Renaissance Academy Charter High School students commuted to The Art Institute of California in Santa Monica for classes this week, which marks the third week of instruction held largely at alternate or temporary classroom locations. As of Wednesday morning, total attendance at Renaissance was 337 students, including 63 residents of the 90272 zip code. The school is located in the 881 Alma Real building. According to the school’s charter, presented by founding director and principal Paul McGlothlin, ‘The Renaissance Academy (RA) will enroll 400 students over three years.’ However, because the school was initially scheduled to open last year with 200 to 230 ninth and tenth graders, McGlothlin decided to start with 300 students when the school actually opened early this month. ‘The publicly stated target enrollment for this year was 300,’ said Palisadian Bill Bryan, RA board member, parent and facilities coordinator. ‘Because students are able to ‘double book’ by enrolling at multiple public schools with no financial or other penalty for failing to show up, Renaissance accepted 330 applications, anticipating approximately 30 ‘no-shows.” However, when more than 350 students arrived for the first day of classes September 13, RA prepared to tell about 20 students that they could not attend and ‘we began to search for additional classroom space and part-time teachers to accommodate any permanent enrollment in excess of 300,’ Bryan told the Palisadian-Post. ‘By then, however, we were blocked from using most of our leased space, due to the well-publicized actions of the landlord.’ As a result, some students dropped out. For this week, Bryan says the school made a ‘100 percent voluntary move to The Art Institute’ because holding classes at this temporary location with established classroom space is ‘a more efficient way to conduct school.’ The Art Institute, located at 2900 31st Street in the business park that runs along the south side of Ocean Park Blvd., is a post-secondary educational institution for career preparation in the visual and culinary arts. In a letter posted Sunday on RA’s Web site (www.rahigh.org), principal McGlothlin wrote, ‘We have arranged for the space at The Art Institute in order to best support our cross-grade level programs in Mathematics, Foreign Language, and the Arts.’ Students and parents have been advised to check this Web site for information on class locations and transportation routes. RA has offered special bus service this week from the Palisades to The Art Institute and back for any students who want it. Others have been allowed to travel directly, on their own, to the temporary classroom location. Students did, however, attend some classes in the Palisades, including yoga, dance and surfing’at JIVA Yoga Studio on Sunset, Fancy Feet Dance Studio in the Alma Real building, and at Will Rogers State Beach. McGlothlin added that while the students were away this week, contractors were ‘finishing various life-safety projects and improvements’ at the school’s main campus. Some of these projects include installation of additional fire caulking; relocation of one exit door; additional low-voltage wiring; removal, cleaning and remounting of fire sprinklers; and paint touch-up. The largest project is the conversion of the television studio into one large classroom that could be divided into two classrooms by a portable divider, and also function as a TV studio. These projects were ‘partially complete’ by Wednesday morning, and scheduled to be finished by the end of this week, according to Bryan. Last week, students met at the private homes of parents in the Palisades, under trees at the park, at the United Methodist Church on Via de la Paz, and at Mort’s Oak Room. ‘We knew that the unsettled circumstances would cause some students to drop out, and that has indeed happened,’ Bryan said. ‘Since our survival (at least in our current form) is contingent upon receiving the ADA funding for 300 students, we were afraid to reduce enrollment until we see how long the facilities battle lasts, and how many kids we lose because of it.’ State funding will amount to about $6,000 per student. McGlothlin wrote in his letter, ‘We still retain our lease at Alma Real, and there has been no further limitation to our use there. We have full confidence that we will return to Alma Real within a few days.’
