As soon as Helene Yorke graduated from the University of Michigan last June, she packed her belongings in three suitcases and headed to New York. She sublet an apartment in Queens and began taking the subway into the city every day to audition for musicals. ‘It was me growing up,’ said the 22-year-old Palisades Charter High School graduate who had majored in theater in college. At some of the auditions, Yorke thought she would be perfect for the part, but she didn’t hear back. After two months, she landed a small role in her first off-Broadway show, ‘Walmartopia,’ that ran from September 3 to December 31, and then came her big break: She is now touring with Disney’s ‘High School Musical.’ ‘Sometimes I am sitting in the dressing room, and I think I am getting paid to do this; I feel so lucky,’ Yorke told the Palisadian-Post from Minneapolis. Yorke was the youngest person on the 11-member cast for ‘Walmartopia,’ a musical about a single mom who speaks up to her corporate employer and finds herself and young daughter jettisoned to a future where Wal-Mart dominates the entire world. She played various roles in the political satire, from a Wal-Mart executive donning a patriotic tie and a man’s wig to a Hooters’ girl in a skimpy outfit. The show, directed by Daniel Goldstein, was performed at the Minetta Lane Theatre in Manhattan. ‘Walmartopia was a learning experience,’ Yorke said, noting she picked up valuable tips from cast member John Jellison, who has 17 Broadway credits. While performing in ‘Walmartopia,’ Yorke auditioned twice for one of the main characters, Sharpay Evans, in Disney’s ‘High School Musical’ and was hired to replace actress Chandra Lee Schwartz. When she opened her first show of the national tour in Baltimore on February 19, reviewers described Yorke as ‘scene stealing’ and ‘sizzling in stilettos.’ She is now performing in venues across the nation until August, including the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, June 17-22. The musical is based on the Disney Channel movie with all the same characters and songs. ‘I just love playing the misunderstood mean person,’ Yorke said. ‘She’s funny, you can laugh at her.’ She plays a drama-club president who schemes to keep her talented peers, characters Troy Bolton and Gabriella Amontez, out of the high school musical in order to keep her role in the limelight. ‘It’s ironic that I’m playing the queen bee of the high school because that was not who I was at all,’ Yorke said. ‘I was an awkward, goofy person. I was a drama geek.’ At PaliHi, Yorke performed in four musicals: ’42nd Street,’ ‘Oklahoma!,’ ‘Crazy for You’ and ‘Les Miserables.’ Her high school drama teacher Victoria Francis, who retired in 2004, said Yorke grew tremendously as a performer between her freshman and senior years. ‘She was vocally outstanding in ‘Les Miserables’ and ‘Crazy for You,” Francis said. ‘Even as a senior, I could see her going on to Broadway.’ In high school, Yorke took singing lessons, danced with the Westside Ballet in Santa Monica and attended acting classes in London and on the East Coast. She thanks her parents, Rhos and Andrea Dyke, for finding her opportunities to pursue her love for theater. She has two brothers: Lance, 21, who attends Shimer College in Illinois and Sutherland, 19, who is at a military preparatory academy in New Jersey. Yorke began ballet dancing at three years old and first discovered her love for singing and acting in her drama and choir classes at Paul Revere Middle School. ‘I knew she was going to be a success,’ said Janet Smith, her middle-school choir teacher. ‘She had a strong work ethic, a beautiful singing voice, a delightful personality ‘ I knew there was a lot of potential in her.’ Yorke credits Smith, who retired in 2003, for her accomplishments. ‘She was so encouraging about what I was doing,’ Yorke said. ‘She made me believe it was possible.’ Yorke auditioned for seven universities with musical programs and chose the University of Michigan, where she performed in the musicals ‘Jesus Christ Superstar,’ ‘Seussical the Musical,’ ‘The Boys from Syracuse,’ ‘Tommy’ and ‘The Pajama Game.’ ‘There is something so freeing, spiritual about being on stage and communicating with an audience,’ Yorke said. ‘There is a conversation, an energy that you receive from an audience.’ She now enjoys sharing that energy with the pre-teens who attend ‘High School Musical.’ Many ask for her autograph after the show. ‘I love being able to bring theater to youth,’ she said. She performs the musical for young people eight times a week and lives in hotels or with friends as she travels across the country. Yorke hopes to perform in a Broadway musical one day. ‘There is so much more I want to accomplish. This is just the tip of the iceberg.’

