S T . J A M E S E P I S C O P A L S C H O O L

Husky HighlightsSPRING 2013

BY VANESSA HERMAN

MOM OF 2ND GRADER SIMONE

T H E H A I T I P R O J E C TThis February, Mrs Brown made her fourth

trip to visit our sister school St Jaques in

Haiti, taking with her gifts from our school.

It is an important trip. What we send makes a

big difference to a school that is no more than

four concrete posts and a tin roof, set up in a

desolate spot of a very poor country, where

food and water are never guaranteed.

Can you make a difference in the life of someone

thousands of miles away? Can you do it with a

bake sale or a baseball game? St. James’ sixth

graders showed they could do just that with their

service projects to benefit our sister school in

Haiti, Ecole St-Jaques.

Led by Mrs. Brown, students studied issues like

access to clean water and education in rural

Haiti. Working in groups, they decided what they

would donate and how to earn the money. In all,

there were nine different projects, ranging from

ceramic water filters, to chalkboards, to first aid

kits. The students did off-campus fundraising,

such as a bake sale on Larchmont Blvd. They

learned how to set a goal, generate a business

plan, and make an outcome analysis.

This service project grew from a lesson in

global health Mrs. Brown taught six years ago.

Now, every year she flies 3,000 miles to Port au

Prince, the capital of Haiti. Then, she makes a

3-hour drive to the Episcopal Diocese, where she

lodges. Finally, there is a 2-hour drive on what

Mrs. Brown describes as, “the most treacherous

and bumpy road…like a donkey trail.” This trip,

she also took a film maker with her, who will

make a short documentary about the school.

There are 100 boys and girls at the school, who

range from Kindergarten to High School. Since

they speak Creole, an Episcopal priest translated

the songs the students sang and the poems they

recited for her. Mrs. Brown explained to them

about our students’ work and showed them

a video of our Sixth Graders. As the St Jaques

students have no access to mirrors or cameras

to see their own image, they were thrilled when

Mrs. Brown took their pictures and they were

able to see themselves on the digital screen.

Thanks to St. James’ donations, the school is in

much better condition now than it was. When Mrs

Brown last visited, it was simply sticks holding up

a tarp. There also is an improvement in staffing

as St. James’ “Buck for Jeans” fundraiser provided

enough money to pay the five school teachers’

salaries for a year.

This trip was made possible by the generous

support of Jessica and Tim Youd.

It’s not every Wednesday morning that our spirits have a chance to soar, to really sing out and be so unrestrained that our bodies just can’t stop moving. More uplifting than an A plus, and more joyful than recess, the gospel all school chapel is impossible to leave without a skip in your step and a high in your heart. For the last five years Ms Lett has lead a gospel choir, marking the pinnacle of the celebrations of African American History month at St James. There are other events throughout February to celebrate African-American History. The AAH committee works tirelessly to celebrate the rich history of African Americans. In a school that rejoices in its cultural diversity, it’s a month we all adore.

But it’s the gospel chapel that is the highpoint of the celebrations. It’s there that African American spontaneity shows us its true colors.. “Look at your neighbor,” shouts Reverend Lester McKenzie, a third generation preacher who was raised in South Africa, who had come to St James for this special service. Shouting Zulu words across the aisle at each other, soon we were all laughing.

“Don’t waste your time, getting lost in the complexity of trying to define theology, and asking what is God,” he tells us. “Instead learn the language of love. I

invite you to be agents of love. When we stand together, we are strong.”

With great humor – not to mention a few South African style howls of joy - ,Reverend McKenzie talked about his own childhood in South Africa. There, under the shadow of apartheid, black and white children could not sit on the same bus together, or even walk down the street to the shops. Today, things have changed.

“Now I see before me a tapestry of colors,” he praises, looking out onto the truly diverse community of St James. “And I invite you all to be rainbow children of God.”

Then children were up singing again – our own St James Gospel Choir – our own spectrum of colors and cultures.

And if that’s not an excuse to clap your hands, then what is?

Q: What shocks you most about Haiti when you go there?

I am not really shocked anymore, but the first time I went was hard. However, I still cannot get used to seeing a toddler walking alone on the side of the busy, dusty road with a container to get water. Most times they are not fully clothed or don’t have shoes. There are unaccompanied children EVERYWHERE!Q: How badly was St Jaques hit by the earthquake in 2010.

St. Jacques was very far from the epicenter of the earthquake. The problem they incurred was an influx of people fleeing the devastation of Port-au-Prince. Their very stretched food supply could not accommodate the larger population. Their biggest problem now, however, is destroyed crops after hurricane Sandy.Q: What will our gifts to them mean?

