Class of 1987
(Name) Ted Belinky
(E-mail address) tbelinky@earthlink.net
(College) UC Santa Barbara
(Major) Business Economics.
(Current Activities) Boards: H.O.B.Y., LAJCC, U.E.A., Special Olympics
(Name) Daniel Behrendt
(E-mail address) zestiness@aol.com
(College) U.C. Berkeley, Political Economy, B.A.
(Major) U.C. Davis School of Law, J.D.
(Current Activities) Working for Hynix Semiconductor, Inc., Seoul, Korea, missing summer in LA.
(Comments) Whoa...I cannot believe this fortuitous stumbling upon the LACES website. I am overcome with nostalgia and emotion as I sit at my desk in the investor relations department of Hynix in Seoul, Korea. What's up Abrol Fairweather (sp?)? Barrett Carrerre (sp?) Blythe Anderson? Todd Aarons? Andy/Aaron/Jennifer Pataki? Mr. Mac, the Bus Driver Guy? Russell Ota? Ms. Tanaka? Arthur, the King of the Courts? That 17 year old guy that beat me up when I was 13? I ran into Lydia German, Rachel Stock and a few others at a Venice High School Reunion a few years ago. I see Tracey Levine every now and then. I was informed by my little bro Scott Behrendt (an attorney in Los Angeles) that Albert Penny is a doctor. My cousin Greg Spector is coaching high school basketball in Indiana...I'd tell you what I've been up to, but why bore with details? Suffice it to say I've been in Korea for two years in various capacities, that I've played a lot of soccer over the past decade (Berkeley,!
former Yugoslavia, Italy, Tunisia, Israel), and that I only think fondly of my days suffering through puberty at CES. Case in point: Mr. Hinson, who in Journalism class loved calling me a moron ("Daniel, you are such a moron!"), finally brought a smile to my face when after a month of hearing about my academic inadequacies, I went home, got a dictionary and looked up "moron." How happy was I to read that a "moron" was someone with the capacity of a 9-13 year old. As I was 11 at the time, I went to class the next week, and when dear old Mr. Hinson referred to me as a "moron," I promptly thanked him for the compliment, as I was only 11 and a moron was someone with the brain capacity of a 13 year old. Poor Mr. Hinson just shook his head and laid it down upon his desk in utter resignation.
In all seriousness, what a time and unique experience...I hope to hear from my old buddies (and tormentors) out there...
Name: Ted D. Belinky
E-Mail: tbelinky@earthlink.net
College: UCSB - Econ/Finance - MBA Finance
Major:
Current Activities: Living in Chicago - Working for Global 50. Loving life.
Wendi (Berlin) Shapera
E-Mail Address: wendishapera@yahoo.com
College: BA, Univ. Wisconsin - Madison, 1991 & MAJEd, Baltimore Hebrew University, 1996
Major: BA - Hebrew Studies/International Relations, MA - Jewish Education
Current Activities/Comments:
I am currently living in Cleveland, OH and have followed through on my teenage aspirations of having my own store... I opened a children's resale boutique just over a year ago. I sell new & very gently used upscale clothing & accessories, toys, furniture, etc and am working on starting up an online store as well (www.theclothinggarden.com).
I'm married with 3 children (2 boys and a girl) who have already taught me that parenting has got to be the most difficult job in the world! Just by coincidence, Elissa (Schiffer) Berman also lives here with her twins and our children are great friends.
I have such fond memories of my junior high years at CES - all the lessons learned outside the classroom, as well as the truly great academic preparation learned from some amazing teachers. Best friends, major crushes, first loves, crazy bus rides & psycho bus drivers, Gilbert & Sullivan, West Side Story, Friday P.E. bowling/roller skating!
What fun to have found this site! Best wishes to all.
Name: Robin Brooks Bonner
E-Mail: onebinrob@yahoo.com
College: Marymont College
Major: Liberal Arts
Current Activities: After being married for almost 14 years and having one child age 12, I going back to school for my RN degree. I really enjoyed my time at LACES.
Comments: Please drop me a line at onebinrob@yahoo.com, maybe we can do lunch or something like that.
(Name) Ian J. Brown
(E-mail address) Ian.J.Brown@williams.edu
(College) Williams College
(Major) Political Science, Theatre
(Current Activities) nothing, hanging out
(Comments) high school sucked.
college sucks.
life sucks, too.
