In the News

By Mark Kellam Cerritos Elementary will become a computer magnet school at the beginning of next school year, making it the fourth magnet school in the Glendale Unified School District. There was no discussion — just cheerful chuckles — before the Glendale Unified school board approved the change Tuesday after Cerritos entered into a five-year contract in July with Code to the Future, a program that provides schools with on-site coaching, lesson plans and project-based units, among other materials. Through the partnership, Cerritos students learn fundamentals of computer coding as part of their daily curriculum. In 2013, school officials were unsuccessful…

By Priscella Vega New laptops will be phased into Glendale Unified schools this year as part of the district’s adoption of its first technology sustainability plan to replace aging computer equipment districtwide. School officials unanimously approved a five-year lease of 1,200 Lenovo Yoga 370 laptops with Lenovo Financial Services, amounting to roughly $1.75 million, during a school board meeting last week. New devices will be distributed in multiple phases to allow time for staff training, said Kristine Nam, district spokeswoman. In addition, the school board approved the technology sustainability budget, which designates $3.66 million in one-time funding received in 2017-18 from the state to…

By Priscella Vega Glendale Unified School District leaders showcased its accomplishments and shared its road map to student success Thursday morning during the 13th Annual State of the Schools Breakfast. Hundreds of teachers, administrators, principals and donors attended the 90-minute celebration hosted by the Glendale Educational Foundation at the Pacific Community Center. Supt. Winfred Roberson Jr. and school board President Nayiri Nahabedian thanked and commended all in attendance for their leadership and financial dedication toward helping students thrive. “We rely on you and your commitment to our schools and kids,” Nahabedian said. Roberson highlighted award-winning teachers, campuses recognized as Gold Ribbon…

By Priscella Vega Students, parents and Glendale Unified School District leaders met at nearby parks and shopping complexes to walk together toward Mark Keppel Elementary School Wednesday morning as part of International Walk to School Day. The event promotes physical activity — teaching children safe walking skills and concern for the environment — and helps reduce traffic congestion and pollution near schools. Supt. Winfred Roberson Jr. and board member Shant Sahakian joined parents and students on their walk to the visual arts and performing arts magnet school. Fourth-grader Tyler Hong, 9, carried a Walk to School Day sign and led his peers and…

By Priscella Vega Students in Pam Zamanis’ class at Roosevelt Middle School know Wednesday mornings are dedicated to community-building circles, where sharing is a key part of the activity. Zamanis listed questions on a whiteboard and her seventh- and eighth-grade students were given a few minutes to write down their answers. Then they all pushed their desks to the sides of the room and stood in a circle, waiting for their teacher to begin the exercise. “If I could change anything in the world, it’d be to get rid of racism because I believe racism is the cause of many…

By Priscella Vega Glendale High School hosted its first on-campus college fair Wednesday, where 33 university representatives from throughout the country, such as UC Irvineand the University of Michigan, met with students. The two-hour event was open to all grade levels, and nearly half of Glendale High’s students attended. Joining the hundreds of students were the school’s faculty and school board member Shant Sahakian, who all congregated inside the school’s north and south gyms to hear what college representatives had to offer. Linda Guzik, director of communication for the school’s parent teacher student association, began planning the fair in June with help…

By Priscella Vega Secondary teachers in the Glendale Unified School District must take part in mandatory training about suicide awareness this school year, specifically addressing youth with mental disabilities, those facing homelessness or those who are part of the LGBTQ community. The training comes after Assembly Bill 2246 put forth a mandate requiring school districts adopt a policy on suicide prevention for students in seventh through 12th grades, local school officials said last week. As a result, the Glendale Unified school board adopted its 2017-18 Suicide Prevention Policy last week after hearing a presentation by Scott Anderle, principal of Rosemont Middle School and…

By Priscella Vega When students arrive at Columbus Elementary School on Wednesday to start the new school year, they will have a new piece of art to admire while on the playground. On one of the walls on the handball court, a mural depicts six eagles of varying heights looking over a fence to watch a baseball game. On one half of the mural, three eagles are standing on top of a three equally sized boxes, leaving the shortest eagle unable to see the game. The word ‘equality’ is written underneath. The other half shows three eagles successfully viewing the game,…

By Jeff Landa The Glendale Youth Alliance, a nonprofit that has helped at-risk youth with work programs and training for more than 20 years, was recently recognized by state Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge) as the district’s Nonprofit of the Year. Since 1993, the alliance has provided jobs and workforce training for young people ages 14 to 24 who face significant barriers to employment such as being on probation, on the verge of homelessness and living with a disability. The nonprofit partners with area groups to provide various supportive services including transportation, clothing and meals. A branch of the city’s Community Services…

By Priscella Vega Plans to help boost enrollment at Cerritos Elementary School are moving forward with a five-year partnership with a coding immersion program that could also help transition the campus into a magnet school. The Glendale Unified School Board unanimously approved a contract Tuesday with Code to the Future, a program that provides schools with on-site coaching, lesson plans and project-based units, among other materials. A steering committee consisting of district and site leaders will collaborate with the company next month to begin learning how to implement coding into curriculum. They will also create a comprehensive plan to roll out Cerritos as a…