Pharmaca Chain Buys Bay Pharmacy
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
Owner Wehiba Kalifa confirmed to the Palisadian-Post Friday that she has sold her business to Pharmaca, which will bring a holistic approach to the venerable pharmacy which has served the Palisades since 1949. The transfer of ownership took place on Monday. ‘I think it is a good match for the community,’ Kalifa said, ‘because Pharmaca is really commitment to customer care.’ The chain, which calls itself an ‘integrated pharmacy,’ is expected to continue dispensing prescription drugs as well as offering dietary supplements, herbal medicine and homeopathic remedies. The store also plans to offer medical screenings, diagnostics, demonstrations, book signings and lectures, all related to health. Pharmaca, which is seeking naturopaths, herbalists, nutritionists and estheticians, has already posted a hiring sign on the pharmacy’s front door. ‘Background in Natural Health a Bonus,’ it reads in part. The prime Sunset location, at the corner of La Cruz, will be Pharmaca’s first store in Southern California and 11th store in five Western states. Headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, the five-year-old chain has four of its European-style stores in the San Francisco area. ‘It was our success there that led us to want to open up in L.A.,’ Pharmaca president and CEO Barry Perzow told the Palisadian-Post on Tuesday. ‘Our demographics depend on high affluence and high education. The research we did indicates that the Palisades is both.’ Kalifa, who purchased the pharmacy four years ago from longtime owner Al Green (who still works as a pharmacist in the store several days a week), said that she was approached by the chain 18 months ago, even before she started extensive renovations to the store in July 2003. After spending some $300,000 to improve the almost 10,000-sq.-ft. space, which included making the pharmacy three times larger by moving it from the back to the front of the store, Kalifa achieved a distinctly modern look. She said she finally made the decision to sell to Pharmaca after realizing ‘how badly they wanted this location, even though the renovation is still not complete.’ Perzow said his company plans to invest $500,000 to give the building, both inside and out, a distinct new look by the end of November. The exterior will be ‘Mediterranean-style’ with large picture windows, while the raised area inside, which currently sells jewelry and clothing, will be an enclosed cosmetic boutique, offering services from ‘make-overs to dermatological consultations.’ Perzow confirmed that the store, the largest in the chain, will continue to offer home delivery, in-house charge accounts and over-the-counter medications, and will carry medical supplies such as wheelchairs and crutches. Plans call for an organic food and beverage section as well as a flower shop in the back of the store, facing ‘the car wash.’ While more than half of Bay Pharmacy’s business currently comes from selling prescription drugs (more than 300 prescriptions a day), Pharmaca plans to expand prescription services by ‘compounding, which is essentially customizing medications for allergy sufferers who may have special needs, for example,’ Perzow said. He added that Bay’s 24 employees will all continue to work for Pharmaca ‘during the transition period. Typically what happens after that is some of them may feel they don’t quite fit into our new model, which will be completely different from what is being offered at the pharmacy now. So they either leave or we retrain them. All of our staff at the Palisades Pharmaca will be very highly trained.’ According to one longtime Bay Pharmacy employee, who asked not to be identified by the Post, all of the workers at the store, both full and part-time, ‘have been invited to fill out applications with Pharmaca, but none of us, as far as we know, is guaranteed a job. Technically, all of us are on probation at this point.’ Kalifa, 32, said she plans to return to her native Ethiopia to live. She said she came to the U.S. when she was 17 to go to school. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a major in business. Her family’s medical supply store in West L.A., which is managed by her brother, is not included in the sale to Pharmaca.
Preferential Parking Reviewed at Hearing
More than 100 Pacific Palisades residents showed up at Mort’s Oak Room Monday night for a public hearing on the controversial proposal to implement a preferential parking district within the Palisades. ”After a two-hour debate, which included comments and questions from the floor, there was no clear indication on what the Los Angeles Department of Transportation would recommend, although participants were asked to submit their straw votes at the end of the hearing. ”Residents were also asked to indicate their preference for parking restrictions (see below) and have until October 27 to forward their written comments to LADOT. ”Applications to be included in the district will also be accepted up until that date. ”’This is a truly democratic process,’ said Alan Willis, the chief transportation engineer who chaired the meeting. He presented a brief history of how the proposed district came about (several local residents petitioned for it), an explanation of current parking restrictions (which are generally limited to two-hours) and the results of the traffic survey that was done. ”Emilie Baradi, an engineer with LADOT, explained that on the day the survey was conducted in the proposed district, the available parking spaces occupied by non-residents (judging by addresses and zip codes of the registered vehicle owners) ‘averaged 50 percent’ and that on some streets it was ‘100 percent.’ ”Baradi used a color-coded map to clarify the potential district boundaries, a six-block area which will include McKendree, Whitfield and Rimmer (west of Monument); Via de la Paz over to Fiske and south to Sunset; all of Huntington Palisades from Carey to Pampas Ricas and south to El Cerco Place; and the Via de la Paz mesa from Antioch to Carthage and from Temescal Canyon Road over to Swarthmore. ”The loudest applause of the evening occurred when Jack Allen, an advisor to the Pacific Palisades Community Council (which has not taken a stand on the issue) suggested that the preferential parking district be restricted to the proposal currently being considered by LADOT. ”’Just put it on the blocks that have asked for it and don’t extend it to any other streets,’ he said. ”LADOT also provided residents with a clarification of the proposed parking restrictions for the district, which are as follows: ”Carthage between Swarthmore and Via de la Paz. Residents are applying to be exempt from the existing two-hour parking from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, plus no parking from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m., except by permit. ”Radcliffe between Haverford and Bowdoin, two-hour parking 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, except by permit. ”Alma Real between Toyopa and Frontera, two-hour parking 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, except by permit. ”Monument between Albright and Bestor, two-hour parking 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, except by permit. ”Willis explained that the preferential parking request by Palisades residents is not for more restrictions, but rather for obtaining permits to exempt them from existing parking restrictions’a point that was made by several residents who support the preferential parking proposal. ”Other residents were adamantly opposed to the district. ”’I do not want McKendree included,’ said a resident who lives on that street. Another resident complained about the inconvenience of having to go to West L.A. to obtain the necessary permits, to which Willis replied: ‘This is an inconvenient program. Preferential parking is a last resort. Things have to be very bad for you if you have to do this here.’ ”Should the district be approved, each household can purchase up to three permanent annual permits for $15 each and two transferable visitor permits for $10 each. Both are renewable every four months. Residents can also purchase an unlimited number of one-time use guest permits for $1 each. While LADOT has technically approved the proposed six-block district (after conducting the parking survey and determining that the district meets the City’s program criteria), ‘we are still seeking feedback from the community before approving the establishment of the district,’ Willis said. ” ”He also encouraged residents who may be worried about the ‘spillover’ effect of the proposed district to submit petitions to have their own street included by the October 27 deadline. ‘The petitions require the signatures of two-thirds of the residents on the block,’ Willis said. ”Several audience members also argued at the hearing that the proposed preferential parking district fails to address the core problem, which Allen identified as a ‘lack of available parking in the Palisades.’ ”There were also concerns about how preferential parking will be enforced. ‘Chalking tires is one way,’ said Willis, who explained that the penalty for parking over the two-hour limit in a preferential parking district is $45. ”If LADOT does recommend the district, the proposal will be forwarded to the transportation committee for approval. If the transportation committee approves the proposal, it will then go before L.A. City Council. ”’In the next 30 days we will still be waiting to hear from you,’ Baradi announced as the hearing concluded. ”Further questions on preferential parking and applications can be obtained by calling the LADOT at (323) 913-4600.
82 Tramonto Condos Approved; Final Appeal Date October 1
