in this issue a message from our principal · june 2013 in this issue volunteer power appreciation...

June 2013

IN THIS ISSUEVolunteer Power

Appreciation Thanks

Honorary Service Awards

Club Mini Grant Program

Reflections Program

Senior Awards Night

Become a Member!

Quick Links

Principal's Message

President's Message

A Message from South

Pasadena Council PTA

Counselors' Corner

Programs Wrap-Up

PTSA Scholarship Recipients

Sip to Support - Jamba Juice

Class Notes

LEGO Mania

PTSA is Volunteer-PoweredThank you all!

Executive Board

Colleen Donovan

Julie Giulioni

Kate Gibson

Ruby Kalra

Chris Kohler

Maryann Nielsen

Marianne Samson

Liz Price

Joan Aguado

Patti Winkel

Janet Anderson-Advisor

Bingo

Joan Aguado

Susan Bays

Brian Donovan

Colleen Donovan

A Message from Our Principal

Here we are at the end of another school

year, and I find myself waxing sentimental.

Actually, "waxing sentimental" tends to be

my natural state of mind, especially when

reflecting upon the people who make up

SPHS. At this time of year, as we graduate

another class, I can't help but feel

nostalgic, already, about the Class of 2013

and their contributions.

The Class of 2013 has been a very

grounded, kind group of young people. They have, by and large,

dedicated themselves to positively affecting each other, our school

spirit, and the world around them. After all, this is the group from

which the Urban Sustainability Club emerged. Austin Kahn, Angelise

Slifkin, and Ella Hardy took their passion from the Advanced

Placement Environmental Science (APES) class to the creation of

their legacy, an (organic) aquaponics garden on campus. Along with

their advisor and teacher, Don Wielenga, they were honored this

month by the PTSA for their contributions. This is the class from

which the ASB leadership focused on inclusion of all students.

Admirably led by skilled Commissioner General Will Jones, the

emphasis of the student leaders was on helping others shine. The

Class of 2013, as a group and as individuals, seemed to care more

about making others realize their potential than about celebrating

their own.

The Class of 2013 is a hard act to follow but, as is the natural way of

things, they will be followed, and each successive class will leave its

mark. Our incoming ninth graders cannot replace our outgoing

seniors. They won't have to do that. They will create a space all

their own in which they will experience a metamorphosis over their

four years at SPHS prior to their own turn at taking wing.

After last year's retirements, what began as a year of flux,

integrating many new staff members, has turned into a year of some

of the most public acclaim our school has experienced in a while.

Ms. Maryann Nielsen, between teaching A. P. Government and World

Tiger Paws Newsletter - SPHS PTSA - June 2013 https://ui.constantcontact.com/visualeditor/visual_editor_preview.jsp?age...

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John Donovan

Peter Giulioni

Linda Kopperud

Teri Lee

Jim Tranquada

Susie Wrenn

Club Mini Grants

Joan Aguado

Suzette Shults

Debra Beadle

Colleen Donovan

Kate Gibson

Communications

Liz Price

Viviane Hebel

Honorary Service

Kathleen Michel

Brenda Wendt

Joan Aguado

Kate Gibson

Patti Winkel

Janet Anderson

Colleen Donovan

Chris Kohler

Cindy Oda

Alice Fong

Susan Ueki-Gilmartin

Grad Night

Lisa LeValley

Mark Wilson

James Jontz

Kim England

Michael AlvarezLinda KopperudPaul Romero

Forums/Programs

Patti Winkel

Debra Beadle

Stephanie Foley

Joan Weinzettle

Cyndi Bemal

Don Friesen

Maria Kretzman

Sara Lewis

Regine Verougstraete

Cindy Oda

Teacher Appreciation

History, sewing dance, drama, and Flower Chain outfits, taking

students for a week-long trip to Washington, D.C, and working Bingo

most Saturday nights, was recognized as a semi-finalist in the State

Teacher of the Year program. Our boys volleyball team brought

home a CIF championship, as did many track and field competitors.

