Temescal Students Create ‘Green’ Signs

  The Village Green will gain greater attention during maintenance and clean-up, thanks to new signs made by Temescal High School students.   In May, volunteers who garden the small triangular area between Sunset Boulevard, Swarthmore Avenue and Antioch Street decided they needed new signs to alert residents that work was being done.   ’One Saturday during a Village Green work party we looked at the signs that we put out and realized that they were boring and shabby,’ said Marge Gold, who started volunteering three years ago and is now on the governing committee. ‘In talking about how we could replace them, we decided to ask the kids at Temescal if they wanted to help out.’ The school is located just south of Palisades High.   The Committee had been looking at ways to involve high school-aged students to help protect the fragile Village Green and thought this might be a first step.   ’I simply walked onto their immaculate little campus and spoke to Principal Allan Tamshen and told him what we needed,’ Gold said. ‘He got me in touch with Lorene Sosa, the art teacher.   ’Roger Wood and I had a meeting with Sosa and the next thing we knew we had five volunteer artists who presented us with preliminary designs for six signs: each had personality and was unique.’   Gold was impressed that although the students were busy getting ready for graduation and had many other year-end activities, they were willing to help out. ‘This is the kind of grass’roots effort that our Village Green is made of,’ said Gold, who has lived in Pacific Palisades since 1978.   The four graduating seniors who made signs were Leslie Parada, Marla Reyes, Taylor Ash and Jack Potts. A fifth, junior Alex Emrick, will finish his sign this fall.   ’Mr. T. and Ms. Sosa were a pleasure to work with,’ Gold said. ‘All the kids need a pat on the back for a job well done. Look for the signs to appear every month at our work parties. We intend to have them for a very long time.’