Mountain Views News          Saturday, March 7, 2015

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Mountain View News Saturday, March 7, 2015 

Walking Sierra Madre…The Social Side 

by Deanne Davis

REMEMBRANCE


LUZ MARINA AYA RUIZ

Services for Luz Marina Aya Ruiz, 54

of Pasadena will be held on Monday, 
March 9th, 2015 at Cabot and Son’s 
Pasadena at 6:00 p.m.

 

 She is survived by her husband 
Guillermo Ruiz. 

“My name is Brandon and I began Humans 
of New York in the summer of 2010. I 
thought it would be really cool to create an 
exhaustive catalogue of New York City’s 
inhabitants, so I set out to photograph 10,000 
New Yorkers….” Brandon Stanton

If you’ve never heard of Brandon Stanton 
or “Humans of New York,” you need to 
take a look at this site. Our daughter, Leah, 
turned us on to Brandon Stanton and what 
happened when he interviewed a young man, 
13 year old Vidal Chastenet, on the streets 
of Brooklyn and asked him who the person 
who had most influenced his life was, and he 
responded that it was his school principal, 
Ms. Nadia L. Lopez, of Mott Hall Bridges 
Academy in Brownsville, Brooklyn. 

 Brandon Stanton continues: “…and 
plot their photos on a map. I worked for 
several months with this goal in mind, but 
somewhere along the way, HONY began 
to take on a much different character. I 
started collecting quotes and short stories 
from the people I met, and began including 
these snippets alongside the photographs. 
Taken together, these portraits and captions 
became the subject of a vibrant blog. With 
over eight million followers on social media, 
HONY now provides a worldwide audience 
with daily glimpses into the lives of strangers 
in New York City. It has also become a #1 
NYT bestselling book.”

 What happened after he interviewed Vidal Chastenet is beyond amazing. 
Vidal talked about Ms. Lopez and how she made the students in her charge 
feel that they mattered, that their lives were important, that they could have 
a future. Ms. Lopez longed to take these underprivileged kids from this 
very tough neighborhood on a field trip to Harvard, to show them where 
they could go if they could dream big enough. $100,000 was the goal Ms. 
Lopez needed to raise and after Vidal talked to Brandon Stanton about 
his hero, Ms. Lopez, and Brandon posted the interview on his blog, which 
was picked up world-wide, over a million dollars were raised. Ms. Lopez, 
Vidal and Brandon appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres Show and lives were 
changed. You can see the YouTube video of Ellen and Ms. Lopez, Vidal 
and Brandon and I guarantee you, it will make you realize, once again, that 
teachers are, frequently, the most important people in our lives.

 Having said that, I’m hoping that one teacher pops into your mind. For 
me, it was Mrs. Hearn, who was my English teacher at So. Pasadena High 
School, who told me I had a gift for writing. 
And then there was Ms. Bessie Quinn, who 
tried with all her might to get me through 
9th grade Algebra. Ms. Quinn tutored me 
after school day after day and finally got me 
out of Algebra with a “D.” A mercy grade 
if there ever was one. Then there was Ms. 
Sowards, my biology teacher at So. Pas. High, 
who frequently brought her two poodles to 
class with her. One of the requirements at 
that time was that students draw the things 
they saw through microscopes. I have no 
talent at all in art and was a disaster at this. 
She knew I tried. I successfully dissected 
the earthworm, the grasshopper, all the way 
through the guinea pig and did my best. She 
turned a blind eye to the fact that my friend, 
John Forsha, drew all the drawings for my 
homework. She knew it perfectly well and 
passed me. These people changed my life! 
Being of the word-y persuasion, I got all A’s 
and B’s in English, History, anything that 
involved reading and writing.

 Like you, we happen to be friends 
with or related to teachers. These are 
amazing people, who love the children in 
their classes, pray for them, take extra time 
with them, and use their own resources to 
provide the supplies some kids just simply 
don’t have. So why am I going on and on 
about teachers? It’s simply because we have 
an election coming up on Tuesday, March 
10th, for district specific representative for 
the newly created District 6 of the Pasadena Unified School District Board, 
for which residents have waited two years to vote on representation. This 
district encompasses all of Sierra Madre to a boundary which in some parts 
goes as far as Duarte Road. 

 Ok, a lot of you don’t have kids in school anymore and your grandkids 
live someplace else, like Texas, where two of ours are in school. BUT, that 
doesn’t mean you don’t have to vote. You do! You really do!! Read up! 
Find out! Make an educated decision! Read Susan Henderson’s excellent 
editorial on Page 4 of last week’s Mountain Views News! And vote for the 
person you think can best represent Sierra Madre. Your vote matters. It 
really does! 

 You might like to check out my book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis

Blog: www.authordeanne.com

 My book: “Tablespoon of Love, Tablespoon of Laughter” will make you 
smile!


“THE SCHOOL OF ROCK” 

“The School of Rock ” is a musical event scheduled for 
March 7, 8:30 p.m. at the Peppertree Grill Restaurant 
in Sierra Madre. The program features two rock bands 
whose members are teachers, ZKB and The Real Jane. 
There is no cover charge for the event, but attendees 
are encouraged to enjoy food and drink of the most 
excellent quality. 

 This event, not to be confused with the movie, is 
affectionately referred to as “The School of Rock”. The 
Peppertree Grill is located at 322 W. Sierra Madre Blvd 
in Sierra Madre. Their phone number is (626) 355-
8444. Reservations are recommended. 

