Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, September 28, 2019

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Mountain Views-News Saturday, September 28, 2019 

SCHOOL DIRECTORY

ARCADIA UNIFIED’S MIKE DANIELSON NAMED 1 OF ONLY 16 
LA COUNTY TEACHERS OF THE YEAR

Out of over 70,000 teachers in Los Angeles County, Arcadia Unified middle school music teacher 
Michael Danielson is one of only 16 teachers to be recognized as a 2019-20 Los Angeles County 
Teacher of the Year in the state’s largest honors competition for K-12 educators

The Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) hosts an annual Teachers of the Year 
program designed to commend the important work teachers do in shaping the minds of the future. 
Districts from across LA County participate by selecting a Teacher of the Year to represent them in 
the LACOE program. 

“When I said that this [being named a Teacher of the Year] was one of my dreams, I was not kidding,” 
shared Danielson at a recent Arcadia Unified Board of Education meeting where he received 
recognized for this honor. “As the years passed, I saw pictures of the Teachers of the Year displayed 
in the District Office and wanted to earn the right to have my picture join theirs,” said Danielson. 

Danielson, a 40-year teaching veteran with 32 years spent as a music teacher at First Avenue Middle 
School, was selected as Arcadia Unified’s 2019-20 Teacher of the Year, earning him entrance into 
LACOE’s county-wide competition. 

Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools Debra Duardo presented the outstanding educators 
during the annual Teachers of the Year banquet held Sept. 20 at the Universal City Hilton.

“What better way to launch the school year than to honor extraordinary teachers and the teaching 
profession,” Duardo said. “These individuals are the heart and soul of a good education, each day 
instilling a love of learning and inspiring our young people to reach their full potential.”

The winning educators, comprised of 14 women and two men, teach a range of grades and subjects 
at a diversity of school districts, including: Arcadia, Beverly Hills, Burbank, Glendora, Las Virgenes, 
Long Beach, Los Angeles, Palmdale, Paramount, Redondo Beach, Torrance, William S. Hart, 
Wiseburn and West Covina.

The winners were selected from a field of 61 teachers representing 56 districts. All participants had 
recently selected as teacher(s) of the year by their respective school districts.

The 16 Los Angeles County winners automatically advance with other county titlists from around the 
state to the California Teachers of the Year competition this fall. The state is scheduled to announce 
its five co-winners in November. But only one of those state co-winners will be chosen to represent 
California in the National Teacher of the Year contest next spring.

“I really feel like this [teaching] is what I was made to do, and I know not many people get to say 
they’ve lived out their dream or find their place,” expressed Danielson. “I’m truly accepting this on 
behalf of all of the teachers in Arcadia. This really is an amazing place to live and work.” 

Throughout his robust career, Danielson has taught and mentored over 10,000 students, doing so 
with a true passion for connecting with them through music. 

“Teachers change lives, far more than providing tasks for success or passing on lore,” said Danielson. 
“We are tasked with shaping future generations through our relationships. No time in history has 
relied on us [teachers] as much as it does now.” 

