Mountain View News Saturday, December 20, 2025 
77EDUCATION AND YOUTH Mountain View News Saturday, December 20, 2025 
77EDUCATION AND YOUTH 
ST. RITA STUDENTS BRING HOLIDAY CHEER 

The children’s voices singing Christmas carols burst from the Sierra Madre Memorial Park stage 
into the afternoon sunlight last weekend. These 5th grade students from St. Rita School delivered 
their lively performance at the annual Sierra Madre Winter Village Festival. 


Led by Mrs. Rachel Han, their teacher & Assistant Principal, the students sang a collection of beloved 
Christmas carols, sharing their talents and spreading heartwarming joy for their parents andcommunity members alike. 

A special feature showcased three student musicians who played Christmas songs on the cello (Sydney 
Tung -5th grade), the violin (Fiona Tung -5th grade) & the pipa (Jolyne Ng -7th grade). Theirinstrumental performances added a unique touch to the afternoon. 

The pipa is a traditional pear-shaped Chinese lute that is played with plectrums (or fingernails) on 
the fingers creating distinct forward (“pi”) and backward (“pa”) sounds, giving it its name. This 
ancient musical instrument is known for its expressive sound and Silk Road origins. 

St. Rita School encourages its tradition of supporting city events and of fostering a strong community 
presence. The holiday festivities continued on their campus (north on Baldwin) this past weekendwith their eagerly anticipated "Breakfast with Santa.” Family, friends, and parishioners gathered fora morning of delicious pancakes, hot cocoa and a memorable photo opportunity with Santa Claus! 

The St. Rita School community celebrates the anticipation and warmth of this Christmas season byplaying and praying together. We wish you and your family a peaceful time together. 

HOLY ANGELS 'ELF ON THE SHELF' 

In December, every Thursday, our Elf on the Shelf made a surprise appearance, 
much to the delight of our students and the entire school community. 

Parent quotes: 

Elizabeth Delgado- "For me it's been seeing not only 
the students, but faculty and parents eyes light up with 
the Christmas magic from our special elves." 

Cecilia McKim- "As a parent, I am so grateful for 
Holy Angels. It is a school where faith, joy, and learning 
come together, and where our children are trulyknown and loved. Under Mrs. Dyrek’s leadership, the 
spirit of Christmas is felt not just in celebration, but in 
the kindness, service, and strong sense of community 
that make this school so special. My son loves going to 
school each day, and I’m thankful to be part of such a 
special community." 

Deborah Muro- "The effort Aimee Dyrek put into this 
beautiful season truly shows the love she has for our 
children and our school community. The time and care 
behind these moments means so much to our kids and 
brings so much joy to the children and parents!! We 
feel so lucky to have her heading our school family!" 


Victoria Campagna- "We are 
truly blessed with the best. 
Mrs. Dyrek and Mrs. Erin 
went above and beyond this 
holiday season to bring magic 
and cheer to our children and 
our school community. Years 
from now, our kids may not 
remember every lesson, but 
they’ll remember how their 
school made them feel—and 
this is one of those moments." 

Jessica Hernandez Arana-" 
The greatest blessing is to find 
a school that is filled with so 
much spirit. These fun and 
festive demonstrations brings 
the very best of our children, 
staff and parents. It takes a 
leader, such as our principal, 
to demonstrate kindness, joy, appreciation and overall community among our school family. 
Our school has exceptional staff and teachers that spend their time creating memories for our 
children. I could not have asked for more. We are so fortunate to be a Holy Angels family." 


Students quotes: 

Eli Tubbs- 6th 
" The school has a lot of good spirit for the holidays like Christmas decorations. I think the elves 
are really impressive, I felt like it makes the kids really happy and I really appreciated it. The 
school also celebrates not just presents, but deep into Jesus' birth." 

Charlie Tubbs- 8th 
"Christmas at Holy Angels is so spectacular! From the moment you walk onto campus, you can 
feel the jolly spirit! This Christmas season, we had our principal, Mrs. Dyrek and Ms. Erin as 
our Elf on the Shelf ’s and always find them in crazy positions all over the school! I don’t think 
anything will beat the enthusiasm of celebration at my school, especially during Christmas!" 

Olive Yu- 1st 
"It made me really excited to come to school" 

Mackenzie Ruiz- 1st 
"The elves at the school made me really excited for Christmas because it is Jesus' birthday on 
Christmas Day." 