The long-awaited decision regarding the proposed 82-unit condominium/townhouse development on Tramonto Drive in Castellammare was approved last Tuesday by the Los Angeles Planning Department. ”The property, which developer Ken Kahan purchased in 1999, occupies 3.98 acres overlooking Santa Monica Bay, above the Sunset/PCH intersection. The units will nestle into the hillside at 17331-17333 Tramonto and resemble an Italian hillside town. ”The approval states Kahan must designate and maintain 16 condominium units as Very Low Income (VLI) or Low Income (LI) affordable accessible rental dwelling units or designate and maintain eight condominiums for VLI affordable accessible rental dwelling units. The inclusionary VLI or LI units ‘must be located on-site or, with permission, may be located somewhere else within the coastal zone, or within three miles of the coastal zone.’ ”Prior to the issuance of any building permit by the Department of Building and Safety, an agreement (approved by the Housing Department) must be signed, which guarantees that the designated affordable accessible dwelling units will be reserved for occupancy by eligible households for at least 30 years from the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy. ”According to the L.A. Housing Department Web site, to qualify for affordable housing, all working members of a household must not exceed the income limit for the bedroom count and family size of the unit for which they are applying. In addition, there are various other requirements one must meet to fall into the affordable housing bracket. ”Despite years of neighborhood opposition to the project, the L.A. Planning Department, headed by director Con Howe, deemed many ‘substantial benefits will occur’ as a result of the project’s approval. ”Those include: bringing 82 new for-sale housing units to a part of the city in need of new housing supply, stabilizing and putting to productive use land that has been vacant since the Revello landslide in 1965, bringing needed improvements to Tramonto Drive, and improving the aesthetic character of the area by replacing two outdated apartment buildings with an attractive and well-designed condominium project and associated landscaping. Although the Department also found that approval of the project could result in ‘significant unavoidable impacts related to private views, short-term noise and traffic on residential streets,’ the Department stated that ‘the unmitigable impacts associated with the project are outweighed by the benefits and are therefore acceptable.’ ”The approval also states that trucks and construction equipment are restricted from adjacent residential areas during the construction period. Construction workers are not allowed to park on Sunset or any residential or local street in the vicinity, except for Los Liones Drive. ”Andrew Martin, president of the Castellammare Homeowners Association, said his group was ‘disappointed’ by the Planning Department’s decision, adding that the city is well known for being ‘developmentally biased.’ Martin’s group had lobbied for only 50 units to be built on the site. ”’We think it’s unfair to maximize revenue at the cost of the quiet and comfort of 250 homeowners,’ he said. ”Martin, along with other local residents, plan to file an appeal before tomorrow’s deadline. The appeal focuses on the the density and traffic concerns regarding the project. ”Residents wishing to appeal the approval or who are opposed to the locating the housing units on the site may file an appeal, which includes a fee of $71. The appeal must be be submitted in person on Master Appeal Form No. CP-7769 at the Department’s public offices located at 201 N. Figueroa St., downtown Los Angeles or 6262 Van Nuys Blvd., Room 251, Van Nuys. Forms are available online at www.lacity.org/pln. Contact: (213) 978-1330. ”Several attempts by the Palisadian-Post to reach Ken Kahan by phone Tuesday and Wednesday were unsuccessful.
Mortimer Katz, 81; Lifetime Adventurer
Mortimer Katz, an inveterate adventurer and longtime resident of Pacific Palisades, died at home on September 5. He was 81. ”Born in Brooklyn, Katz was a Navy deep-sea diver in the South Pacific during World War II. After the war he studied engineering at Brooklyn Polytechnical Institute and then worked as a chief engineer for several large N.Y.-based machine shops until starting his own company, Applied Dynamics Corporation, in the early ’60s. The company made aircraft safety equipment and bid on government contracts. ”Determined to live in a climate that allowed him to fly every day, Katz arrived in California in 1973 after flying his Beechcraft Bonanza across the country. He took a local real estate agent up in the plane, pointed down at the Palisades and asked her to find him a house ‘there.’ He lived in the same house with its view of Catalina for over 30 years. ”With his mustache and ubiquitous cigar, Katz was a conspicuous sight for many years driving his cobalt blue Harley Davidson through the village or down Temescal Canyon en route to Culver City, where he had relocated his company. He was also a familiar sight at Santa Monica Airport, where he kept his planes, one of which was a biplane he built himself. After he stopped flying several years ago, he became an avid builder and flyer of radio-controlled aircraft and was a past president of the San Fernando Valley Giant Scale Squadron. ”Among his many passions, Katz was an accomplished horseman, dog lover, hypnotist, deep-sea fisherman, sailor and hunter. He passed along his many skills to the vast coterie of younger men and women he mentored. ”He is survived by his wife, Joan Frosh, a retired LAUSD teacher; his children, Andrea R. Vaucher, a journalist and author in Santa Monica, and Robert A. Katz, a Santa Monica-based real estate broker; and his sister, Joyce Bobley of Palm Beach, Florida. ”A private memorial service will be held at the Del Rey Yacht Club in Marina del Rey.