After finishing her first week as Palisades Charter Elementary principal, Palisadian Joan Ingle’s optimistic manner and 32 years of education experience is helping the school make a seamless transition after the unexpected departure of principal Tami Weiser in February. On Monday morning, the school office was surprisingly cheerful with roses from Ingle’s mother’s garden joining a platter of freshly baked muffins. ‘I love to bake,’ Ingle said, and promised that one of her specialties, cupcakes, would be coming soon. Ingle’s charm and warmth are matched by her educational qualifications. In 1976, after graduating from San Fernando State College in art and art therapy, she went to work at a private school in Honolulu. ‘It was an interesting three years,’ she said. ‘I would’ve stayed on, but I had allergies to everything.’ After moving back to Southern California, Ingle helped start a private school, the Pasadena Waldorf School, where she became interested in students’ ‘invisible disabilities,’ such as difficulty in learning due to processing and reading issues. ‘We have to look at differentiating for all students; that’s good teaching,’ Ingle said in an interview, pointing out that the numbers of students identified as special needs has grown. ‘We’re better at identifying those students.’ Ingle also worries that young children are subjected to academics too early. ‘Are we really honoring the phase of childhood of letting them play?’ she asked. ‘Children are overscheduled and don’t have enough free time.’ After three years at the Waldorf School, Ingle established a home-based nursery school. At that time, kindergarten classes in LAUSD often had more than 30 students, so Ingle offered an alternative for parents who felt that their children were unprepared to thrive in such a large classroom. While running the school, she also took graduate classes and, by 1991, had completed her master’s in special education with an emphasis in educational therapy. Later that year, she moved to Chicago with her husband, Jeffrey, who owns the Ingle Group, a custom publishing firm. They lived there for six years and their youngest two children, Ana and Dan, attended SPAN schools, which are public schools that encompass kindergarten through high school. While in Chicago, Ingle and her husband went back to school; he finished his master’s and Ingle studied psychology (specifically psycho-educational diagnosis). In 1997, they moved back to the Palisades and her children enrolled in Revere. Ingle found a job in Sulfur Springs Unified (Santa Clarita), as an educational therapist, working with special needs kids. In 2000, she accepted her first position with LAUSD in the same field. Her office was at Local District D (now District 3) and she went from school to school on the Westside. She even worked for a year at Palisades High, when her son, Dan, was a senior. While working at the local district, Ingle completed a master’s degree in administration, which enabled her to work three years as assistant principal at Westwood Charter School. Even though she liked the school, in order to one day become a principal, she needed a second job as an assistant principal, which she filled at Roscomare School. ‘It wasn’t a charter, but it’s a high-performing school, with an AP of 942,’ Ingle said. ‘Palisades Elementary is 920. The schools are similar because they both have dedicated parents and good teachers.’ Ingle is worried about LAUSD’s impending budget cuts and hopes that it doesn’t mean that class sizes will be increased. She also worries that many young good teachers will be let go elsewhere in the district. She’s already well familiar with Palisades Elementary, calling it ‘a wonderful choice for parents who want to have their children attend a home school and for it to be such a good one.’ Ingle son Andrew is attending Cal State Channel Hills, Ana graduated from Empire State in New York and is an administrator at a small liberal arts college, and Dan has received a full seven-year scholarship to an MD/Ph.D. program at the University of Iowa.

Palisadian-Post Columnist Sunday was a green day in Pacific Palisades (and a hot one)! During the Chamber of Commerce’s Health and Environmental Fair, the Village Green area was the headquarters for eco activities by local groups including Palisades Cares and local Girl Scout Troop 985. The new blue recycling receptacle was dedicated, and 17 local students received awards as Young Environmentalists. The scouts passed out flyers they had designed about recycling and also performed two environmental skits. The scouts, all middle-school students, had been inspired by the earlier work of high school Girl Scouts in Troop 128. Community members dedicated the recycling bin, which is the first to be placed in a public area anywhere in Los Angeles. The Palisades Cares committee (including Toni Balfour, Lester Wood and Sid Greenwald) received a matching grant of $9,600 through the city’s Office of Community Beautification for the purchase and installation of 15 such recycling bins, which will be placed throughout the Palisades commercial district. The community helped provide the necessary matching funds to make this project possible: service organizations, including Rotary, Optimists, Lions and the Masonic Lodge; Michael Edlen, Denise Melas, Charlene Ahern, Josie Tong, Betty Resnick and Kevin Niles; plus volunteer hours from several scout troops and schools. The Village Green Committee, Palisades PRIDE, Councilman Rosendahl’s office, and many residents also provided support. The proposed locations for recycling bins are listed at www.palisadescares.org. Bin sponsors will be recognized with plaques on the bins. Some bin sponsorships are available. Please contact Marie Steckmest at (310) 459-1614 or info@palisadescares.org regarding sponsorships. All recycling bins, which are marked ‘RECYCLE,’ will be placed adjacent to trash bins. Anything you recycle at home in the blue bin can be put in the ones on our city streets. The contents of the bins will be picked up for free by Chrysalis Recycling. Seventeen students received Certificates of Appreciation from Councilman Bill Rosendahl in recognition of their environmental activities. Nine members from Troop 128–Rachel Birenbaum, Gina Doland, Karli Feder, Aurelia Friedman, Sabrina Giglio, Shannon Kelly, Juliette Sadhvani, Chelsea Shannon and Ariel Wexler–were recognized for their organization of the plastic bag-free weekend that involved flyers, YouTube videos, and designing and handing out reusable bags. Joshua Corwin was recognized for founding the ‘Go Green Club’ at Willows Community School and writing eco columns for the school’s on-line newsletter. Kevin Rosen was recognized for collecting take-home handouts at Marquez and showing how much paper is wasted. Seven members of Troop 985–Megan Wheeler, Alison Vining, Kimi Skaaning, Sarah Emerson, Loren Feder, Melissa Schem and Sarah Popelka–were recognized for designing flyers about recycling that they distributed in Santa Monica and the Palisades. At the ceremony, Councilman Rosendahl applauded the students and stressed that young people hold the key to protecting the environment. He emphasized that when it comes to the environment, kids are teaching their parents what’s important and how to make a difference. Rosendahl also announced that the blue bin on the Village Green was the first such bin in a public area in the entire city of Los Angeles. He said that Venice will soon have recycling bins at the beach and that Brentwood is considering installing recycling bins as well, based on what the Palisades has accomplished.

