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MARCH 9-10, 2013
Volume 12 Issue 102
Santa Monica Daily Press
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THE LOSING AN HOUR ISSUE
Girl Scout childcare project boosts participation in PTA BY ASHLEY ARCHIBALD Daily Press Staff Writer
MCKINLEY ELEMENTARY Two years ago, Area Kramarsky would go to Parent Teacher Association meetings at McKinley Elementary School and worry whether or not they would have the requisite 18 members needed for a vote.
The parents of elementary schoolers, had difficulty getting home from work, feeding their children and still marshal enough energy to get back out the door to take an interest in the politics of the school. “It brings the business of PTA to a standstill,” said Kramarsky, president of the McKinley PTA. These days, parental attendance is
through the roof, a fact that Kramarsky credits to the efforts of Girl Scout Troop 8355. The 11 scouts began offering free babysitting at the PTA meetings in 2011 as part of their bid to win a Silver Award, the highest honor that they can achieve at their level of scouting. The girls spend two hours at the meet-
ings, which occur once a month on average, playing with the elementary school students while their parents take on the often less SEE SCOUTS PAGE 10
New group to fight teen alcohol use
Hot chicks: At 60, Peeps more popular than ever
Westside Impact Project seeking community input on prevention policies
rouses his younger brother, and they run to the living room to find their baskets filled with - what else? - Peeps. “Peeps are THE candy of Easter,” the excited boy tells his wide-eyed sibling, who pops a yellow marshmallow chick in his mouth. “You can eat ‘em, smash ‘em, microwave ‘em, deep fry ‘em, roast ‘em on a stick,” the boy explains. That’s not all. You can make “historically accurate Peeps dioramas ... Peeps pop art ... You can make a Peeps topiary.” On he goes, all day and night. “Peeps jousting ... hide-and-go Peeps ... Peepshi ... that’s sushi made out of Peeps.” As the storied candy brand celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, Peeps’ first TV ad in a decade cap-
BY MICHAEL RUBINKAM Associated Press
BETHLEHEM, Pa. It’s Easter morning. A boy
BY ASHLEY ARCHIBALD Daily Press Staff Writer
CITYWIDE A county-funded organization dedicated to curbing alcohol use amongst teens is targeting Santa Monica and Venice, which officials say have one of the highest underage drinking rates in the area. The Westside Impact Project is a campaign aimed at reducing teen alcohol use by cutting them off at the source — stores and house parties. Sarah Blanch, the program manager for the Institute for Public Strategies, was quick to forestall any effort to use the “P” word. “This is not about prohibition,” she said. Instead, the Westside Impact Project looks at strategies and policies, both from a public planning and law enforcement perspective, to prevent sales to and consumption by minors. The project, funded by the Substance Abuse Prevention and Control Division of Los Angeles County, technically focuses on the entire Westside, including Mar Vista, Palms, Marina del Rey, Culver City and the beachside towns. Given that the organization has only three staff members, officials had to choose specific areas on which to focus, said Brenda Simmons, the project director.
Photos courtesy Google Images
NOT OF AGE: Alcohol is the most commonly used and abused drug among American youth, and is responsible for more than 4,700 underage deaths a year.
Santa Monica and Venice quickly rose to the top of the list. Officials looked at existing data in the California Healthy Kids Survey in which teens reported their alcohol use and conducted a survey in the UCLA area, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica. The Healthy Kids Survey, conducted in 2011, shows that three-quarters of Santa Monica High School students considered alcohol either “very” or “fairly” easy to get, and 26 percent reported drinking more than five drinks in one sitting in the previous month. Santa Monica teens were 10 percent more likely to report having had a drink in the last 30 days. They also looked at arrest rates for driving under the influence, and the number of alcohol serving and sales locations.
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Daylight Savings Remember to turn FORWARD your clocks one hour Sunday and check your smoke detectors.
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