Community

Santa Clarita Valley Sheriffs Captain Anthony La Berge of Canyon Country was recently named as the new Chief of Police for the Santa Clarita Valley station, bringing more than 20 years of experience with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to his new post.  La Berge currently serves as Captain for the Office of Homeland Security, Transit Services South Bureau where he works as a unit commander, supervising over 200 sworn and professional staff as part of the dual command for the nation’s second largest transit policing agency.

The College of the Canyons Employee Training Institute and Small Business Development Center are offering a lineup of four workshops and courses from January through March for local business owners and employees. Kicking off the series will be the course “Conflict Resolution: Turning Conflict into Collaboration,” which is aimed at helping attendees handle difficult conversations and learning how to use the power of questions to resolve workplace conflicts.

Immediately after his summer U.K. tour, Vince Falzone, professional musician and recording artist, and long time Santa Clarita resident, releases his Live at the Canyon Theatre Guild album from his benefit concert held in March of this year. It was almost a year ago when fellow musician and violinist David Ewart lost his home in a devastating fire.  David and his son Michael also suffered severe burns to most of their body from the fire.

As they entered The Gentle Barn facility to participate in their violence prevention program, you could have heard a pin drop.  Eight twelve-year-old boys, who were taken out of their abusive homes and are now living as wards of the court at a residential facility, came out of the concrete grey of the inner-city to The Gentle Barn to meet animals in a new light.

In an effort to improve aesthetics along Soledad Canyon Road in Canyon Country, the City of Santa Clarita teamed up with Edison and removed a series of ugly, brown utility poles between Camp Plenty and Sierra Highway. Funded by Rule 20A appropriations administered by Edison, the utility undergrounding project provides for the undergrounding of older overhead utilities along Soledad at a cost of $5.5 million.

On Thursday, January 25, College of the Canyons will welcome keynote speaker and Major League Baseball Hall of Fame Coach George “Sparky” Anderson and induct four new members into the 2007 class of the COC Athletics Hall of Fame, at the Knollwood County Club in Granada Hills.

Board Members for the Santa Clarita Valley School & Business Alliance came together on December 8 at the home of Marc and Kerri Emmer, President of The SST Group, Inc. and past Chairman of the Alliance, to install the 2007 Officers and Board of Directors.  Marc Emmer conducted the installation of the new officers including: Chair, Dr. Dena Maloney, Dean of Economic Development at College of the Canyons, Vice Chair, Dr. Paul Priesz, Principal at Valencia High School, Treasurer, Suzan Solomon, representing the SCV PTA Council, and Secretary, Dan Goetz, President of Ultra Violet Devices, Inc. and past Chair of the Alliance.

The Santa Clarita Master Chorale lit up the holiday with its joyful and spirited performance at College of the Canyons Performing Arts Center on December 3.  The 50-member ensemble, supported by an orchestra, presented a wonderfully varied Christmas program.
Allan Petker, the Chorale’s conductor, set a thrilling, celebratory tone for the concert with his Sing Gloria.

La Mesa Jr. High School has been recognized for academic excellence for the second year in a row.  La Mesa has received a check for $500 from the Mobil Educational Alliance, a community outreach program that recognizes and supports outstanding educational programs throughout the country.  The school was selected for its high academic performance in combination with award-winning elective programs.

Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital received a special regional collaboration award from the American Cancer Society on December 8, 2006. The first ACS region-wide honor of its kind, the shimmering crystal award recognized Henry Mayo’s “extraordinary and continuing partnership in the fight against cancer” and was presented on behalf of the ACS by past president of the Santa Clarita Valley unit, Nancy Coulter and Jill Arnstein, Los Angeles income development director, to Henry Mayo president and chief executive officer, Roger Seaver.

Tammy Morrell, office manager at MD Weight Control Medical Clinic and former owner of The Ark Christian Bookstore, is going to Thailand. The Sanctuary church is sending Tammy and 15 others to assist the national organization ZOE in its efforts to rescue children who have been or are at risk of being sold into prostitution slavery.  According to the founders of ZOE International, “The numbers of children who are sold into slavery across the globe are growing in epidemic proportions.

The Foundation for Children’s Dental Health would like to thank our local businesses and the City of Santa Clarita for supporting us since 1993.  We are, “Changing Santa Clarita one smile at a time,” because of the support we have received.  As we get ready for more growth, we ask that you too support us by making a donation, volunteering, or attending our fundraisers.  Our next fundraiser, a “Masquerade Ball” will be February 9 at the Valencia Country Club.  For more information, visit www.fcdh.org or call Ericka Watson.  

If Timothy Ben Boydston’s Canyon High School teachers were asked about the Santa Clarita native, they’d probably glow with pride.  That’s because Boydston has been given a seat on the prestigious City Council, a seat vacated by Cameron Smyth after he was recently sworn in to serve on the Assembly.  He will fill out the term for Smyth, which expires in April, 2008.

Two participants from the Santa Clarita Community Center Boxing Program have been invited to represent the State of California in their respective weight divisions at the Regional Championships on January 4, 2007, in Norwalk.
Marlene Castro and Joana Pereyda, both ages 14, competed at the Long Beach Police Athletic League (PAL) Center on Sunday, December 4, 2006, and won the California State Silver Gloves.

The Santa Clarita chapter of the Blue Star Mothers of America not only keep the home fires burning for our soldiers serving in Iraq, they make certain the soldiers feel the love and generosity of the community, as well.  The Magazine of Santa Clarita publisher, Linda Hafizi recently caught up with the Chapter President, Sandy Baer and Tina Perez, Vice President, at the local post office.

Five teachers representing the five school districts in the Santa Clarita Valley are now being featured in a new commercial sponsored by Uniserv.  The commercial is part of a new campaign directed by the multi-district teachers’ union to bring awareness to the community of the role teachers play in the lives of children on a daily basis.

Do you have a birthday party, family reunion or company picnic coming up?  Do you need ideas of how to entertain the kids?  The City of Santa Clarita’s Parkmobile program can provide fun activities designed for children ages 5 through 12 at your next party.

In March, the local AAUW (American Association of University Women) branch will again sponsor it’s annual math/science conference.  The event will take place on Saturday, March 24 at Valencia High School and will enable the first 200 enrollees from the seventh and eighth grades of our junior high schools to attend hands-on workshops presented by women in a broad variety of professions that involve math and science.