Mountain Views-News Saturday, May 27, 2017 EDUCATION & YOUTH 7 Mountain Views-News Saturday, May 27, 2017 EDUCATION & YOUTH 7
ARCADIA UNIFIED ANNOUNCES ASHLEY NOVAK AS 2017-2018
TEACHER OF THE YEAR
ARCADIA-- With the 2016-2017 school year coming to a close, the ArcadiaUnified School District is beginning to look ahead, recently choosing ArcadiaHigh School Speech and Debate coach and Sophomore Honors English teacherAshley Novak as its 2017-2018 Teacher of the Year. There are over 400 outstandingeducators in Arcadia Unified, which means being selected as Teacher of the Yearis no small feat.
To announce the exciting news, Arcadia Unified’s Superintendent Dr.
David Vannasdall gathered colleagues, friends, and family, including Novak’shusband, Josh, and 7-year-old twins, Izzy and Willow, to join in a surprise visitto one of Novak’s classes. Jubilant applause, warm hugs, and joyful tears filledthe room as Superintendent Dr. Vannasdall revealed Novak as the 2017-2018Arcadia Unified Teacher of the Year.
“People don’t care what you know until they know that you care,” saidSuperintendent Dr. Vannasdall as he shared the defining characteristics thatmake a Teacher of the Year. “When surveyed, students’ favorite teacher has notbeen the easiest teacher, but rather the teacher who believes in them and pushesthem beyond what they ever thought was possible,” explained SuperintendentDr. Vannasdall. “That’s the magic that we call ‘teaching.’”
Novak’s magic is undeniable. From leading hundreds of students to speech
and debate success to working as a Teacher on Special Assignment to servingas Area Chair for the California High School Speech Association for five years,
just to name a few of her roles, Novak’s commitment to her students and toexcellence in teaching is apparent. “I was really fortunate to have that epiphanyso early on,” recalled Novak regarding the moment in her senior year of collegethat she knew she wanted to be a teacher. “I know sometimes you never get it [theepiphany], so I’m just really fortunate to have had it.”
One fateful afternoon, Novak was asked by a colleague to join her for lunch atArcadia High School. Despite having no intentions of leaving her teaching roleat Roosevelt High School in East Los Angeles, from Arcadia High’s witty clubposters to a vacant Speech and Debate Coach role, Novak was sold. That sameday, she trekked across campus to the District office to pick up an application,
and two short weeks later she was hired, reminisced Novak.
18 years later with Arcadia Unified, Novak still loves what she does. “Thehard moments are really hard, but the joyous moments outshine everything,”
expressed Novak.
For more information contact Ryan Foran, AUSD Public InformationOfficer: rforan@ausd.net, work (626) 821-6664, cell (626) 802-7602
CLAIRBOURN 8TH GRADE HIGH SCHOOL CHOICES
Clairbourn’s graduating Class of 2017 wear their new high schoolsweatshirts: Fourth row -Zarah Huo, Franklin Cheng, DylanSetiawan, Oliver Bakke, Zoë Grace, James Desjarlais, Evan Xin,
Mac Cole, Makenna Kibbe, Nicole Lam, William Tsao, Haley Ansel,
Sherry Fan, and Camilla Xia. Third row - Jessica Rice, Kristin
Haegelin, Mei-Tung Chen, Emma Leifer, Lauren Whitaker, LindredMurphy, Bailey Garcia, Elaine Hong, Allison Chang, Nathan Chao,
Anna Gao, Vicki Manwani, Megan Jen, Alison Wong, and Audrey
Portillo. Second row - Nick Polen, Bradley Marelich, Justin Walker,
Ryan Frick, Rachel McCarley, Jacqueline Hsu, Kate Tsao, KashmirMohandie, and Gabe Foreman. Front row - Alex Xiao.
Next year, Clairbourn eighth-graders will be attending Don BoscoTech, Flintridge Prep, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, La Salle,
Loyola, Maranatha, Mayfield, Marshall, Polytechnic, San Marino,
Webb, and Westridge high schools.
WILSON MIDDLE SCHOOL’S JASON TAYLOR NAMED PASADENA
UNIFIED TEACHER OF THE YEAR
Pasadena, CA -- Jason Taylor,
who teaches math and robotics
at Wilson Middle School, has
been selected as the Pasadena
Unified School District’s (PUSD)
nominee for the annual 2017 Los
Angeles County Teacher of the
Year, an honors competition thatspotlights excellence in publiceducation. If selected as L.A.
County Teacher of the Year, Mr.
Taylor will be in contention forstate designation.
“I would like to congratulateJason as our Teacher of the Year
and thank him for the impacthe’s making on the lives of our
students,” said Superintendent
Brian McDonald. “Jason is
representative of the remarkable sparked.
and dedicated educators who “I realized that working withare preparing our students to bestudents was something I had tosuccessful in college and in thedo,” says Taylor. “It was my wayworkforce that will lead us into of giving back to the communitythe future.” that gave me so much.”
Taylor is a product of PasadenaHe began his teaching careerUnified schools, and attended at Marshall Fundamental. It was
Cleveland Elementary, Don then that he developed a passionBenito, Audubon Elementary, for teaching math and usingand Marshall Fundamental. technology in the classroom.