Palisadian Teen Intern Shadows Pediatrician
By JULIAN SUHR Palisadian-Post Intern When most teens think of a summer job, they usually think about working at a restaurant, grocery store, or other such venue. But Bryan Wong, son of Gordon and Shirley Wong, who own Marquez Knolls Pharmacy, chose a far more exciting and stimulating way to spend the summer’ interning for a pediatrician. ”Wong, a senior at Palisades High School, heard about the program in an announcement on the school’s PA system, and chose the internship at Pacific Ocean Pediatrics. ”Initially, Wong shadowed various pediatricians and helped them with their duties. Eventually, the program developed to the point where the interns operated independently following schedules set up by doctors. ‘But the doctors were always around to help you if you had a question,’ said Wong. He also got to work in a few hospital nurseries and ERs, including those at Santa Monica Hospital and St. John’s Hospital. ”Dr. Robert Hamilton of Pacific Ocean Pediatrics has been hosting this internship program for about 20 years. Prospective interns often learn about the program through school counselors or by word of mouth. There are no set criteria for interns, but the program is geared towards those with excellent academics. Dr. Hamilton rotates the interns to work at different facilities, such as St. John’s Hospital and Santa Monica Hospital, as well as a few private practices. ‘The program focuses mainly on pediatricians, but I believe that it offers a good overall look at the profession for anyone considering a medical career,’ Hamilton said. ”Wong has clearly enjoyed the experience. The most interesting part of the internship was being on-site for a Caesarean section, something that most of us probably don’t get to witness during our summer jobs. When asked if he would still like to be a doctor, Wong said that he would enjoy pursuing a career in medicine. It involves a great deal of crying babies, but that is just an occupational hazard.
Lean on Me: McGowan’s Door Open to Troubled Teenagers
By BRENDA HIMELFARB Palisadian-Post Contributor Bella McGowan begins each work day by puffing up her couch pillows, putting the books in order, filling the candy dish, making sure the Kleenex and rocking chair are in place and generally keeping her office cozy and inviting. Her dog, Murphy, a wheaten terrier adopted from the pound four years ago, is at her side. McGowan has been the psychologist at Palisades High for nine years. Although much of her work requires an appointment, at lunchtime she keeps her office door open for anyone who just wants to hang out, read, play with Murphy or, perhaps, talk. ‘My office is the one place on campus where the kids can come and relax,’ McGowan says. ‘It’s a place where they can talk with confidentiality, where they can talk freely. I welcome them and am here to help with problems and give support.’ Teen depression is so common that this year McGowan invited Richard Lieberman, head of the suicide prevention unit for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), to address PaliHi’s faculty about suicide and the critical roles teachers play. In many cases, teachers are the first to notice at-risk students or those who need support, and knowing how to handle these cases is vital. ‘There is a full-time psychologist at every high school in the LAUSD,’ says McGowan. ‘The most important thing that we do is to provide emotional support to students, and staff as well.’ At one time or another, all adolescents experience depression, but it is the degree of depression that experts worry about. Recent research shows that students are happier and succeed better at school when they feel connected. They also found that students with at least three adult relationships outside the primary caregiver are happier and more successful. Those strong, supportive relationships are positive indicators for a healthy adult life. ‘This year I’m starting a peer mentoring program to help ninth grade students feel more comfortable,’ McGowan explains. ‘I want kids to benefit from an upper-classmate’s experiences. I want them to feel safe and to learn how to talk to one another; these are important life skills. ‘I want to train kids to recognize symptoms of depression. I recall many instances where kids have come to me and told me about someone who needs help. These days, kids aren’t as secretive.’ ”In fact, last year, McGowan was able to help a student in distress, through a phone conversation. ”’Some girls were talking to their friend on a cell phone,’ explains McGowan, ‘when they got very concerned about what she was saying. They came to me and I spoke with the girl; there was no one at home. We called the paramedics and I was able to intervene. The girl received the treatment she needed and when she came back to school, she thanked me. If kids hear about that, they will take that information and will now trust. It’s a little bit like a ‘pay it forward.’ There are many people doing that for students. There are very thoughtful, compassionate teachers.’ ”According to McGowan, today’s teenagers have different pressures, based upon what’s going on. For instance, it’s harder to get into college; there’s a lot more peer pressure. These days, technology has made everyone aware of everything, so there’s no difference between a small town and a big city, if one has a television set or computer. Teenage fears and problems are the same anywhere. ”’The messages we give at school are the same parents are giving at home,’ says McGowan. ‘Students can get it from the administration, counselors, psychologist and teachers. ‘If teachers see a student who is more sullen, sad or with his head on the desk, we’re very sensitive. Sometimes kids are referred to me by teachers, security guards, parents, grandparents or even neighbors. There are a lot of good Samaritans out there. Kids refer kids. They might say, ‘See so and so always standing alone’?’ The first thing people see when they enter McGowan’s office is Murphy on the couch. Parents, teachers and students find themselves petting him while they relay their problems. He provides comfort. ‘I’m better known as ‘the lady with the dog,’ says McGowan. I call him my ‘therapy dog.’ Kids who might be fearful to see me, will come to see Murphy and then will find themselves in an office where they can get help. They might have lunch and have no place to go. So they’ll come by for a piece of candy just to be connected.’ And Murphy’s always there to greet them. Editor’s Note: Part three of this series on teenage depression, appearing in next week’s Palisadian-Post, will explore how to determine if your teenager is depressed.
