The Desert Sun from Palm Springs, California • Page 11

Tha Desert un TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1997 I B3 DEBORA BRITZ Community Page Editor 141-6211 Lommuniues News from your neighborhood Focus: ItescEa Mlrzqa School notes h. Students put spin on Nutcracker' rTiO fifing Council election: Three incumbents among backers of former General Electric, Sony manager. Stack, with wife, Gayle by his side. A four-year resident of Rancho Mirage, Stack owns Stack Associates, a man-agement and marketing consulting firm. Be-fore that, he By TODD HENNEMAN STACK mer electrical engineering specializing in power generation.

"Then I moved out here, and it was 12 cents per Stack's backers said his experience in electrical engineering could benefit the city as the electric industry opens to competition. GOOD BACKGROUND: "His background is very important for the job he has to do with deregulation coming," said Pat Donnelly, who has known Stack for two years. Stack joins Councilwoman Marilyn Glassman and Councilman Alan Seman in the April election, but the three will not compete against one another. Rancho Mirage voters, elect council members by district," and the three candidates would represent three different districts. Glassman, Mayor Don Yokaitis and Vice Mayor Christine Murphy attended Stack's news conference to show their support.

"I think he'll fit in nicely," said J. Philip Stack Age: 65 Family: Wife, Gayle; two sons, Christopher and Matthew; one daughter, Nancy. Education: University of Pittsburgh, bachelor's degree In electrical engineering; Syracuse University, graduate work toward MBA. Occupation: Management consultant. Yaars In Rancho Mirage: Four Ever hold public office: No.

Background: Captain of Rancho Mirage Citizens on Patrol Services, board of directors of the Mission Hills East Homeowners Associa- tion, vice president of West Coast development of Friends of the Environment and co-founder of Vision Fund of America. Murphy, who was elected in April 1996. "He'll be a real complement to the present, productive council." The Desert Sun RANCHO MIRAGE Marketing executive J. Philip Stack announced his candidacy Monday for the City Council as 20 supporters stood behind him, including three incumbents. "I think he'll be a fantastic addition," said.

Gregg McCornack, who has known Stack for almost four Stack, seeking the seat that will be vacated by Councilman Ar-. thur Newman, who said last month that he will not run again. "I'd like to add my talents and efforts to keep the city of Rancho Mirage running smoothly," said My neighborhood worked as an executive for General Electric, Magnavox-Philips and the Sony Corp. of America. ENDORSEMENT: "This is a very accomplished candidate," said Maurice Ferraro, president of Rancho Mirage Concerned Citizens.

Stack's goals include building out and beautifying Highway 111, accelerating its burying, of utility lines, reducing crime and seeking lower electric rates. "When I lived in the East, I thought 9 cents per kilowatt hour was exorbitant," said Stack, a for PALM DESERT The Palm Desert High School Winterguard will present "The Cracked Nut," based on Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker Suite" on Wednesday and Thursday at the high school. The performances begin at 7 p.m. in the school's performing arts center, 43-570 Phyllis Jackson Lane. Palm Desert's Winterguard is the 1997 Winter Guard Association of Southern California scholastic open silver medalist, and placed sixth in the Winter Guard 1 International World Championships.

Winterguard is considered the "Sport of the Arts," with students performing precision dance and drill maneuvers with flags, sabres and rifles. Tickets are $10 and include light refreshments. Information, tickets: Diane Sawa, 773-9705, evenings. St John's students, staff gain a treat BANNING Casino Mor-ongo and the Morongo Band of Mission Indians will serve a holiday steak dinner to 100 teenage boys and staff members of St. John's School on Each boy will receive a wrapped gift after dinner.

"We are very excited about working with St. John's," said casino General Manager Phil Siva. "The Morongo Indians know and understand what difficult times are all about and understand the importance of sharing." The school is at 55860 Ver-benia Whitewater. Information: 325-1387. St Margaret's hosts an evening of music PALM DESERT St.

garet's Episcopal School will cap a month of holiday events with a free musical perfor the 'big citv blues' Sagewood T) The WllllamMs' neighborhood Country Club Drive ir. B- 1 t. 1 -A Mi i I taft M. Falls guy i Community briefs Residents can develop rescue skills CATHEDRAL CITY A search-and-rescue training session will be held 7-9 p.m. today at the Fire Department's station at 32-000 Desert Vista Road.

The session will a with simulated injuries using moulage, a special professional makeup. Rescuers will use modified flashlights to simulate dusty conditions in the bay of the fire station. A technique called also will be Debris will include squashed -boxes as well as overturned tables, chairs and barrels. Realism will be increased with sound effects such as hissing for escaping gas, cries and moaning, and occasional loud, explosions. The Neighborhood Emergency Service Teams is sponsoring the monthly training meeting.

