p8, v5.31 — Education & Youth — Mountain Views News

Education & Youth

Mountain Views News Saturday, July 30, 2011

MVNews this week: Page 8

EDUCATION & YOUTH

Mountain Views News Saturday, July 30, 2011

SCHOOL DIRECTORY

PUSD WELCOMES SUPERINTENDENT JON R. GUNDRY

Board Approves 3-year Contract

Alverno High School

200 N. Michillinda Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

(626) 355-3463 Head of School: Ann M. Gillick

E-mail address: agillick@alverno-hs.org

Arcadia High School

180 Campus Drive Arcadia, CA 91007

Phone: (626) 821-8370, Principal: David L. Vannasdall

Arroyo Pacific Academy

41 W. Santa Clara St. Arcadia, Ca,

(626) 294-0661 Principal: Phil Clarke

E-mail address: pclarke@arroyopacific.org

Barnhart School

240 W. Colorado Blvd Arcadia, Ca. 91007

(626) 446-5588 Head of School: Joanne Testa Cross

Kindergarten - 8th grade

website: www.barnhartschool.com

Bethany Christian School

93 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

(626) 355-3527 Principal: James Lugenbuehl

E-mail address: jml@bcslions.org

Carden of the Foothills School

429 Wildrose Avenue, Monrovia, CA 91016 626/358-9414
626/358-5164 fax office@cardenofthefoothills.com

The Gooden School

192 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

(626) 355-2410 Head of School: Patty Patano

website: www.goodenschool.org

High Point Academy

1720 Kinneloa Canyon Road

Pasadena, Ca. 91107 626-798-8989

website: www.highpointacademy.org

LaSalle High School

3880 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Pasadena, Ca.

(626) 351-8951

website: www.lasallehs.org

Monrovia High School

325 East Huntington Drive, Monrovia, CA 91016

(626) 471-2000,

Email: schools@monrovia.k12.ca.us

Norma Coombs Alternative School

2600 Paloma St. Pasadena, Ca. 91107

(626) 798-0759 Principal: Dr. Vanessa Watkins

E-mail address: watkins12@pusd.us

Odyssey Charter School

725 W. Altadena Dr. Altadena, Ca. 91001

(626) 229-0993 Head of School: Lauren O’Neill

website: www.odysseycharterschool.org

Pasadena High School

2925 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Pasadena, Ca.

(626) 798-8901 Principal: Dr. Derick Evans

website: www.pasadenahigh.org

Pasadena Unified School District

351 S. Hudson Ave. Pasadena, Ca. 91109

(626) 795-6981 website: www.pusd@pusd.us

St. Rita Catholic School

322 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

(626) 355-9028 website: www.st-rita.org

Sierra Madre Elementary School

141 W. Highland Ave, Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

(626) 355-1428 Principal: Gayle Bluemel

E-mail address:gbluemel220@pusd.us

Sierra Madre Middle School

160 N. Canon Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

(626) 836-2947 Principal: Gayle Bluemel

Contact person: Garrett Newsom, Asst. Principal

E-mail address: gbluemel220@pusd.us

Walden School

74 S San Gabriel Blvd

Pasadena, CA 91107 (626) 792-6166

www.waldenschool.net

Weizmann Day School

1434 N. Altadena Dr. Pasadena, Ca. 91107

(626) 797-0204

Lisa Feldman: Head of School

Wilson Middle School

300 S. Madre St. Pasadena, Ca. 91107

(626) 449-7390 Principal: Ruth Esseln

E-mail address: resseln@pusd.us

Pasadena Unified School District

351 S. Hudson Ave., Pasadena, Ca. 91109

(626) 795-6981 Website: www.pusd@pusd.us

Pasadena, CA - The Pasadena Unified
School District (PUSD) Board of Education
tonight welcomed Jon R. Gundry as the new
Superintendent of Schools, and approved
his three-year contract by a vote of 6-0. Mr.
Gundry officially begins his tenure on July
27, 2011.

“I would like to welcome Mr. Gundry
to the Pasadena Unified School District,”
said Board President Renatta Cooper. “He
brings impressive skills and knowledge to
our district, and we wish him much success
as we work together for students.”

