four years. “You get to be with people, and it’s a lot of fun,” Madison said. “I’ve never been in a lead role before, so it’s actually really cool for me.” Karen joined up with Polaris after seeing Gentile, her old college sorority sister, mention it on Facebook. “I just thought, ‘What a great opportunity for children.’ And, of course, I thought about my child,” Karen said. “I need to share with everybody because this is always a great opportunity for children to just be able to explore their talents.”

Thoughts from the Publisher

by Neena Strichart

With Wilson High School’s class of 1972 reunion now behind them, I’m suddenly hearing a loud ticking sound reminding me that my 40-year high school reunion is probably less than a year away. No doubt my Wilson class of 1973 reunion committee will probably be reaching out to all of us classmates within a matter of just a few months, so I guess I’d better get started on the diet, facial rejuvenation, personality tune-up and various other necessities before the big day creeps up on me! Members of Long Beach’s Jordan High School class of 1997 don’t have much time to do much more than just grab a can of spray tan, suck in tummies or throw on a pair of Spanx as their reunion is taking place tomorrow, Aug. 18 from noon to 6pm.

Ariana Nasser, another child student, is acting for the first time through Polaris and this production. “I really like it,” she said. “I’ve been wanting to do this for a while.” She likes that she sings, dances, and acts all together, preferring singing the most because, she says, it helps her express herself. Nasser described her character, July. “She’s helpful. She’s nice, and she helps people when they need help or are hurt,” Nasser said. She enjoys rehearsals partly because she can spend time with all her fellow castmates– she says she has befriended all of them. Karen helped recruit children for the new academy. “For me, as a parent, I would really like to see more families get to know Polaris Arts,” Karen said. “I think the children already here are having a great time and learning new things, and it would be great to have other children have the same opportunity.”

OPINION

Vivian C. Nelson Long Beach

e ur DBAs must b o Y t! e rg fo ’t n o D 5 years!us business filed evelpry with your fictitio

ibune he Let the Signal Tr & publication. statement filing We have one of unty for you, too! We’ll go to the co es in the county the lowest pric right away! get you started and the forms to

ES AL NAME CHANG We also run LEG s. at low, low rate

Call 562-595-7900

TH E

In the ‘Know’?

CJ Dablo

Nick Diamantides Michelle Lecours

COLUMNISTS

Jennifer E. Beaver Carol Berg Sloan, RD

Have a great weekend, and stay cool!

Disclosure: Benson is a member of the Signal Hill Planning Commission. MANAGING EDITOR

DESIGN EDITOR

Cory Bilicko

ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS STAFF WRITERS

Bargain shoppers rejoice, for this month marks the 30th birthday of the 99 Cents Only Stores®. According to a recent press release, to celebrate this milestone, the 99 Cents Only Stores® will offer a free reusable shopping bag to customers who visit one of their stores Friday, Aug. 17, Saturday, Aug. 18 or Sunday, Aug. 19 and purchase at least $9.99 worth of merchandise. In that three-day period all 302 stores will also feature deals on produce, including three pounds of plums, pears, Persian limes and/or nectarines for $0.99 each. According to some pretty reliable sources, it looks like Signal Hill will soon be the home of a new location for 99 Cents Only Stores®. I’ll keep you posted!

