Story by John Srebalus Contributor Illustration by Ethan Lyons Illustrator The South Pasadena Unified School District is hiding from an inconvenient truth: There is structural racism in the South Pasadena Educational Foundation’s summer school program with which the District contracts. As far as I can tell, the two organizations are just fine with this fact. They’re not […]
Activists demand free summer school
Story by Elsie Waters Staff Writer Illustration by Penny Aboud Graphic Designer Local activist group Care First and community members John Srebalus, Ella Hushagen, and Helen Tran, released a report calling for SPEF summer school to be free due to data showing racial discrepancies in enrollment for Latinx students. The report requests that by Summer 2022, the […]
Coronavirus Update: Week of January 18
Story by Kahlen Miao Staff Writer Illustration by Alicia Zhang Contributor SPUSD distributed rapid antigen self-testing kits to students following a spike in coronavirus cases throughout the state on Friday, Jan. 14. 60 students at SPHS had tested positive for the virus as of Wednesday, Jan. 19, with 11 new cases this week. The district requested all […]
District implements new coronavirus policies following spike in state-wide cases
Story by Charlotte Dekle Associate Feature Editor Photo by Samantha Shiroishi Staff Photographer SPUSD issued new coronavirus policies following a spike in positive cases throughout the state on Tuesday, Jan. 4. An email sent by the district outlines the seven new categories of guidelines: masks, testing requirements for close contacts, changes to isolation procedure, youth sports, […]
Community members raise concern over cost of middle school’s Washington, D.C. trip
Story by Elsie Waters Staff Writer Photo by Oscar Walsh Contributor Community member and local activist John Sreblaus wrote a letter to the school district on Tuesday, Oct. 12 addressing the high cost of SPMS’ annual eighth grade trip to Washington, D.C. In his letter, Srebalus and over 10 other residents and parents raised concerns that the […]
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 […]
SPUSD assembles committee focused on inclusivity and equity
Story by Georgia Parsons Associate Feature Editor SPUSD announced the formation of a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee in February, aiming to address bias and discrimination within the five schools by reviewing district policies and practices. The committee will begin its work this year starting with inclusivity training, and will continue for the entire 2021-2022 […]
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 […]
SPUSD provides lunches to community youth at no cost
Story by Georgia Parsons Associate Feature Editor Photo courtesy of Michelle Curry Contributor The SPUSD Food and Nutrition program is offering free meals to anyone in the greater South Pasadena community between the ages of one and 18 on Diamond Avenue across from the SPHS basketball gym. This program has been underway since the beginning of […]
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 […]
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 […]
SPUSD to stay virtual for remainder of 2020
Story by Lilian Zhu Staff Writer Photo by Oscar Walsh Staff Photographer SPUSD declared that distance learning will continue until the end of the semester in accordance with state reopening guidelines on Thursday, Oct. 15. Periodical asynchronous days have been implemented into the middle and high school schedules, giving teachers more prep time. SPMS has […]
SPUSD partners with Care Solace to support community mental health
Story by Eddie Zhou Staff Writer Photo courtesy of Care Solace Contributor SPUSD announced its partnership with Care Solace, a live, 24/7 online service that connects individuals with mental healthcare resources and providers, on Wednesday, Sept. 2. Care Solace services come with no cost for students and their families and do not require any personal information. […]
SPUSD to offer meal pick-up services in 2020-2021 school year
Story by Katie HohmanStaff Writer Photo by Ella JayasekeraPhotography Editor SPUSD announced its newly formatted Curbside Meal Service for the upcoming school year on Friday, Aug. 7, which includes both drive-through and walk-up services. In contrast to the end of the 2019-2020 school year, the district will only be providing free meals to those who qualify. Students […]
Teachers voice concern over adopted learning models
Story by Charlie Betts Staff Writer Photo by Oscar Walsh Staff Photographer The Teachers Association of South Pasadena (TASP) voiced concern about the proposed SPUSD instructional models for the upcoming school year and have called for an emergency SPUSD school board meeting to address the problems. In June, teachers were given a variety of instructional models to […]
School board recommends total distance learning to begin, passes hybrid models for future implementation
Story by Kahlen Miao Staff Writer Photo by Ella Jayasekera Photography Editor The South Pasadena School Board advised Superintendent Geoff Yantz to begin the 2020-2021 school year with 100 percent distance learning at its meeting on Thursday, Jul. 16. The board also approved hybrid instructional models for both the elementary and secondary levels that will be utilized when […]