Mountain Views News          Saturday, October 22, 2011

8

EDUCATION & YOUTH

Mountain Views News Saturday, October 22, 2011

SCHOOL DIRECTORY

ALVERNO CELEBRATES THE GIFTS OF BOTH ITS FOUNDERS


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: Gilbert Barraza, Jr.

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

Phone: (626) 396-5890 - Fax: (626) 355-0388 

Principal: Esther Salinas

Sierra Madre Middle School 

160 N. Canon Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

Phone: (626) 396-5910 - Fax: (626) 836-2964

 Principal: Garrett Newsom

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

The Family of Ms. Primero-Solano

Alverno High School is fortunate 
to have its roots with both the Sisters 
of St. Francis and the Immaculate 
Heart Community, and the October 4 
Founders’ Day celebration blended their 
traditions and the year’s school theme 
with great success. 

“Beyond Borders” is this year’s theme 
at Alverno. Students were matched 
into “families” of mixed grade levels. 
The families discussed how their real 
families’ life journeys had taken them 
beyond borders, and how looking at 
things in new ways could lead to a richer 
life experience. In these groups the girls 
watched and discussed the video “The 
Girl Effect” which covers the positive 
impact that educating and empowering 
girls can have on a community in the 
developing world.

In the spirit of the Immaculate Heart 
Community’s quest for social justice, 
each family created its own “Alverno 
Effect,” with its own philosophy, mission 
statement, flag, and video. 

The potluck lunch shared among the 
families was followed by a mass lead by 
Fr. Richard Krekelberger of nearby St. 
Rita Parish, and ended with a Blessing 
of the Animals in honor of St. Francis. 

The Alverno mission: to empower each 
young woman to be exactly the person 
she wants to be. Alverno High School is 
the independent, Catholic college-prep 
high school for girls in Sierra Madre. Its 
college-prep curriculum and emphasis 
on leadership attracts students from 
public and private schools throughout the 
San Gabriel Valley. Join us for our Open 
House on November 20 from 1-3:30pm!

 
PUSD WEEKLY NEWSFLASH

• Marshall Fundamental Secondary School student Marilyn 
Travis was surprised in her classroom last week with a $10,000 
college scholarship from the Nordstrom College Scholarship 
Program.

 • Pasadena High School student Hanan Bulto Worku has been 
named a member of the 2012 Tournament of Roses Royal Court. 
She is active on the school’s tennis team, in student leadership, 
the school newspaper and science club and is a National Honor 
Society Member. 

• The PUSD Districting Task Force has entered into the second 
phase of its charge of determining determine what changes 
are necessary to forward to the voters and, through the use of 
2010 Census data and community input, to also determine the 
geographic regions for the seven PUSD Board of Education seats, 
ensuring compliance with State and Federal Voting Rights Act 
provisions. To learn more, visit www.districting-task-force.
pasadenausd.org

The Week Ahead

Saturday, October 22

9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. PUSD students and families are invited 
to the Kidspace Children’s Museum 17th annual Pumpkin 
Festival, held at Brookside Park near the Rose Bowl. Admission 
to the festival and to live music/performances is free. www.
kidspacemuseum.org

Tuesday, October 25 

6:30 p.m. The Board of Education will meet in public 
session. Translation provided. Board Room, 351 Hudson Ave., 
Pasadena.

Thursday, October 27

6:30 p.m. PUSD’s Dual Language Immersion Programs 
host a screening of the documentary Speaking in Tongues at Field 
Elementary School. Contact Kristin Tang kristintang9@gmail.
com for more details.

