A light rain fell early in February as members of the Oakmont Outdoor School community gathered for a touching memorial service. It was not a student or staff member being mourned but instead a towering oak tree that had served as a centerpiece of the campus for decades. The previous Monday, the district informed Oakmont Principal Jenny Adams and her staff that the tree had to go. The news was expected as the tree, which was about 50 years old, had been doing poorly.
Carly Sanden, as Kira, and Riley Polanski, as Sonny, rehearse a scen from the play Xanadu Tuesday night at Claremont High School. CHS Theatre will present the light comedy musical this Friday and Saturday as well as next Thursday, Friday and Saturday. COURIER photo/Steven Felschundneff
Trevor Schwartz—a newly-retired representative to the school board—is a continuation high school student, and a Claremont Unified School District success story.
The two are far from mutually exclusive, but Trevor didn’t know that when—after an illness left him short of credits—he landed at San Antonio High School the second semester of his sophomore year.
At the January 19 meeting of the Claremont school board, Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Lisa Shoemaker cautioned the district may face some tight financial times in the coming months and years.
On January 10, Governor Jerry Brown revealed his proposed budget for the 2017-2018 fiscal year.
Author Mark Twain is known for his gift with dialects. A dialect is a regional way of speaking. For instance, in our part of the country, we usually ask for a soda or, maybe, for our favorite soft drink by name: “I’ll have a Coke.” In much of the rest of the country, soda is referred to as pop. Two of his most famous stories, “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer “and “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, are placed the made-up town of St. Petersburg on the banks of the Mississippi River, a setting inspired by Twain’s boyhood town of Hannibal, Missouri.
The Claremont Colleges are known for their student activism and none more so than Pitzer College, widely considered the most liberal of the city’s undergraduate institutions. A few causes, however, drew puzzlement and even ire from people across the nation.
The most controversial incident took place prior to the start of the school year, when Karé Ureña (Pitzer ’18) posted on Facebook that she and two friends were planning to live off-campus and needed a third roommate.
Students at Claremont High School filed into the Wolfpack gym on December 1, some grabbing a spot in the bleachers and others sitting on the floor, ready for a lively presentation on a sobering topic.
Chris Holden, an assembly member representing California’s 41st Assembly District, is no longer on the campaign trail, having sealed the deal in November on third two-year term in state office. He is, however, a man of his word. Mr. Holden said he was too busy for a visit at the time, but would give a presentation at the Claremont elementary school after things slowed down.
Harvey Mudd College has nabbed the top spot on CNN’s “10 Most Expensive Colleges This Year” list. It’s the second year in a row the Claremont College has topped the charts.
The list—published last Friday, November 11—also includes Claremont McKenna and Scripps College, which came in at number five and six on the list, respectively. Its rating is tabulated according to each college’s published sticker price, comprised of tuition, fees, room and board. For HMC, it all adds up to a yearly $69,717, according to CNN.
At the November 3 meeting of the Claremont Unified School District Board of Education, the school board will vote on a resolution to hold all future school board elections in November on even years.
The resolution comes in response to Senate Bill 415, the California Voter Protection Act, which became effective in January 2016. The bill aims to remedy two problems with off-cycle elections: low voter turnout and higher costs.
Claremont High School Principal Brett O’Connor tackles the role of Sam Craig in the CHS production of Our Town. CUSD Board of Education Member Dave Nemer, at right, plays undertaker Joe Stoddard. CUSD administrators and faculty have agreed to take the stage to help raise funds for Claremont After-School Program (CLASP) ArtStart, Sustainable Claremont’s school garden efforts and the Claremont Faculty Association’s Epic Win Program. COURIER photo/Steven Felschundneff
Fifth graders at Sumner Elementary School got a taste of the political process on September 27 when Casey C. Higgins, a Republican candidate for the California Assembly, took some time to talk to them. Mr. Higgins is hoping to unseat incumbent Chris Holden. Mr. Holden represents the 41st Assembly District, which is responsible for portions of more than two-dozen cities, including Claremont, Diamond Bar, La Verne, Pomona and San Dimas.
A labor of love makes its debut tomorrow, as the inaugural Claremont Authors Book Faire takes place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Claremont Public Library. The free event is a showcase, both for the city’s rich literary history and its many authors working today.
“We always talk about Claremont as the city of trees and PhDs, but we also have a long literary tradition and an art tradition and a musical tradition,” Faire organizer Rose Ash said. “And they all need to be celebrated.”
Include Erica Tyron on the short list of folks who are “living the dream.” Ms. Tyron, Director of College Radio at Pomona College’s KSPC 88.7 FM, has been on the job since 1992, when she received her diploma from Scripps College. “When I graduated I essentially lucked out and took over,” Ms. Tyron said.