Our Academic Decathlon team debuted as Division III champs, only

to be moved to Division I for the next year. Advanced mathematics

students and all math teachers put on a pre-finals tutoring day on a

Sunday that not only provided instructional aid for more than two

hundred students, but the proceeds provided a nearly $9000

contribution for Pasadena's Door of Hope Homeless rehab center. Mr.

Jim Asher created an online A.P. Literature course that provided the

best of SPHS while also accommodating students' needs for flexibility

in approaching the subject. ... And, in case it's been five minutes

since we've reminded you that we earned a Distinguished Schools

Award, drive north (or south!) on Fremont to see the emblems

proclaiming our achievement. These are just some of the many

accomplishments that have come so fast and furiously that it is

difficult to catalog them.

For SPHS parents, incoming or ongoing, I would like to emphasize

the value of involvement in your school. Yes, students should be

growing more and more independent throughout their school years.

Still, parent involvement through attending student events is key. I

cannot stress enough the impact of the PTSA and Booster Club in

supporting all students' achievement, and I recommend

participation with those organizations. It's amazing what you can

learn about your school in one night of Booster Bingo (just

celebrating its 30th year!). Many thanks to continuing PTSA

President, Colleen Donovan, and multi-year Booster President, Mike

O'Neill.

As we celebrate the outstanding aspects of SPHS, we are also aware

that we are truly only as successful as our least-achieving student.

To that end, we are looking for ways to reach all students. Our

teachers' work to adopt the common core standards and instruction

that supports them is one example of that outreach. Another

example can be found in the off-hours tutorials that our

Mathematics Department supports in order to make sure each

student understands. TigerLinks, our student mentoring program,

had a rebirth this year. "Every 15 Minutes," recently supported by

student leaders (Will Jones, Isabel Chin, and Madeline Chin in the

forefront) and staff (particularly Casey Shotwell and James Jontz)

reached beyond academics to the core of the dangers of distracted

driving.

Never a dull moment at SPHS? Correct! From the planned to the

unanticipated, there is always something to keep us alert and

working together toward the best outcomes. For the parents of

seniors who are leaving us this year, I thank you for your support

and remind you that you are still Tiger Moms and Dads (with no

reference to the recent book). For the parents of incoming freshmen

and all of those in between, I look forward to continuing our


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Lisa Cavelier

Alissa Dimock

Colleen Donovan

Marion Figueroa

Lisa Gray

Anne Harnagel

Denise Holguin-Pedroza

Gigi Kan

Christine Kohler

Monica Krieger

Teri Lee

Liya Ma

Cindy Oda

Linda Park

Serena Refoua

Judy Valdez

Joan Weinzettle

Hospitality Donations

Regina Athnos

Bing Avendano

Melissa Azarcon

Ruth Ballenger

Wendy Lamb Bross

Susan Campbell

Erika Carrillo

Karen Carter

Christine Chin

Moonjoo Choe

Joe Clisham

Bhanu Cruz

Sheri Glaros

Michelle Guevara

Alexandra Halaby

Suzy Hall

Autumn Lea Hamme

Cynthia Hernandez

Sherry Hodge

Michelle Hohman

Sherry Irvine

Kristen Izquierdo

Curtis Jang

Margie Jones

Nancy Jones

Gigi Kan

Michelle Kause

Jennifer Kelley

Mary Kubacki

Shauna Lee

Lisa LeValley

Melissa Levandis

Alexandria Levitt

Sara Lewis

partnership as we soon enter the (gulp) 2013-2014 school year.

Have a wonderful summer and remember that I can, as always, be

reached at [email protected]

-Janet Anderson

A Message from PTSA PresidentAgain I say, where does the time go!

It is the time of year to say good bye to old

friends, graduating students and other

members of our school community as they

leave for other places. The PTSA wishes all

graduates much success in their future

endeavors.

The PTSA had a very successful year thanks to the many who offered

their gifts of volunteered time, expertise and support. I was gifted

to have many dedicated volunteers whose mission was to enable the

best parent, student, teacher and school experiences possible. A

special - and personal - appreciation goes to the executive board

and chair people for all their help and support. It definitely takes a

village!

I hope this was a memorable year for you and your student. This

year brought many successes to the students and to our school. I

hope you benefited from the many programs we offered this year.

The PTSA provided these programs based on a survey sent last year.

