A Grammy winner in Lakewood! ?

[Alex Belisle]

See this lady? Her name is Elizabeth Hankins and she's up for a Grammy. Yes, I said a Grammy!

Ms. Hankins is a music educator at Lakewood HS (for 26 years) is is a quarterfinalist for the 2016 Music Educator Award presented by The Recording Academy and the Grammy Foundation. She is the founder of the Lakewood Project which I'll be shooting this Sat. (5/21 @7 p.m., Civic Auditorium) and I definitely will be asking her how she plans to spend the $10,000 honorarium if she wins.

The photo of her standing next to the podium was the funniest moment at the recent Spring Orchestra Concert where she was just about to demonstrate a new dance taught to her by her students but when she saw me just about to catch her on camera, she said, "Oh, no you don't! Alex knows better", getting a big laugh from both her student musicians and the audience alike.

[Gary Rice]

Congratulations to Ms. Hankins! Lakewood is so fortunate to have her in our schools!

As an early "Legendary Lakewood Observer Photojournalist" (chuckle) I have to tip my hat to one of the greatest human interest photographers whom I've ever had the pleasure to know.

Alex and I share so many similarities in our lives. Both of our principal careers were centered around educating some of the most needful young people in the honorable profession of school teaching. In our retirements, both of us have used our skills in writing, teaching, and photography to serve our schools and our community, and we also enjoy a great personal friendship and periodic lunchtime conversations.

Now, if I could only convince him to get back into playing music, we would have that in common too.

Again, welcome to Lakewood Alex! We are so VERY glad that you and yours chose this place as your "retirement home"!

In particular, I am so happy now that I don't have to be everywhere with my OWN camera!

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy photojournalism, but I REALLY like playing music.

What a great place to live, and such outstanding people to be here with!

Back to the banjo...

[Alex Belisle]

Thanks for the kind words Gary. I feel fortunate to have made your acquaintance along with many other Lakewoodites - an interesting, friendly, informative, and intelligent group of people!