The Theatre Renovation Committee wants you to take a seat. Literally.
The group—which supports the ongoing upgrade of Claremont High School’s 40-year-old theater—is asking community members to help provide chairs for the Don F. Fruechte Theatre for Performing Arts, which opens this spring.
A $325 contribution covers the purchase of a cushioned, flip-up seat and its installation plus an engraved plaque to be placed on the armrest in honor of the chair’s sponsor, whether it is an individual or a business.
The Claremont Educational Foundation presented the Claremont Unified School District with a whopping $210,000 for the 2012-2013 school year at Thursday’s school board meeting. The money will be used to fund art and music education in grades K-6 and technology at El Roble and Claremont High.
Presented by new CEF president Ken Corhan, the contribution from the nonprofit dedicated to supporting public schools in Claremont was just one of many positive notes in a meeting marked by a full house and full agenda.
Cameron Munter, was the former US Ambassador to both Pakistan and Serbia, will join the Pomona College faculty as a visiting professor of international relations for a 3-year term, beginning in January 2013. This spring, he will teach the course, “Managing International Crisis.”
A retired career diplomat, Mr. Munter served as America’s ambassador to Pakistan from October 2010 until July 2012, leading a 2000-employee embassy while guiding US-Pakistan relations through a period of severe crisis, including the capture of Osama bin Laden and the latest phase of the Afghan war.
El Roble Intermediate School students looking for an after-school hangout have found refuge in the play yard of the Claremont Presbyterian Children’s Center. For the past few years, the local church has offered a venue for the students, regardless of congregational membership.
“It’s mostly about community building,” said Reverend Rocky Supinger. “It’s a place where they can just come hang out in a stress-free environment.”
A new collaboration between the church and renowned photographer Ramak Fazel seeks to give the program a new edge while continuing to forge community ties.
Claremont High School English teacher Dave Chamberlain just received his 25th request from a junior in need of a recommendation for college applications.
Somehow Mr. Chamberlain, who devotes 25 weekends a year to leading the CHS debate team in a vigorous competition schedule, will find a way to squeeze in the paperwork for his college-bound students.
This year, he is also finding time for another demanding commitment as he takes on the role of president of the Claremont Faculty Association (CFA).
How are our schools doing? It’s a crucial question answered annually by the Single Plan for Student Achievement, a report public schools are required to present to their respective school boards and communities.
Condit and Mountain View Elementary were the first local schools to deliver their SPSAs this year, presenting at the October 4 meeting of the Claremont Unified School District Board of Education.
Delegations from each site delivered an update on the achievements and challenges of the 2011-2012 school year and the school’s plans for the coming year.
Sixth graders at Sumner Elementary School caught election fever last Friday when state Assembly candidate Chris Holden stopped by for a morning chat.
Mr. Holden, a Pasadena city councilman, is vying for a seat in the 41st Assembly District in the November election against Republican Donna Lowe, who spoke to Sumner students several weeks ago. These visits were arranged by 6th grade teacher Joe Tonan to complement the government component of the students’ curriculum.
Mr. Holden, a Democrat, confined his presentation largely to non-partisan issues.
Pomona College, the founding member of The Claremont Colleges in 1887, will mark its 125th annviersary on Sunday, October 14 with a festive celebration and open house from 1 to 5 p.m., centered on the Marston Quadrangle. The guiding theme of the occasion is “community,” and Pomona College invites the public to join in its Founders Day festivities.
Members of the Claremont Unified School District Board of Education have unanimously voted to lend their support to Proposition 30.
At their Thursday meeting, each board member expressed frustration with the failure of state legislators to come up with a meaningful solution to California’s education funding crisis. While Governor Jerry Brown’s tax initiative is far from a permanent fix, it does buy the district time for maintaining crucial programs, said board member Sam Mowbray.
“I feel I have no alternative but to support this resolution,” added board member Hilary LaConte.
Outgoing Claremont Educational Foundation President Liz Weigand will be recognized at the next meeting of the Claremont Unified School District Board of Education, set for Thursday, October 4 at 6:30 p.m.
Another ceremonial item will be the appointment and swearing in of the non-voting CUSD student board member from Claremont High School for the 2012-2013 school year.
Don’t give her fantasy. Don’t give her sci-fi. When it comes to reading, Barbara Cheatley, owner of Barbara Cheatley Antiques in Claremont, wants a slice of life.
Most often, this reality check comes in the form of biography, her favorite literary genre.
Recently, she read Frank and Eleanor: An Extraordinary Marriage, a book by Hazel Rowley charting the unconventional union of the 32nd president and his outspoken first lady, which prevailed through political strife and infidelity.
Jack Scott, scholar in residence in Claremont Graduate University's School of Educational Studies and chancellor of the California Community Colleges from 2009-2012, will deliver this year's 29th annual Howard R. Bowen Lecture on Tuesday, October 2.
Mr. Scott’s talk will focus on how California's higher education system has gone from being a world leader to being one of the country's most challenged over the span of 40 years.
Local fifth and sixth graders recently got a lesson in how to turn creative ideas into concrete accomplishments when the authors of 2 popular sci-fi/fantasy series, Lisa McMann and Margaret Peterson Haddix, visited Vista Elementary School.
Vista librarian Cindy Dewey coordinated the visit with the help of Mrs. Nelson’s Toy and Bookshop, which the authors visited later that evening.
Ms. McMann, the New York Times bestselling author of 9 books, appeared as part of her promotion for Island of Silence, the second book in her The Unwanteds series Kirkus Reviews has called “The Hunger Games meets Harry Potter.”
The Friends of the Claremont Library has announced its forthcoming program for The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, the amazing story of a virtually unknown woman whose cells have become one of the most important tools in modern-day medicine. The book is this year’s On The Same Page selection for the city-wide community read.
