Vol. 54, No. 34 Special Section Temple City, San Gabriel, & ROSEMEAD PAGE 5
Serving the San Gabriel Valley Since 1966 Local Events page 2, 3 “Off Beat Happenings”
Entertainment
page 14 - 15
August 31, 2016
Sports pages 9 - 11
Metro News
page 3
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New El Monte K-9 Officer Makes Debut by Valerie Martinez El Monte
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The El Monte Police Department officially welcomed aboard its newest K-9 officer, Rico, to the police force on Aug. 16 during a presentation at the City Council meeting. Rico, an 18-month-old Malinois from the Czech Republic, completed his training at Adlerhorst International, Inc. in Jurupa Valley. El Monte officers selected Rico for his skills and high ranking over other police service-trained dogs. He will serve as an apprehension search dog under the supervision and handling of Officer Adam Girgle, who has been with the police department since 2003. The pair are currently enrolled in a six-week basic training class where law enforcement personnel are intensively trained in the handling, deployment and care of a police service dog.
“The training is mostly about training myself to work with Rico. He is already good to go,” Girgle said. “The class covers searching for evidence and suspects, and once we’re comfortable in patrol, we’ll take a narcotics detection class, an additional fourweek course,” Officer Girgle said. Being from the Czech Republic, Rico primarily understands Czech commands, which means Girgle must learn how to give commands in Czech. Once training is complete, the pair will go into patrol and work three nearly 13-hour shifts and be on-call for emergency situations each week. “Because he is so young, we can probably get 10 years out of him if he’s healthy before he retires,” Girgle said. “Unlike some German Shepherds,
Photo Courtesy Officer Adam Girgle of the El Monte Police Department introduced Rico, the new K-9 Officer, at the El Monte City Council meeting on Aug. 16, 2016. Courtesy photo. New K-9 Officer continued on page 12
Mt. View School District’s Summer School Students Explore Kidspace Museum
Past or Current Resident
by Michele Earle El Monte
Exploration and creativity were the themes of the day as students in Mountain View School District’s Extended School Year (ESY) Summer program participated in the Kidspace Museum’s Kidspace on the Road activities as culminating events for the 20-day summer program. The museum’s Star Lab Dome and Imagination Playground enabled students to explore, imagine, create and have fun. At Voorhis School, the Star Lab Dome brought the mystery and wonder of the cosmos to the students. Kidspace educators took students on a journey through the Milky Way as they explored the solar system and the many constellations as identified by Greek astronomers. Stu-
dents enjoyed climbing into the dome and looking at the stars illuminated in it. “The Star Lab is a wonderful and fun educational experience,” said Lillian Maldonado French, MVSD’s Superintendent. “The inflatable dome took up most of the cafeteria and the kids really loved it. They learned a lot about constellations and solar system.” The Imagination Playground, including a truckload of large blue building blocks was brought to Maxson School for students to take part in. Guided by Kidspace museum educators and their own teachers, students were steered through a creative hands-on process that inspired them to create and build objects like houses, roads, towers, and
Photo Courtesy Mt. View School District continued on page 8