Getting to Know Daniel & Maude

Lifelong Palisades residents and Palisades Charter High School students Daniel Allen and Maude Tipton were crowned Mr. and Miss Palisades at the 58th annual Mr. & Miss Teen Palisades Contest in April. One month after assuming their roles, the Palisadian-Post checked in with the winners to get to know a bit more about them.

By SARAH SHMERLING | Managing Editor

One month after being crowned Miss Palisades, Maude Tipton said that things have been great.

“I’ve gotten so much positive support,” she said. “It’s nice to see how much the community is involved in the program.”

The Palisades Charter High School junior took home the Miss Palisades title at the 2017 Mr. & Miss Palisades Teen Contest in April with a soulful rendition of “Heard it Through the Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye.

It’s no surprise Tipton chose singing as her talent that night—music is a big part of her life. She sings in PaliHi’s choir, is a member of an a cappella group and performs with the jazz band.

She shared some of her biggest influences with the Palisadian-Post.

“The Beatles, Amy Winehouse, Queen, Stevie Wonder, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Anderson .Paak,” Tipton listed.

When she’s not working on her music, Tipton is also heavily involved in school, as well as a Youth and Government delegation. Tipton served as vice president of her delegation and was on the Governor’s Cabinet during a conference in Sacramento.

“I was selected twice to represent California at a national debate competition called Conference on National Affairs out of 3,000 students,” Tipton explained.

She also has been on Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Youth Council since her freshman year at PaliHi, representing the Westside district.

She serves as an ambassador for PaliHi and co-founded the Civic Engagement Speakers Series, which invites local officials to speak at the school.

The night of the contest, she told the Post that she would be using her $1,000 prize to apply to colleges where she can study law or environmental science.

But before she heads off to college, Tipton continues to work hard and enjoy life in the Palisades.

The lifelong Alphabet Streets resident has two dogs and one older brother, Miles.

“I wake up around 6:30, eat breakfast and go to school,” Tipton said when explaining what a typical day looks like for her. “I go to jazz band after school and then I usually have another after-school activity.”

She shared that her favorite thing about the Palisades is the close proximity to the beautiful ocean and the active involvement of the community in bringing the Palisades close together.

“I want to thank everyone so much for the support and open arms they have given me,” Tipton shared. “I am so blessed to live in such a thoughtful and kind community.”

By GABRIELLA BOCK | Reporter

Daniel Allen, one month after winning the Mr. Palisades title, is gearing up to graduate from Palisades Charter High School and begin a brand-new chapter in his life.

It’s already changing: He was recently a star guest at the Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce mixer at Taste.

The 18-year-old, who charmed the judges at last April’s Mr. & Miss Teen Palisades contest with his versatile performance of comedy, martial arts, piano and guitar, has called the Alphabet Streets “home” for his entire life.

A Palisades boy through and through, Allen attended Palisades Charter Elementary School, Paul Revere Charter Middle School and, later, PaliHi.

“Most of my favorite childhood memories took place on Swarthmore,” Allen recalled.

“I used to enjoy walking through the farmers market on Sundays—as a kid I used to freeload the free samples before heading to the animal adoption clinic in front of the bank. I had a particular love for kittens and always wanted to adopt one.”

When he wasn’t out looking for a new pet to smuggle home, Allen found fun in listening to songs by The Beatles, the band that Allen said prompted his early journey into music.

“When I was 10, I tried to play guitar sitting on the curb with a money jar in front of me,” he said with a laugh.

“I sounded terrible, but I was a cute little kid and people gave me money anyway.”

Allen grew up with a piano at home and found a hobby in learning unexpected or whimsical pop songs to cover—a talent that he showcased with his Teen Contest recital of Annie Lennox’s “Sweet Dreams.”

But it was when Allen heard the work of Bob Dylan that he began to feel a true connection to music.  “I tried to cover Dylan’s music, but the sound of folk guitar just didn’t translate well to piano,” he explained.

“So just like that, I bought my own acoustic and started playing guitar again.”

Allen went on to tell the Palisadian-Post that, with the assistance of Mr. Joshua Elson’s guitar class at PaliHi, he began learning classics such as the early Dylan protest song, “The Times They Are A’ Changin’”

Later he moved on to Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide,” written by Palisadian Steve Nicks, which he used to generate an emotional climax for his award-winning Teen Contest performance.

He has entered the competition before, when his act was more straightforward. This time, mixing up the action and music into a playlet showed off his talents won the judges’ hearts.

Another key component of what makes Allen distinctive is his spirited, comedic personality.

“I got into comedy when I joined PaliHi’s ‘Friday Night Live’ group and learned the joys of acting and writing for entertainment,” Allen said.

“I wasn’t the best at first, but I was given a lot of advice and assistance from my favorite teacher, Ms. [Nancy] Fracchiolla.”

Allen told the Post that after he graduates high school, he plans to further his studies in music and philosophy.

In contrast to the silly side he often displays to his friends, Allen is a young philosopher who appreciates the work of Friedrich Nietzsche and Albert Camus.

But for now, Allen, with the world ahead of him, is looking forward to spending one last summer as a “Pali kid.”

“There are a couple of things I have planned for the summer, like going on a short road trip with friends and finally finishing my ‘Watch Later’ section on YouTube,” Allen said.

“My life is about to change rapidly and sometimes I wish I could be 14 and just start it all over again.”