Mr. Gundry, who brings more than two
decades of experience as a teacher, principal
and instructional leader, joins PUSD after
three years at the Los Angeles County
Office of Education (LACOE). He served
as Deputy Superintendent of LACOE from
2008 until September 2010, when he was
appointed Interim Superintendent.

“It is going to be my pleasure to serve this
community, these parents and kids, and to
work together with the Board to make this
the great school district that you envisioned
when you put together the Strategic Plan,”
said Mr. Gundry. “This morning, I had
an opportunity to meet with two parent
groups, and I look forward to working with
all the parents of this district to do what’s
best for kids. My success will be the success
of the students of this district.”

Mr. Gundry met with parents from the
District’s English Learner Advisory Council
(DELAC) and the African-American Parent
Council (AAPC) today, and has scheduled
meetings with other parents, community
leaders, and employees in the next few
weeks.

He was also welcomed by representatives
of employees in the district at tonight’s
Board meeting.

“On behalf of teachers, counselors,
librarians, and other members, I would
like to welcome Mr. Gundry to Pasadena
Unified and look forward to working with
him,” said Alvin Nash, President of the
United Teachers of Pasadena.

As the Chief Executive Officer of
LACOE and Secretary of the County Board
of Education, Mr. Gundry was responsible
for ensuring the financial and academic
stability of 80 school districts that serve
more than two million preschool and
school-age children, and for overseeing
$16 billion in school district funding and
a staff of nearly 4,000. He was appointed
Interim Superintendent by the Los Angeles
County Board of Supervisors following the
retirement of Darline P. Robles last summer.
Previously as Deputy Superintendent,
he had been a vital member of LACOE’s
Executive Cabinet, developing policy and
overseeing strategic projects and initiatives.

Prior to joining LACOE in February
2008, Mr. Gundry served in the Houston,
Texas, Independent School District since
1982. His tenure there included 12 years as
an administrator, ultimately serving as an
executive principal overseeing 17 campuses
in a high school feeder system. A 16-year
classroom teacher, Mr. Gundry taught
English, Spanish and English as a Second
Language in the middle and high schools.

Mr. Gundry earned a Bachelor of Science
in English and Spanish from Northern
Arizona University in 1978 and a M.Ed.
in Administration from Houston Baptist
University in 1996He was awarded the
Texas Excellence Award for outstanding
high school teachers in 1989. A Fulbright
Scholar, he spent a year teaching in Nicosia,
Cyprus, in 1990. He is a fluent speaker of
Spanish, and spent one of his high school
years as a foreign exchange student in
Bolivia.

Tonight’s approval of Mr. Gundry’s
contract culminates a five month process
that began in March. The process included
outreach to parents, staff, and community
leaders to identify the qualities they wanted
to see in the new superintendent. The
Board retained the executive search firm
of Ray & Associates to recruit and select
candidates. The search firm and Board of
Education relied heavily on the results of the
community input process when reviewing
the strengths of the candidates and finalists
in the deliberation.

Mr. Gundry replaces Edwin Diaz, who
retired from PUSD on June 30 after more
than four years of leading the district to
rising student achievement and a 50 percent
decrease in the student dropout rate.