We funded five teachers for this year...I do not know that this will happen every year. But it makes a huge difference because without pay the teachers will be forced to leave to find other work. The school is so incredibly remote that it is not easy to replace teachers. I cannot emphasize enough how remote it is!!Q: Besides this year’s 6th grade donation, have families from St James’ been helpful?

The March Family donated the funds for a well one year. That has made a big difference. But there are still issues. At the end of the dry season (right now) it runs out of water. Q: Why did you make a film about your trip this year?

I feel like I have not been able to fully convey what the situation is at St. Jaques and get people motivated enough to strengthen this partnership. Paul Mayne is a friend of mine who has worked on a few documentaries and I thought that having better footage of the school might help.

REV MCKENZIE PUTS A SKIP IN OUR STEP & A HIGH IN OUR HEARTS

Impressions of HaitiAn interview with Mrs. Brown

Q: This is your fourth trip to Haiti. What makes you keep going back?

Each time I go, I think it will be my last because it is not an easy trip to make. My back does not appreciate the difficult sleeping and driving conditions. But after I’m back for a while, I start to miss it. It gets in your blood somehow. There is a stark beauty to the country and people.

BY LUCY NORLAND

MOM OF 3RD GRADER JACK

“I INVITE YOU TO BE

AGENTS OF Love.”

BY LUCY NORLAND

MOM OF 3RD GRADER JACK

Their team is known as the “Husky

Heroes” and their motorized car

and track made quite an impression

with the Lego Representatives at

this event. The team spoke like seasoned professionals when asked how they

assembled their project entitled “Cars Then And Now”. The team said that half the

car was built to resemble an automobile from the1950’s and the other half of the

car looked like one from today. Their teacher, Ms. Stacy Kirk, was so impressed by

how confident and well-spoken the boys were.

The event concluded with an awards ceremony. Each student beamed with pride as he was presented with a ribbon for exceptional achievement from Lego of

North America. It was a moment these boys won’t soon forget.

These young visionaries would be remiss if they didn’t thank Ms. Debbi David for allowing them to interview her. She talked to them about how technology has

evolved over the years. The information she shared with them definitely inspired them to create their Lego masterpiece.

Congratulations to these innovative students and to Ms. Kirk for a job well done. These students are on their way to becoming technological trailblazers.

LEGOLAND

CHAMPIONSWe are proud to announce that first graders Joshua Floyd, Owen Kirk, Brock

Phillips and Jackson Schlotterbeck participated in the Junior First Lego

League Exhibition at Legoland on January 20th.

The annual rites of passage for the

Dads of St. James’ School happens

every February. It is a rare and

wonderful moment when so many

dads come together and produce a

delicious breakfast for the families of

St. James’ School.

This was my seventh year

volunteering for the breakfast and it is

one of my favorites. It is wonderful to

spend time with dads that I don’t see

that often and to welcome the new

ones. This was Jeff Lane’s 11th and

final breakfast as his daughter Jessica

graduates this year. We also had a

wonderful turnout of Kindergarten

and 1st Grade dads who will carry this

event forward for years to come.

With Seth Horowitz, Neal Fraser,

and Craig Min leading the charge

(and donating all of the supplies,

food and coffee for the event!!!), the

dads bonded over setting up tables,

cutting fruit and potatoes, cooking

bacon, sausage, eggs and making

the delicious pancakes. Proceeds

from the breakfast are donated to

the school through the St. James’

Parent Association. The parent

group invests in new equipment and

upgrades at the school, as well as

supporting each teacher’s wish list.

We had record attendance and a line

out of the door. My favorite part was

watching the families getting to know

each other in the leisure time of a

Sunday morning.

BY CHRIS COOK

FATHER OF 1ST GRADER, JAMIE AND 6TH GRADER, WILLIAM

DADS FLIPPING CAKES

Pictured: Legoland champions Owen Kirk, Joshua Floyd, Brock Phillip

and Jackson Schlotterbeck.

“We had record attendance and a line

out of the door.”

BY JEANINE PHILLIPS

MOM OF 1ST GRADER BROCK

There are not many animals that they haven’t come across at The Pasadena Humane Society. There was the elephant that was left behind by a circus,

the alligator that nobody wanted, the tree frog from El Salvador that turned up in a bunch of bananas at Costco.

But mostly it’s dogs and cats that end up in the shelter, which takes care of all animals and helps them find new homes.