St. Matthew’s Sports Update
The St. Matthew’s seventh-grade girls volleyball team beat Campbell Hall Blue, 25-9, 25-15, in its Junior Delphic League opener last week. Down by 4-0 and 9-7 scores in the first game, the Falcons roared back when Meg Norton served 18 straight service points, including 10 aces, to close out the game. Setter Bonnie Wirth began Game 2 by serving 12 straight points, including eight aces. Cami Winding’s passing, Nicola Kronstadt’s accurate serving along with the consistency of starters Kate Morrissey and Caity Croft kept St. Matthew’s ahead throughout. Solid contributions from Carlye Gordon, Katrina Rochlin and Kyra Richardson further stymied the Vikings. St Matthew’s, coached by Andy Bernstein and Howard Feldberg, hosts Campbell Hall’s gold team next Wednesday. 8th-Grade Volleyball Under first-year coach John Caravella the Falcon girls defeated Windward in their Junior Delphic League opener, 25-16, 25-22. Katie McNutt served nine straight points to give St. Matthew’s a 9-1 lead in the first game and had three key kills late in the second game. Setters Lizzy Porter and Claire Soley ran the offense expertly while Anne Turner, Emily Slemaker and Emily Spradling set up many plays with her accurate passes. The Falcons’ roster includes Eleanor Combs, Codie Dicus, Rylee Ebsen, Taylor Frey, Sheridan Hathaway, Diana Irvine, Claire McCracken, and Audrey Turner. next Monday. The squad hosts St. Paul on October 4. 8th Grade Football Defeated St. Mel’s 14-8 in its Junior High Delphic League opener. Matt Bagnard threw touchdown passes to Bobby Kazimiroff and Logan Shoop and a two-point conversion pass to Shoop. Rory Behr rushed for 35 yards in five carries, Evan Palmer had three receptions and Kenny Fowlkes, Chet Hanks and Nick Barnes all contributed on offense. Hanks had five sacks on defense while Bagnard added two sacks and an interception. Linebackers and defensive backs (Palmer, Behr and Bagnard Dylan Bostick, Ryan Ashley, Conor Knowles and Fowlkes) played extremely well. St. Matthew’s is coached by Gary Bradison and John Norwood. The Falcons’ next game is next Friday, Oct. 8, when they host Harvard-Westlake Red.