Looking Into The Life Of A Teenager

 By Meaghan Allen

Cool Hand Luke

In my AP English class, we are currently learning about 
existentialism – the belief that the world is absurd and there is 
nothing that is guaranteed except death. This may sound extremely 
depressing, but it is also enlightening and revealing about our 
society and culture today. We discuss what the ideas and traditions 
our society is built on mean; questions like ‘what is marriage’ and ‘is 
there a true “self”, a personal identity that is all your own’. Besides 
our class discussions, we have read Albert Camus’ The Stranger 
and just finished Samuel Becket’s Waiting for Godot, a theatre of 
the absurd play about nothing, but it is that nothingness that is the 
meaning. For a lot of my fellow classmates, this philosophy is not 
their cup of tea because of the extremity of the nothing and the 
absurdity of existentialist thinking. I, however, find this completely 
fascinating. Knowing this about my classmates and to further 
help us understand, our teacher gave the class a chance to enjoy 
existentialism through watching a classic movie: Cool Hand Luke.

A classic and a known part of our culture (at least in name), 
with none other than the iconic Paul Newman, Cool Hand Luke 
was a film I would never have thought would have existentialist 
undertones. Yet, when we began to watch the film, it immediately 
became clear that Luke was an existentialist, or at least seemed to be 
one. Again, for myself, I found this to be extremely interesting – the 
idea that this idea has been in front of my face and others for years, 
but I am only now realizing and understanding it. 

This made me realize that there are always going to be things, 
ideas and events going on that we do not even realize, but when 
made aware, it opens our eyes, and we see the world in new light. 

www.mtniewnews.com


(PASADENA, CA)— Hillsides Youth 
Moving On video has been selected as semi-
finalist of Mercedes-Benz Community 
Stars Dealers Give Back Facebook Contest 
for a chance to win $25,000. In celebration 
of its 125th anniversary, Mercedes-Benz 
will be donating $125,000 to charities; five 
beneficiaries will receive $25,000 each.

“Elizabeth Rusnak of Rusnak Auto Group 
asked us if we would like to participate in the 
Mercedes-Benz Community Stars Dealers Give 
Back program for a chance to win $25,000,” 
said Joe Costa, Hillsides chief executive officer. 
“With help from Stephen McDonald, our board 
member, and his colleagues, we produced a 
sixty-second pitch that we submitted.”

The children’s charity chose to address 
youth empowerment through Hillsides Youth 
Moving On. When foster youth turn 18 they 
emancipate from foster care. With little to 
no support, 40% of former foster youth end 
up homeless within 18 months after leaving 
care. There is little support for transitioning 
successfully into adulthood. As a result, 
Hillsides, a charity creating safe places for 
vulnerable children and families, established 
Youth Moving On in Los Angeles.

“We did this to combat the daunting statistics 
that will eventually affect 500,000 children in 
foster care today,” said Costa. “We did this to 
create hope and help those vulnerable youth 
who want to receive help and have no where or 
no one to turn to.”

Over the course of several hours, five 
Hillsides YMO residents participated in the 
filming along with Thomas Lee, Hillsides YMO 
director. The opportunity to participate in the 
contest is not just beneficial for us, but for the 
youth to know they can make a difference in 
the direction of their lives and others who need 
help and want it, added Costa. “We should all 
feel proud of the work they did to make the 
video a compelling pitch.”

Alongside 14 other deserving submissions 
on the Mercedes-Benz Community Stars 
Facebook page (http://on.fb.me/qRkvWN), 
Hillsides can win $25,000 based purely by the 
number of votes they receive from the general 
public.

The children’s charity is asking the 
general public to help them by making an 
announcement to your Facebook wall asking 
supporters, friends and family to vote for 
Hillsides Youth Moving On on the Merecedes-
Benz Community Stars page using the link, 
http://on.fb.me/qRkvWN.

If you have a Twitter feed, or use other 
social networks, post the following: Vote for @
Hillsides children’s charity to win $25,000 in 
the Mercedes-Benz Community Stars Contest: 
http://on.fb.me/qRkvWN.

“Please let your family and friends know 
about this contest so they, too, can help us win 
$25,000,” said Costa. “I hope you find this a 
worthwhile cause to spread awareness of this 
video and for sharing your votes with us.”

To learn more about the children’s charity 
and how you can help, visit www.Hillsides.
org and www.YouthMovingOn.org or call 
323-254-2274.

Help Hillsides Youth Moving On Win 

$25,000 with Facebook Votes