Mountain Views News          Saturday, February 4, 2012

8

EDUCATION & YOUTH

 Mountain Views News Saturday, February 4, 2012 

SCHOOL DIRECTORY

PUSD TEACHER SURPRISED WITH NATIONAL 

MILKEN EDUCATOR AWARD

“Oscar of Teaching” goes to John Muir’s Manuel Rustin, along with $25,000 

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

Mama Pete’s Nursery School

71 Suffolk Avenue, Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

(626) 355-9567

website: www.mamapete.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

Pasadena, CA – John Muir High School 
teacher Manuel Rustin got the surprise of 
a lifetime today at a school wide assembly, 
where he was honored with the National 
Milken Educator Award, one of the most 
prestigious honors in teaching. The Milken 
Family Foundation (MFF) honored—and 
stunned—Manuel Rustin, a social studies 
teacher at John Muir High School, with 
the award, which comes with a no-strings-
attached cash prize of $25,000. Among 
the leaders participating in the ceremony 
were California Superintendent of Public 
Instruction Tom Torlakson and Pasadena 
Unified School District Superintendent Jon 
R. Gundry.

“Our public education system is at the 
heart of America’s promise and is essential 
in safeguarding the American dream for 
future generations. With research confirming 
that an effective teacher is the single 
most important school-related factor in 
raisingstudent achievement, it is clear to 
see the critical role that outstanding teachers 
play in shaping our country,” said MFF 
Chairman and Co-Founder Lowell Milken, 
who presented the award. “We created the 
Milken Educator Awards to proclaim in a 
very public way that greatness in education 
must be recognized and rewarded. As the 
program’s motto extols, ‘the future belongs 
to the educated.’ Manuel Rustin is an education 
game-changer who empowers students 
and teachers to exceed their own expectations 
of what is possible. He is an inspiration 
and example for communities, policymakers, 
and students who may be inspired 
to enter the profession, and for all of our 
nation’s K-12 educators.”

Mr. Rustin, the lead teacher for John Muir 
High’s Arts, Entertainment and Media 
(AEM) College & Career Pathway was instrumental 
in the overall redesign of the 
school four years ago into academies, and 
the AEM Pathway became certified in June 
2011. In the four years since its reinvention, 
John Muir High School’s academic performance 
index has risen by 78 points, graduation 
rates and attendance rates have improved, 
and the school has produced three 
Gates Millennium Scholarship winners.

"One of the main things I love about Muir 
is how many great teachers we have,” said 
Mr. Rustin before a cheering audience. “The 
award itself is an honor, but the greatest 
honor is being part of the Mustang family 
and teaching Mustangs how to get where 
they want to go. There’s not a moment that 
I regret choosing to teach, and to come to 
Muir. Four years ago, students, families, 
and staff came together and turned things 
around, and this award celebrates what 
we’ve accomplished. As a teacher, it’s all 
about working with students like you, connecting 
with you and motivating you to do 
your best.”

This year marks MFF’s 25th anniversary 
recognizing and rewarding America’s top 
teachers with what Teacher Magazine 
deems “the Oscars of Teaching.” The Awards 
program was conceived by Lowell Milken 
to recognize the importance of outstanding 
educators and encourage talented young 
people to enter the teaching profession. Unlike 
most teaching awards, the Milken Educator 
Awards has no formal nomination or 
application process. Each year exceptional 
teachers, principals and specialists—recommended 
without their knowledge by a blue-
ribbon panel appointed by each state’s department 
of education—are surprised with 
the news of their awards.

As lead teacher for John Muir High’s Arts, 
Entertainment and Media (AEM) College 
& Career Pathway, Mr. Rustin creates such 
a stimulating environment that when he offered 
a state test prep boot camp after school 
for a group of 30 students, 60 lined the halls 
ready to go. Rustin made room for them all. 
His teaching effectiveness is characterized 
by an innovative approach to instruction 
which has motivated higher thinking skills, 
increased peer learning relationships and 
strengthened ties between the curriculum 
and real world. Standout projects have been 
to create songs and performances about the 
Constitution and establish Facebook profiles 
for historical figures.

Mr. Rustin drives his students to think independently 
and prepares them for college. In 
his classes, they become versed in performing 
self-assessments and charting goals. Mr. 
Rustin conducts his own assessments of students 
at the beginning, middle and end of 
the year. In a school that had traditionally 
been underperforming, his students are seeing 
noticeable gains in achievement.

In addition to his daily duties, Mr. Rustin 
is responsible for coordinating student recruitment 
and internships for his College 
& Career Pathway as well as providing 
professional development for fellow staff. 
He is a member of the school’s leadership 
team and its Advancement Via Individual 
Determination (AVID) site team, as well as 
a lead trainer for Thinking Maps—a common 
visual language and graphic organizing 
system for note-taking—now in every 
classroom.

