All-Stars MedallionsAll-Stars Gold Awards PANORAMAPANORAMA Palos Verdes Peninsula www.peninsulapanorama.comNo. 290 • August 27, 2022 Always FREE All-Stars Everywhere See Pages 7-9 The First Of Many See Page 11-15 Softball All-Stars Dominate See Pages 7-9 Girl Scouts Highest Honor See Page 5 A Summer To Remember . . . All-Star teams in baseball and softball had unprecedented success this summer reaching championship levels never before achieved. Here To Compete And Have Fun . . . Teams and players from the Peninsula represented the community with championship play and true sportsmanship. AN HISTORIC SUMMER Local All-Stars Set Records
Palos Verdes Assembly Celebrates Verdes celebrated year with its at Biltmore from Klerman Malekzadeh O’Connor Grau Gieson and Dheeriya Row: Parker D’Ambrosi Chehrzadeh Thompsen and Row: Shitabata Lew and Schmitz Row: Jung Corr Parker and by
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James Terrell. Third
the left, top row: Alex
, Stephanie Libby, Delaney Bradley, Olivia Hutchings , Trista Kemp, Sasha
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GM Photography
, Noah Lee, Sam
Service With Style . . . The Palos
, Cassidy Virzi
Hunter
, Collin Shiang, Catherine Christen, Isabella
Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Pictured
, Alexander Libby, Roberto Sebenick , Anthony Deley, John Pinner
annual Presentation Ball
Vikesh
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Tyler
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, Bryce Ferraro, Julia Masuda , Grace Youn, Vivien He, Kiera Stone, Caroline Wang, Erin Murdoch, Lindsey Burruss , Marjorie Say, Nicholas
its 58th
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the Millennium
, Nicholas
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, Elena Fischer, Vera Sun, Danielle
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As of 2022, more than 540 Milken Scholars have been selected from over 200 high schools in Los Angeles Coun ty, New York City and Washington, D.C. Milken Scholars embody a variety of ages, backgrounds, and academic and professional interests, and attend some of the top colleges and universities in theTwenty-fivecountry. percent were born outside the United States and 77 per Tom Combs Sue WintonDemerjian,Combs Jack Dickason
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• Palos Verdes Assembly con tinues tradition of service and commitment for the community. The Palos Verdes Assembly cel ebrated its 58th year with its annual Presentation Ball at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los An geles. This commemorative event in cluded a much-anticipated mother/ son and father/daughter waltz led by dance master Bobby Burgess
To learn more about The Palos Verdes Assembly, visit pvassembly.org and follow them on Instagram @pvas sembly. reports
• Local student will receive scholarship, career counseling and academic mentors. David Maemoto, Palos Verdes High School graduate and Stanford Universi ty bound, was among 12 students cho sen from Los Angeles County by a joint initiative of the Milken Institute and the Milken Family Foundation, Open to college-bound high school seniors in Los Angeles County, Washington, D.C., and New York City, Milken Scholars are selected based on academic performance, community service, leadership and their ability to persevere in the face of personal chal lenges.Recipients receive a $10,000 schol arship, and more importantly, gain a lifelong support system that includes ongoing career-related counseling, assistance in securing internships, op portunities for community service, and a fund to assist their pursuit of postundergraduate career goals. During a pickup basketball game, David Maemoto noticed a homeless person on a nearby court—and he was inspired to help. With money earned from tutoring and leading basketball training sessions, David founded TEAM HOPE, distributing 2,000 hygiene kits at the Long Beach Rescue Mission. With another Mission volunteer, a for mer private investigator, David helped reconnect homeless people with loved ones. During an internship at Boeing, David designed a POD (Portable Ob tainable Dwelling), an affordable and sustainable housing unit.
David started a free afterschool pro gram to prepare elementary students for math competitions and helped chil dren with disabilities as a camp coun selor. As a member of California U.S. Representative Ted Lieu’s Youth Adviso ry Council, he worked on bills address ing homelessness, climate change, and education funding. When his assistant principal and basketball coach were diagnosed with cancer, David raised $85,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, earn ing the group’s Hero Award.
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The valedictorian at Palos Verdes High School, David is an AP Scholar with Distinction, National Merit Com mended Scholar, American Legion California Boys State Delegate, Califor nia Scholarship Federation Seal Bearer and Coca-Cola Scholar semifinalist. He served as president of the Science National Honors Society and won the Rensselaer Medal.
The prestigious organization rec ognized 44 seniors from the Class of 2022 for their four-year commitment to studying ballroom dance and social etiquette, and for their philanthropic efforts.