Another survey will go out soon for you to evaluate this year's

programs and will help us plan for an even better next year.

I close with a favorite quote:

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed

citizens can change the world; indeed,it's the only thing

that ever has."

- Margaret Mead

I wish all of you a happy end of the school year.

Have a great Summer. See you in the Fall!

Colleen Donovan

PTSA President

A Message from South Pasadena Council PTA

Make Our Voice Heard on the New School FundingFormula

Right now the CA Legislature is debating how our students


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Yi Pi Chiu Lin

Ree Ra Ma

Nobuko Maguire

Melinda Marangi

Cynthia Marquez

Elda Marquez

Kathleen E. Martin

Jennifer Moog

Cynthia Moussas-Holmes

Kim Munoz

Mikako Nakagawa

Lena Ogita

Karen O'Hara

Barbara Patterson

Maureen Pinsonnault

Mari Radzik

Michele Richards

Marcia Rodriguez

Kim Rollert

Sarah Rudchenko

Heidi Sanders

Vanora Savig

Jennifer Scott

Dianna Scudari

Jean Shibasaki

Lisa Shinsato

Pam Shishima

Suzette Shults

Beth Snowden-Ifft

Patricia Tait

Bonnie Tang

Denise Tomlan

Selene Tyndale

Susan Ueki-Gilmartin

Rita Vega-Acevedo

Teresa Watanabe

Shelley Wierick

Joanna Wu

Gigi Yung

Senior Scholarships

Katie Clark

Colleen Donovan

Melinda Marangi

Heidi Sanders

Joan Weinzettle

Senior Projects

Ann Neville-Jan

Alisa Dimock

Marianne Samson

Steve Seaford

Easter Huang

will be funded for many years to come. Governor Brown hascome up with a formula for funding distribution that willleave needy students with far fewer resources than theirpeers in other school districts around the state. The Local

Control Funding Formula (LCFF) needs to be amended

to increase the base grant for ALL SCHOOL DISTRICTS.

As currently proposed, the LCFF:

1. Doesn't fulfill the promise made to voters who passedProposition 30 on the belief that all schools would see fundingrestored.

2. Sixty-five percent (65%) of the school districts locatedwithin the 23 counties that voted Yes on Prop 30 will receiveless money under the new formula than they would receive ifthe current school funding formula were fully restored.

3. Will treat one million students of equal need, unequally. Adisadvantaged student in a school district that is not fullyrestored will miss out on an average of $1,300 per year ofadditional support and services, compared to an equallydisadvantaged student in other districts.

SPUSD students will receive $700 more per student if

SB 69 passes.

SB 69 is supported by the California State PTA, SouthPasadena Unified School District (our board has signed aresolution in support) and many other districts in our area.

PLEASE CALL TODAY!Governor Jerry Brown: (916) 445-2841 Senator Darrell Steinberg: (916) 651-4006 President Pro Tempore of the Senate Assembly Member John Pérez: (916) 319-2053 Speaker of the Assembly

and tell them to add SB 69's revisions to the Local ControlFunding Formula. THANK YOU.

Counselors' Corner As we are quickly approaching the last days of

the 2012-2013 school year, the counselors are

finishing up meeting with all students as well

as preparing for next year.

Summer school sign ups are still available

through SPEF. You may pick up the packet from the SPEF office or

from the SPHS main office or download from spef4kids.org.

The counselors have been meeting representatives from various

colleges and universities to invite them to our campus in the fall.


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Judy Valdez

John Wierick

Amy Stillings

Jim Hughey

Elizabeth Von Bibre

Wendy Alison

Denise Tomlan

Toby Muller

Kathrine Winnie

Beate Hathaway

Daniel Pon

Wes Kennedy

Marvin Jackmon

Germaine Defendi

Brenda Vazquez

Colleen Donovan

Liya Ma

Lia Lohr

Catherine Lee

Cindy Moussas-Holmes

Therese Molina

Wish Night

Ann Messana

Alexandria Levitt

Thank You Parents! Many thanks to the SPHS

Staff Appreciation team

this year for the monthly

staff goodies you helped

to provide to our

deserving faculty and

staff! Our devoted

committee and

hospitality donors (listed

above) spent time

stuffing goodie bags and

setting up and serving

lunches and brunches for

teachers and staff.