St James’ third graders visit the shelter every year. Like all good guests, we bring with us an assortment of gifts: bedding, leashes, food and cash – all

donations sought out by third graders. The shelter needs donations, and they were very grateful for our support. In return, third grade learns about how

an animal shelter works.

We also learned about the importance of micro-chipping

pets. The microchip is a small electronic tag, which stores

data about the pet and its owner beneath its skin. Before

it was invented, very few lost pets ever found their owners

again. But once the chip started to be used around the year

2000, the percentage of happy pets finding their owners

again, rose very sharply.

We also toured the facility, looking at birds in an aviary, an

iguana that had found its way there, and many cats and dogs,

who stared at us with big eyes hopeful of finding a new home.

None of us brought a pet home with us. This was not the

occasion. (And besides there is a strict vetting process before

the Humane Society gives away its pets). But if anyone is

interested in donating to the Society or visiting, you can

check out their website: www.pasadenahumane.org.

Third Graders Love Dogs!

Mrs Dummet

(And cats, and birds, and iguanas)BY LUCY NORLAND

MOM OF 3RD GRADER JACKThe whole 3rd Grade outside the Humane Society

When I started to build my model of Mission San

Francisco de Asis, I was very excited. I thought my

mission was going to be easy to make; however, I was

wrong. My biggest problem was glue. I tried to stick

my walls into the base, but it didn’t work. Luckily, my

friend leant me some tape. I am lucky to have such a

good friend.

After sticking in the walls, I had to make the roof. I had

a basic structure, so all I needed to do was to cover the

wall with paper. Many of my friends had creative ideas

like using candy Red Vines for roof tiles. It was really

hard to make some decorations like stairs and pillars

because they kept falling down.

My last step was to make the mission yard. This part

was fun, though, because I got to add animals and lots

of other details. When I was finally finished, I took a few

minutes to admire my work. Making my mission model

was so much fun, and I could hardly wait to show it off

at the Mission Fair.

On Tuesday, February 12, the Fourth Grade classes went to

Mission San Juan Capistrano. We went there so we could

see what life was like in mission times. To get to San Juan

Capistrano, we had to be at school by 7:00 a.m. so that

we wouldn't miss the Metro I was really curious about

what San Juan Capistrano would look like. When we

got off the Metro, we were at Union Station, a busy

place. We departed on Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner.

After an hour on the train, we finally reached

San Juan Capistrano.

Once we went into the mission, I was

amazed. I never knew the mission was

so big. There was a nice tour guide who

showed us what life was like in the 1700s

and 1800s. We got to see a small,

but beautifully decorated

gilded church. We also got

to see the Great Stone

Church which fell into ruin

during an earthquake on

Dec. 8, 1812.

My favorite thing at the

mission was making adobe

bricks. Making the bricks was

interesting and fun because

we learned how the Indians

made the adobe bricks, and we

even got to name them! After

making our bricks, we ate lunch,

and then we had free time. We

played many games.

Later, when playtime was over,

we headed over to the gift shop.

Then it was time to go home. We

got back on Amtrak and onto the

Metro. We had a lot of fun visiting

San Juan Capistrano. Visiting the

mission was a great trip.

(And cats, and birds, and iguanas)

BUILDING MY MISSION MODEL

Our Trip to Mission San Juan Capistrano

BY CELINE PARK 4TH GRADE

BY LYON CHUNG4TH GRADE

Elias Peter inspecting one of the many bells.

Several students making clay bricks at the Mission.

The 4th grade loved seeing the real version of their constructed models.

Husky Howlers

Husky Books

GHOSTHUNTERS & THE INCREDIBLY REVOLTING GHOST by Cornelia Funke

This book is about Tom and an old lady named

Hetty Hyssop who is a ghosthunter. They both

look for IRGs (Incredibly Revolting Ghosts). Tom

and the ghost in the cellar become friends,

so soon the three of them become a team –

Hetty, Tom, and Hugo, the ghost in the cellar.

The team wants to get all the IRGs and ARGs

(Average Revolting Ghosts) out of everyone’s

houses. Will they find all the IRGs and ARDs?

Read the book to find out what happens.

Review by Jackson Brass Grade 4

MY WEIRD SCHOOL DAZE #1: MISS DAISY IS CRAZY! By Dan Gutman

This book is hilarious! A.J. and friends have just

started 2nd Grade. They have a crazy, dumb

teacher who can’t do anything right. She

doesn’t even like school! Meanwhile, the kids

want to buy the school, so their fun-loving, bald

principal, Mr. Klutz, makes a deal with them. He

says if the students read 1,000,000 pages, he’ll

turn the school over to them, and he’ll even

wear a gorilla suit! Will the kids be able to make

Miss Daisy smart again or will she risk her career

by staying dumb forever? Will the kids read

1,000,000 pages? Read the book and find out!