Congratulations and Thank you Mr, Danielson! MVNews


Alverno Heights Academy

200 N. Michillinda Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

(626) 355-3463 Head of School: Julia V. Fanara

E-mail address: jfanara@alvernoheights.org

Arcadia High School

180 Campus Drive Arcadia, CA 91007

Phone: (626) 821-8370, Principal: Brent Forsee

bforsee@ausd.net

Arroyo Pacific Academy

41 W. Santa Clara St. Arcadia, Ca, 

(626) 294-0661 Principal: Phil Clarke

E-mail address: pclarke@arroyopacific.org

Barnhart School

240 W. Colorado Blvd Arcadia, Ca. 91007

(626) 446-5588 

Head of School: Ethan Williamson

Kindergarten - 8th grade

website: www.barnhartschool.org

Bethany Christian School

93 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

(626) 355-3527 

Preschool-TK-8th Grade

Principal: Dr. William Walner

website: www. bcslions.org

Clairbourn School

8400 Huntington Drive

San Gabriel, CA 91775

Phone: 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) 301-9809

Principal: Nancy Lopez

www.foothilloaksacademy.org

office@foothilloaksacademy.org

Frostig School

971 N. Altadena Drive Pasadena, CA 91107

(626) 791-1255

Head of School: Jenny Janetzke

Email: jenny@frostig.org

The Gooden School

192 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

(626) 355-2410 

Head of School, Jo-Anne Woolner

website: www.goodenschool.org

High Point Academy

1720 Kinneloa Canyon Road 

Pasadena, 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.org

Principal Mrs. Courtney Kassakhian

Monrovia High School

325 East Huntington Drive, Monrovia, CA 91016 

(626) 471-2800 Principal Darvin Jackson

Email: schools@monrovia.k12.ca.us

Odyssey Charter School

725 W. Altadena Dr. Altadena, Ca. 91001

(626) 229-0993 Head of School: Lauren O’Neill

website: www.odysseycharterschool.org

Pasadena High School

2925 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Pasadena, Ca. 

(626) 396-5880 Principal: Roberto Hernandez

website: http://phs.pusd.us

St. Rita Catholic School

322 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

Principal Joan Harabedian (626) 355-9028 

website: www.st-rita.org

Sierra Madre Elementary School

141 W. Highland Ave, Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

(626) 355-1428 Principal: Lindsay Lewis

E-mail address: lewis.lindsay@pusd.us

Sierra Madre Middle School 

160 N. Canon Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

(626) 836-2947 Principal: Garrett Newsom

E-mail address: newsom.garrett@pusd.us

Walden School

74 S San Gabriel Blvd

Pasadena, CA 91107 (626) 792-6166 

www.waldenschool.net

Weizmann Day School

1434 N. Altadena Dr. Pasadena, Ca. 91107

(626) 797-0204

Lisa Feldman: Head of School

Wilson Middle School

300 S. Madre St. Pasadena, Ca. 91107

(626) 449-7390 Principal: Ruth Esseln

E-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) 471-2000 

Website: www.monroviaschools.net

Duarte Unified School District

1620 Huntington Dr., Duarte, Ca. 91010

(626)599-5000 

Website: www.duarte.k12.ca.us

Arcadia Christian School

1900 S. Santa Anita Avenue Arcadia, CA 91006

Preschool - and TK - 8th Grade

626-574-8229/626-574-0805

Email: inquiry@acslions.com

Principal: Cindy Harmon

website: www.acslions.com

FAMILY MATTERS By Marc Garlett


USE ESTATE PLANNING TO ENSURE 
YOUR LEGACY DOESN’T GET LOST

When you think about those loved ones who’ve passed away, you 
probably don’t think very much—or even at all—about the “things” 
they’ve left you. And when they do leave something behind, what 
you likely cherish most about the object are the memories and 
feelings it evokes, not the thing itself.

Preserving your intangible assets

We recognize that estate planning isn’t just about preserving and 
passing on your financial wealth and property when you die. 
When done right, planning allows you to share your family’s stories, value, and life lessons, so your 
legacy carries on long after you—and your money—are gone.


“Priceless Conversations” is part of a process that’s designed to not only ensure these intangible assets 
never get lost, but also to make the process of documenting them as easy and convenient as possible. 
In this process, we guide clients to create a customized recording in which they share their most 
insightful memories and life lessons, not just for their children and grandchildren, but for generations 
to come. My favorite part about this process is that most of our clients tell us that going through it 
helps them surface things they would have never thought about regarding how they want to parent 
differently or things they want to share now, during life, not just leave behind a lasting legacy of love. 


To help inspire clients, we’ve developed a series of helpful questions and prompts, which makes the 
process not only easy, but enjoyable. And this isn’t something you have to do on your own, which 
you’d probably never get around to doing, despite your best intentions. Instead, this is something we 
include as an integral part of our planning services—and it’s included at no extra charge with each 
plan we create.

In the end, your family’s most precious wealth is not money, but the memories you make, the values 
you instill, and the lessons you hand down. And left to chance, these assets are likely to be lost 
forever.




Dedicated to empowering your family, building your wealth and 
defining your legacy,

A local attorney and father, Marc Garlett is on a mission to help 
parents protect what they love

most. His office is located at 55 Auburn Avenue, Sierra Madre, CA 91024. Schedule an

appointment to sit down and talk about ensuring a legacy of love and financial security for your

family by calling 626.355.4000 or visit www.CaliLaw.com 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