Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, January 18, 2020

8


Mountain View News Saturday, January 18, 2020 

California School of the Arts – San Gabriel 
Valley students bring heat, hip-hop 
and excitement to the stage during their 
upcoming musical, “In the Heights”

 

The all-school musical takes place at 
Glendale Community College Jan. 30 
through Feb. 2

 

Glendale, Calif. – Jan. 15, 2020 – California 
School of the Arts – San Gabriel 
Valley (CSArts-SGV) students bring out 
the vibrancy of New York City’s Washington 
Heights neighborhood for the 
school’s third all-school musical, “In 
the Heights.” With music and lyrics by 
Lin-Manuel Miranda, this Tony Award-
winning show follows the lives of the 
spirited residents of this predominantly 
Latino community and shares their 
hope and hard work toward a brighter 
future. The score features an eclectic 
mix of music including hip-hop, salsa, 
merengue and soul. “In the Heights” 
runs Thursday through Sunday, Jan. 30 
through Feb. 2, at 7:30 p.m., at Glendale 
Community College Mainstage Theatre.

 

CSArts-SGV’s annual all-school musical 
is celebrated as a massive cross-
conservatory collaboration for both students 
and staff. “In the Heights” features a cast 
of ninth through 12th graders from the school’s 
acting, creative writing, integrated arts, musical 
theater and vocal arts conservatories. The 
school of dance staff is developing choreography 
and instrumental music students and staff are 
performing in the pit orchestra. Additionally, 
visual arts students are designing the theater’s 
lobby, while production & design students are 
handling props, staging and lighting.

 

“‘In the Heights’ provides a wonderful platform 
for each of the conservatories to get involved 
in the unique cultural experience of the story. I 
think the musical allows for growth because of 
its demands of specificity in each aspect of execution, 
whether it be choreography, instrumentation 
or singing,” said Jud Williford, CSArts-
SGV’s Chair of Theatre.

 

Jonathan Muñoz-Proulx, the show’s director and 
a member of the Latinx Theatre Commons’ National 
Advisory Committee, said while the look 
and feel of this production will be deeply rooted 
in reality like its original interpretation, CSArts-
SGV’s rendition will be showcased through a 
more poetic lens using magical realism; however, 
the show’s specific themes and messages will 
remain the same.

 

He said “In the Heights” dives deep into motifs 
that easily resonate with CSArts-SGV students. 
Similar to Washington Heights, high school 
campuses are always growing and changing. 
Their identities are always in flux, Muñoz-
Proulx said.

 

“This play is a microcosm, a poetic examination, 
of the joys and fears of transitions. I find 
this particularly exciting because many of these 
students are embarking on their own moment 
of transition as they consider colleges, applications, 
interviews and auditions,” he said.

 

Additionally, Muñoz-Proulx said he hopes this 
show encourages the audience to think more 
deeply about the important moments of their 
own lives as they relate to the story.

 

“‘In the Heights’ invites us to consider where we 
came from, whether we should return, what it 
took for us to arrive where we are, who's shoulders 
we stand on, who our ancestors are and 
what legacies reverberate through our bones,” 
he said.

 

CSArts-SGV is grateful to Glendale Community 
College for its ongoing partnership. Tickets for 
“In the Heights” are $25-$30 and available online 
at sgv.csarts.net/boxoffice.

 

About California School of the Arts – San Gabriel 
Valley

California School of the Arts – San Gabriel Valley 
(CSArts-SGV) provides an unparalleled arts 
and academic education in a creative, challenging 
and nurturing environment to a diverse student 
body passionate about the arts, preparing 
them to reach their highest potential. Serving 
more than 1,200 students in grades 7 through 
12, the public charter school draws students 
from more than 80 cities within and outside the 
San Gabriel Valley. CSArts-SGV is the place for 
aspiring young artists to refine their skills and 
flourish in one of the four schools of study offered, 
including: dance, fine & media arts, music 
and theatre. Accredited by the Western Association 
of Schools and Colleges (WASC), CSArts-
SGV provides a rigorous college-preparatory 
program aligned to Common Core State Standards 
that includes a dual-enrollment program 
with Citrus College and a wide variety of Advanced 
Placement courses. CSArts-SGV received 
the national Arts Schools Network New 
and Emerging School Award and has been voted 
Best Charter School in the San Gabriel Valley for 
the past two years.

 

CSArts-SGV is the first regional campus to open 
in a network of charter schools operated by the 
California School of the Arts Foundation, an organization 
designed to establish high-achieving, 
comprehensive schools based on Orange County 
School of the Arts’ successful business and curriculum 
models. CSArts-SGV is a tuition-free 
public-private partnership with Duarte Unified 
School District and is located at 1401 Highland 
Ave., Duarte, Calif. For more information, visit 
sgv.csarts.net.