The Awards story doesn’t end with the surprise 
notification. New recipients are invited 
to join the Milken Educator Network, 
a group of distinguished educators whose 
expertise serves as a valuable resource to 
fellow educators, legislators, school boards 
and others shaping the future of education.

Since first presented to a dozen California 
teachers, the Milken Educator Awards 
program has grown to become the nation’s 
preeminent teacher recognition program 
having honored more than 2,500 teachers, 
principals and specialists with over $63 
million in individual, unrestricted $25,000 
awards. More than $135 million has been 
devoted to the overall program, which includes 
powerful professional development 
opportunities throughout the recipients’ careers 
in education. The exponential impact 
of the more than 2,500 outstanding teachers 
has helped to reform American K-12 education. 
The Milken Awards alternates yearly 
between elementary and secondary educators. 
Each participating state department 
of education appoints an independent blue 
ribbon committee to review candidates that 
are sourced through a confidential selection 
process and recommend candidates to the 
Foundation.


Join us on Monday, February 13, 2012 
at 6:00 p.m. in the City of Sierra Madre 
Council Chambers, 232 W. Sierra 
Madre Blvd. Sierra Madre, CA 91024. 

The Pasadena Unified School District 
Districting Taskforce encourages you 
and your community group or organization 
to participate in an important 
process that affects your representation 
on the Pasadena Unified School District 
(PUSD) School Board of Education. A 
taskforce was selected and charged with 
the task of amending the Charter language 
and drawing new sub-regional 
districts with the purpose of electing 
future School Board Members. 

The taskforce invites you to take part 
in this important process by attending 
the following series of meetings and 
giving them your comments, concerns, 
and considerations on draft map illustrations 
that they have developed to receive 
community input. Please see draft 
maps and dates for upcoming meetings 
at: http://districting-task-force.pasadenausd.
org/.

For more information, email us at pusdtaskforce@
gmail.com or call us at 323-
349-0661, ext. 18.

PUSD DISTRICTING TASKFORCE: 

SIERRA MADRE PUBLIC MEETING


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
SIERRA MADRE 
LIBRARY'S FREE 
PARENT/CHILD 
WORKSHOPS 
SLATED FOR 
FEBRUARY

Sierra Madre Public Library’s latest 
five-week Parent/Child Workshop for 
families with children ages three and 
younger will feature noted resource 
professionals from the community.

 Each workshop session will feature a 
different aspect of parenting, including 
early literacy, speech, hearing and language 
development, child development, 
nutrition, music, play, and health.

 The popular workshop series, which 
will take place at the Library on consecutive 
Wednesday evenings: February 
22, 29, March 7, 14, 21, from 6:30 
p.m. - 8:00 p.m., will be interactive and 
will include toys, crafts, books and play 
in addition to discussions of parenting 
issues and concerns. Enrollment is free, 
but in-person pre-registration at the Library 
is required to ensure a spot in the 
program.

 This project is supported by the U.S. Institute 
of Museum and Library Services 
under the provisions of the Library Services 
and Technology Act, administered 
in California by the State Librarian.

 For more information, please call 
Meegan Tosh, Youth Services Librarian 
at (626) 355-7186. The Sierra Madre 
Public Library is located at 440 West Sierra 
Madre Boulevard in Sierra Madre.
www.sierramadre.lib.ca.us 

Looking Into The Life Of A Teenager

 By Meaghan Allen

HAIR

It comes in all colors, lengths, styles and expressions. It is 
our hair and it helps express who we are as an individual, 
revealing our strengths and weaknesses. Women with 
short, pixie hair cuts are seen as strong individuals with 
heaps of confidence, whereas boys and men with longer 
hair are seen as ‘skaters’ or ‘rockers’. For large events like 
prom or a business interview, the way ones hair is presented 
could make or break you. Sadly, there are people around 
the globe who don’t have hair – children with cancer and 
adults with other sicknesses. Their means of expressions 
relies on their clothes, and, thankfully, wigs donated by 
selfless individuals, including three of my good friends. 

This past Monday, as part of La Salle’s Catholic Schools 
week, a week of donations and activities, we had Locks 
of Love come and cut some hair during lunch. Four girls 
were originally signed up, two of whom are close friends 
of mine and had been talking about cutting their hair for 
weeks. Anticipation rose as the eight inches was measured 
and hands squeezed as the hair was slowly snipped away 
and placed in a plastic bag. Then, out of pure spontaneity, 
two of my others friends approached the stage and before 
they knew it, their hair was eight inches shorter. But their 
amazement at what they had just done was overshadowed 
by excitement and a sense of goodwill. Eight girls cut their 
hair for eight wigs, helping change the lives of eight people 
by re-instilling their confidence and sense of normality. 
Because, after all, it is hair and will grow back again. 

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CALL PATRICIA

(626) 818-2698