This Page-Turner Is a Novel Idea

Melody Eckmier’s favorite food is macaroni and cheese.

Jane Ahn, Janete Chun and Tamara Lee love to sleep.

Peggy Hongthong likes Van Nuys High volleyball because “everybody is really nice to one another.”

And Angela Eckmier likes to put things together--so she collected tidbits and produced a 28-page media guide for the Van Nuys girls’ volleyball team.

The guide includes a photo of Coach Dave Bessler pumping iron in the weight room and this catchy quote from former player Mira Lew about the coach’s car, the “Besslermobile”: “The near-death experiences in it drew us closer together as a team.”

Bessler defends his driving but can’t argue with the media guide.

“It could win awards,” he said. “If a [college] journalism class ever saw that, they’d try to find a way to get her in.”

Eckmier, a junior who is also drawing rave reviews for her play as a middle blocker, said she and her mother spent a considerable amount of time on the media guide.

About 200 hours, in fact.

“I have to say, for how long we spent on it, it looks nice,” Eckmier said. “We just wanted it to look neat, to positively promote Van Nuys High School so people would want to come here.”

By the way, Eckmier enjoys cross-stitching and water skiing, loves Chinese and Italian food and watches the television show “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.”