This past year PV Assembly par ticipants contributed over 7,400 hours of service to charitable causes in the local area for which they received the prestigious Assembly Medallion.
David earned awards at the Los An geles County Science and Engineering Fair and led the only high school team to compete in the National Institute of Standards and Technology First Re sponder Unmanned Aircraft System Endurance Challenge, winning $20,000 for the Palos Verdes Institute of Tech nology’s engineering program for de signing and building a prototype for a gas-powered helicopter.
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PENINSULAPANORAMA.com pvsports.com localnews@pvppanorama.com Publisher shall not be liable for errors or damages for errors in ad vertising except up to the actual cost of space occupied by the item appearing in error. Totally Cool Publishing L.L.C. reserves the right to approve or reject any and all copy and assumes no responsibil ity for errors not of its making. This newspaper cannot be respon sible for the return of unsolicited news releases or photographs. Copyright Totally Cool Publishing 2022. All rights reserved. In Memory of Jolene Combs Jesse Lou Givens We publish 21 times during the calendar yearevery other Saturday unless otherwise noted. DEADLINES On the Week of Publication: Editorial & Advertising Space: Tuesday, 12 midnight adsales@pvppanorama.comlocalnews@pvppanorama Advertising Information Next Edition Sept. 24 Jill tcombs@pvppanorama.comJillAllen411@yahoo.com310-663-0630AllenTomCombs310-971-8518LucasDemerjian424-237-6296demerjianluke@gmail.com PANORAMAPANORAMA Palos Verdes Peninsula On StaffSammy Funk Timothy Niemann www.peninsulaPANORAMA.comPage 4 • August 27, 2022 l ocalnews@ pvppanorama.com ScoutsBoyPeninsula&Girl PODCAST PANORAMA THE Scholarship PV High Graduate Awarded Milken Scholarship, Mentors Service PV Assembly Honors Local Seniors For Time, Service
David will study mechanical engi neering at Stanford and plans a career in aerospace and mechanical engineer ing.Past recipients include inaugural poet Amanda Gorman; Ruben Haru tunian, deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Minsk, Belarus; Dr. Joelle Simpson, chief of emergency medicine at Children’s National Hospi tal; and award-winning entrepreneur and author Ali Kriegsman.
The Palos Verdes Assembly is a non-profit, social, and philanthropic organization founded in 1964 by the late Mrs. Katherine Sheehy. Her vi sion for the young people combined teaching the importance of elegance, grace and manners while impart ing a humanitarian spirit of service to the community. She established a standard of excellence that is still the essence of the organization over 50 yearsMembershiplater. in PV Assembly is a four-year commitment preceded by three years of participation in middle school Cotillion. Assembly activities include a formal tea, six dances during which members are instructed in vari ous ballroom dances and etiquette, a semi-formal holiday dinner dance, and the Presentation Ball. Mr. Bobby Burgess and his staff provide dance instruction to the members and Mr. Robert Burgess instructs members in social protocol and etiquette. In addition to their social activities, Assembly members in all four grades contribute thousands of hours of vol unteer service each year to programs that benefit our local community.
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• Four Peninsula Scouts from Troop 12345 (Shark Bait Troop) received their Gold Award this summer in a ceremony in Pasadena.
www.peninsulaPANORAMA.com August 27, 2022 • Page 5
Drishana Thuraira jah - Peninsula High School class of 2023. Gold Award Proj ect: The Dangers of Society.Drishana’s Gold Award project ad dressed the issue of environmental injustice by creating a documentary with interviews from experts about the issue. She premiered this docu mentary to over 9,000 people at film festivals and on platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and a podcast on Spotify.
Grace Trester - Palos Verdes High School class of Gold2023.Award Proj ect: Book Club with Grace.Grace’s Gold Award Project made an im pact on her community by working with The Friendship Foundation, a lo cal South Bay organization that helps special needs kids foster friendships with their neurotypical peers. She created a program where she met weekly (either virtually or in-person) with kids from The Friendship Foun dation to share stories.
Shivani Sharma – Peninsula High School class of 2023. Gold Award Proj ect: Connecting Se niors through Tech nology.Shivani’s Gold Award Project made an impact on her community by addressing social iso lation and mental health for seniors in her community. She hosted sever al virtual trivia games and in-person floral art classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, which improved the hap piness and mental health of the se nior participants. She helped these senior citizens combat loneliness by connecting them to each other and facilitating fun activities.
