The Claremont High School campus has been busier than usual this summer. Demolition continues on the CHS Theatre, and its renovation should be completed at the end of February. On July 23, Dana Toland, superintendent of PCM Construction, led a tour of the gutted structure for CHS Principal Brett O’Connor, Assistant Principal Steven Patterson and COURIER staff.
With much of the stage and several walls and staircases ripped out, the theater looked cavernous.
The Claremont Unified School District Board of Education will hold its next meeting on Thursday, August 9 at the Richard S. Kirkendall Education Center at 170 W. San Jose Ave. in Claremont.
Action items will include a vote to approve shared school site waivers for Danbury Elementary and Community Day schools, which are connected with Sumner Elementary and San Antonio High School, respectively.
This summer, Justin Uhl is getting a slice of what junior high will be like.
The young Claremonter, who will be a seventh grader at El Roble Intermediate School this fall, is enrolled in an Algebra Boot Camp held at El Roble through the Claremont Educational Foundation’s annual SLICE of Summer program.
What does Justin think of his new campus so far?
“It’s fun and big,” he said.
Claremont High School has an exemplary graduation rate, says Bonnie Bell, assistant superintendent of educational services for the local school district.
The number of CHS students graduating with a regular diploma, 99.9 percent, extends to those with disabilities, Ms. Bell notes.
The fact that virtually every student graduates is particularly impressive because, since 2005-2006, there has been an additional academic hurtle for those aiming for a diploma.
New Superintendent James Elsasser presided over his first meeting of the Claremont Unified School District Board of Education on Friday, July 12 in a gathering highlighted by the approval of new agreements between CUSD and district employees.
These include the contract for the Claremont Faculty Association, which was renegotiated in its entirety, as well as contracts for the California School Employees Association and the Claremont Management Association.
The superintendent’s brief tenure has been busy.
This is not the first time education in the Claremont Unified School District, and in the state at large, has faced an economic crisis.
In 1978, Proposition 13, an amendment to the California constitution significantly limiting the property taxes once used to fund education, was enacted with much fanfare.
In 1982—with the education budget decimated and summer school in Claremont and the surrounding districts slashed—master educators Kay Conley and Susan Warren stepped in to establish an academic enrichment program called Project THINK. COURIER photo/Steven Felschundneff
Associate’s degrees were conferred on 1332 students at Citrus College’s recent graduation, a record number for the local community college.
The June 16 ceremony marked the school’s 96th commencement.
“The all-time high is linked to the fact that, with the economy faltering, more students have been entering the community college system because it is such a cost-effective opportunity,” said Paula Green, Citrus College director of communications.
It was hello and goodbye at the latest meeting of the Claremont Unified School District Board of Education, held Thursday, June 21 at the Richard S. Kirkendall Education Center.
The school board and the community bid farewell to Interim CUSD Superintendent Gloria Johnston who stepped in after the previous superintendent, Terry Nichols, traded Claremont for the Duarte school district after less than 2 years in office.
“We were so fortunate to find you at this critical time in our history, at a time when morale wasn’t as high as it could or should be,” said board member Sam Mowbray, who said that Ms. Johnston had managed to “wow” the community.
The author Robert Louis Stevenson once said, “An aim in life is the only fortune worth finding.”
With this in mind, Claremont High School English teacher Kevin Glavin has written a children’s book encouraging young people to set goals and look to the future.
Called All The Things You’ll Do!, the story is written in the form of a song, which 2 new parents sing to their child in celebration of the landmark achievements in store, from walking to counting by 10s to adventures on the road and in the skies.
When 536 students graduated from Claremont High School on Thursday, June 14, it was easy to view those receiving diplomas as a sea of caps and gowns.
As any proud parent or loving family member knows, however, each young person participating in the timeworn ritual is very much an individual, with a story all their own.
For 2 of these new grads, the story includes a new chapter in the history of CHS, an innovative course of study called the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program.
Pranay Yeturu and Nicole Clark are among the second crop of students to receive diplomas from the 2-year program initiated at CHS in 2009.
While high school graduations tend to garner quite a bit of attention, the final days of the elementary school year are often overlooked.
Administrators at Claremont’s primary schools, however, do their best in the days leading up to summer vacation to plan exciting activities that reward students for their efforts during the past year.
The COURIER stopped by Vista del Valle Elementary School on Wednesday, June 13, the second-to-last day of school, and found a whirl of activity.
Claremont High School graduates from any era will find something for them in this year’s edition of El Espiritu, the school’s yearbook.
Though it boasts myriad changes that create a more dynamic and modern book, this year’s edition is also notable for its strong ties to the Claremont High School of years past, as it celebrates the one-hundredth anniversary of El Espiritu’s first publication.
“We wanted to tie the book back to its roots,” said Jack Shih, editor in chief of design and Class of 2012 graduate.
More than 500 students will grab a piece of the future in the form of a high school diploma during the Claremont High School graduation, set for Thursday, June 14 at 5 p.m.
It’s not easy to make a splash in the Class of 2012.
Many grads have been involved in honors, Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate classes, which add extra weight to a student’s grades. GPAs of 4.0 and beyond are relatively commonplace. COURIER photo/Steven Felschundneff
In recent weeks, while the school board deliberated over the controversial firing and re-hiring of former Sumner Elementary School Principal Frank D’Emilio, verbal fireworks and big crowds were a common sight.
The exception to this rule was the board’s rejection of a petition for a new charter school. The author of that petition, Lynette Lucas, took a moment to address on its actions regarding the proposed Embracing the Whole Child Arts and Technology Academy.
