Mountain Views News          Saturday, June 29, 2013

A8

EDUCATION & YOUTH

Mountain Views News Saturday, June 29, 2013 

SCHOOL DIRECTORY

JOSE RODRIGUEZ’ RETIRES - 38 YEARS OF SERVICE


Sierra Madre, CA, He’s been a 
familiar face at the top of Baldwin 
Avenue and a favorite friend to the 
kids, parents and staff of St. Rita’s 
for 38 years. But this June, as school 
came to a close, Jose Rodriguez was 
bid an emotional farewell from the 
school and church community to 
embark on a new chapter in his life 
– retirement.

 St. Rita celebrated the beloved 
groundskeeper and crossing guard 
during the last week of school with a 
surprise tribute and songs from the 
children at their last week’s school 
picnic and a dinner and party in 
his honor following Mass on that 
Saturday.

 Rodriguez, originally from Jalisco, 
Mexico, had attended a seminary 
high school in Mexico 

City and had dreams of being a 
Catholic priest. Circumstances, 
however, led him to follow in 
his older brother’s footsteps and 
immigrate to California in 1968 
with hopes of a brighter future. 
After some time working for the 
Passionists at the Mater Dolorosa 
Monastery in Sierra Madre, he began 
working for St. Rita’s School and Church 
in 1975.

 That same year, he married his wife, 
Aurora, and they bought a home in 
Pasadena where they still reside. Their 
four daughters went to St. Rita School 
and they now have ten grandchildren, 
some who have also graduated from the 
school. This year, the family is celebrating 
the graduation of grandson, Daniel 
Navarette, and their granddaughter, 
Delilah Estevez, will begin Kindergarten 
there in the Fall.

 According to his family, he is looking 
forward to what retirement has in store 
for him, but will miss the staff, families 
and, especially the children at St. Rita’s.

 Principal, Joanne Harabedian said, 
“We will all dearly miss Jose, whose 
kindness and hard work have been part 
of the fabric of our community for many 
generations. We sincerely wish him the 
best and some well-deserved rest in his 
retirement.”

 St. Rita School, located at 322 N. 
Baldwin Ave. in Sierra Madre, is a Catholic 
parish school, ranked fourth in the Los 
Angeles Diocese, with a focus on faith, 
stewardship and academic excellence. 

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: Brent Forsee

bforsee@ausd.net

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: Ethan Williamson

Kindergarten - 8th grade

website: www.barnhartschool.org

Bethany Christian School

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

(626) 355-3527 Principal: James Lugenbuehl

E-mail address: jml@bcslions.org

website: www. bcslions.org

Clairbourn School

8400 Huntington Drive

San Gabriel, CA 91775

Phone: 626-286-3108 ext. 172

FAX: 626-286-1528

E-mail: jhawes@clairbourn.org

Foothill Oaks Academy

822 Bradbourne Ave., Duarte, CA 91010

(626) 301-9809 

Co-Principals Nancy Lopez and Diane Kieffaber

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 

Headmaster John Higgins

626-798-8989

website: www.highpointacademy.org

LaSalle High School

3880 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Pasadena, Ca. 

(626) 351-8951 website: www.lasallehs.org

Principal Bro. Christopher Brady, FSC

Monrovia High School

325 East Huntington Drive, Monrovia, CA 91016 

(626) 471-2800 Principal Darvin Jackson

Email: schools@monrovia.k12.ca.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

website: www.pasadenahigh.org

St. Rita Catholic School

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

Principal Joan Harabedian

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

Sierra Madre Elementary School

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

(626) 355-1428 Principal: Esther Salinas

E-mail address: salinas.esther@pusd.us

Sierra Madre Middle School 

160 N. Canon Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

(626) 836-2947 Principal: Garrett Newsom

E-mail address: newsom.garrett@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

ARCADIA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

234 Campus Dr., Arcadia, Ca. 91007

(626) 821-8300 Website: www.ausd.net

MONROVIA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

325 E. Huntington Dr., Monrovia, Ca. 91016

(626) 471-2000 Website: www.monroviaschools.net

DUARTE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

1620 Huntington Dr., Duarte, Ca. 91010

(626)599-5000 Website: www.duarte.k12.ca.us

Jose Griffin Davies: Rodriguez stands speechless as teachers Barbara Davies and 
Maryann Griffin lead the school in a singing tribute in his honor. Below with family.