SCHOOL DIRECTORY 
Alverno Heights Academy

200 N. Michillinda Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 
(626) 355-3463Head of School: Joanne Harabedian 
E-mail address: 
jharabedian@alvernoheights.org 

Arcadia Christian School 

1900 S. Santa Anita Avenue 
Arcadia, CA 91006Preschool - TK - 8th Grade 
626-574-8229/626-574-0805Email:inquiry@acslions.comPrincipal: Cindy Harmonwebsite: www.acslions.com 

Arcadia High School

180 Campus Drive Arcadia, CA 91007Phone: (626) 821-8370, Principal: Brent Forseebforsee@ausd.net 

Arroyo Pacific Academy

41 W. Santa Clara St. Arcadia, Ca, 

(626) 294-0661 Principal: Phil ClarkeE-mail address: pclarke@arroyopacific.org 
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary School

Ms. Rose Navarro, Principal2660 East Orange Grove Blvd.
Pasadena, Ca 91107626-793-2089 
https://school.abvmpasadena.org/ 

Barnhart School 

240 W. Colorado Blvd Arcadia, Ca. 91007 
(626) 446-5588Head of School: Tonya BeilsteinKindergarten - 8th gradewebsite: www.barnhartschool.org 

Bethany Christian School

93 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 
(626) 355-3527Preschool-TK-8th Grade 
Principal: Jonathan Haweswebsite: www. bcslions.org 

Clairbourn School 

8400 Huntington DriveSan Gabriel, CA 91775Phone: 626-286-3108 ext. 172 
FAX: 626-286-1528 
E-mail: jhawes@clairbourn.org 

Foothill Oaks Academy

822 E. Bradbourne Ave., Duarte, CA 91010(626) 301-9809Principal: Nancy Lopezwww.foothilloaksacademy.orgoffice@foothilloaksacademy.org 

Frostig School

971 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, Jo-Anne Woolner 
website: www.goodenschool.org 

Holy Angels School

PK-8th Grade 
360 Campus DriveArcadia, CA 91007 
626-447-6312 
office@holyangelsarcadia.orgPrincipal: Aimee Dyrekholyangelsarcadia.net 

SUBMIT YOUR ENTRIES TO 
THE MARTIN LUTHER KING 
JR. ESSAY AND VISUAL ARTS 
CONTESTS AND WIN PRIZES!! 

2026 Contest Theme Is: “Resilience and 
Renewal: Social Justice, Equality, and 
Community Empowerment” 

As we enter 2026, we reflect on the vision 
conveyed by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther KingJr. in his “I Have a Dream” speech given 
August 28, 1963, during the March on 
Washington. More importantly, we should 
analyze that vision, while thinking about 
the current state of our society. Giving emphasis 
to racial integration, war, poverty, 
and economic and employment inequalities, 
we must ask ourselves, “Are we living 
the dream and what are we doing to helpbring it to fruition? 

In his book Where Do We Go From Here: 
Chaos or Community Dr. Martin Luther 
King Jr. states, “In any social revolution, 
there are times when the tailwinds of triumph 
and fulfillment favor us, and other 
times when strong headwinds of disappointment 
and setbacks beat against us 
relentlessly. We must not permit adverse 
wins to overwhelm us as we journey across 
life, mighty Atlantic; we must be sustained 
by our entrance of courage in spite of the 

High Point Academy

1720 Kinneloa Canyon RoadPasadena, Ca. 91107 
Head of School: Gary Stern 626-798-8989 
website: www.highpointacademy.org 

La Salle College Preparatory

3880 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Pasadena, Ca. 

(626) 351-8951 website: www.lasallehs.orgPrincipal Ernest Siy 
Monrovia High School

325 East Huntington Drive, Monrovia, CA91016 

(626) 471-2800 Principal Darvin JacksonEmail: schools@monrovia.k12.ca.us 
Odyssey Charter School

725 W. Altadena Dr. Altadena, Ca. 91001 

(626) 229-0993 Head of School: Lauren O’Neillwebsite: www.odysseycharterschool.org 
Pasadena High School

2925 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Pasadena, Ca. 

(626) 396-5880 Principal: Dr. Eric Barba 
website: http://phs.pusd.us 
St. Rita Catholic School 

322 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 
Principal: Jon McMaster (626) 355-6114mcmaster@st-ritaschool.orgWebsite: www.st-ritaschool.org 

Sierra Madre Elementary School

141 W. Highland Ave, Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 
(626) 355-1428Principal: Dr. Jodi MarchessoE-mail address: marchesso.jodi@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 School

1434 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 

winds. This refusal to be stopped, this 
'courage to be,' thisdetermination to go on 'in spite of ' is the 
hallmark of any great movement.” 

“Resilience and Renewal: Social 
Justice, Equality, and CommunityEmpowerment” 

This theme recognizes Dr. King's commitment 
to nonviolent action in pursuit 
of justice and equality. It's a call to action 
to protect the values that elevate humanity, 
and to work together to 
ensure freedom, justice, and democracy 
are safeguarded. 

Your submission should reflect ways to recover 
quickly from difficulties, trials and 
tribulations and respond to the challenges 
facing the country today, e.g. wildfire, immigration, 
threats to democracy, in line 
with the writing of Martin Luther King. 

All in Grades 4th through 12th may Enter 
All submissions are due to the Pasadena 
MLK by: Friday, December 8, 2025 

The event will take place Monday,
January 19, 2026 at 

John Muir High School AuditoriumPasadena, California 91103 


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