A 'Rewarding' Night for San Marino High's Class of 2011 (San Marino Patch article)

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A 'Rewarding' Night for San Marino High's Class of 2011

Hundreds upon hundreds of people packed the stands to cheer on San Marino High School's seniors during their graduation ceremony Friday night

By Justin Chapman, San Marino Patch, 6/11/2011

The energy and excitement was palpable Friday night as 's Class of 2011 graduation ceremony got underway in Titan Stadium on campus. As the seniors filed into their seats on the field, males in blue gowns and females in white, their families and friends cheered enthusiastically from the stands for their loved ones' special day.
Several speakers gave inspiring and nostalgic remarks to the graduating class, including , as well as when Woods departs. During his remarks, Woods proclaimed to the graduating seniors, "Class of 2011, the 21st century belongs to you!"
Before the ceremony got underway, however, several graduating students spoke to Patch about their experience at the school and their plans for the future as they gathered in the auditorium for last minute preparations.
"I'm definitely happy to be finally graduating, but sad as well," said Dylan Stevens, who plans to go to Pasadena City College and transfer to USC for film school. "It's bittersweet because I'm definitely going to miss it. Playing football, hanging out with everybody, they're my childhood friends, you know? I definitely feel like the school prepared me for college. San Marino High is one of the top schools in the nation. But everybody, including me, are ready for college."
Benjamin Park, who found out the morning of the evening ceremony that he would be graduating, said he felt great to finally be graduating.
"My plans are to go to PCC and I'm going to take some general education classes while taking some cooking classes, and if I'm into cooking then I'm going to transfer to a culinary school," said Park. "But if I'm not into it then I'm going to continue my GE's and then transfer out."
Park agreed that the school helped him prepare for the future, including such aspects as social skills and time management. Sharon Lam, however, felt the school should have focused more on skills for job interviews, even though she said they did a good job academically. She will be attending UC Davis next semester to study biochemistry.
Laurent Laiez said it's a relief to be graduating because the workload was pretty stressful. He will be going to PCC for two years and then plans to transfer to USC to get a four year degree.
"It is amazing to finally be graduating," said Derek Barker. "I've been here all four years through all the ups and downs and it feels so rewarding to be here. Next year I'm pursuing a career in post-production film editing. I'm going to Columbia College in Chicago. I'm very excited to start that and cannot wait. This school definitely prepared me for college and real life. I have a really good background in my academics and everything else outside of school because of San Marino High School. The teachers and the faculty here provided a really good supportive system for me so I feel like I'm really ready to go out there and get started."
After the ceremony faculty, graduates, and their families and friends gathered in the quad to share their excitement before the seniors were whisked away to the gym for their celebratory Grad Night extravaganza.
Superintendent Woods said, "This graduation was the culmination of four years of excellence."











Pasadena Police Host Open House at Altadena Heliport (Altadena Patch article)

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Pasadena Police Host Open House at Altadena Heliport

On Saturday the Pasadena PD's Air Operations section hosted an open house of their heliport, located in Altadena, in a PR effort to help stem the rising tide of complaints coming from both Pasadena and Altadena residents about the noise