Finished Before She Starts
Palisades’ Top Tennis Player Quits One Night Before Season Opener
If the Palisades High girls tennis team is to become No. 1 in the City this season, it will have to do so without its No. 1 player. On the eve of the Dolphins’ first match sophomore Olivia Colman informed Coach Bud Kling that she had dropped out of school to enroll in an independent study program. “I made the decision [to leave Palisades] because I have a spinal condition that causes my hamstrings to tighten up and going to school all day was too hard on my back,” said Colman, who compiled a 23-3 singles record as a freshman last fall. “I loved being on the team last year. Everyone was really nice, Coach Kling was very helpful and I’m glad I did it. My goal right now is to play national tournaments and be ranked in the top 10 in the 18s.” Kling said he was never made aware of Colman’s spinal condition nor did she tell any of her teammates about it. “I think it’s just another excuse she’s using for simply not wanting to play for us,” said Kling, who has coached the Pali girls to 12 City titles. “She could’ve done everything she’s doing now–the yoga, the massage therapy, the physical fitness, the private lessons, even the independent study curriculum–and still been part of our program. Her mom also claimed none of the classes Olivia took last year will count towards college but I confirmed through our counseling office that every class was NCAA certified except for science. “High school tennis provides a unique environment that you don’t get to experience anywhere else,” Kling continued. “It’s unfortunate that after all the concessions we made Olivia doesn’t feel any accountability or obligation to the team.” Kling had beefed up Pali’s nonleague schedule in an effort to provide more challenging competition for his top player, but without her the Dolphins were routed by Mira Costa 17-1, then defeated soundly by Malibu, 12-6, three days later. With Coleman, a 15-year-old currently ranked 38th in Southern California in the 16s and 70th in the 18s, the Dolphins were the clear-cut favorite to win their first City title in six years. Without her, the rest of the players know they must pick up the slack in order to achieve their goal. “We’re quite disappointed because we are really determined to win City this year and now all of a sudden we don’t have our best player,” Pali co-captain Brittany O’Neil said. “Olivia was given a lot of freedom to do her own thing. Coach Kling didn’t make her come to practice and we were all fine with that. Not a single player was resentful. We were happy to have her for the matches. We’d love for her to come back but she’s gone so we just have to make the best of it.” Palisades opens defense of its Western League championship at Westchester today.
Dealing with Depression
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
By BRENDA HIMELFARB Palisadian-Post Contributor It had been a hectic Saturday for Josh Mills, a Palisades High School junior. As a talented drama student, he had directed four shows for a regional high school drama festival, had gotten very little sleep and was totally exhausted. ”So, Sunday morning, when his mother, Ruth, insisted that he study for his Spanish test, Josh could hardly move. Having to do anything, particularly study for a test, was the last thing he wanted to do. He was simply wiped! Josh finally dragged himself out of bed and over to the dining room table where Ruth, a teacher at Palisades High, had placed all the books together to begin their work. He sat there, half asleep, at times laying his head down on the table, eyes closed. He just didn’t have any energy. In fact, it got to the point where Ruth had to constantly awaken him to answer questions. This went on for a time, and then Josh ‘lost it.’ He absolutely had had enough. In a rage, Josh jumped up from the table, threw a chair cushion and began screaming at his mother, then his father, who rushed into the room to see what was going on. Ruth recalls that her husband later said that the eyes of the boy he saw were like those of a wild man. The ranting, screaming person Ruth and her husband were watching was not the gentle Josh they knew. That Sunday’November 8, 1998’is a date that Ruth and Josh will never, ever forget. They know exactly where they were, what they were doing and how unreal it all seemed. Their lives were forever changed. ‘I had gotten mad and had yelled at my mom before’all teenagers do’but this was different,’ recalls Josh. ‘Afterwards, instead of getting over it, I kind of shut down. I don’t remember what my mood was or whether I talked the rest of the day, but I do remember thinking, the next day, that I wanted space from mom, my whole family. It wasn’t so much that I was mad. I just needed space and I wasn’t getting it. ‘I went to school for a few days and then I stopped going to school. I really couldn’t go and I really didn’t want to go. And it wasn’t the ‘don’t want to go to school’ like every kid says every so often. It was that I really didn’t care. I had no interest in a future or anything.’ ”Ruth called the school psychologist, Bella McGowan, but this made Josh furious and, once again, he got very angry. Finally, he agreed to see her with his parents. ‘Josh told Bella that he didn’t feel like doing anything,’ Ruth remembers. ‘He didn’t feel like getting up or going to school any more. He was having trouble sleeping at night, and then sleeping too much during the day. He had always been thin, but suddenly he began losing weight.’ What Josh was going through are just some of the signs of teenage depression. And the statistics are staggering. Among adolescents, one in eight suffers from depression. Only about 30 percent receive any sort of intervention or treatment. The other 70 percent simply struggle through much pain and turmoil, doing their best to make it to adulthood. Josh was fortunate to have such love and support from his sister, Jeanette, and his parents, who insisted that he needed help and were committed to finding the right treatment for their son. ‘It’s not Bella’s place to make a diagnosis, but she said that it sounded like it could be depression and she suggested that we take him to a clinic where Josh could see a psychologist, and if he needed medication, a psychiatrist,’ Ruth explained. ‘So we took him to the St. John’s Child and Family Development Center, where we met a psychiatrist who agreed that there was a moderate degree of depression and a medication was prescribed.’ Josh did well for awhile. But then his grades began to fall, and in less than six months he had a relapse. In March 1999, Josh entered UCLA’s NeuroPsychiatric Institute (NPI) in the Adolescent Partial Hospitalization Program, an outpatient program that offers three hours of school daily. ‘I really didn’t want to go there,’ admits Josh. ‘I thought it was a step backward. Part of me was hoping that eventually I would feel better and be able to go back to school, but that wasn’t going to happen. My parents and my psychologist and her supervisor, whom I had never even met, all talked to me. I was really mad. It was almost like an intervention. They told me that I had to do this, that I just couldn’t sit around the house every day. They told me I was ‘stuck’ and that I was going to be an in-patient if I didn’t go. So, very reluctantly, I joined the program.’ Most teens are admitted for two to four weeks. Josh spent time in the program from March until June, receiving several types of therapy: group, individual, recreational, occupational and educational. His depression manifested itself as a school-related anxiety. ‘This was a kid who had sailed through school,’ Ruth said. ‘But he was at a point where he literally couldn’t open a book, so the educational psychiatrist worked with him. ‘The first day they sat there and looked at the book. The second day, they would open the book. The third day, they would open the book to his assignment. And on the fourth day, they would have Josh answer one of the questions from the assignment. Josh gradually went from that helpless condition to being able to work with an outpatient educational therapist. Then he was able to do his work if one of us helped him. Then, if one of us just sat in his room. And this went on into the beginning of college. Finally he got to the point where, like any other student, he would come home and do his assignments on his own, which you expect from a high school kid.’ Josh graduated with his high-school class and recently completed Santa Monica College. He begins UCLA this month. ‘I took a lot of time getting through SMC. I took things slowly and never took a heavy load,’ says Josh. ‘I didn’t even take classes every semester. Attending UCLA has been a lifelong dream of mine. I’m nervous about going, but I know that’s a natural feeling for any new college student.’ These days Josh says he feels ‘really good.’ He’s on two medications: Effexor and Risperdal, an anti-anxiety drug that helps calm him down at the end of the day. ‘We’re at the point where I am able to lower my dose,’ says Josh, happily. ‘Depression is something that can be dealt with, ‘ he adds. ‘Even if it can’t be completely cured, you can have a normal life, a great life. And if you deal with it, you can move on and if you don’t get help, who knows what can happen to you? It’s one of those things that you have to acknowledge and say, ‘This is where we are. We need to deal with it. We can’t ignore it. We can’t hide it.’ ‘Depression affects the whole family, not just the patient,’ Ruth said. ‘For parents of teenagers, it’s very hard to tell how much is normal teenage rebellious behavior and how much is depression. If your child is suddenly confrontational, if his grades start to drop, if the things that have always given him pleasure stop giving him pleasure, it should be noted. So many parents don’t know what it is when it hits. We were lucky, because I worked at his school and I knew the school psychologist and we immediately had someone to go to. And we had what turned out to be a correct diagnosis within 48 hours. ‘When Josh first got depressed, I thought, What did we do? Should I not have helped him with Spanish that day? Is that what triggered it? That was a trigger that day. Another day it would have been something else. But I was assured that this was inevitable. This was going to happen.’ Dealing with depression is not always easy, something Josh readily acknowledges. ‘I think I’m certainly on the outside of it now,’ Josh says. ‘I don’t ever want to press my luck and say it’s all behind me. I know that there’s always the possibility that it will come back. I do worry about it coming back, but that is out of my control. And I know that if I keep doing the things that I need to do and lead the life that I know is good for me, the chances of depression coming back are probably pretty slim.’ (Editor’s Note: See related story about Bella McGowan, the Palisades High School psychologist, on page 15.)