(Name) Leonca "Kim" Cahee
(E-mail address) cahee@smmusd.org
(College) Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD
(Major) B.S. Communications
(Current Activities) working on Masters in Labor Negotiations - Conflict Managment (Cal Stat-DH)
(Comments) CES was a maturing experience for me. It taught me that it is okay to be different to enjoy different things and not to allow others to trapped you into a stereotype. I left in 1985 to attend a variety of other "normal" high schools and finally graduated from James Monroe High School in Northridge. My cousin Tamiyka Lockhart(Anderson) also attended CES 1984-85. She is doing well, living in Atlanta, GA with her husband, Kenny, and three beautiful, intelligent, challenging kids and one on the way.
Name: Douglas Cashman
E-Mail: savoncashman@hotmail.com
College: CSULA
Major: Liberal Arts
Current Activities: Married in Simi Valley with son & daughter.
Comments: I remember being at Hobart Elementary at the temple and seing all the big kids(CES students) at the school upstairs. I thank my friend Carla Castilo for encouraging me to attend CES. It's the most rewarding experience of my
(Name) Adrian Fernandez
(College) Mt. San Antonio College, Cal Poly University, Chapman University
(Major) Behavioral Science Minor: Criminal Justice Credential: Multiple Subject/Single Subject Spanish
(Current Activities) I currently teach as a High School Spanish teacher in the San Gabriel Valley. I've been married for over ten years. I have a great beautiful family: Diego (4), Ariana (2) and Xavier (10 months). I love to travel and enjoy the time I spend with my wife and kids. What ever happend to the graduating class of 1987? The only person I talk to occasionally from CES is Jose Echevarria. And of course I speak to my brother all the time; Samuel Fernandez (Danny), we graduated together. I'm wondering if we're having a 20 year reunion in 2007. If someone knows, please inform me. We're all getting close to hiiting the big FOUR-O, it would be interesting to know what everyone has done in the past 20 years!!
Name: Richard Forster
E-Mail: rforster@gangistudios.com
College: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Major: Aeronautical Science
Current Activities Project Manager in La Mirada. Live in La Crescenta. Married 2003. First child due August 30th, 2004!
Comments CES was a great foundation to start things off. A lot of fond memories. I still hang out with a few of you today. Hopefully, I'll hear from a few more. Drop me a line!
Name: Julie Fulmer (Wallach)
E-Mail: pjw1313@netzero.com
College: CSU Northridge
Major: Psychology
Current Activities Earning teaching credential, will teach elementary school children with special needs. I have a 4 year-old daughter, and a husband who acts like he's 4 (I wouldn't have it any other way). We have two insane dogs who add to the chaos in our lives, and we treat them like they're human.
Comments I can still smell and taste the toxic gases emitted from the enormous bus that used to pick my sister, Leslie, and I up each morning to take us to LACES at Pico & Arlington. I feel so lucky to have been part of a superior educational experience. It never occured to me that I was a geek because I loved Gilbert & Sullivan when I was 10, nor did I feel weird for idolizing Jeff Robbins, who taught me about Mesopotamia. LACES teachers cared about us. Does anyone remember getting into a head on collision because of Mr. Salinas's driving skills? Anyway, on to the social stuff: Has anyone seen Gentry Gorg, Hilary Lashenick, Pam Hyman, Tracy Levine, Brett and Grant (their last names have escaped me), Barett ? (lived off of Beverly Glen)... the list goes on. Please let me know! It's nice to see so many people are doing well.
Graduated from Santa Monica High School
Name: Patrice Jones (Emery)
E-Mail: patriceemery@yahoo.com
College: CSU Long Beach
Major: Business Administration (MIS)
Current Activities: Software Development and Test Automation
Comments: I am married (11 years) with a 1 year old son (Aaron). I work and live in Aliso Viejo, CA. I had a great time at CES and I have missed you all! It was a really fun time.
Name: Vanessa (Keith) Garcia
E-Mail: vakg16@hotmail.com
College: UCLA; Columbia University
Major: BA - English ('91); MA - Education ('93)
Current Activities: Proud to be a wife and stay-at-home mom to a six month old daughter! What a blessing!! Before that, worked as a Sr. Manager in Change Management for a large technology consulting firm. Prior to that, helped to found and taught in an alternative elemenatary school in NYC.
Comments: I am so excited to have been forwarded a link to this site from another alumna! I must say that just reading the comments of others has brought back great memories! Would love to hear from Rebecca Allen, Ryuko Ozawa, Jennifer Sanders, Dana Ginsberg, Laura Diamond, Michelle Jaffe, and Dilim Ndefo. What about John Kenney, Chris Hope, Brett Supernaw, Danny Sluki? - I had secret crushes on all of you at one point!! So funny!! Although I left for a "regular" high school (University High), I am so thankful for the strong educational foundation that CES provided from '77-'84. Glad to know that the school is still thriving and that public education in LA can still work!! Kudos to the staff and teachers - past and present!
