Education Support Services (ESS) aided SPUSD in their search for a new superintendent on Tuesday, Feb. 18.
SPHS auditorium to be named after former principal Janet Anderson
Story by Hanna Bae Associate Opinion Editor Photo by Thomas Forman Contributor The SPUSD Board of Education approved the naming of South Pasadena High School’s auditorium as “Anderson Auditorium” after former SPHS principal Janet L. Anderson at its meeting on Tuesday, Mar. 8. Upon its approval, Superintendent Geoff Yantz plans to formulate plans to install lettering and […]
School Board appoints Karissa Adams as provisional member
Story by Hanna Bae Staff Writer Photo courtesy of South Pasadena Unified School District Contributor The School Board voted unanimously to appoint Karissa Adams as its new provisional member at its meeting on Tuesday Nov. 9. Adams’ appointment comes after former school board member, Dr. Suzie Abajian’s, resignation in September as a result of relocation. The Board […]
School Board seeks applicants for vacant seat
Story by Charlotte Dekle Staff Writer Photo by Oscar Walsh Contributor The School Board is accepting applications for the vacant seat on the Board of Education following Dr. Suzie Abajian’s resignation on Wednesday, Sept. 29. An email sent by the board outlined the eligibility requirements: applicants must be 18 years of age or older, a citizen of […]
Dr. Suzie Abajian resigns from School Board
Story by Charlotte Dekle Staff Writer Photo by Sarah Lee Staff Photographer School Board member Dr. Suzie Abajian announced her resignation in an email to SPUSD parents on Wednesday, Sept. 29. Abajian’s resignation will go into effect on October 13, following her last Board meeting on October 12. Abajian’s resignation comes as a result of her moving […]
School Board waives community service requirement for class of 2022
Story by Raluca Tudusciuc Staff Writer Photo by Oscar Walsh Contributor The School Board unanimously approved a motion to waive the community service graduation requirement for the class of 2022 at their meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 14. Decisions to set aside these requirements were previously made for the classes of 2020 and 2021 as well. Despite their […]
School Board approves hybrid instructional models for SPMS and SPHS
Story by Sofia Alva Associate News Editor Photo courtesy of Abigail Silver Contributor The School Board approved instructional hybrid learning models for SPMS and SPHS for when students return to those campuses on Thursday, Apr. 8 and Thursday, Apr. 15, respectively, at a special meeting on Friday, Mar. 19. In the adopted models, students in Cohorts […]
Teachers, parents, and district clash over school reopening
Story by Sofia Alva & Lilian Zhu Associate News Editor & Associate Webmaster Illustration by Alicia Zhang Staff Illustrator Photos courtesy of Pat Barr & Kim Sinclair Contributors Teachers rallied together through countless public comments at multiple School Board meetings to voice concerns about what they believe is the district’s decision to reopen SPUSD schools without prioritizing their safety. The reopening of grades […]
Students set to return to SPMS and SPHS in hybrid models on Apr. 8 and Apr. 15, respectively
Story by Zoe Schlaak Associate Sports Editor Photo courtesy of Abigail Silver Contributor The School Board approved the return to campus for SPMS and SPHS students using hybrid learning schedules on Thursday, Apr. 8 and Thursday, Apr. 15, respectively, at a special meeting on Thursday, Mar. 4. SPMS has already created an unapproved hybrid model, but no […]
Community applauds elementary school TK to 2 reopening
Story by Adam Kwoh Copy Editor Photos by Sophie Yeung Staff Photographer SPUSD TK to 2 students eagerly stepped through their elementary schools’ gates for the first time in nearly a year on Thursday, Feb. 18, and parents, teachers, and administrators rendered the reopening day a success. As per SPUSD’s reopening plan, students arrived in separate […]
TK through second graders set to return to campus in hybrid model on Feb. 18
Story by Georgia Parsons Feature Associate Editor Photo courtesy of Abigail Silver Contributor The School Board unanimously approved the return of in-person instruction for grades TK to 2 in a hybrid model on Thursday, Feb. 18, at its meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 9. The reopening is contingent on L.A. County’s adjusted case rate dropping below 25 per […]
SPHS data highlights racial inequities
Story by Sofia Alva News Associate Editor Photo by Ella Jayasekera Photography Editor Graphics by Charlotte Cohen Associate Design Editor The district’s annual School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) revealed evidence of racism and other inequities at SPHS. The data, which analyzes performance level across a variety of demographics, generated severe criticism from parents and students. The SPSA […]
State restrictions postpone SPUSD TK-2 reopening
Story by Katie Hohman Staff Writer Photo courtesy of Abigail Silver Contributor The district has delayed its grades TK-2 return plan indefinitely after state officials released new restrictions on Thursday, Jan. 14 that prohibit L.A. County schools from reopening due to record coronavirus cases. SPUSD elementary schools had previously been approved to reopen in January, but […]
Abajian and Martinez-Miller win School Board election
Story by Sofia Alva Staff Writer Photo by Oscar Walsh Staff Photographer South Pasadena voters elected incumbent Dr. Suzie Abajian and previous School Board member Patricia Martinez-Miller to serve on the School Board. Abajian and Martinez-Miller ran against two other candidates, SPUSD parents Erik Gammel and Alan Reynolds to fill two open spots. Abajian received 39.37 percent […]
SPHS presents athletic safety plan as sports return this winter
Story by Sam GrotensteinStaff Writer Photo courtesy of SPHS Athletics DepartmentContributor SPHS Athletic Director Anthony Chan introduced the athletics plan for the 2020-2021 school year at a school board meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 13. The plan outlines the precautions that will be taken to ensure the safety of athletes and staff, as well as the sports […]
School Board opposes wellness day in spite of widespread community support
Story by Eddie Zhou Staff Writer Photo by SPUSD Contributor The South Pasadena School Board declined to implement a wellness day despite strong support from teachers, parents, and students at a special Board meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 29. Board members voted to submit the current Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan (LCAP) to the Los Angeles […]