Community News page 8
Chalk Talk Community Events, page 2 - 3
The Community Paper of Record
Vol. 56, No. 10
Serving the San Gabriel Valley Since 1966
May 15, 2019
Changing a Pit into Part of a Necklace by Staff Writer San Gabriel Valley
At the end of a seemingly neverending string of salvage yards, warehouses and strip malls is an unexpected pearl. A literal breath of fresh air in the form of green trees, manicured trails, and tranquil ponds. Peck Road Water Conservation Park is an urban escape increasingly found in L.A.’s east county. Thanks to Amigos de los Rios and the strong backs of Corpsmembers from the California Conservation Corps, this abandoned rock quarry transformed into a lush park newly planted with bright flowers and rock formations. “I really love the work that we’re doing and that we’re making a difference,” said CCC Los Angeles Center Corpsmember Karla Gonzalez. The park is a foundational element in what’s called the Emerald Necklace – a string of parks and trails connecting the San Gabriel Mountains to L.A.’s south coast. It is one of the 35 park projects Amigos de los Rios – the steward of
the necklace plan – has spent the last 15 years developing in collaboration with the CCC. “It looked like a dusty moonscape, the soil had no plants in it,” said Claire Robinson, managing director of Amigos de los Rios. “At Peck, we’re trying to show you can go from a blighted, scary environment to these amazing qualities that can support walking, biking, and school kids coming to just watch the birds. The transformation the CCC has made turned it into a more welcoming community-based space.” Just as the park is transformed, the CCC also transforms lives – the lives of Corpsmembers. The state-run program offers 18-25-year-old men and women a year of paid work on environmentally focused projects. When they exit the Corps, they are work ready and are often hired by the very governmental agencies and non-profits who they worked with on projects while in the CCC. “There is a lot of work that we’ve done here,” said Gonzalez. “I have
Courtesy Photo
learned so much here at this park, it’s really like my foundation in the CCC.” Along the park’s entrance, Gonzalez carefully positioned and packed rocks to build a retaining wall to prevent debris runoff during heavy
rain. Water conservation is one of the key enhancements Corpsmembers installed. Resurfacing the park’s entry path now lets water seep through the trail without damaging it. And, a Necklace continued on page 15
Inspirational Innovators
by E. Gaeta, Contributing Writer, Valle Lindo School District El Monte
When you think about great historical figures do the names Ellen Ochoa or Merritt Moore come readily to mind? How about Ginni Rometty or Helen Rodriguez Trias? Each of these individuals has made a significant impact on the world we live in. They are “Inspirational Innovators – Past, Present and Future.” From diverse backgrounds, each of
these heroes overcame obstacles and challenges on their way to making significant advances in the areas of science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics. Last week, these characters, and twenty-five others, came to life on stage at Shively Middle School. The 7th and 8th grade students who portrayed these historical icons, researched their character and created a monologue to share with the audience.
Dressed in period costumes, the students captured the spirit of each character and delivered a biographical snapshot that included their historical contributions to society as well as the challenges each hero faced. Some of the obstacles were a lack of educational opportunities, women not permitted to attend school, writing under pen names, overcoming slavery, combating racial prejudice, poverty, and war.
Shively principal, Dr. Elizabeth Evans, welcomed the audience and provided background information about the Living History Museum project and how the students created their character portrayal. Mr. Guillermo Tejeda provided piano interludes which helped to establish a museum quality tone to the event. Teachers, Ms. Maria Alcala and Mrs. Donna James were instrumental in the research and character development portions of the project. Dr. Evans thanked staff members Mrs. Enedina Bartling, costuming, and Mrs. Elena Gaeta, photography, as well as parent, Ms. Rosie Strohl hair and makeup, for helping behind the scene. Following the performance, refreshments were served, and the students shared a CD they made in class with Mr. Tejeda that captured both the music and the student voice portrayals. As part of the Living History project, Mr. Tejeda taught the students about sound recording and brought in sound equipment for the students to create the CD. The final performance of “Inspirational Innovators – Past, Present and Future” will take place on Monday, June 10 at 9:00 a.m., in the MLL Auditorium at Shively Middle School.