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Santa Monica Daily Press MONDAY, MAY 25, 2015
Volume 14 Issue 166
EMERGENCY TRAINING SEE PAGE 9
Local schools benefit from mall shopping
Special ed teacher retiring after 19 years in SMMUSD BY JEFFREY I. GOODMAN Daily Press Staff Writer
The mantras and phrases would resonate with the hundreds of students, families and colleagues who have interacted with Lisa Berezowsky over the last two decades. “I hear what you’re saying, but it’s not a choice.” “If you ask a question, you give a choice.” “ N e v e r BEREZOWSKY underestimate the children.” The sayings have become signatures of Berezowsky’s career as a special educator teacher in the Santa Monica-Malibu school district, a 19-year stint that will end when she retires after the end of the school year. Berezowsky — or “Mrs. B,” as she’s known in her classroom at Will Rogers Learning Community — said she’ll look back fondly on her collection of fulfilling experiences in the local district. “The families I have collaborated with have shown me tremendous support,” she said, noting that she’s been invited to the graduations of former students. “Some of these families still keep in touch with me, and I hope this will continue.” The transition away from SMMUSD will bring mixed emotions for Berezowsky, who said she’ll miss her students and teaching life in Santa Monica. After taking some time off, she said, she’ll consider working as a consultant in the field. Special education has long been SEE RETIRE PAGE 9
Matthew Hall editor@smdp.com
CASH: Representatives from Roosevelt, Franklin, Will Rogers, John Muir, Edison, Samohi, Carlthrop and Webster schools accepted donations last week.
BY DAILY PRESS STAFF SHOPPING PAID OFF FOR 40 WEST
Los Angeles schools last week when Santa Monica Place and Westside Pavilion shopping centers awarded $37,000 to local K-12 schools that participated in the School Cents community rewards program. The program allowed the community to “give back” to schools with purchases made from stores and restaurants or by attending mall events at Santa Monica Place and Westside Pavilion from September 1, 2014 - April 30,
2015. Shoppers redeemed their receipts for points (five points per dollar spent) and allocated it to a participating school of their choice. Based on accumulated points from the program, each school received a Visa gift cards ranging from $200 to $5,000. The gift cards are used to purchase supplies for classrooms as well as support or fund student and academic programs. The 40 participating schools include: Beethoven Street Elementary, Beverly Vista School, Broadway Elementary, Canfield Avenue Elementary, Canyon
Charter School, Carlthorp, Castle Heights Elementary, The City School, Clover Avenue Elementary, Crescent Heights Magnet, Daniel Webster Middle School, Edison Language Academy, El Rodeo School, Franklin Elementary, Good Shepherd Catholic School, Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy, John Muir Elementary, Mar Vista Elementary, New Horizon School, Nora Sterry Elementary, Notre Dame Academy, Overland Avenue Elementary, Palisades Charter High School, Paul Revere Charter Middle School, Redeemer Baptist Elementary, Richland Avenue
Elementary, Roosevelt Elementary, Santa Monica High School, Short Avenue Elementary, Sinai Akiba Academy, SMASH, St. Augustine Catholic School, St. Jerome School, St. Martin of Tours School, St. Paul the Apostle School, St. Timothy School, Warner Avenue Elementary, Webster Elementary School, Westwood Charter and Will Rogers Learning Community. For more information or to enroll a school, visit www.santamonicaplace.com, www.westsidepavilion.com, call (800) 539-3273 or email info@shoppingpartnership.com.
Living the LA dream as X-ray tech and actor BY TONY CAPOBIANCO Contributing Writer
CITYWIDE If you had a normal first
conversation with Michael Benzaia, he would tell you that he is just a regular Italian-American guy from New York. However, as someone who is both an actor/tel-
Gary Limjap (310) 586-0339 In today’s real estate climate ...
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evision personality and a CT/XR Technologist at Resolution Imaging in Santa Monica, he is living the LA life in a most unique way. “I might be the only CT/X-ray tech/actor in the world,” Benzaia said. “It’s very LA.” With the ever-burning passion
to create, Benzaia always wanted to be an actor, either on stage or on screen. His parents advised him to take up a side career for stability, but he could not go the same route as most aspiring actors in the industry. “I am honestly the worst waiter you’ll ever meet,” Benzaia said.
“I’m a terrible bartender. I’m a terrible waiter. I did it for like, two weeks, and I got fired.” Benzaia was inspired to go into medicine after his mother’s tragic breast cancer diagnosis, back when he was in the 8th grade. Seeing his SEE ACTOR PAGE 5
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