Mountain Views News          Saturday, August 25, 2012

8

EDUCATION & YOUTH

 Mountain Views News Saturday, August 25, 2012 

SIERRA MADRE 
PLAYHOUSE 
SUMMER 
INTERNS RETURN 
TO STUDIES 
ENRICHED

Last week the three Sierra Madre 
Playhouse summer interns, (from 
left to right) Alicen Lewis, Grace 
Korkunis and Laurel German, 
returned to school after assisting 
with the Sierra Madre Playhouse’s 
productions of “Woman In Mind” 
and “Incident at Vichy”. All three of 
the young women attended Playhouse 
productions as high school students 
and continue their interest into the 
college years. 

 

Laurel German returns to her second 
year of studies at Yale, where she is a 
computer science major. During her freshman year at Yale, Laurel 
worked behind the scenes on 15 shows. “It was fabulous. I had 
so much fun”. When she returned to Altadena at the beginning of 
the summer, she said that she experienced theatre withdrawal. “I 
needed to hold a hammer or a saw – I needed to build something.” 
Through her friend Alicen, she heard that the Playhouse was 
looking for volunteers. She helped build and paint the Vichy set 
and assisted with the lighting. Lighting design and production is 
her primary interest and she aspires to use computer design and 
animation to render accurate two dimensional images of three 
dimensional stage design. At the playhouse she was able to assist 
the lighting designer, Sammy Ross, with hanging lights before 
the opening of “Vichy” and was able to learn about the lighting 
industry from Ms. Ross who is on staff at the PRG design studio. 
PRG has generously contributed lighting equipment and design 
expertise to augment the minimal stage lighting the playhouse 
presently owns. Improved theatrical lighting is one of several 
long-range Playhouse goals.

Alicen Lewis (Arcadia) will return to Scripps College where 
she majors in Psychology with a minor in Media Studies. Her 
older sister stage-managed for director Bob Hakman ten years 
ago. She and Laurel attended Polytechnic High School together 
in Pasadena. Alicen even had a birthday party at the playhouse 
when she was in middle school. She began to volunteer at the 
Playhouse when she was in high school and has assisted with 
other productions, including 2010’s production of “Arcadia”. Like 
Laurel, Alicen prefers working backstage. “I love working with 
director Barbara Schofield, she always creates magnificent pieces 
that raise the reputation of the Playhouse”. Alicen encourages high 
school students interested in theatre to contact the Playhouse and 
volunteer. 

Grace Korkunis (La Canada) has been performing on stage since 
she was five years old. She is beginning her first year at USC 
where she plans to major in theatre. After performing in plays 
and musicals at least once a year for most of her life, this summer’s 
Playhouse internship was an opportunity to assist with stage 
management. For “Incident at Vichy”, she assisted the actors with 
line notes and helped them with cues. She also worked on a video 
of the rehearsal process which can be viewed on SMP’s Facebook 
page. 

If you have any questions or are interested in volunteering at the 
Playhouse, please contact us at: info@sierramadreplayhouse.org. 
or 626.355-4318. 


SCHOOL DIRECTORY

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

Foothill Oaks Academy

822 Bradbourne Ave., Duarte, CA 91010

(626) 301-9809 

info@foothilloaksacademy.org 

preschool@foothilloaksacademy.org

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

DUARTE KIWANIS CLUB HEARS NEW PARENT PROGRAMS AT DUARTE LIBRARY

 

 Cindy Singer, Parent Outreach Coordinator for the LA 
County Library came to share some Big News with the 
Duarte Kiwanis Club. The Duarte Public Library has been 
selected to participate in a program for parents over the 
next year. They will become a Family Place Library. This 
program supports parents in their role as their children’s 
first and most important teacher.

 Additionally, the Duarte Library is hosting the Parent 
Café monthly (the next session is Saturday, September 
15th from 11 a.m. – 1 pm.). The Parent Café specializes 
in answering questions from parents. Also, for all parents 
who attend 6 of the 10 sessions, will receive a movie camera 
free of charge!

 The Duarte Library will also be providing various 
programs for teens ranging from Theater, to learning to DJ, 
to Yoga over the next few months. Very exciting news for 
the community and surrounding areas.

The Duarte Kiwanis Club has lunch meetings the first, 
third and fifth Tuesdays of the month at Westminster 
Gardens. For further information on speaking or joining 
the club, contact Dr. Diane Hernandez at drdiane@
drhernandezoptometry.com. 


THE REEL DEAL: by Ben Show

Movie Reviews Especially for Teens & ‘Tweens

THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN

Ben Show is local Monrovian going into the eighth grade. He loves to read, write, and 
watch movies. He can be reached at benshow@earthlink.net

 Disney has done it again. The acting 
is perfect, the story is elegant in every 
sense of the word, and there’s just a touch 
of that Disney family magic. Everything 
about this movie was perfect.

 ‘The Odd Life of Timothy Green’ begins 
with a couple (Jennifer Garner and 
Joel Edgerton) desperately trying to find 
some way to have a child. Heartbroken, 
they go home and make a list of what 
characteristics their child would have: 
he would rock, be honest to a fault, etc. 
They then put the list in a box, bury it in 
their garden, and try to move on, but that 
does not happen. That night, their wishes 
come true and soon they have a son that 
is exactly how they imagined. Everything 
is perfect. Or is it?

 I did not find many things wrong with 
this movie. The screenplay (Peter Hedges, 
Ahmet Zappa) was ingenious, the directing 
(Peter Hedges) worked perfectly for 
a children’s movie, and the acting made 
you interested for the entire film. 
There is only one little thing I would have 
done differently and that would be to add 
some more to the story. It felt rewarding, 
but it could have used a little more oomph. 

 

 All in all, I loved this movie. It made me happy, sad, and even a little mad. This is definitely 
a can’t miss movie that will please all ages.