SPHS VolunteersRecognizedOn May 15th, the PTSA

held its annual Honorary

School Service Awards

Luncheon in the SPHS

gym. School and district

administrators were

joined by SPHS staff,

teachers and parents to

recognize volunteers

The Greater Los Angeles National College Fair came to Pasadena on

April 24 to discuss admission and financial aid opportunities at their

respective institutions. Over 300 colleges were represented. We

were happy to see some of our students at the fair speaking with

representatives of future college choices! A few of our counselors

also attended NYU's luncheon extolling the opportunities for

prospective college students to apply to their other two campuses in

Abu Dhabi and Shanghai. All students, grades 9th to 11th are strongly

encouraged to list prospective schools in their Naviance college list

so when the respective representatives from the colleges visit SPHS,

an automatic email notification will be sent to the student.

For the past month, the counselors have met with every student for

programming their schedule for 2013-2014 year, including the

incoming 9th grade class. There will be no more changes made to

the schedule at this point, however, students may inquire about a

change of schedule with his/her assigned counselor in August when

school begins.

In addition, juniors are also being individually met with to review

their 11th grade Naviance packets, which are the prerequisites to

meeting with their counselors for college interviews in the fall. If

your child has not completed the assignments, please make sure

they do so as the information about your child is essential to writing

a detailed and succinct recommendation for the colleges of his/her

choice. We encourage all juniors to review their personal

statements with their counselor before the school year ends in June.

Juniors who have met with their counselor to review their personal

statement should use summer to revise it to make it a

representation of the wonderful and unique qualities of themselves.

Mandatory classroom presentations by administrators and counselors

for seniors were on the 16th and 17th of May, discussing important

dates and information concerning graduation and the last month of

school. All seniors are required to view this presentation. If they

missed it, they need to contact Mr. Dunn immediately. Please refer

to the letter sent by Ms. Anderson for detailed explanations or

further concerns.

Pasadena City College (PCC) is still accepting applications for the

fall. Please log on to their website www.pasadena.edu/for more

information.

We've had exciting guest speakers come visit the counseling office

throughout this school year. Students are always encouraged to

attend these presentations to learn more about different types of

careers and to hear the personal narrative of different individuals in

a variety of different career industries and sectors. This way,

students can gain insight as to the type of education and path to

take in order to achieve their career goals and interests. In the

month of May, we had a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nurse speak

on May 17, for students interested in healthcare and nursing. On May


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who have gone 'above

and beyond' to serve our

schools community. This

year's honorees included

parents/PTSA board

members Colleen

Donovan and

Patti Winkel

who received Continuing

School Service Awards,

and parents Karen

Veitch and Margie

Jones, and teacher

Daniel Enright who

received Honorary

School Service Awards.

Certificates of

Appreciation were

bestowed upon

parent/PTSA board

member Liz Price and

The Sustainability Club

(Seniors Austin Kahn,

Ella Hardy and Angelise

Slifkin, and teacher Don

Wielenga). Donations

from these awards help

fund the Seniors

Scholarships.

CLUB Mini GrantProgram! The PTSA budgets funds

to grant SPHS campus

clubs for activities that

further the clubs'

purposes. In order to

qualify for a grant, clubs

must fill out an

application and prepare a

budget to show the need.

Here are the clubs that

received support during

the 2012-13 school year

from the PTSA:

* Environmental

Club - $250 towards

plantings in the

Arroyo

* Squash Club - $110

31, 2013, our last guest speaker enlightened students about a career

in interior design and fashion.

We hope you and your family has a safe and relaxing summer break

and we will see you in the fall.

Regards,

The SPHS Counseling Department

Dania Bowen, Olinda Cazares, Marylin Garcia, Tracy Ishimaru,

Sandra Koeper, Maria Long and Claire Zee

Programs Wrap-Up SPHS parents, students and staff met monthly for a variety of

stimulating educational forums and book club discussions this year.