Through its affiliation with the Fire Department, NEST helps residents prepare for medical and other types of emergencies and disasters by offering free training classes. Today's session is free and open to the public. Information: 770-8200 Mounted posse sponsors toy ride INDIO The Indio Mounted Posse will hold a Christmas toy ride and breakfast in the canyon Sunday. Sign-up begins at 9 a.m. and rides at 9:30 at the Posse Arena at the.

north end of Auto Center Drive, north of Interstate 10. Breakfast includes eggs, bacon, tortillas, hash browns, juice and' coffee. All donations will be. delivered to the Indio Senior Center for distribution to needy children in the Coachella Valley. Cost: Adults, children 11 and younger, $3.

Information: Jean Padilla, 347-3180 Chamber schedules Christmas mixer THOUSAND PALMS The Thousand Palms Chamber of Commerce will hold its Christmas mixer at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Valley Independent Bank," 72-885 Ramon Road. Information: 343-1988 Retired officers to meet on Friday INDIAN WELLS The Palm Springs Chapter of the Retired Officers Association will hold its annual holiday party Friday at Desert Horizons Country Club off Highway 111 between Cook and Washington streets. The event will start at 6 p.m. and includes dinner and entertainment.

Cost $35. Reservations: 773-3114 Desert Choralo to perform tonight PALM DESERT -The California Desert Chorale, orchestra and soloists will perform Handel's "Messiah" tonight under the direction of artistic director Jackie Doyle. The program, which also includes Christmas selections, will begin at 7:30 p.m. at St. Margaret's Episcopal Church on Highway 74.

The group includes soprano Leslie Dennis, mezzo-soprano Deborah Winsor Williams, tenor Rob Dennis and bass-baritone Wayne Shepperd. Doyle began the chorale four years ago. With the help of Nancy Williams, president of the chorale's board of directors, the group has grown more than 40 auditioned singers. Doyle also directs the Palm Desert High School Chamber Singers. Tickets: 773-2216 Education critic to lecture Thursday CATHEDRAL CITY Par-ents Involved in Education, Coachella Valley chapter, and the Church of the Nazarene invite the public to a lecture at 6:30 p.m.

Thursday on public education. Dean Gotcber, founder of the Institute for Authority Research, will present the lecture, at the church, 33-055 Cathedral Canyon Drive. Gotcher, a critic of the public-education system, is a researcher, lecturer and consultant currently traveling the United States to speak on education. The Institute for Authority Research is based in Tulsa, Okla. Information: Pamela 328-5422 Hava Information for Community brief? Cad Tha Da-rt Sun City Desk: 778-4818; fax: 778-4654.

Sagewood souls: Alaska transplants find right mix of activitieseasy living in Palm Desert. By KHMBERLV TRONE Special to the Desert Sun PALM DESERT One thing Robert and Brenda Williams know is that they don't want to live in a metropolis. "We are small-town people," said Robert Williams, 39, senior vice president of finance for The Reserve, a new golf course under construction next to The Living Desert in south Palm Desert. "I don't want to live in a high-rise and deal with smog and crime all the things with a big city," he said. In the.

Sagewood development where they bought a home nine years ago, the Williams say they have found just the right mix of "small town," with access to cultural events, shopping and of course golf, which the entire family plays. "Many people live in the same house for three or' four years and then have to move on," Robert Williams said. "I love this house and this neighborhood." f. "It's a little pocket neighborhood," added Brenda Williams, 39. "A lot of people don't know we are here.

It's nice because it's quiet. We are not gated but we don't have a lot of drive-through traffic." The couple moved to the Coachella Valley from Anchorage, Alaska, 11 years ago, when Robert Williams took a job as a financial officer at a local resort. Brenda Williams also has remained busy schooling their two daughters, Katie, 12, and Kristie, 10, at home. "It works out better for us she "It allows us to keep our girls moving forward and to do other activities. Currently, the girls are in the 'Joseph and the Amazing' Technicolor Dreamcoat at the McCallum (Theatre)." Are you Involved In the community? Brenda: "I volunteer at various activities'.

I am a cookie mom for the Girl Scouts. I have not raised thousands of dollars for United Way or anything like that, but I am raising my two daughters." YJL The Pwrt "It's a Cttle pocket neighborhood. A lot of people don't know we are here. It's nice because It's quiet We are not gated but we don't have a lot of drive-through traffic" Brenda Williams Katie: "I volunteer at (George) Washington (Charter) School every Wednesday. I go to help teach the kindergartners how to read." Are there organized activities for the residents? Brenda: "There are a couple different holiday potlucks during the year.

In the summer, the swimming pool gets a lot of use. Some of the homes have private pools, but for the most part everyone uses the central pool." What do you think the future holds for this area? Brenda: "We love the fact that they have put in sidewalks. Now we can ride our bikes all the way to the park." Robert: "Palm Desert is one of the best cities. Some of the other cities have their little political problems a little bit of blight in the way development was thought out. Palm Desert has the mall, the McCallum, Eisenhower Medical Center (nearby in Rancho Mirage).

