Teenagers

Darleene Barrientos Stepping away from the table where she had just met two of the stars of "Degrassi: The Next Generation," 17-year-old Monrovia resident Tricia Olbribge needed a moment to collect herself and look at some of the pictures her mom had taken of the encounter. "I'm, like, shaking so bad right now," Tricia said, wringing her hands. "I'm, like, speechless right now." Tricia, along with nearly 4,000 other teenagers from all over Southern California, clamored to meet Stacey Farber and Aubrey Graham, who play Ellie Nash and Jimmy Brooks, respectively, on "Degrassi," a cable TV drama.

Darleene Barrientos Why -- and most importantly, who -- would strangle Jamie Stokes, the star of the high school soccer team, outside the library? That's the question teens will be asking themselves today as part of the Glendale Central Library's first-ever murder-mystery, role-playing event. The investigation is from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday in the library's auditorium, 222 E. Harvard St. The event is free and all teenagers are welcome. "The [teenagers]

It was OK to hit the instructor Saturday at the Roger Barkley Community Center. Looking to teach teenagers strategies necessary to fend off bullies or violent attackers, the community center, at 4469 Chevy Chase Drive, hosted a self-defense workshop. Trainers from Impact Personal Safety emphasized verbal skills that would help thwart a would-be schoolyard bully and avoid a physical confrontation. In case talking fails to do the trick, instructors Perry Hauck and Francine Russell showed teenagers how to defend themselves physically.

I wholeheartedly agree with the wisdom expressed by Samuel H. Pillsbury in his letter stating his reasons why “In Cold Blood” should be included in any junior or senior student's curriculum (“A 'Cold Blood' teaching moment,” Sept. 28). In fact, I think it should be required reading for all secondary students. I certainly understand the desire of adults to shelter their children from the ugliness of real-life violence; however, we do our teenagers a terrible disservice if we actually do so. To counteract all the gratuitous and unrealistic depictions of violence currently in our culture, we must show our young people the true horrors of killing another human being and the terrible consequences thereof.

Judy Seckler MASSACHUSETTS -- Three computer wizards from Glendale have been named finalists in the ArsDigita Corporation Web site development competition. Ara Anjargolian, 18, created www.secondsaver.com, a personal Web assistant. The other finalists, Ara Mahdessian and Arthur Chaparyan, were a team that developed www.dev-center.com, a source of tools and other assistance for programmers. Each finalist will receive $1000. The competition allows teenagers to develop innovative and useful Web services.

GLENDALE — About a dozen teenagers, parents and community members stood in awe of a Ford Explorer that looked more like a movie prop than a serviceable car Thursday at Maple Park. The totaled SUV was a central feature in a safety workshop Thursday hosted by the California Highway Patrol officer and the city of Glendale. Officer Andre Primeaux told the audience, more than half of whom were 15-year-olds, that they need to be aware of their surroundings. “We want them to be safe,” he said.

Recently, Jim in Glendale saw a newspaper headline that said something like "Five school board members lose seat. " That didn't sit right with him. "Using the singular 'seat' — instead of the plural 'seats' — is incompatible with 'members,'" Jim wrote in an e-mail. "But that type of usage, though sloppy, seems to be common in everyday speech. So where do we stand? Is it a flagrant no-no, or is it one of those cases where only fussy grammarians would nitpick the issue?"

Dance parties are the norm for most teenagers, but not when they’re autistic. So when Redlands resident Margaret Freeman heard about a dance targeted at teenagers with autism, she didn’t think twice about driving to Glendale for the event Saturday at the Adult Recreation Center. “We don’t have anything like this up our way,” Freeman said, adding that her 14-year-old daughter likes to dance but doesn’t have many opportunities to go to parties where she feels comfortable.

Less than a mile from where the bodies of young Blaine Talmo Jr. and Christopher McCulloch were found is where I spent lazy summer days hiding in trees and spying on my older sister. I have watched this tragedy unfold and discussed in the local supermarket lines, splashed across the television and immortalized in The Leader. Hushed whispers and newspapers portray our community as a middle-class oasis free from the pressures of the real world. La Crescenta has the mystique of a Brigadoon, the safely isolated haven from the 1954 Gene Kelly movie.

Edgar Melik-Stepanyan Memo to Brock Morgan: You were a wise, sophisticated, congenial and married 24-year-old youth pastor, who made a difference in teenagers' lives in Glendale, Alexandria, Va., and Long Beach. You had an inspiration and ambition to start a basketball league for junior high students and ran with it. Along with your wife, Kelsey, and high school best friend, Rudy Nielson, you started a youth basketball league in 1995, which blossomed into a learning ground for nervous 13- and 14-year-olds uneasy about ascending to the ranks of high school competition.