Name: Christopher Hope
E-Mail: christopherhope@global.t-bird.edu
College: UCLA: Thunderbird
Major: Political Science: International MBA
Name: Michele Jaffe
E-Mail: michele@michelejaffe.com
College: Harvard '91; PhD '98
Major: Comparative Literature
Current Activities: trashy novelist
Comments:
Home Page: http://www.michelejaffe.com
Name: Hilary Lashenick (Harrison)
E-Mail: Hilarysteven@yahoo.com
College: Syracuse University '91
Major: BS Speech Communications
Current Activities: Currently I am a SAHM of a 7 y/o daughter and a 4.5 y/o son. Married for 9 years to an amazing man. We both attended Syracuse University although we met after graduation.
Still living Los Angeles.
Comments: I don't even know how I came across this site!I attended CES from 6th grade through 9th grade. I then moved and went to Taft High School in Woodland Hills.I have incredible, vivid memories of my time at CES. First loves and best friends. CES and the people I met there really shaped who I am today. I can't believe that it has been 22 years!!!!! It really seems like yesterday to me.I still keep in touch with Ilana Pressman, we are still best friends! Also see Robby Schneider and Matt Sepkowitz from time to time. Email me and we can reminisce!
Terri Truman (Hawkins)
College: UCSB
Major: BA, Communication Studies
Current Activities/Comments: Whoa..too cool! Ok, graduated in '87 and headed to UCSB. Lived in the Bay Area after graduation. I am the proud Mom of one son and one daughter living in LA. I work as a Recruiter for the Los Angeles Times. Hmm, CES...
Name: Nevin McFarland
E-Mail: nmcfarland@lawa.org
College: LA Trade Technical
Major: Network Administration
Current Activities I currently work for the City of LA. Airport Police.
Comments I really enjoyed the experiences that I had at LACES. The cultural and economic diversity was a great way to prepare me and i'm sure many others for the road ahead in the "Real World".
Name: Mark Nemec
E-Mail: marknemec@yahoo.com
College: BA, Yale; MA, Ph.D., U. Michigan
Major: English, Political Science
Current Activities: Managing Director, Forrester Research
Comments: Living on the east coast, I do not see much of LACES folks but would be happy to reconnect.
Daniel Nicolau
inthezon@yahoo.com
College: Santa Monica College
Current Activities/Comments:
Much to write, not enough time & space...
Name: Lury Norris
E-Mail: lurylee@aol.com
College: Sonoma State U, CSUDH, LA Trade Tech
Major: Liberal Arts, English, Sign Graphics/Art
Current Activities Whatever I feel like. :)
Comments How shocking indeed to find this webpage!
dean oda
E-Mail: dean.oda@gmail.com
College: west la
Major: sports
Current Activities/Comments:
Im still Single no kids
My Dad past away last year 2006.Its just me,mom,sister,nephew other relatives.
I still in los angeles(crenshaw area)
I been working for Vons market for 17 years Santa monica near broadway/lincoln.
I still see my friends like Bert Nakata,Wayne Yamamoto and rest of Buddaheads/Japanese.
I still playing golf.
Name: Marybelle (Ortiz) Perez
E-Mail: marybelle@fastlanevideo.com
College:
Major:
Current Activities: I am currently a financial counselor for one of the CHW hospitals. I have a little girl and I am very happy.
Comments: CES was one of the best schools I ever attended. To bad I left to go to another school. My time there was fun I met alot of wonderful people. Especially my best friends Juanita, Brenda, and Adelaida. Crazy times.
Home Page:
Name: Summer Rice
E-Mail: SummerRice08@hotmail.com
College: Spelman College
Major: Political Science, minor in Dance
Current Activities: Finishing up law school at Howard University, teaching dance in the summers, and dealing with the real world.
Comments: I love you Ebony and Timiesha. I miss you Ms. Stringos, Mr. Rutschman, Ms. Watkins and Ms. Moore. Congrats to David and Christina. See all of you at our 10 year which is not too far away.
Home Page: http://www.Summer921.com
Name: Hilary Rosensweet
E-Mail: hilroses@yahoo.com
College: San Diego State, Cal State Long Beach
Major: BA Lib. Studies; Master's in Social Work
Current Activities: Working for LA-DCFS - Adoptions
Preparing for Licensure (LCSW)
Name: Tania D. Russell
E-Mail: tania@makeupwerks.com
College: UCLA
Major: B.A., English
Current Activities: Makeup artist/Musician & Festival Conference Organizer
Comments: I've just run across this site again so i'm updating my listing. I'm 35 now. Gar is still my older brother. We're still both quite weird, so LACES suited us quite well.