There will always be a handful of residents who demonize city government for the use of “bureaucratese and legal jargon” (see the letter from Maria Harris “Taxation vexation,” August 10, 2012). The cynical, potentially destructive opinions of the Signal First might be a reflection of tough economic times. However, I can see no good reason to jeopardize the decades of hard work and careful management to develop today’s city services with their so-called “Know and Vote” petition. The petition would subject all City fees and taxes to a supermajority vote and eliminate all City fees and taxes in 10 years. I can’t believe that this reflects the opinion of the typical hard-working resident of Signal Hill. You won’t find me disappointed in Signal Hill. I am NOT dissatisfied with our City services. I AM grateful for the stability and leadership that our city provides in these tough times. My appreciation for our police department is at an all-time high, as is my gratitude for our fire department, paramedics and other municipal services that we take for granted each day. As this excellent service has been developed and refined over the decades, I have found the fees and taxes acceptable as my fair-share contribution to maintain our community’s quality of life and safety. Ms. Harris’s letter is critical of local residents allowing the County Sanitation District to assume ownership and maintenance of our local sewers. The District has been providing excellent services, reliably and safely for the past nine years. Ms. Harris blames current State law which regulates fee increases and then intonates that their petition will “improve” this system. Intentionally misstating known facts is at best disingenuous, but I for one am just tired of “facts” being manipulated for self-serving political grandstanding. For the record, I received easy-to-read/understand information on the sewer change, attended workshops [and] public hearings and participated in the vote in 2003. I believe that the District mailed out letters to over 2,000 property owners and businesses informing them of the change and their right to vote on the change. The current system is working with success, satisfaction, and stability. Our sewer fees, like the rest of our City fees, are among the lowest in the region. At the May 15 public hearing, a sewer fee increase of $.50 per month was approved. After public posting and hearing no protest, votes were received regarding the increase. Ms. Harris’s “Know and Vote” petition, though possibly well intentioned, is reckless and unnecessary, as fees and taxes are regulated by State laws designed to protect the public. I am NOT signing the Signal Hill First petition and thoughtlessly jeopardizing the quality of life in Signal Hill. I strongly urge residents to reject signing this petition, and I encourage those who may have already signed this petition to request that their signatures be withdrawn. Thomas R Benson Signal Hill

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Barbie Ellisen Jane Fallon Stephanie Raygoza

see POLARIS page 15

years have passed, my memories are still sweet, and I cherish his dozens of movie roles and amazing music and will forever be grateful for the 40 live performances I had the opportunity to attend. Elvis will live in my heart forever. For those who want to satisfy their Elvis craving, hop on over to Azteca Mexican Restaurant in Garden Grove– great food, great margaritas, and all ELVIS all the time!

ED ITO R

Stephen M. Strichart

Neena R. Strichart

Kymberli to close down the studio. She met Marlene Dove, the aunt of Whitney Houston, around 1989 by sheer happenstance and after some conversation found herself hired by Dove. “She actually is the one who inspired me to do all this because she took me under wing, and I was only 21 at the time. She

Gentile was always into dance. She once had a studio in Long Beach on the corner of Magnolia Avenue and Willow Street, which she was forced to close down after the Los Angeles Riots of 1992. It was more the curfews in its aftermath than window damage that sapped away customers and forced

On a totally different subject, yesterday was the 35th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley. In high school, I was pretty much alone in my Elvis fanaticism, as most of my female peers were die-hard followers of the Beatles, Three Dog Night (Becky, I’m talking about you), Bobby Sherman, The Monkees or some other musical phenomenons of the time. Although the

I, for one, will vote “no” on any measure on the ballot that asks for a tax increase for anything. There is so much corruption that has been finally exposed in government accountability of funds, that the citizens’ tax dollars contribute to, that I say “show me your statements and bank accounts” before I contribute a dime to any new taxes. Where did/does all the income go from all those tax dollars our California lottery brings in? Wasn’t that supposed to be a panacea for all of the ills our education system was crying about? How could a system of checks and balances overlook money in accounts that were for a special purpose and simply forgotten? It does give one pause to consider the quality of government accounting practices. Any private firm would be in jeopardy of being closed down by this same government that can’t control its finances honestly. Vote NO!

PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Courtesy Kymberli Gentile

Polaris Arts Academy provides lessons in basic dance forms, singing, acting and music.

The event will consist of a potluck-style gathering as well as a bake sale to benefit fundraising efforts for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. According to Sarah Gray, the committee chairperson, the fundraiser has been inspired by Angela Hodges, a Jordan class of 1997 graduate and longtime Long Beach resident, who was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia in August of 2011 and has been bravely fighting a difficult battle since her diagnosis. The reunion and bake sale will be located at the Scherer Park 46th Street entrance, between the duck pond and the playground. More information on both events can be found at the reunion event page on Facebook– search “Jordan High School c/o 1997– 15-Year Reunion” or email Sarah Gray at sarahjane562@yahoo.com for more details.

LETTERS

Dollars making sense

AUGUST 17, 2012

CULTURE WRITERS

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT/WEBSITE MANAGER

Daniel Adams Vicki Paris Goodman Gregory Spooner

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Matt Sun

Leighanna Nierle

EDITORIAL INTERNS

Tanya Paz

Adam Buchsbaum Ariana Gastelum

DESIGN INTERN

Kaelyn Bruno

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