Review by Morgan Collins Grade 4

MESSAGE IN THE SKY: COREY’S UNDERGROUND RAILROAD DIARY By Sharon Dennis Wyett

This book is non-fiction. It’s about slavery

and helping others. The best part I liked was

when Corey crossed the river from Canada

into the United States and almost got caught

by slave catchers. Slavery had been abolished

in Canada, but not in the United States then.

I think this book is the best one I have ever

read because it had excitement, sadness and

pigeons. Review by Jack Norland, Grade 3

REVIEWS OF SOME OF ST. JAMES’ FAVORITE BOOKS & AUTHORS

Loteria Grill is named after loteria,

the game of luck played in Mexico,

and colorful playing cards are all over

the walls of this restaurant. There is

fun Spanish music and comfortable

booths, but the best seat is at the

kitchen counter so you can watch

the chefs cooking.

Chef Jimmy Shaw invited me to sit

at the counter to watch him make

chicharron de queso, which is an

enormous piece of crispy cheese. We

also ate chips and guacamole. Next,

we had a huge plate of 12 different

mini tacos made of chicken, pork,

beef, and vegetables. We also

ordered a beautiful Summer Salad

that had a green cilantro dressing but

we did not eat much of it because

we were saving room for the dessert

sampler: churros, chocolate cake,

and homemade ice cream.

Loteria Grill is a great place for an authentic Mexican family meal. Ask your

parents to take you and you might just get lucky like I did.

LOTERIA GRILL, 6627 HOLLYWOOD BLVD., HOLLYWOOD.

CARTOON BY SIMONE HERMAN, 2ND GRADE

Why are teddy bears never hungry?

RESTAURANT REVIEW BY

SIMONE HERMAN, 2ND GRADE

Q: A: They are always stuffed!

Why do fish live in salt water?Q: A: Because pepper makes them sneeze!

What do you get from a pampered cow? Q: A: Spoiled milk.

Where do polar bears vote? Q: A: The North Poll

HA HA!

Husky Restaurants

Whenever I go into Target for just one item I find myself an hour later with over $200 worth of stuff. I found a way to save 5% on every purchase AND generate income for our beloved St. James’ School.

I got a Target REDcard Visa credit card. As a cardholder you can activate your card to donate up to 1% of your REDcard purchases

to benefit ST JAMES’ EPISCOPAL SCHOOL. You also save 5% off your total purchase and get free shipping on Target.com purchases.

My card alone has raised over $2800. It’s not my only credit card: I use

different credit cards for various benefits, but when I shop at Target I

save money myself and help our school out just a little bit.

Why are teddy bears never hungry?

Meet Nico Chua. St James’ not only has a new preschool building, but a new Junior Kindergarden program too. Here, we hear a little about both.What is your title at the school and what do you teach? I am one of the lead teachers in the Dinosaur/Junior Kindergarten classroom.What is your background and where are you from?I am Filipino with Chinese heritage. I grew up in Marikina City, which is a suburb of Manila, the capital of the Philippines.The Junior Kindergarden is a new program at St James’, can you tell us a little bit about it?The JK program caters to children who are developmentally in the process of making the transition from preschool to Kindergarten. We introduce the children to a more structured environment where they are exposed to early academics. There is also a strong emphasis on art, themed activities and cultural diversity in our curriculum--just to name a few. The program offers a variety of extracurricular activities each week to provide the students with a well-rounded education.How do you divide up the work that you do? The other lead teacher in the Dinosaur/JK classroom is Erika Alvarado. Erika has a strong ability to develop a teaching

style that works with the group dynamic and the children's individual needs. Erika works in a way that complements my strengths as a teacher and inspires me to keep learning my craft. It has been very rewarding for me to teach alongside with her. In terms of dividing the work, well...Erika does a lot of it! How are you enjoying the new preschool building? What differences does it make to you having the space?I absolutely love it! The space in the preschool really lets us expand our curriculum, focus on our students more and enjoy interactions with the other classes.

What drew you to teaching in the first place?As part of my undergraduate studies, I participated in a summer internship at the UCLA Infant Development Center to work with children ages 0-3. I loved it so much that I stayed after the summer internship was over and throughout my last year of school. After that experience, I knew in my heart that I wanted to teach young children.What do you love about the St James preschool?It's hard for me to explain. There was one Friday when I had to stay home because I was sick. Although I wasn't feeling well, I started feeling sad and kept wishing that I could be with my class--teaching, making projects and just having the normal day-to-day interaction with the people on campus. It's a little surprising but it's a true story.

