Mountain Views News, Pasadena Edition [Sierra Madre] Saturday, January 13, 2018

Mountain Views-News Saturday, January 13, 2018 EDUCATION & YOUTH 7 Mountain Views-News Saturday, January 13, 2018 EDUCATION & YOUTH 7 
GOLDENWORDS: 

Dr. Dan’s College Corner 

“EVERYBODY CAN BE GREAT... 
BECAUSE ANYBODY CAN SERVE” 

Seems appropriate to entitle this week’s column with 
a fragment of one of Dr. King’s insights, since the 
national celebration of MLK’s birthday is coming 
up on Monday in all 50 states (though MIssissippi 
and Alabama continue to simultaneously celebrate 
Robert E. Lee day as well).

High School and College Students sometimes 
heed the call to serving others because of their 
institutional ethos, personal spiritual heritage or as 
a requirement of graduation. This last motivator to 
serve others is, as you might imagine, an invitation 
to grumbling and resentment as students fulfill their 
“hours” like court-mandated felons, rather than 
embracing an extraordinary chance to help weave 
the fabric of civic engagement and civilized society.

Then again, Americans often do community 
work in delivering services of all kinds that, in 
other nations, are embedded in the social contract 
that governments have with their people. Without a 
viable and affordable national health care program 
for all, for instance, we find our medical professionals 
and civilians providing all kinds of health care on an 
improvised or voluntary basis, always subject to the 
limitations of funding resources. 

Pick almost any complex social issue in our 
society and you discover that we have crafted vast 
and admirable volunteer nets to put underneath the 
forgotten and abandoned of America--the lost, the 
last, the least. 

My thought is that students need regular doses 
of direct service to others to begin the training they 
should undergo to prepare to lead society toward 
eradicating the need to serve itself. Maybe it all 
starts with the eye-opener of volunteering at the 
Midnight Mission, or with Homeboy Industries, 
or after-school mentoring young boys with absent 
fathers? 

These activities can teach us crucial lessons about 
what we stand for, can ennoble us, flush us with what 
service-learning professionals call the “giver’s high” 
of inner sense of self-worth and, most importantly, 
force us to confront the existence of large social 
issues on a massive scale. If a student reflects on 
the complicated circumstances, for instance, of 
the 60,000 homeless men, women and children 
in greater Los Angeles, he or she is beginning to 
understand the systemic repairs that need to be 
made far beyond one’s individual community work.

In fact, the homelessness crisis in LA, or the 

challenge of 
resolving child and 
adult illiteracy, or 
many other issues 
demand that the 
creative energy and 


idealism of all be 
applied to learning the tools of politics, budgeting, 
law-making, marketing and publicity and more. It 
is complicated stuff, for sure, but our nation is not 
about to rewrite its social contract quickly enough 
to rescue us from our ethical deficits. 

As a student, you can learn about yourself by 
serving others, of course. You can go from that 
building block of experience towards pursuing 
further service, and constructing scholarly 
and relational skills that will help you to take a 
significant role in perhaps eliminating the need for 
social welfare services provided by volunteerism.

As the team that runs the important Midnight 
Mission would tell you, if you serve in their 
programs, observe and listen to their clients, you 
will get a tangled education about what makes 
people homeless. 

War-traumatized veterans, citizens now often 
over 30 years removed from mental health services 
because of policy and funding choices, families 
priced out of the inequitable LA rental housing 
market, or in flight from domestic abuse--these 
and many other clients need our help now, for sure. 
But our nation needs to awaken some day to a time 
when the Mission doesn’t have a reason to exist, 
doesn’t have a desperate client base to serve and 
we can move forward to confront other pressing 
needs as a country. 

As Dr. King’s quotation continues, “You don’t 
have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t 
have to make your subject and verb agree to 
serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul 
generated by love.” 

Dr. Dan Golden was the founding director of Life 
Planning at the Vistamar School in El Segundo. 
He was a professor, program director and Dean 
for Work & Service-Learning at Wheaton College 
(MA), and now consults with individuals, schools 
and educational districts on college access, postgraduate 
study and career planning issues. He can 
be reached at dangolden0@gmail.com. 

SCHOOL DIRECTORY 
Alverno Heights Academy200 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) 446-5588Head of School: Ethan Williamson 
Kindergarten - 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) 355-2410Head of School, Carl Parke 
website: www.goodenschool.org 
High Point Academy1720 Kinneloa Canyon RoadPasadena, 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: Lindsay LewisE-mail address: lewis.lindsay@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.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) 471-2000Website: www.monroviaschools.net 
Duarte Unified School District 
1620 Huntington Dr., Duarte, Ca. 91010 
(626)599-5000Website: www.duarte.k12.ca.us 
BOSCO TECH’S ADMISSIONS INFORMATION 


NIGHT IS JAN 25 

ROSEMEAD, CA. – January 9, 2017 - Don Bosco 
Technical Institute (Bosco Tech) will host an 
admissions information night for prospective 
students and their families on Thursday, January 
25, from 5 to 8 p.m.

Interested middle and elementary school studentsare invited to tour the school’s extensive engineeringand applied science labs and classrooms, andmeet instructors and current students during theevent. Information about shadow visits and tuition 
assistance will be available. 

“Bosco Tech offers a unique and well-rounded 
college-readiness, STEM-focused curriculum,” 
said Principal Xavier Jimenez. “This informational 
evening is a great opportunity to learn more about 
what our students are accomplishing and to hear 

from them about the Tech.” 

For information about the event or about the 
school, contact Director of Admissions John 
Garcia at jgarcia@boscotech.edu or 626-940-2009.
Bosco Tech is an all-male Catholic high school 
that combines a rigorous college-preparatory 
program with a technology-focused education. 
The innovative curriculum allows students to 
exceed university admissions requirements while 
completing extensive integrated coursework in one 
of several applied science and engineering fields. 
The school boasts a four-year college acceptance 
rate of 100 percent and approximately 75 percent 
of Bosco Tech graduates have careers in STEM-
related fields. Visit www.boscotech.edu or call 626940-
2000 for more information. 


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