One attribute great school librarians share is the desire to instill love of books in their students.
Such was the theme at a recent Vista Del Valle Elementary School assembly during which the teachers and students said goodbye to longtime librarian Cindy Dewey. As a swan song to the school she served for eight years, Ms. Dewey read “Miss Brooks Loves Books, but I Don’t,” a tale of a first grader named Missy who does not like to read and a librarian who won’t give up trying to find the perfect book that will convert her into a reader.
Professor Carl Cohn of the Claremont Graduate University’s School of Educational Studies has been appointed for a second consecutive term to the California Board of Education. Jerry Brown first appointed him to the position in January 2011. Mr. Cohn earned a Doctor of Education degree in administration and policy studies from UCLA and a Master of Arts degree in counseling from Chapman University. He has over 30 years of education experience and is the coordinator of the Urban Leadership Program at CGU.
Professional hockey player Brian Cooke plays street hockey with a group of fifth and sixth grade students on Friday at Oakmont Outdoor School in Claremont. Mr. Cooke’s visit was part of the L.A. Kings Fan Development program that visits Oakmont and Vista del Valle every year. More in our special children’s section of the COURIER this Friday. COURIER photo/Steven Felschundneff
Governor Jerry Brown has announced a major shift in budgeting for the 2014-15 year with an increase of $6.3 billion in funding for K-14 education over the 2013 Budget Act level. This increase comes after nearly five years of school districts taking necessary steps to ensure major programs were not cut from schools.
Alisa, played by Madison Dahm, is tormented by the taunts of fellow students during rehearsal for Claremont High School’s production of The Locker Next 2 Mine. Alisa arrives at a new high school in the middle of the semester to find that everyone seems obsessed with the death of a fellow student the previous year. As fate would have it, the shrine erected to the fallen Beth hides Alisa’s locker, but there are more ghosts hanging around this campus. The play will run Thursday through Saturday in the new Don F. Fruechte Center for the Performing Arts at 7:30 p.m. COURIER photo/Steven felschundneff
California schools will be enforcing rules on cyber bullying in 2014. The passage of Assembly bill 256 into law includes cases of off-campus cyber bullying as a reason for suspension or expulsion.
The law was approved by Governor Jerry Brown on October 10, 2013 and took effect as the clock struck midnight on New Years. According to law, cyber bullying is defined as using computers, smart phones and social media to harass or threaten a person
This year was marked by the Claremont Unified School District saying goodbye to valuable land deemed surplus, including the closing of escrow on a large parcel sold last year and the auction of two more significant pieces of real estate.
With escrow closed on the district’s former district office, located at 2080 N. Mountain Ave., the school district is set to receive the $6.2 million the property fetched from homebuilder D.R. Horton at auction in February of 2012.
Dwarak Reddy, with his debate partner Nathan Morgan seated, responds to a question from the other team during the annual Claremont High School debate competition on Thursday at Taylor Hall. Dwarak and Nathan went on to be the champions of the elimination style tournament that took place over the course of several hours. The teams were given the premise: “Be it resolved the benefits of imperialism which occurred between 1700-1930 outweigh its negative consequences." The students took turns arguing either for the affirmative or the negative and fellow debate students judged their performances. Second place went to the team of Kiana Cavanaugh and Dorothy Kang.
Newly re-elected board member Steven Llanusa has been named president of the Claremont Unified School District Board of Education. While the title is largely ceremonial, it has been a long time coming for Mr. Llanusa, who is in the midst of his eighth year of the board.
Mr. Llanusa, who last year served as board vice president, received his new designation from his peers in an election held at Thursday’s school board meeting. He characterizes it as “a good development.”
The next meeting of the Claremont Unified School District Board of Education—set for Thursday, December 12 at 6 p.m.—will begin with a changing of the guard as new board members Dave Nemer and Nancy Treser Osgood and newly re-elected board member Steven Llanusa take an oath of office. Another significant change will be made later in the meeting when the board is expected to approve the assignments of two new assistant principals to Claremont High School.
Claremont High School Principal Brett O’Connor reads from the children’s book “How Santa Got His Job” on Saturday during a Claremont Educational Foundation fundraising event at Barnes & Noble Booksellers Montclair Plaza. During the weekend-long book fair, 20% of sales proceeds were donated to CEF. The book fair continues online through the end of the week. To participate, visit BN.COM/bookfairs and enter book fair ID 11202447 at checkout. COURIER Steven Felschundneff
Claremont’s littlest bookworms have found home just in time for the holidays with the recent reopening of the Claremont Public Library’s children’s section.
The library welcomed local kids to cozy new digs last week following a long-awaited $125,000 remodel, made possibly in part by a hefty donation from The Friends of the Claremont Library. Years of dreaming and planning between The Friends and library staff became reality in September when the children’s section closed for renovation. COURIER photo/Steven Felschundneff
It was thanks and more thanks last Friday when the San Antonio High School community celebrated their annual Thanksgiving Feast.
Students and employees queued up for a meal of turkey with all the trimmings, served by teachers and staff. Some special guests also showed up for the holiday repast, including Claremont Unified School District Superintendent Jim Elsasser and other district personnel and administrators, various school board members, San Antonio High School alumni and a few parents. COURIER photo/Steven Felschundneff
The Thursday, November 21 school board meeting represented the last time board president Mary Caenepeel and board member Jeff Stark would take to the dais to deliberate the future of Claremont schools.
Ms. Caenepeel’s current term expires this December after eight years of service. Mr. Stark has been on the board for four years. Neither of them opted to run for a seat on the board in the local and municipal election held earlier this month.
Their departures did not go unnoticed as an array of local luminaries, district stakeholders and well-wishers took to the podium to say goodbye.