Home Page: http://www.makeupwerks.com
Name: Doni Scheindlin
E-Mail: dscheindlin@yahoo.com
College: University of Texas at Austin
Major: Journalism
Current Activities: Senior Corporate Communications Writer, AMD in Austin, TX.
Comments: Darn it. I really wanted to make it to the famous dropouts page...
Name: Elissa (Schiffer) Bortz
E-Mail: adoremytwins@yahoo.com
College: More than I can count
Major: BA. Jewish Phil,/Jewish Texts MA. Ed
Current Activities: I am the mom of two beautiful 6 year old twins, Elon and Eliana. I live in Cleveland, Ohio as doe Wendi (Berlin) Shapera with her three children. I am a Retreat Educator for the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland. I am currently pursuing a second Masters Degree in Counseling.
Comments: CES was one of the most extraordinary experiences of my life and I knew it when I was in the midst of it. When you show up to school for the first day at Griffith Park how can anything but greatness come from that? I learned how to write, how to think, how to examine and how to learn at CES. CES and the magnet at Hamiliton turned me on to education done right. While, I too, wanted the real high school experience, as an educator now for 15 years, the CES was as real as it gets. I take a alot of pride in the fact our parents chose to integrate us voluntarily in the late 70's...lets remember why these schools opened in the first place. They were a response to the mandatory bussing. So I was given a gift I am forever grateful for.
(Name) Debjoti Sensharma
(E-mail address) dsensarma@hotmail.com
(College) University of California, Los Angeles
(Major) Cybernetics/Electrical Engineering
(Current Activities) Physician
(Comments) Hmmm... the 80s rule!
Name: Matthew Sepkowitz
College: U.C. Riverside, Cal State Fullerton, University of Oregon
Major: Communications (Radio, TV, Film)
Current Activities/Comments: Wow! I am psyched I found this website. I suppose there's a wave of nostaliga flowing since I just went to my 20 year high school reunion. I fondly remember LACES and the unique education I received there. I attended the school from 5th through 10th grade.I ended up going to a private high school called Oakwood for 11th and 12th. After having a variety of education experiences and enjoying the learning process so much I became a teacher myself. I teach third grade at Colfax Ave. Elemetary and I'm diggin' it. I'm sitting here three in the morning, just cruisin' around the NET and LACES pops in my mind so I came to this website. I saw some familiar names on the alumni list. I keep in touch with Scott Furuta. You remember "Fruity Pebbles". We were actually best men in eachother's weddings. Time is flyin'. Scott and I are always talking about CES, the bus ride from the Valley, bowling on Fridays, Mr. Nobles obsessiion with winning the magazing drive every year, Jef!
f Robbins' Fantasics and the dreaded "see me", the off campus pass, that funky playground where we used to play marbles, Mr. Hinson's current events, playng baseball with a tennis racket, sectioning off the school for water fights during LA hottest days, Najerian's electricity class and Yahmaguchi wood workshop, Slatery's yearbook and. . . the memories are flowin'. I reluctantly went to CES in the 5th grade because I was about to rise to the top of the hierarchy at my first elementary, Valley View. One more year and you become king of the school. Then my mom tells me on a Friday that I'm going to a new school in the inner city and I'll be walking around with 12th graders. No Thanks. After an adjustment period I learned to enjoy the school. Students from all over the city, people from all walks of life. It opened my eyes to world. Looking back I realize that I was fortunate to have such a unique experience at a special school. Maybe my kids will go there some day. !
I'm glad I found this site. GO UNICORNS!!!(I'm still not sure!
about t
hat mascot)
Sarah Walter
E-Mail: sarah.walter@co.hennepin.mn.us
College: UC Santa Cruz undergrad, Harvard Law School
Current Activities/Comments:
I was at CES from 4th grade to 9th (in 1984), then I went to Venice High, where there were other CESers like Eva Emerson (who I've always been friends with), Lydia German, Rachel Stock, Jennifer Borenstein, Ilana Pressman, Rebecca Allen, Daniel Behrendt. I now live in Minneapolis (which is a great town, by the way) with my husband of 16 years, Quinton Skinner. He's a writer, you should read his excellent books. Anyhow, we have 2 awesome kids, I'm a public defender, life is good. I have very warm feelings towards old CES.
directory last updated 6/10/07