Programs included: Everything You Wanted to Know About SPHS

(9/10/12); Counseling Department Presentation & Naviance Workshop

for Parents (9/24/12); No More Homework Police: Time Management

Strategies That Work with Barbara Hoskins (for Students and

Parents 10/29/12); PTSA Book Club Discussion: Getting to Calm by

Laura Kastner and Jennifer Wyatt (11/5/12); Time Worth Spending:

Raising Financially Responsible Teens (12/3/12); Beyond High School:

College Admissions and Careers (1/28/13); PTSA Book Club Discussion:

Teach Your Children Well by Madeline Levine (2/20/13); Monday

Night Live with comedian and SPHS Dad, Don Friesen

(2/25/13); Calmer, Easier, Happier Family Life with Teens with Noel

Janis-Norton (4/17/13); A Presentation from Day One about Underage

Drinking (5/20/13). Thanks to all who participated in these events --

to the parents who attended so enthusiastically, and the speakers

who gave us their time and considerable expertise.

The Programs Committee will be meeting over the summer to plan

for next year's events. We want to plan programs that speak to you!

A short survey will soon be gracing your inbox so that we can get

your feedback about this year's programs and suggestions for future

topics, speakers and book titles. Please help us out -- it will only

take a few minutes to complete. If you are interested in joining the

committee, please contact Stephanie Foley at

[email protected].

PTSA Scholarships - Congratulations!Six seniors were awarded PTSA scholarships for their achievements

during the Senior Awards Night on June 5th. Mason Wierick was

recognized for overcoming adversity as winner of the $500 First

District PTA Commemorative Scholarship. The SPHS PTSA also

handed out $500 to five winners of the Distinguished Service

Scholarship who displayed outstanding service and involvement with

their community and school: Charlotte Gleeson, Evelyn Lee, Paul

Messana, Lena Novak, and Nicolas Sullivan.

Jamba Juice Sip to Support - Program Changes If you shop at Jamba Juice, please sign up

for their loyalty card program! It is easy,

and every purchase you make using the card

benefits our school. Simply click here:


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towards uniforms

* Look Club - $155

towards sponsoring a

child

* Investment Club -

$220 towards tickets

to DECA Conference

* Virtual Business

-$300 towards metro

passes for NYC

Competition

* Academic

Decathlon- $305

towards their

Summer Institute

* Brick by Brick Lego

Club - lego

donations from

members

The PTSA thanks

everyone for letting us

support their wonderful

programs!

Reflections ProgramThe National PTA

Reflections theme for

2013-14 is "Believe,

Dream, Inspire".

Submissions are accepted

in six categories: Dance

Choreography, Film

Production, Literature,

Music Composition,

Photography, Visual Arts.

Submissions will be due

in October, on a date

TBD. Questions? Contact

Felicia Chi

[email protected].

Senior Awards NightThe annual Senior Awards

Night welcomed families,

faculty, and students to

honor graduating seniors

with more than 50

jambajuice.marqeta.com, register for the

program, select South Pasadena High School

PTSA as your organization to support and

your card will arrive in the mail within a week. (Our local Jamba

Juice is #89 on the list, but you can use your card at any location.)

Act fast! Sign ups in June result in more money for the school - and

you can enjoy a smoothie summer knowing you are also making a

difference! Right now if you load $1 on your card, Jamba will give

you $5 more...where else can you get a return on your investment

like that?

Questions? Contact Julie Giulioni, [email protected].

Class Notes

These last few months have been very busy

for the senior officers. On April 23rd we

had ice cream rejection. This is a really

fun event that unites the senior class.

Every senior gets one scoop of ice cream

per college rejection! The next day we had

the cst picnic. While the other grades

started their cst testing the seniors

gathered for a BBQ at the pool. We had

music, pizza and the field open for games.

At the picnic seniors voted on the senior song and requested

graduation seating. The senior song the class of 2013 chose is

September by Earth, Wind and Fire! Friday May 3rd was college

sweater day! Seniors represented the schools they will be attending

next fall and drew their school logos with chalk on the tiger patio!

The senior officers have been planning ahead for baccalaureate,

senior breakfast and graduation! We informed seniors about all

important dates last Friday at a senior class meeting. The class of

2013 has a bittersweet feeling going into our last few weeks

together! We have had a great four years together at SPHS and we

will be sad to see them go!

