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LET'S CELEBRATE AMERICA EVERYDAYLET'S CELEBRATE AMERICA EVERYDAY

Mountain Views News Saturday, July 6, 2024

OP ED:

SIERRA MADRE JULY 4TH PARADE REMINDS US OF THE IMPORTANCE OF 
GREENING OUR SCHOOLS

On July 4, 2024, the City of Sierra Madre and community showed their warm hospitality towards students of Pasadena Unified School District. For a second year in a row, 
PUSD students from our marching bands and Marshall Fundamental School dance team showed their patriotic spirit through music and dance while parade goers clapped 
and waved in support. The students were led by newly appointed permanent Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Blanco, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Julianne Reynoso, Sierra 
Madre Elementary School principal Dr. Jodi Marchesso, Sierra Madre Middle School principal Garrett Newsom, Pasadena High School band director Chad Prado, Board 
members Vice President Jennifer Hall Lee, Dr. Yarma Velazquez, Patrice Marshall McKenzie, and myself, and PUSD students and parents. As always, the Sierra Madre Events 
Committee reminded us to stay safe and hydrated. This year, they offered our PUSD Board members and administration beautiful leis of fresh flowers. I deeply appreciate 
the Sierra Madre community, smiling, cheering, and waving in support for our students.

It was last year that I suggested to Superintendent Dr. Blanco that PUSD include our marching band in the Sierra Madre 4th of July parade. Now we have established this 
wonderful tradition for a second year in a row. I look forward to next year’s parade.

While the 4th of July parade is a spirited event, we are reminded of the physical impact of climate change. For every passing year, summers are getting hotter and longer. 
Parade goers scrambled for the precious shady spot under the trees. This is why I’m so proud to be the principal sponsor of Expansion of Immersive Outdoor Learning 
Opportunities. As Chair of the Facilities & Capital Projects Committee, I have invited community partners with expertise in greening and sustainability in K-12 schools, 
including Amigos de los Rios and 301 Organics. It’s become clear to me that adults who are in air-conditioned temperature controlled indoor spaces may not understand the 
urgency of greening our schools, where children play outside in the heat every day throughout most of the year. 

There’s lots of room for improvement. According to a California map of schoolyard tree canopy recently published by Green Schoolyards of America, schoolyards of 
Pasadena Unified School District have a tree canopy coverage ranging from 5% - 18%. The suggested state recommendation for tree canopy is 30% of where students play 
or learn outdoors.

I am encouraged by the district’s efforts to seize the opportunity to fulfill the promise of the Board’s resolution on Expansion of Immersive Outdoor Learning when the 
district Farm to School Coordinator applied for the Southern California Regional Leadership Institute for School Districts as part of the California Schoolyard Forest System, 
led by Green Schoolyards of America. I am also proud that it was a small group of Sierra Madre Elementary School parents who led the effort to integrate greening language 
into the PUSD General Obligation bond which will be on the November 2024 ballot, which the Board unanimously approved.

For those who want to join the conversation in expanding outdoor learning opportunities for our students, I welcome you to come to the next PUSD Facilities and Special 
Projects Committee meeting on Tuesday, August 13, 2024 at Pasadena Unified School District Board Room Board Room, Room 236 351 S. HUDSON AVENUE PASADENA, 
CA. 91101

Tina Fredericks is a former high school math teacher, and computer engineer, living 
in East Pasadena with her husband and two daughters. She is a member of the PUSD 
Board of Education, but is speaking solely as an individual member of the Board.


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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