A Great Environment for Kids with Artistic and Poetic Aspirations

Kids are a gift that keep on giving, whether it's through love or by art and poetry. Wait a hot minute! Did I just write art and poetry? What a coinkydink! Last month La Mesa students were invited to enter the City of La Mesa's "Our Planet, Our Home" literacy and art contest as part of the "Sustain La Mesa" Environmental Festival. Sponsored by the Environmental Sustainability Commission, the Oct. 9 festival will recognize the following honorees: kindergarten to grade 2: Kai Gora, Courtney Pillar, Isaac Laddon, Lily Pearson, Emilio Jaramillo; grades 3 to 5: Kaci Gora, Adrian Molina, Josey Amado, Camryn Henry, Ariana Adamson, Delaney Troyan, Tia Saunders, Matthew Goldman; grades 6-8: Hannah Carney, Kyra Roper, Amy Schwartz, Eleana Yazakel, Natalya Ortega, Nicole Mangiapane, Hannah Kleit; grades 9-12: Kaley Jenkins, Michelle Jones, Davina Magracia, Cristi Magracia, Luis Davis Lopez; sculpture honorable mentions: Trinity Buck, Mai Nguyen, Katelynn Montalvo, Elijan Montalvo, Grace Paskowitz.

ENGLAND FOR A SMYLE: David Smyle is enjoying the last few months of his tenure as CFO of the La Mesa Chamber of Commerce. Although he calls himself just a volunteer, he said he feels he's put in a good effort toward re-establishing a La Mesa-only Chamber of Commerce. (The original merged a couple of years ago with El Cajon to form the East County Chamber of Commerce.) Smyle intends to return to running his commercial real estate business. Mary England is picking up quite handily where Smyle leaves off. Smyle's official release date is Jan. 1, 2011.

IN THE COSMOS: Friendly neighborhood barista Chelsea Boggess of Cosmos Coffee Café said customers sometimes make odd requests. One of the oddest? "They've asked for things to be at certain temperatures, like for their chai latte to be 135 degrees," she said. "That's pretty weird." That is weird. I always just ask for mine to be a nice comfy 98 degrees.

From the "Our Peeps" File: Grossmont High graduate (class of 2000) Leslie Gabrielson Geary is making good as a contract specialist with the Department of Defense–Navy–NAVFAC SW. Born and raised in La Mesa, Geary earned her law degree at California Western School of Law in 2008. Although she no longer lives in La Mesa, she returns for Oktoberfest every year and highly recommends strolling around the Boulevard at Christmastime.