-- Annie Toffoli, Senior Secretary

It has been one hec�c year, but it is now

coming to a close! The Junior Class has

beenwas busy with Prom for most of April,

selling Prom Tickets for 4 weeks! The Junior

Class has also had the opportunity to go

visit the site during school hours, which was really fun! Prom turned

out to be a very wonderful surprise, due to the expecta�ons for it

being very low, making the guests at Prom really enjoyed the dance.

Overall, the Juniors have now se&led the Prom situa�on, and are now

star�ng to slowly dial down for summer.

--Brennan Yu, Junior Secretary


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monetary and honorary

awards. The event, held

on June 5th, awarded

nearly $200,000 in

scholarship funds to

deserving seniors from a

wide variety of local

community and school

organizations, as well as

from current and former

SPHS families. Notable

awards include the

Weldon Fair Play Award,

Aydin Salek Leadership

Scholarship, Kathryn

Larkin Crary

Sportsmanship Award,

Andy Wang Spirit Award,

and Karen Offenhauser

Outstanding Senior

Award. The event also

acknowledged

valedictorians and the

salutatorian of the class

of 2013. For a complete

list of award winners,

click here.

Become a Member!

It is never to late in the

school year too join the

PTSA. Parents, students,

and teachers are

encouraged to join the

PTSA. Membership is only

$7 and comes with many

benefits! Please join

today (by clicking here)

and support the SPHS

PTSA!

Quick Links First District PTA

California State PTA

National PTA

Stay Up to Date!Visit the PTSA Website

located on the SPHS

The school year is coming to a close way

too quickly! The sophomore officers have

been doing a lot of fundraisers, but now,

our main goal is to plan a super awesome

Last Chance Dance. The goal of this dance

is to give the school one more chance to hang out with friends and

have fun together, so we want it to be perfect! We're working with

the freshmen officers and the incoming sophomore and junior

officers on this dance, so it requires a lot of communication and

great organization skills. Our theme as of right now is "Dancing in the

Moonlight", and we plan on having a "Last Chance

Confessions/Goodbyes" wall that people can write on. The dance is

going off to a great start, so there are sunny skies ahead on our ASB

forecast. We've also done some fundraising these past few months,

such as selling Arizona tea and our class crew neck sweaters. The

design comes from sophomore Timothy Wong, and it's been pretty

popular to the class so far. This year has been super amazing and

fantastic, and we look forward to seeing the fresh new faces of the

2013-2014 ASB soon!

-- Karen Hsueh, Sophomore Secretary

The Freshman officers have been busy with

a number of activities. Firstly, we ordered

and distributed Welch's Fruit Snacks for all

freshmen during the CSTs. The snack was

very popular and the vending machine

company donated them to us, saving us a

lot of funds! One week later, the freshmen

had their last day of physical fitness

testing, and we held our yearly Freshman

Pool Party! We had snacks and drinks, and many students enjoyed it.

TigerLinks also attempted many fundraising activities during the

party, but they proved to be unsuccessful. After the pool party, three

of the officers went to help the sophomores with coat check at prom.

Since then, we've had two fundraisers, a Menchies and a Lucky Boy

Late Start, and we are now finishing up plans with the sophomores

on the Last Chance Dance. We've had an amazing year, and now that

elections are over, we wish the next officers luck for next year!

-- Jaydon Krooss, Freshman Secretary

SPHS Club Causes LEGO Mania at Public LibraryPTSA Support Greatly Appreciated!

The South Pasadena High School

Brick by Brick Club would like to

thank everyone who helped

support the club through the

donation of assorted LEGOs! Your

donations made it possible for us

to reach our goal of enhancing

creativity within the community.

Another thank you to everyone


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Home Page for the latest

information.

who attended the "LEGO Mania"

event at the South Pasadena

Public Library! The two events

were a big hit and we hope to

host more in the coming

months!

Forward email

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South Pasadena High School PTSA | 1401 Fremont Avenue | South Pasadena | CA | 91030


9 of 9 6/10/2013 9:54 AM

in this issue a message from our principal · june 2013 in this issue volunteer power appreciation...

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