BOSCO TECH’S PIONEER TECH SCHOLAR PROGRAM TURNS KIDS INTO SCIENTISTS

ROSEMEAD, CA–July 27, 2011– Nearly
200 local elementary and middle school
students are enjoying dissecting lamb
hearts, building and operating robots
and learning algebraic equations this
summer in the high school labs of Don
Bosco Technical Institute (Bosco Tech)
through the school’s unique Tech Scholar
program. The five-week, intensive program
exposes younger students to applied STEM
(science, technology, engineering and
math) education. Wrapping up only its
second summer, the hands-on, lab-based
curriculum has had rave reviews from
participating students and their parents, as
well as the students’ elementary and middle
schools. This year, the program more than
doubled in size to 190 Scholars eager to
participate. As Bosco Tech’s program gains
in popularity, other Los Angeles County
high schools are planning their own
versions of the Tech Scholar curriculum.
“There’s a definite need in this country
to expose kids to STEM education at the
grade school level in a way that sparks their
imagination and fuels their passion for
learning,” explains Bosco Tech’s Director
of Admissions Rudy Herrera, who runs
the Tech Scholar program. “Young people
need hands-on experience with science
and technology. We want to teach them the
language of science; we see that as a part of
our mission.”In a time when only 15 percent
of U.S. college graduates pursue engineering
or computer science degrees, compared
to up to 70 percent in China, India and
Eastern Europe, Bosco Tech is determined
to become one of our nation’s leading
schools for preparing students for careers
in STEM-related fields. Nationally, STEM
programs focus primarily on high school-
level education, but Bosco Tech is focusing
on elementary school-aged children,
believing that they will benefit from the
early exposure to science and technology.
The seventh and eighth grade students, for
whom the Tech Scholar program is free of
charge, are selected to participate through
a highly competitive process, based on an
aptitude for science and math. The program
is divided into four components, each
taught by a seasoned Bosco Tech faculty
member. The unique curriculum includes
study skills, a science workshop, a course
in electrical engineering and computer
science, and ends with an introductory
course in algebra. “We want to create a
smooth transition from elementary to high
school and dramatically increase a student’s
opportunity to succeed at a four-year college
or university,” says Herrera. “We’re doing
our part to help prepare tomorrow’s leaders.
We want to lead by example and encourage
other high schools to replicate our program
and contribute to much-needed science
and technology literacy.”Bosco Tech is
the only all-male Catholic high school in
the state that uniquely integrates college-
preparatory and technology education.
The academic curriculum allows students
to meet university admission requirements
while completing extensive integrated
coursework in one of five technology and
engineering-related fields: Architecture
and Construction Engineering; Computer
Science and Electrical Engineering;
Integrated Design, Engineering and
Art; Materials Science, Engineering
and Technology; and Media Arts and
Technology.

For further information about Bosco Tech,
please call (626) 940-2000 or visit www.
boscotech.edu.

respect for othersrespect for selfrespect for the worldClassical Education and Emphasis on the ArtsAn Academic Environment Where Student Competence
and Confidence are DevelopedK-8 Co-ed School that values Diversity, Character Development
and Social ResponsibilityService-Learning Projects at Every Grade LevelLocated in the Foothills 5 Minutes from PasadenaFully Accredited by CAIS & WASCThe Gooden School192 N. Baldwin Avenue, Sierra Madre, CA 626-355-2410www.GoodenSchool.com
Looking Into The Life Of A Teenager

By Meaghan Allen

Perks of Being
Awkward

Some people are born with the ability
to carry on in conversation smoothly and
naturally. I am not one of them. I am a
member of the other type of person –
the awkward. Not that I do not try to be
natural and nonchalant when I talk, it just
happens that my words come out garbled
and the conversation becomes slightly
uncomfortable. Eventually, though, when
someone gets to know me after cracking
my outer awkward shell, the conversation
and interaction does become smooth
and natural, it is just the getting there
that is uncomfortable. Not to say that
being awkward is such a bad thing to be
though. To be quite honest I get quite a
kick out being awkward because it makes
conversation and meeting people so much
more interesting and memorable. A perfect
example would be this past Monday at
Starbucks.

My best friend Colleen and I were being
our usual quirky selves and after, not
seeing each other all summer due to my
travels, decided to go to Starbucks to get
some iced coffees and kick back in the air-
conditioned lounge area. Upon entering
the store I noticed that once again one of
our teacher’s brothers was working. After
countless times of going to Starbucks
when he was there, I decided to introduce
myself to him as one of his sister’s
students. Immediately the conversation
became awkward, but he went along
with it and introduced himself. Then the
more awkward part came. Being prone to
misunderstand peoples names I repeated
his name to guarantee I heard correctly,
and he decided to poke fun and repeat his
introduction to me like I was slow, which
sent Colleen into hysterics. Embarrassed I
introduced her and walked away with our
coffee. Colleen and I laughed about it the
rest of the day and it will now be another
instance of my awkward interactions on
which we can look back and laugh.

Do you have to many books at home? Wondering
what to do with them? Come to The Book Rack and
trade them in for a book you have not read.
We have 1000's used and New books for
your reading pleasure.
204 S. First AveArcadiawebsite: bookrackarcadia.comPhone 626-446-2525
What’s On YOUR Mind?

What D0 YOU Think?

We’d like to hear from you!