A 15-year-old girl reported Wednesday that a man tried to get her attention as he masturbated on Kenwood Road, police said. The girl had just left a friend's house and was walking home about 9:38 p.m. on Kenwood Road, just south of Glenwood Road, when she heard a man making noises to get her attention, according to Glendale police reports. As she passed the man, who was standing with his back against a fence, she noticed he was masturbating, prompting her to run home and call police.

I wholeheartedly agree with the wisdom expressed by Samuel H. Pillsbury in his letter stating his reasons why “In Cold Blood” should be included in any junior or senior student's curriculum (“A 'Cold Blood' teaching moment,” Sept. 28). In fact, I think it should be required reading for all secondary students. I certainly understand the desire of adults to shelter their children from the ugliness of real-life violence; however, we do our teenagers a terrible disservice if we actually do so. To counteract all the gratuitous and unrealistic depictions of violence currently in our culture, we must show our young people the true horrors of killing another human being and the terrible consequences thereof.

Recently, Jim in Glendale saw a newspaper headline that said something like "Five school board members lose seat. " That didn't sit right with him. "Using the singular 'seat' — instead of the plural 'seats' — is incompatible with 'members,'" Jim wrote in an e-mail. "But that type of usage, though sloppy, seems to be common in everyday speech. So where do we stand? Is it a flagrant no-no, or is it one of those cases where only fussy grammarians would nitpick the issue?"

Just weeks after opening, the mentoring and after-school program Generation Next is already attracting dozens of local teenagers to its new Glendale site, Director Ara Arzumanian said. Funded and operated by the Armenian General Benevolent Union, an international nonprofit, Generation Next provides social and academic support services to middle school and high school students. Previously operated out of offices in Pasadena, the program moved last month to 1230 E. Broadway, just blocks from Glendale High School.

LA CRESCENTA — Former Crescenta Valley High School Principal Mike Livingston arrived a few minutes late for a campus tour Friday. "That's a tardy," said Linda Evans, Livingston's successor, and herself a former principal. He was late, but he was prepared. "I have a pass," he said to laughter. Teachers, staff, administrators and Crescenta Valley High School students celebrated the school's 50 t h anniversary Thursday and Friday with reunions, tours, presentations and a homecoming bonfire.

NORTH GLENDALE— Two teenage boys were arrested early Thursday on suspicion of setting a refurbished playground at Glorietta Park on fire, officials said. The fire destroyed the playground, causing between $50,000 to $70,000 in damage, officials said. The playground set had been refurbished about nine to 10 months ago. City crews on Thursday morning tore down the structure and replaced it with wood chips. "I am sad and really angry at these kids," said George Chapjian, director of Community Services and Parks Department.

SOUTH GLENDALE — Thirteen-year-old Chad Anderson had no problem waking up early Saturday morning for some community service. The seventh-grader at La Cañada Junior and Senior High School was one of about 200 volunteers who beautified Muir Elementary School in Glendale. “It’s nice to do service,” Chad said. “It makes you happy.” It also made the school look brand new. Decaying fences were repainted and arid soil was replaced with fresh plants, flowers and much — donated by the volunteers from the Church of Latter-day Saints, school parents and community members.

GLENDALE — Two pedestrians were hit by motorists in two separate collisions this weekend, police said. The first collision was at 6:10 p.m. Saturday when a 15-year-old boy and his friends were trying to catch a bus, Glendale police Sgt. Dennis Smith said. The boy and his friends were walking north on Glendale Avenue toward Broadway when they saw the bus stopping at the intersection, he said. When they entered the intersection, the pedestrian signal had changed from walk to “Don’t walk,” Smith said.

LA CRESCENTA — Reducing local dependence on imported water, fighting teenage drug use and staying vigilant in the aftermath of the Station fire were top community concerns discussed Thursday at candidate forums for the Crescenta Valley Water District Board of Directors and Crescenta Valley Town Council. Three incumbents and three challengers are vying for one of three seats on the water board. The election will take place Nov. 3. The board makes policy decisions for the district, voting on everything from water conservation efforts to customer rates and capital improvement projects.

GLENDALE — About a dozen teenagers, parents and community members stood in awe of a Ford Explorer that looked more like a movie prop than a serviceable car Thursday at Maple Park. The totaled SUV was a central feature in a safety workshop Thursday hosted by the California Highway Patrol officer and the city of Glendale. Officer Andre Primeaux told the audience, more than half of whom were 15-year-olds, that they need to be aware of their surroundings. “We want them to be safe,” he said.