 The ZKB band (we have no idea what that means) 
consists of patient Mr. P. who teaches Special Education. He speaks softly 
and never, ever raises his voice as he keeps careful watch over the safety and 
well-being of his students. He and three other colleagues practice in Mr. P’s 
garage, where they kick and scream, yell and make noise. Oh, they also plug in 
electric guitars, bang drums, and set up microphones. These teachers are rock 
musicians who are mysterious, enigmatic, frightening and fabulous. And they 
are really, really noisy. They are very good at what they do. Rock music, that is. 
The teaching part, well, they definitely rock at that 

 The Real Jane is Sierra Madre’s very own Jane Fuller and band. Fuller, a 
26-year teaching veteran, smiles in spite of the challenges of teaching a second 
and third grade combination class this year. She joyfully commits her whole 
heart and mind to her students’ learning needs. 

 Even after teaching for over two decades, Fuller still loves it. She practices 
her music in the quiet downstairs chamber of her house. In the room boasting 
of thick drywall, lots of insulation and soundboard, Fuller and three mild-
mannered teachers join her for their musical workouts. They plug in electric 
guitars, set up microphones and let their real selves come out! 

 These veteran educators, after many years in the classroom, have found 
a way to relieve stress, and ease tension. And, in a socially acceptable and 
creative way, they give a rebel yell to voice their deep frustration, excitement, 
enthusiasm, and angst. 

 Join them all for the March 7 “School of Rock” event at the Peppertree. 


Sierra Madre Police Blotter

During the week of Sunday, February 22nd, to Sunday, 
March 1st, the Sierra Madre Police Department 
responded to approximately 275 calls for service.

Tuesday, February 24th

 At 10:15 am, Sierra Madre Police were patrolling 
the area of Grandview View Avenue monitoring 
the area for traffic violations when they witnessed a 
vehicle turn from Oakwood Avenue to southbound 
Santa Anita Avenue in the northbound lane of Santa 
Anita Avenue. The vehicle continued southbound in 
the northbound lane. Officers safely initiated a traffic 
stop near the 1800 block of North Santa Anita Avenue 
in the city of Arcadia. Officers approached the driver 
and informed him that he was driving the wrong 
way. The individual identified himself and informed 
Officers that he was not from the area and was sorry 
for driving the wrong way. Sierra Madre Police cited 
the individual for driving the wrong way on a divided 
highway. This case has been forwarded to the District 
Attorney’s Office. 

 At 2:27 pm, Sierra Madre Police responded to 
the 200 Block of East Sierra Madre Blvd regarding a 
vehicle burglary. The victim informed Officers that 
the night before he locked and secured his vehicle 
in the car port. The following morning the victim 
approached his vehicle and discovered the driver side 
door was slightly ajar. Upon inspection, the victim 
noticed his wallet and keys were missing amongst 
his belongings that were completely scattered within 
the vehicle. This case has been forwarded to the 
Detectives Bureau.

Friday, February 27th 

 At 3:48 pm, Sierra Madre Police performed a traffic 
stop in the 100 Block of West Sierra Madre Blvd on 
a vehicle in violation for not having required license 
plates. Upon making contact with the vehicle, Officers 
were overcome by the immense smell of marijuana. 
The driver of the vehicle informed Officers that there 
was a small amount of marijuana in the driver’s side 
door panel. Officers searched the vehicle and located a 
small container of marijuana and a small hand-rolled 
cigarette containing marijuana. The driver informed 
Officers that he did not have a medical marijuana 
license. The driver was cited for failure for having 
required license plates on the vehicle, and possession 
of marijuana. The driver was released without further 
incident and Officers confiscated the marijuana into 
evidence. 

Saturday, February 28th

 At 3:17 pm, Sierra Madre Police were monitoring the 
intersection of Grandview and Santa Anita when they 
witnessed a vehicle, in violation for front window 
tint, approach the stop sign at the intersection and 
proceed through without completing a complete 
stop. Officers initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle 
and upon approaching the vehicle, the smell of 
marijuana was present. Upon making contact with 
the vehicle occupants, the young driver immediately 
apologized for not making a complete stop. As the 
young man spoke to Officers, he appeared to be 
sweating, had a slight tremor, and was very nervous. 
Officers noticed the emitting smell of marijuana 
coming from the vehicle and questioned the young 
driver, who denied having any within the vehicle. 
Believing there was marijuana within the vehicle, 
Officers requested the occupants to exit the vehicle, 
and while the passenger occupants complied, the 
driver refused on several requests and was assisted 
out of the vehicle by Officers and placed in handcuffs 
for safety. While searching the vehicle, Officers 
discovered a backpack that contained an open bottle 
of alcohol that was partially consumed. The owner 
of the backpack was a passenger who identified 
himself with his high school ID. When asked how 
the alcohol was obtained, the driver and passenger 
informed Officers they got it from a party the night 
before. Officers cited both young men with being 
under 21 in possession of alcohol and released 
them without further incident. The alcohol was 
confiscated, emptied and disposed of at the police 
department trash receptacle. 

 
EXTRAVAGANZA March 19-21 9 am - 2 pm 
Easter Decorations - Mother’s Day Gifts 
Spring Clothes & Jewelry for the FamilyBooks, DVD's, Pictures, Toys & StationaryMemorial & July 4 Items thKitchen Items, Linens, Home Decorations 
Essick House & 
WISTARIA THRIFT SHOP550 W. SIERRA MADRE BLVD., SIERRA MADRE, 91024626 355-7739 
Proceeds Contribute to our 
Sierra Madre Woman’s Club’s Charities & Scholarships