After graduating from Syracuse“I saw two trends developing inUniversity with a degree in secondary education - online
Science Marketing Management,distance learning and robotics
he worked as a medical practice - that both were engaging andmanagement consultant. He relevant to today’s middle and highbegan volunteering to help a friendschool students,” says Taylor. Socoach high school football. That’she prepared himself to be a betterwhen his passion for teaching was teacher and he earned a Master’s
of Art in Educational Technologyfrom Pepperdine University. He iscurrently working on completinga Master’s degree in EducationalAdministration from California
State University, Los Angeles.
Today, Taylor teaches math
and robotics to Wilson Middle
School’s sixth, seventh, and eighthgraders. He is the Chair of the
school’s Mathematics Departmentand was the school’s Math Field
Day coordinator.
“I’m grateful for the schooladministrators who have not onlygiven me an opportunity to growas an educational leader, but have
supported my passion to learn sothat I can continue to grow as aneducator,” he says.
The Los Angeles County Officeof Education (LACOE) Teacher ofthe Year competition is the largestof its kind in the state and is partof the oldest and most prestigioushonors contest in the U.S. for
public school teachers.
Sixteen teachers from a field
of 73 district-level nominees are
selected by a LACOE judgingpanel as County Teachers of
the Year, educators who have
shown exemplary dedication,
compelling classroom practices,
positive accomplishments and
professional commitment. Theyserve as standard-bearers for the
teaching profession and their
72,000 classroom colleagues
countywide.
Stay connected to the PasadenaUnified School District!
Download the Pasadena USD
mobile app at gopusd.com/app.
Visit us online at pusd.us; followus on Twitter @PasadenaUnified;
like us on Facebook at facebook.
com/enaUnifiedSchoolDistrict;
text PUSD to 888777; subscribe
to PUSD Today! at gopusd.com/
today; subscribe to our YouTubechannel at www.youtube.com/
klrnpasadena. Or call the
Communications Office, 8 a.m. to
5 p.m., Monday through Friday at
(626) 396-3606.
SCHOOL DIRECTORY
ALVERNO HEIGHTS ACADEMY
200 N. Michillinda Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024(626) 355-3463 Head of School: Julia V. FanaraE-mail address: jfanara@alvernoheights.org
Arcadia High School180 Campus Drive Arcadia, CA 91007Phone: (626) 821-8370, Principal: Brent Forseebforsee@ausd.net
Arroyo Pacific Academy41 W. Santa Clara St. Arcadia, Ca,
(626) 294-0661 Principal: Phil ClarkeE-mail address: pclarke@arroyopacific.org
Barnhart School
240 W. Colorado Blvd Arcadia, Ca. 91007(626) 446-5588 Head of School: Ethan WilliamsonKindergarten - 8th gradewebsite: www.barnhartschool.org
Bethany Christian School93 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024
(626) 355-3527Preschool-TK-8th Grade
Principal: Dr. William Walnerwebsite: www. bcslions.org
Clairbourn School
8400 Huntington DriveSan Gabriel, CA 91775
Phone: 626-286-3108 ext. 172
FAX: 626-286-1528
E-mail: jhawes@clairbourn.org
Foothill Oaks Academy822 Bradbourne Ave., Duarte, CA 91010(626) 301-9809Co-Principals Nancy Lopez and Diane Kieffaberinfo@foothilloaksacademy.orgpreschool@foothilloaksacademy.org
Frostig School971 N. Altadena Drive Pasadena, CA 91107
(626) 791-1255Head of School: Jenny Janetzke
Email: jenny@frostig.org
The Gooden School
192 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024(626) 355-2410Interim Head of School, Merrily Dunlap
website: www.goodenschool.org
High Point Academy1720 Kinneloa Canyon Road Pasadena, Ca. 91107
Head of School: Gary Stern 626-798-8989
website: www.highpointacademy.org
La Salle High School3880 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Pasadena, Ca.
(626) 351-8951 website: www.lasallehs.org
Principal Mrs. Courtney Kassakhian
Monrovia High School325 East Huntington Drive, Monrovia, CA 91016(626) 471-2800 Principal Darvin JacksonEmail: schools@monrovia.k12.ca.us
Odyssey Charter School725 W. Altadena Dr. Altadena, Ca. 91001(626) 229-0993 Head of School: Lauren O’Neillwebsite: www.odysseycharterschool.org
Pasadena High School2925 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Pasadena, Ca.
(626) 396-5880 Principal: Roberto Hernandezwebsite: http://phs.pusd.us
St. Rita Catholic School
322 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024Principal Joan Harabedian (626) 355-9028website: www.st-rita.org
Sierra Madre Elementary School141 W. Highland Ave, Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024(626) 355-1428 Principal: Esther SalinasE-mail address: salinas.esther@pusd.us
Sierra Madre Middle School
160 N. Canon Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024(626) 836-2947 Principal: Garrett NewsomE-mail address: newsom.garrett@pusd.us
Walden School
74 S San Gabriel Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91107 (626) 792-6166www.waldenschool.net
Weizmann Day School1434 N. Altadena Dr. Pasadena, Ca. 91107(626) 797-0204Lisa Feldman: Head of School
Wilson Middle School
300 S. Madre St. Pasadena, Ca. 91107(626) 449-7390 Principal: Ruth EsselnE-mail address: resseln@pusd.us
Pasadena Unified School District
351 S. Hudson Ave., Pasadena, Ca. 91109(626) 396-3600 Website: www.pusd@pusd.usrcadia 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
Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com
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