Get a Target REDcard Visa and Raise Funds for St. James’ School!

BY NANCY REDFORD

MOM OF 4TH GRADER, MATTHEW, AND 6TH GRADER, EMMA

They are always stuffed!

Why do fish live in salt water?

What do you get from a pampered cow?

Spoiled milk.

Where do polar bears vote?

Husky Restaurants

Poetry CompetitionAnnouncing the Husky Highlights Annual poetry competition. Winning entries to be published in the summer editon.

All ages welcome – that’s teachers, parents, students, grandparents, cousins and aunts.

Please email submissions to Lucy Norland at lucybroad@mac.com, or via backpack express.

S T . J A M E S E P I S C O P A L S C H O O L

Parents quite rightly shun the siren song

Of computer games that go on and on

Enslaving kids to malign addiction

of gothic combat and dereliction.

Hugo, (I chose the nom de guerre

To protect him from the public glare)

Was truly hooked – strange but true -

So stay with me and hear me through.

The start was simple play enough

With Prince of Persia, that sort of stuff.

Not to mention Tetris, too,

And others (there were quite a few).

But these were just for kids - and tame,

So Hugo tried a console game.

His parents took no little trouble

To override this obsessive bubble.

Suggesting there was a great deal

more.

To life. But he just went on as before.

They told him that their cash was tight

They could not feed this appetite.

But Hugo, cheekily, just smirked

He had other means that could be

worked.

Hugo’s world was as dark as night,

Hideous, ghastly - a perfect fright.

Barren landscapes, no shade that cools

Where ghostly shadows morph to

ghouls.

Where robotic warriors intent on death

Assault the player with dragon’s breath.

Vast hosts of hell in trance-like state

And hooded eyes that glow with hate;

Descend to make you quake with fear

And frenzied shrieks assail the ear.

It is a world bereft of cheer

The purpose is to defeat and jeer.

No sportsmanship. No hip hip hooray.

No honour here, nor fair play

No courtesy nor consideration

The vanquished earn no

commiseration.

Now Hugo was good, as scholars go.

He went to school and could often show

His class how he, with wondrous ease,

Could his caring, doting parents please.

One day in May, as was his rule

He reluctantly made his way to school.

He worked quite hard, I have to say.

But as the chimes knelled the end of

day

He hurried to his darkened lair,

Switched on with abandoned care.

Swiftly, he entered a distant universe

Where the quests were infinitely diverse

A journey made possible by Slipspace.

A mode of travel uncommonplace

That transports beyond the speed of

light

To distant corners of the cosmic night.

Three light years and half a day

Hugo descended on the planet Lai

Which, oddly, was not spherical

But doughnut–shaped (quite

hysterical)!

The locals looked a hostile crowd

With heads held high and very proud.

They stood their ground with empty

stare

While Hugo planned his attack with care

Their scaly skin shone bright as brass

Protected by armour-plated glass

And in their arms (they had four)

Rocket-firing canons bore.

They were nimble as they were fleet

Now here, now there, now off their feet.

Their numbers growing by the score

This perplexed Hugo more and more.

He had chosen time and place

The battle joined, he must give chase.

The fight had entered its final round

When Hugo, saw he was losing ground,

Felt a iron grip around his neck

That smashed him down upon the deck.

They dragged him off in high dudgeon

To the doubtful pleasures of their

dungeon

Where he lay to contemplate

The reasons for his sorry state.

Time passed and he thought it best

To quit the game and take a rest.

But then came horror unforeseen

He was behind the game box screen.

Hysterically, he tried to gave a shout

“Please, someone, let me out”.

He tapped the screen and through it saw

his father searching the bedroom floor.

He heard his father shout his name

But from Hugo no answer came.

EVILS OF THE GAMING AGE

BY PAUL BROADBENT

GRANDFATHER OF 3RD GRADER JACK NORLAND

St. James' Infant & Toddler Development Center

A safe and nurturing place for children ages six weeks to two years of age

213-388-2350

Music for Promotions, Advertising, TV & Film.

Library, Custom Music and Scoring.Call Ed @ 323-253-8533

Doña Oxford

French Lessons (First-Sixth Grade)

Taught by St. James' Alumna AjaBleu Oldham who is here on a break from her studies

in Paris.

AjaBleu@europe.com