THREE WAYS YOUTH CAN GIVE BACK TO THEIR COMMUNITY

(StatePoint) These days, many 
of us lead busy lives that are 
short on two things: time and 
money. And while this may 
pose a challenge when it comes 
to supporting local nonprofit 
organizations, there are ways 
you can give back to the community, 
no matter what your 
schedule or financial situation 
looks like.

Here are three simple ideas for 
making a positive contribution, 
whether you’re strapped for 
time, resources or both:

Use Your Work Day

You’re probably pretty busy juggling 
family and work obligations. 
Chances are you really 
want to volunteer in your community 
but may not always have 
the time to do as much as you’d 
like. This doesn’t mean that 
lending a helping hand is out of 
reach for you.

Consider starting a Volunteer 
Day initiative at your workplace, 
where the whole team offers 
their time to local nonprofit 
community service projects one 
afternoon every few months.

Your boss may love the idea 
if you remind him or her that 
such an effort will be great for 
team building.

Or check with your human resources 
department about the 
possibility of paid time off to 
volunteer in the community. 
There may be opportunities at 
your company of which you are 
not aware.

Nominate a Nonprofit

You don’t need to be a big donor 
to help secure substantial 
support for organizations doing 
great work. For example, 
a program called “50 States for 
Good” enables people to nominate 
their favorite community 
organizations to help gain funding 
for grassroots community 
programming. It is designed to 
make it easier for regular folks 
to give back, and is funded by 
Tom’s of Maine, a leading natural 
products company focused 
on oral and personal care.

Anyone who is heartened by 
the work of local nonprofit organizations 
can nominate their 
favorite for a chance to share in 
$150,000 in funding. A panel 
of independent judges then determines 
51 finalists, one from 
each state and the District of 
Columbia.

Fifteen organizations will be 
awarded $10,000 each, as determined 
by a public vote in 
September. 

In past years, Tom’s of Maine 
has funded “50 States for Good” 
projects that have 
built community 
playgrounds, maintained 
sustainable 
nature trails, provided 
shelter and food 
for the homeless and 
cared for animals, 
among many other 
initiatives. Now in 
its fifth year, “50 
States for Good” celebrates 
and rewards 
nonprofit organizations 
committed to 
meaningful change 
and work that addresses 
local needs. 

To nominate an 
organization via 
a short essay, visit 
www.50statesforgood.com 
through July 8, 2013.

Multitask

Walking the dog? Taking the 
kids to the park? Consider combining 
your stroll with a mini 
cleanup. Bring a plastic bag, 
wear gloves and pick up litter 
as you go. Not only will you be 
beautifying the neighborhood, 
you’ll be helping to prevent 
harmful garbage from entering 
local waterways.

Get the kids involved to teach 
them an important lesson about 
how their behaviors can make a 
larger impact.

You don’t need to be Bill and 
Melinda Gates to make a meaningful 
impact. There are creative 
ways that make it possible 
for anyone to give back to their 
community.


THE REEL DEAL: by Ben Show

WORLD WAR Z

 
Before seeing the movie, I tried reading the novel the film 
was based on, but found myself utterly disgusted with the book’s 
unnecessary violence and put it down. After that, my expectations 
for the movie were 
very low and I 
actually did not 
want to see this 
film.

After strange events 
bring the collapse 
of civilization, 
humanity tries to 
fight back against 
the so-called 
‘zombies’ that 
caused it. Gerry 
Lane (Brad Pitt) 
works tirelessly to 
not only discover 
where the breakout began but also how he could use their greatest 
strength against the zombie hordes.

 While the movie itself was nothing special, and I’m happy 
to say not over-the-top violent, the film’s strength was its ability 
to make the events that were happening look very plausible. I 
found myself at several points in the movie asking ‘Could this 
really happen?’. That factor, along with the wonderfully gruesome 
zombie makeup, make this film worth seeing in theaters.