Marquez Principal Phillip Hollis received a call from State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell last week to personally congratulate him because Marquez Charter Elementary had won a coveted California Distinguished School Award. “I am so proud to have this honor awarded to Marquez,’ Hollis told the Palisadian-Post. ‘Two years ago when I accepted the position of principal this was a goal that I knew we could achieve. I am excited that I was able to help Marquez receive the distinction it so deserves.” In a public announcement about the winners, O’Connell noted that 343 Elementary schools had received the reward, including 23 from LAUSD. ‘Sixty-four of these schools come from small, rural communities, 11 are charter schools, and nearly half or 156 schools have significant populations of students living in poverty and are supported by federal Title I funding,” he said. Statewide, 839 schools entered the competition. Marquez joins Palisades Charter Elementary, Paul Revere Charter Middle School and Palisades Charter High in receiving the California Distinguished School designation. Elementary and secondary schools are recognized during alternate years. In order to be selected, schools must first meet the eligibility requirements, including an Academic Performance Index (API) greater than 800 (Marquez had an API of 880 last year) and demonstrating adequate yearly progress. Hollis filed for a nomination and started the process of preparing the 40-page application. He credits the PTA and Friends of Marquez for holding brainstorming sessions to come up with ideas and arguments they felt were important to include in the application. PTA President Katy Anastasi helped summarize all ideas onto an organizational chart and a group of four teachers–Julia Yoshida, Dana Fein, Nancy Seid and Vida Brucker–helped Hollis write an exhaustive rubric that covered rigorous standards; curriculum, instruction, and academic support; assessment and accountability; leadership and collaboration; professional development; students with special needs; student support; family and community partnerships; and school environment and culture. After reading Marquez’s application, two judges recommended that Marquez receive a site visit to verify the accuracy of the information provided. A team of four validation review personnel visited Marquez on March 13, just before spring break. This team interviewed students, parents, teachers and a leadership team that included Hollis and Local District 3 Superintendent Michelle King. In addition, the team went into every classroom and also observed the newly developed Caring Adults Teaching Children How (CATCH) program. After the visit, the lead member of the review team, Annette Star, told Hollis, ‘You understated your application.’ On April 7, the school learned it received the award. Hollis and four teachers will attend the awards ceremony in Anaheim on May 16. A recognition ceremony unveiling the official Distinguished School seal above the Marquez auditorium will be held on May 18.

About 250 invited guests, including family members, politicians and film industry A-listers, attended the funeral service for actor Charlton Heston on Saturday at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Pacific Palisades. ‘I certainly knew him as a great gentleman of great warmth and hospitality,’ said Rev. Michael Scott Seiler, who officiated at the services. Heston, 84, died April 5, after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. He and his wife, Lydia, had attended Sunday services at St. Matthew’s since the early 1980s. ‘The relationship between Mr. Heston and his wife made the greatest impression on me,’ Seiler told the Palisadian-Post on Monday. ‘Just a few days before he passed away, Lydia told me that they had just celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary. They had one of those extraordinary rare marriages. Even after all the years they were married, you could sense there was a magic between them.’ Appearing frail and delicate, Nancy Reagan entered the church on the arm of actor Tom Selleck. Following the nearly two-hour ceremony, Reagan left the premises with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Entertainment-industry friends of Heston present at the funeral included actress Olivia DeHavilland, actor Keith Carradine, directors Oliver Stone and Rob Reiner, and singer Pat Boone. Several eulogies were delivered, including one by Shakespearean actor Julian Glover and a pair by Heston’s children. His daughter, Holly Heston Rochell, recalled her father’s love for Shakespeare and Tennyson, and Fraser Clarke Heston reminisced about his father’s fondness for tennis. One of the last stalwarts of Old Hollywood, Heston was as devoutly religious as he was patriotic. “Charlton sat every Sunday morning right there,” said Seiler at the service, pointing to a front pew. The reverend later told the Post that members of the congregation respected Heston’s celebrity and didn’t impose upon him. ‘Mr. and Mrs. Heston felt comfortable here,’ Seiler said. ‘There was a sense that they were a part of our community in a very wonderful and ordinary way.’ Recalling that Heston was the star of such biblical epics as ‘Ten Commandments’ and ‘Ben-Hur,’ Seiler added: ‘There was the one time when I had to read from the text of Moses and the burning bush and there he was near the front row,’ Seiler said, chuckling. ‘The irony was not lost on either of us.’