SCHOOL DIRECTORY

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


THE URBAN WILDERNESS

CHRISTOPHER Nyerges


.

[Nyerges is the author of 19 books, including “Extreme Simplicity,” “Self-Sufficient Home,” and “How to Survive Anywhere.” Information 
about his books and classes is available from www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com.]

My high school days were spent engrossed in the study of mycology, botany, and herbalism. Through the ancient 
knowledge of the use of wild plants, I saw the very salvation of the world that everyone else seemed to have 
forgotten and left behind.

I was still young, and not caught up in making money as the primary purpose and goal of my life. I truly 
thought that the problem with modern society was that there was something that “we” were all missing, or 
ignoring.

I moved to my grandfather’s farm in rural Ohio, since I believed that perhaps the methods built into farm-living somehow 
imparted the simplicity and natural self-reliance I was seeking. But – in general – I found that farm people were just like everyone 
else in wanting the latest gadgets and technological devices as the main means to improve life. I saw some hope and 
solace in observing the rites of the Amish, who eschewed electricity, and insisted on a life full of manual labor and community 
involvement. It did not hurt their goals to have large farms and large open spaces where they lived. Still, I was an outsider to 
the Amish. I wondered if their methods were possible to apply if I did not have a large farmstead, and a large group of like-
minded neighbors.

When I returned to California, I was introduced to Richard White, who had recently founded a non-profit specifically to teach 
city dwellers how to live their daily lives more ecologically. The raison d’etre of his organization was to learn, study, live, and 
share techniques of wilderness survival, urban survival, economic survival, political survival, physical survival, and spiritual 
survival. He was a pioneer in this broad approach to life, and he took more than his share of criticism. I became his student, 
joined his organization, and let his influence dominate my thinking about the ways I could live more frugally, and get more for 
less.

Along the way, I learned many abiding principles which I’ve more or less followed life-long.

For example, as a part of my involvement with White’s non-profit, I was introduced to another pioneer, Marshall Greenwood, 
about whom an article had been written in the Los Angeles Times. Greenwood was described as “America’s Greatest Poor 
Man,” and he wrote a book describing his lifestyle and how he managed to live on $99 a month in his San Diego apartment. In 
the writings of Greenwood, I found a like-minded person who described the folly of so many of the products of modern life 
which so many people believe they cannot live without. Greenwood lived a good life without having to pay for all the stuff he 
considered nonessential. In fact, he discovered – in much the way that Thoreau discovered, as I have discovered – that so many 
of the trappings of modern life keep us very busy being very busy, but keep us too distracted to live life fully and too often keep 
us from living our life to its fullest potential. We mistake acquiring a lot of stuff for a truly meaningful and successful life.

At this time, I was living with my parents, practiced organic gardening in the side yard, and bicycled most of the time. I was a 
student of botany, mycology, and journalism at the local college. Soon, I worked more with White’s new non-profit, and taught 
inner-city youth such skills as fence building, framing small structures, gardening, and landscaping. In that capacity, I became 
aware of an empty house on a one acre lot in that neighborhood. I occupied that house, fixed it up, and squatted there for a year 
and a half. As a result of that unique situation, I used the opportunity to practice low-impact self-reliant living. I grew some 
of my food, and raised some animals. I practiced composting, and used a small wood stove for some of my cooking. I learned 
to make usable furniture from discarded wood, and I collected and used rain water. All these things I did because I wanted to 
practice living lightly on the land. I worked all the time, though since I only maintained a few part-time jobs for money, all my 
practices were very much “low-budget.” In fact, more accurately, they were “no-budget.”

That was over 40 years ago, and a lot has happened since then as I have continued to seek and find ways to live a low-cost 
ecological lifestyle. It has never been my intent to do these things in order to coerce others to change their lifestyles. I was 
concerned about my own personal choices, and the impact of my choices upon the environment. If others found some value 
in what I did, I always found that to be a good thing. However, I mostly heard (usually third-hand) the negative comments. 
These included “What he does is very impractical,” or “He wouldn’t need to do those things if he just got a job,” and even “He’s 
a bum.” Yes, I understand such feelings. 

As I understood from the descendants of the peers of Thoreau, he was by no means admired during his lifetime. Rather, he was 
regarded as somewhat lazy, a bum, and someone who would not, or could not, hold a job. Thoreau was seen as someone who 
would rather hang out in the woods with the Indians rather than working at some job in town. Only today is Thoreau’s simplicity 
valued by school teachers and intellectuals who wish to capture those lessons of self-reliance for a modern generation.

TO BE CONTINUED.


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