Throughout the year, the Post hosts several events and contests for the community to participate in. We kicked off 2018 with the annual Pali Bee and wrapped the year with the Deck Your Halls home decorating contest—with winners announced in the first edition of 2019.
Photos by Rich Schmitt/Staff Photographer
Pali Bee
On Sunday, February 25, more than 100 grandiloquent spellers gathered in Gilbert Hall at Palisades Charter High School for the annual Pacific Palisades Spelling Bee—open to participants in first through fifth grade. With words like “esophagus” and “colloquial” deceiving some of the finalists, those who did not win walked away with words they wouldn’t soon forget and audience members gained a newfound appreciation for autocorrect.
Teen Contest
Following a sensational evening of theatrical entertainment, Palisadians Valentina Silardi and Taylor Schonbuch were crowned winners of the 2018 Pacific Palisades Teen Talent Contest on Wednesday, April 25, at Palisades Charter High School. In previous years, the winners were referred to as Mr. and Miss Palisades, but as one can see, the name has been updated to reflect current times. The contest also has a new image, as the winners can be of any gender.
In the words of host Adam Toubian, a senior at Pali High, “This contest celebrates the character, achievements and talents of young people.” Contestants between the ages of 14 and 18 participated, their talents ranging from singing, piano and stand-up comedy, to a dynamic piano/violin duet.
The winners each received a $1,000 cash scholarship, tickets to the Renaissance Faire and the nearly sold-out Candytopia, a year of free food at the Palisades Garden Café, and a ride at the Fourth of July parade. To top it all off, a full feature in the Palisadian-Post.
Speaker Series
The 2018 Palisadian-Post Speaker Series kicked off on Wednesday, August 29, with a powerful appearance by Father Gregory Boyle of Homeboy Industries. During his talk, Boyle emphasized that we must stand with those who are poor, powerless, voiceless, readily left out and easily disposed or disposed of, and restore the notion that a unified community is based on kinship, justice and understanding. This higher awareness is what compelled Boyle to launch Homeboy Industries 27 years ago; an organization that provides job training and essential services—such as tattoo removal, legal advice and educational classes—to gang members in the Los Angeles area.
Creep Your Crypt
This October, Palisadian homes and apartments decked their spaces out in all things spooky and scary for the Post’s annual Creep Your Crypt home decorating contest. Hundreds of dollars in prizes from local businesses were given out to three winners in categories: Creepiest Crypt (Trisha Jochen), Best Theme (Kimber and Chuck Peil) and DIY/Originality (Barbara Westlund). “We even had a skeleton reading the Pali-Post,” Jochen said of her home with a laugh, “and one on the roof with a chainsaw.”
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