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Scouts
Peninsula Girl Scouts Receive Gold Award
“The Gold Award is the highest award a Girl Scout can earn. DISCOVER a problem in your community. TAKE ACTION through planning a sustainable project with a team of people to address the root issue. LEAD by executing your vision and making a lasting impact in your community and beyond. Once achieved, your Gold Award shows colleges, employers, and your community that you are changing the world.”
Beach Cities Volleyball 14 Black Wins National Championship Gold Medal . . . A team of 10 South Bay 14-year-olds from Beach Cities Volleyball’s 14 Black team won a national volleyball championship gold medal at the 2022 USA Volleyball Boys Junior National Championship (BJNC) in Las Vegas, Nevada this summer. After qualifying at the SCVA National BID Tournament this past January, the team won 11 games against teams from across the United States, Puerto Rico, and ultimately the championship finals against the HVA Young Guns from Houston, Texas. Losing the first game 25 - 15, the BCV 14 Black came back to win the second game 25 - 23. They proceeded to defeat the Guns with a 15 - 12 winning score in the tie-breaking third round. Beach Cities Volleyball, in its 23rd year, was founded by Chip Schulte, who serves as Club Director and Head Coach. Beach Cities Volleyball is in the midst of its summer camp and high performance clinics, with upcoming high school girls tryouts. During the school year, BCVC offers club volleyball, clinics, tournaments, and a Future Stars program for entry level players.
Riley Yang Peninsula High School class of 2022.Gold Award Proj ect: Senior Citizen Digital Literacy. Riley created and taught a digital literacy series at the Peninsula Se nior Center. The topics involved the basics of technology, which were: iPhone/iPad basics, connecting vir tually, how to stay safe online, and computer basics. She also created 10-15 page handouts and scheduled individualized sessions for those that required additional assistance.
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• The future of softball on the Peninsula looks big and bright with All-Star teams racking up major tournament wins.
Three Palos Verdes Girls Softball allstar teams made history this summer by advancing to the California State Tournament round. This year marked the first time Palos Verdes had all three age groups (8U, 10U and 12U) make it to State. The 12U team, in particular, had a phenomenal summer, playing more than 30 games and advancing all the way to the Western Nationals.
Softball Win
For softball, the all-star tournament setup differs from Little League base ball. The early part of the softball allstar season is comprised of multiple in vitational tournaments, none of which automatically grant entry into another round. The point of this is to allow teams to play more games before fac ing elimination. Then, teams begin to play double-elimination tournaments, with teams continuing to advance from districts to states, and eventually to Western Nationals.
All-Stars
The respective all-star teams were selected based on their regular season performance, skills, sportsmanship, and an all-star tryout.
www.peninsulaPANORAMA.com August 27, 2022 • Page 7 Always FREE Best Readers & Fans On The Hill Tom Combs 310-971-8518 tcombs@pvppanorama.com Lucas Demerjian 424-237-6296 demerjianl@yahoo.com For Advertising Information Please Contact PANORAMAPANORAMA Palos Verdes Peninsula Connect with a Smart, Active and Passionate Audience peninsulapanorama.com • panoramapodcast.com • pvsports.com
State Champions League Has Championship Summer 12U All-Stars Have A Summer To Remember . . . The 12U All-Star team played more than 30 games this sum mer and reached the Western Nationals finals. The team includes Lyla Benton, Ellie Correa , Amelia Cyril, Addie Eroen, Davia Huber, Josslyn Johnson, Paige Kelly, Cady Klink , Naya Lesser, Kalysta Lund, Annmarie Russell and Malia Tamilin. Manager, Kendall Benton. Coaches Jeff Huber, Philip Johnson, Tim Lesser.Please continue on Page 8 . . . By Timothy Niemann
12U All-Stars Not Ready To Stop Softball
Summer Work Is Summer Play . . . All-Star athletes compete and practice most of the summer keeping fit and ready for another season.
Benton added, “I’m proud of the work these girls have put in. It really started in earnest during the COVID lockdowns when we could only really train (and not play games). These girls fell in love with the game and fell in love with being great teammates. They worked amazingly hard to go from sol id softball players to absolutely amaz ing softball players.”
