Northridge Getting high school students to read a print publication has been easy for the staff at Celebrity High magazine. Publisher Coline Witt said that half the reason the publication is doing so well is the readers know young people are involved in reporting and management. “They can understand and relate and they open to us more,” Witt said. Now in its third year, 50,000 copies of Celebrity High are distributed during the school year in high schools throughout the San Fernando Valley. This fall, Witt anticipates increasing distribution in the greater Valley region to as many as 20 schools. Within the pages of the glossy color magazine are interviews with teen and young-adult celebrities and articles giving common-sense advice, like how to study better and find a summer job. The 23-year-old Witt gained publishing experience during her own high school years in New York, where her parents put out a sports magazine. For her own venture based in Northridge, Witt wanted to satisfy a wide variety of interests among students “I didn’t want it to be just sports,” Witt said. “I wanted to highlight every aspect of being a student.” Witt recruits her writers from English and journalism classes at Valley high schools. A monthly staff meeting takes place to talk about the upcoming issue. The celebrity interviews which have included hip hop artist 3 in a Ro, singer Mya, and choreographer Shane Sparks are done exclusively by students. “If you see the students and the celebrity together, it’s really cute,” Witt said. Along with publisher duties, Witt also handles selling advertising for each issue, the one aspect she finds challenging. Fortunately, there are many repeat customers among the advertisers, Witt said. Selling ads taught her how to use her time well. “If you don’t hit your quota, you don’t put it out,” Witt said. Mark R. Madler SAN FERNANDO VALLEY Burbank Relations: Walt Disney Studios Chairman Dick Cook receives the Dorothy and Sherrill C. Corwin Human Relations Award on Oct. 18 from the American Jewish Committee. The award is given to leaders in the entertainment and communications industries whose professional and civic endeavors promote tolerance, understanding and cooperation. “Dick’s commitment to civic and charitable activities are as significant as his professional success and in keeping, not only with the ideals of the award, but with the tenets of the American Jewish Committee,” said Bruce M. Ramer, former national president of the committee. A 37-year veteran of the Disney company, as studio chairman Cook oversees the development, production, distribution and marketing for all live-action and animated films released under the Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, Hollywood Pictures and Miramax banners. Westlake Village Chambers: The Fall Business Expo and Trade Show was scheduled to take place in Westlake Village on Sept. 27. More than 70 chamber members were scheduled to showcase their business products and services on the Garden Patio of the Hyatt Westlake Plaza, located at 880 S. Westlake Blvd. Admission was free to the public. Encino Food: The 20th annual Taste of Encino celebration takes place10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday Oct. 14. The free food and entertainment festival takes place in and around Encino Community Center, 4935 Balboa Blvd., Encino Park, 16953 Ventura Blvd., two City of Los Angeles Parks and Recreation facilities, and along a portion of Ventura Boulevard. The festival features a variety of ethnic and American foods, folk and bluegrass music, a rock-climbing wall, balloon slide, artisans displaying their wares, a health fair and more. The event is presented by the Encino Chamber of Commerce, the Department of Recreation and Parks, and Van Nuys Airport. For more information call (818) 789-4711. Los Angeles Peace Day: Scientist Jane Goodall, renowned for her studies of chimpanzees some 40 years ago, was scheduled to appear at Peace Day in Griffith Park at 4730 Crystal Springs Drive Sept. 23. Attendees were able to participate in a Giant Peace Dove Parade and share stories about how to make a difference in the world. Goodall was scheduled to lead the parade, then address the crowd. The event drew about 5,000 people in 2006. Woodland Hills Grateful Hearts: The Los Angeles Fire Department will hold its third annual Food Faire & Fundraiser Oct. 18 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oxnard Street between Owensmouth and AMC Place. Participating in the event are many area eateries such as Kate Mantilini, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, PF Chang’s and Baja Bud’s. There will be a dunk tank and fire-truck displays, too, as well as barbecued food made by firefighters. Proceeds benefit Valley fire stations. More info: (818) 593-6266. Award: Wataire International Inc. will receive a Green Apple Award for its atmospheric water generator. The award resulted from Wataire’s Australian distributor Envirosource International Pty. Ltd. taking part in an environmental technology conference in the United Kingdom. The award recognizes the company’s efforts to remain in the forefront of the industry, said CEP Robert Rosner. “As Wataire moves forward in the field of atmospheric water harvesting, it has identified itself as a clear leader in the industry in both innovation and future product design,” Rosen said. The award will be presented Nov. 9 in the British House of Commons. SANTA CLARITA VALLEY Valencia Restore: Cinetech Laboratory Films provided free film restoration services for four recently discovered films related to the Spanish Civil War. The restored films will be shown next year at the New York Orphan Film Symposium. The 35mm films are held at New York University’s Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives. The four reels contain documentary material related to the Spanish Civil War and showed signs of decomposition. “Cinetech is committed to supporting the archival community,” said Cinetech Vice President of Film Preservation and Restoration Joe Olivier. “Only way we are doing that is by participating in joint efforts, such as the Orphan Film Project.” Cinetech Laboratory Films is part of the Ascent Media Group. CONEJO VALLEY Camarillo Class: Linda Hamilton of Camarillo will speak at the 52nd Annual conference of the California Escrow Association taking place in Palm Springs Oct. 11 to 14. Hamilton will teach an intermediate short sales class to discuss what escrow professionals should know about a short-sale and a compromised sale and their ramifications. The theme of this year’s conference is “Making a Difference.” SIMI VALLEY Hike: The Rancho Simi Trail Blazers an all volunteer group of the Rancho Simi Recreation and Parks District – is offering a free group hike open to the public, along the Long Canyon Trail on the evening of Tuesday, October 2nd. The Hike is set to start promptly at 6:30 p.m. Participants should meet at the parking lot located on the Southwest corner of Long Canyon Road and Wood Ranch Parkway in Simi Valley. The hike will cover three miles of scenic trails, starting with a 280 foot ascent, before following the western facing ridgeline and finally circling back to the parking lot. The Trail Blazers rate the excursion to be a moderate level hike that will last from approximately 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. No reservations are required to participate. For more information, please visit the Rancho Simi Recreation and Parks District on the Web at www.rsrpd.org ANTELOPE VALLEY Palmdale Career Path Seminar: The LA/Palmdale Regional Airport (PMD) teamed up with over 100 other community organizations to host the 14th annual Salute to Youth career event which was held Friday, September 21 and drew over 2,500 high school senior and junior students to the airport. Students in attendance had the unique opportunity to visit Antelope Valley / High Desert aerospace employees, from companies such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, to discuss future career opportunities. Local business, industry, government and community volunteers provided a variety of hands-on career exhibits and demonstrations for not only aerospace, but the media /communications, industrial technology, information technology and the law /government fields as well. Some of the static aircraft displays provided by sponsors included the B-2, F-118, F-18 and the F-16, to help motivate students interested in pursuing aerospace careers. Other sponsors of the event included: City of Lancaster, City of Palmdale, Edwards Air Force Base, Los Angeles World Air Ports (LAWA) and United States Air Force Plant 42.