I think the City Council has been doing a very good job." Are there any downfalls to living In this area? Katie: "It's hot," Brenda: "But in the summer the mance at 6:30 p.m. Friday in the church sanctuary. Music director Barbara Cory will direct the vocal and instrumental selections as the children tour England, Sweden, Ja- Can, Spain, Russia, France, lexico and the Caribbean. The school and church are at 47-535 Highway 74. Information: 346-6268.

Parent support group meets on Saturday PALM SPRINGS A support group for parents experiencing trouble with their teen-agers will meet 2-4 p.m. Saturday in the library of St. Paul's Episco- pal Church, 125 W. El Alameda. Cindy Elwood, a therapist from the Barbara Sinatra Children's Center, will lead the discussion.

The Parenting Teens Support Group is open to the public and provides access to reference materials, local services and professionals. Information: Sarah Clapp, 327-9712; Cecile Morgan, 322-3185. Recreation division hosts winter camp PALM SPRINGS The Palm Springs Recreation Division will sponsor a Winter Camp and a. Winter Adventure Club over the next two weeks for students on break from school, Kindergarten through fifth- i grade students will take part in the Winter Camp. 1 The AdventuretJlub is open to Klmbarly TrnSpeclal to The Deiert Sun 'SmaO-town peopto': The Williams family (clockwise, from top left) RoberJ, Brenda, Katie and Kristine, like the feel of Sagewood.

come from out of town, too." My neighborhood Is a community feature that appears Tuesdays. If you would like to tell us about where you live, call Kimberly Trone at 408-8620 or send her an e-mail: klmtroneaol.com girls and I are snowbirds. We go to Anchorage." What's nice about the area? Brenda: love the carpets of wildf lowers that I see in the desert. Robert: "And the golf." Brenda: "We all play together. Our friends like to play when they Pcopla who mske a diffcrenco Cathedral City students gain by giving Annual holiday drive provides gifts, necessities for more than 300 families.

ty orr ANQCBtow Special to The Desert Sun CATHEDRAL CITY If you would like to meet the Grinch or talk to Mr. Scrooge, don't hang around Cathedral City High School. The 2,000 students are too busy collecting and soliciting for their seventh annual adopt-a-f amily holiday gift and food program for the benefit of low-income families in to do Santa Claus duty Wednesday. Student representatives will accompany the delivery and report back to their classmates. "It's truly amazing and what's so exciting about it is the quality and depth of giving," said Cathedral City High School Principal James Siegler.

"The students take a real sense of pride in this program. I'm so proud of our kids and the teachers." Stobe said a strong sense of community makes the program a winner. The reason this has been so successful is that our school has a lot of pride and spirit, but it doesn't forget that it can't operate without the community," he said. "We have a lot of students who would probably qualify for this program, but still find a way to give what they can. This leaves all of us with the reason for the season." Student Body activities director and creator of the program "We receive so many calls and letters from the families, thanking us and telling us that without our efforts, they would have had no Christmas." LOTS OP WINNERS: "We have a lot of fun and we're helping the community," said senior Lisa Rauch, ASB secretary and adopt-a-family coordinator.

"The students will gather and wrap the gifts, collect food for Christmas dinner and sometimes the homeroom will go so far as to provide a tree with lights even an angel on top." Other community members are involved in the adopt-a-family program. All goods are donated by off-campus individuals, service organizations and merchants. The distribution is provided by the Rotary Clubs of Cathedral City and Rancho Mirage, which will team up mas tree complete with decorations. The homeroom adds a greeting card for the family, signed by the students. ANONYMOUS AID: The homeroom doesn't know the names of the families they're helping.

They only have a profile of how many adults, and the age and gender of the children so they can find specific gifts. In the past six years, 250 needy families have benefited from the program and 52 more will be added to the list this year. Families with children ages 14 or older are not eligible because they are probably students at Cathedral Gty High, which would create awkward situations for those youths. The older students also can do some kind of work to help support the family. 'The program sends all of us into the holiday feeling a little bit better," said Steve Stobe, Associated sixth- through eighth-graders.

Campers will explore the desert through arts and crafts, games, cooking and song. The camps run 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday, Monday, Dec. 23, 26, 29, 30 and 31 and Jan. 2.

in the Palm Springs Leisure Center. Cost is $20 per day and includes a snack. Students must bring their own lunch and drink. Information: 323-8272. Complied by Erin Naff.

Hava a school Itam? Sha can ba reached by phono at 778-4614 or by fax at 778-4654. Or write to nor at 750 N. Gene Autry Trail, P.O. Box 2724, Palm Springs, CA 92262. the community.

A needy family is nominated Dy student services at the local elementary schools. The family is then adopted by a homeroom class, which solicits gifts, food, toiletries, clothing and an occasional Christ.