Benton concluded, “I’m proud of their fun on the field. I’ve never seen a team have so much fun around each other, picking each other up, and play ing for each other. I had heard about teams like that–and had a few ones that were close. But this one stands above the rest.”
www.peninsulaPANORAMA.comPage 8 • August 27, 2022 . . . Continued from Page 7 Keep Us In The Loop Anything • Everything localnews@pvppanorama.com Pictures, Stories, Events You Paid How Much For That Photo? Check Out The Photo Galleries And See The Latest Edition Of PANORAMA Online! Hosted by snugmug.com 5x7 Photo Prints & Downloads Only $7.99 peninsulaPANORAMA.com Color!InAction Photos peninsulaPANORAMA.com peninsulaPANORAMA.com Click Photo Galleries PANORAMAPANORAMA Palos Verdes Peninsula
For the first time ever, all three Palos Verdes softball teams made it through Districts into States. The 12U team went the furthest, making it all the way to Western Nationals. Overall, the team went 28-5, outscoring their opponents by 229 runs along the way. The team batted for an astounding .453 average and stole 145 bases. In addition to their offense, pitching held their opponents to a .243 batting aver age.The team went undefeated in Dis tricts, defeating North Torrance in the championship game. They also went unscathed in States, going 7-0 and defeating Aliso Viejo for the champi onship. The team was eliminated in Western Nationals, with their final loss coming to eventual runners-up San Clemente.“Ittook a special group of girls to make this incredible run of softball hap pen,” said manager Kendall Benton. “A few things made this team special. We had a group of girls that were serious athletes. Not just softball players, but athletic, fast, smart players who could do a ton of things.” He went on, “But, what made this team unique is that this group of girls truly defines team work. Each player made huge contribu tions, each had their moments to shine, and each player played in every single game. Most importantly, they played for each Consideringother.”
the fact that this group of girls had to go through the CO VID-19 pandemic in the midst of their young softball careers makes this feat even more remarkable.
www.peninsulaPANORAMA.com August 27, 2022 • Page 9
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Lead From The Circle . . . All-Star pitcher Naya Lesser led her team in the most successful post-season run in the history of the Palos Verdes Girls’ Softball League.
Softball All-Star Amelia Cyril hits an RBI single during U12 All-Star action this summer.
Fast Hits And Runs
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Hits And Runs . . . All-Star third baseman Tyler Turse keeps a rally going against El Segundo during the District 36 Championship game played at Lunada Bay Little League.
PVLL All-Stars SoCal State Champs
500 Silver Spur Road, Suite 306 Palos Verdes Peninsula
Charting a path to Growth
• Young All-Stars extend sum mer baseball into historic levels.
PANORAMAPANORAMA Palos Verdes Peninsula
The Palos Verdes Little League 10-year-old All-Stars team had a very successful summer, winning the State Championship for the Southern Cali fornia Region of Little League Interna tional.They made history as the first team from PVLL to accomplish the feat, ad vancing as far as is possible for their ageLedlevel.by coaches Ben Eroen and Mark Baranick, the team compiled a 12-1 record across the Divisional, Sec tional, and State tournament rounds, culminating with a tight 3-game se ries against Chula Vista American Little League for the State Championship. The team relied on consistent pitch ing and solid defense, outscoring their opponents by a cumulative total of 101-32 across the tournament. Way to go boys in representing our PV com munity. 24
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Little League Hold Them Back . . . All-Star pitch er Miles Baranick gets the start in the District 36 championship game.
— email reports Next Edition Sept.
Turning The Key . . . All-Star second baseman Cody Kim goes after a doubleplay during All-Star competition this summer.
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www.peninsulaPANORAMA.com August 27, 2022 • Page 13 That A Boy . . . The PV Little League All-Stars celebrate defeating El Segundo Little League and winning the District 36 Championship banner. Always FREE Best Readers & Fans On The Hill Tom Combs 310-971-8518 tcombs@pvppanorama.com Lucas Demerjian 424-237-6296 demerjianl@yahoo.com For Advertising Information Please Contact PANORAMAPANORAMA Palos Verdes Peninsula Connect with a Smart, Active and Passionate Audience peninsulapanorama.com • panoramapodcast.com • pvsports.com The Road To History . . . Before winning the Southern California State Championship, the PVLL All-Stars won District 36 and Section 4 banners. The team includes Bennett Lopes , Cody Kim, Conor Eroen, Deven Reddy, Drew Myhre, Griffin Rudy, Hudson Sheffield, Lucas MacAllister, Miles Baranick , Rocco Ciccone and Tyler Turse. Manager Ben Eroen. Coach Mark Baranick
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www.peninsulaPANORAMA.com August 27, 2022 • Page 15
All-Star Double-Play . . . All-Star catcher Conor Eroen throws to All-Star first baseman Griffen Rudy for a double-play to end an inning against El Segundo Little League in the District 36 Championship game.
Closing The Door . . . PV Little League pitcher Bennett Lopes comes in the game to get the final outs and claim the first of three championship banners for his All-Star team.
www.peninsulaPANORAMA.comPage 16 • August 27, 2022 You Paid How Much For That Photo? Check Out The Photo Galleries And See The Latest Edition Of PANORAMA Online! Hosted by snugmug.com 5x7 Photo Prints & Downloads Only $7.99 peninsulaPANORAMA.com Color!InAction Photos peninsulaPANORAMA.com peninsulaPANORAMA.com Click Photo Galleries PANORAMAPANORAMA Palos Verdes Peninsula Lunada Bay Little League 10-12-Year-Old All-Stars . . . The All-Stars include Jacob Agaiby, Kai Collatos , Tyler Grinch, Keegan Grohman, Elijah Jackson, Michael McDonald, Timothy McDonald, Caiden Milick , Alex Vitkus and Bryce Watson. Manager Tony Collatos . Coach Chad Grohman. Lunada Bay Little League 8-10-Year-Old All-Stars . . . The All-Stars include include Adam Aidan, Ray Chang, Byron Dehn, Noah Gerbutavicius , Daxton Gleeson, Lukas Hirson, David Hu, Noah Keefe, Rory McPhee, Chase Santos , Nate Shear, Christopher Yun, Koa Zayti. Manager, Hubert Yun. Coaches James Zayti and Pete Dehn. Editorial and Advertising deadline is 6 p.m. Monday the week of publication. PVP-Panorama is published every two weeks. Our next edition is out Sept. 24.
www.peninsulaPANORAMA.com August 27, 2022 • Page 17 One World Trade Center, Suite 1740 • Long Beach, CA 90831-1740 • Telephone (562) 431-2000 • www.GFTLawyers.com Remember Tryouts In January . . . Baseball can be a very long season and it takes a lot of people to support and cheer their favorite teams and players for the season to be successful. All-Stars At Valmonte . . . Palos Verdes Little League played host to the 10-11-year-old District 36 All-Star tournament . All-Star Summer Baseball . . . All-Star teams from all four Peninsula Little Leagues competed against teams from leagues from all over Southern California. RHLL All-Stars Take Charge . . . All-Star pitcher Ben McConnell leads Rolling Hills Little League against Redondo Beach Little League in base ball action this summer. Next Edition Sept. 24 localnews@pvppanorama.com PANORAMAPANORAMA Palos Verdes Peninsula
visit www.MilkenScholars.org.Program, — email reports . . . Continued from Page 4 Keep Us In The Loop Anything • Everything localnews@pvppanorama.com "We Can’t Be Everywhere" (but we’re real close . . . ) Pictures, Stories, Events
For
High School Football Opens running back Mason Gonzalez takes the ball for a long run against Dominguez High last week at Peninsula High. cent have parents originating from 75 countries. Over half were the first in their family to attend college. The class of 2022 is one of the most di verse yet, representing 12 countries spanning North America, Central America, the Caribbean, East Africa, West Africa, Western Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia. their college careers, Scholars are in regular communica tion with Scholars staff and mentors during campus visits and special events, including an annual Summit that provides guidance and insights through speakers, panels and ac tivities. These resources create a set ting that propels these exceptional youth into a position where they can achieve their personal, academic and professional goals and, in the pro cess, become Lifelong Leaders for a Better World. more information the Milken Scholars
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Throughout
about
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The Peninsula defense was ready for an afternoon of hits and tackles after a long summer waiting for the season to begin. Both Peninsula and Palos Verdes high schools opened varsity football action last week with impressive wins.
www.peninsulaPANORAMA.com August 27, 2022 • Page 19 Georgiana Rosenkranz Broker Associate, JD CalBRE# 01411097 310.717.8767 George@GeorgeSellsTheSouthBay.comNext Edition Sept. 24 localnews@pvppanorama.com PANORAMAPANORAMA Palos Verdes Peninsula Cheer, Song And Dance . . . Classes had not started yet, but the Peninsula High student body arrived in large numbers to cheer and support their team and prepare for a new sports season and challenges. High School Football Opens Varsity Can’t Contain This . . . Opposing defenses will be yelling “contain, con tain” all season long with Peninsula quarterback A.J. Maes leading the Panthers offense. Pancakes In The Afternoon . . .
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The fall sports season has opened without masks or restrictions and ev eryone is looking forward to normal operations through the end of the year. out the next edition of Pan orama Sept. 24 as we get ready for an other publishing season.
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