By Justin Chapman, Altadena Patch, 6/6/2011

UPDATED: For years Pasadenans have complained to the city and the Police Department about what they see as nuisance helicopters that fly and even hover above their houses on a regular basis late into the night without explanation. A group of Northwest Pasadena residents have even formed a group, Pasadena DMZ (for demilitarization), to bring their concerns to the City Council but so far to no avail.
In an attempt to address these growing complaints, the Air Operations Division of the Police Department held another open house Saturday at their heliport, which is located on Yucca Lane in Altadena. Staged demonstrations were also presented to show the audience how the Police Department utilizes helicopters in different ways.
Hundreds of people showed up to learn about the department's fleet, which includes a recently purchased MD500E model helicopter that the department claims is quieter because of the number of blades it uses, and a lot of the other equipment both the street officers and the airborne officers use to fight crime.
This reporter first wrote about the conflict between Northwest Pasadena residents and the Pasadena PD's use of helicopters for the Pasadena Weekly in December 2009.
The Altadena Sheriff's Department dispatches its helicopters from the LA County Sheriff's Department's heliport in Long Beach, but for emergency situations the Altadena Sheriffs have contracted with the Pasadena police to request their help in exchange for deputies helping police near unclear borders along Pasadena and Altadena.
Even some Altadenans have a problem with the noise the helicopters generate, the odd flight hours, the necessity of using them as a crime fighting tool instead of putting more officers on the ground, and the cost associated with purchasing and maintaining helicopters and equipment.
When asked if they'd heard of noise and other complaints regarding the helicopters from Altadenans, both Pasadena Police Chief Philip Sanchez and Lt. Michael Ingram, who took over as head commander of Air Operations after Capt. Mulhall retired last December, said they had not.
"We haven't received complaints from Altadenans," said Ingram. "In fact, we've got a great relationship with the neighborhood. We have certain flight routes in and out of the heliport to minimize the impact on the community around here."
Sanchez said he's even seen complaints go down since the purchase of the newer, quieter helicopter, which he says flies "quite a bit quieter." He said they try to use that particular aircraft during the evening hours when noise is more sensitive.
"Surprisingly, no, we have not heard of complaints from Altadenans," said Sanchez. "I think that they're acutely aware that the heliport is here. I think the neighborhood associations do a pretty good job of educating new residents about those kinds of things, so they do a real good job in that regard."
However, several Altadenans spoke to Patch about their concerns regarding the helicopters, which they say have been going on for years.
"My mom lives east of Lincoln and I remember even as a kid being bothered by the noise of the helicopters," said 25-year-old Colin Burton. "I would wake up to the house rattling and search lights from the helicopters shining in and around my house."
Two Altadena residents, who live right next to the heliport and requested to remain anonymous, said they used to be really upset about the noise from the helicopters but that they realized there was nothing they could do about it. Over the years they said they've gotten used to the noise, but still consider it a nuisance.
Life-long Altadena resident Joseph Stabile recalled an incident recently where a Sheriff's helicopter circled his house and surrounding houses for almost an hour.
"I hear this helicopter and it's circling around my house at first," said Stabile. "I was near the center until it started flying in bigger circles, keeping me at the edge of where it was flying, like it seemed it was watching me in my backyard. After about 30 minutes I called the Sheriff's Department and they said they couldn't tell me anything about it for give me any information about what was going on. I asked to speak to the watch commander and they said the same thing, basically, 'You don't need to know.'
He said the helicopter flew in circles very low to the ground, around 200 to 300 feet, for about 50 minutes.
"That's not that high up," he said. "Helicopters are really loud when they're that low. It was rattling my house and I was getting pissed off. Within three or four minutes after I called the Sheriff's station, the helicopter left."
Pasadena DMZ, which was founded by Ricardo Costa, once a candidate for Congress on the Green Party ticket, recently held a meeting and is in the process of drafting a study that will be presented to the City Council. If rejected, the group plans to pursue conducting the study on their own.
"We committed to collecting signatures demanding the study, and to push for an actual policy regarding dispatching," said Costa. "Chief Sanchez has said he won't 'tie his officers' hands,' which means no policy unless it is demanded."
The Altadena Sheriff's, however, is so underequipped that their policy is to dispatch helicopters only when they're needed for a call, according to Lt. Joseph Dempsey. He also said that he hasn't heard many complaints about the noise but noted that besides search and rescue helicopters they rarely dispatch their crime-fighting helicopters.
"Generally speaking, we get inquires all the time about why the helicopters are flying around," said Dempsey. "The majority of the time we let them know what's going on, unless it's an operation that we're not supposed to release information about. Generally we tell them what we can tell them as quickly as possible because we have a lot going on. Regarding the complaints about noise, it's just one of those things where there's not much we can do about it."






Community Yard Sale Ready to Go for Saturday (Sierra Madre Patch article)

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Community Yard Sale Ready to Go for Saturday

The Senior Community Commission provided an update on next Saturday’s Community Yard Sale, which still has plenty of room for those who want to rent a space for a booth, and approved a few expenditures for the Hart House Senior Center

By Justin Chapman, Sierra Madre Patch, 6/6/2011

Everything's a go for next Saturday's Community Yard Sale, announced Susan Clifton, the Recreational Coordinator for Senior Services, at Thursday afternoon's Senior Community Commission meeting.
So far 10 booths have been rented out and paid for as of Wednesday night, according to Clifton, leaving plenty of room for anyone who wants to participate by either donating items to be sold or by renting out their own space for a booth.
The Senior Commission will have its own booth that people can donate larger items to the day of the June 11 yard sale or smaller items beforehand at the Community Recreation Office, located at 611 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. The booth will be staffed by most of the commissioners, all of whom have volunteered to help in some way, either by donating items to sell, lending items such as tables, shelves and clothing racks to display items for sale, or by taking turns manning the booth.
"Things are moving along and everything's on course for Saturday's yard sale," said Clifton. "I think there will be a good showing and it will pique a lot of interest. I know I've taken some phone calls and we're starting to get some calls from people who are not necessarily wanting a booth but wanting to give something to (the commission's booth). A work order has gone in for some of the barricades and necessary tables and chairs that we'll be using and the canopy for the commission's booth. We've been doing different types of PR with the eBlast and a press release, among other things."
She said what was interesting is that some of the people who reserved spots early are from out of town, including as far away as Alhambra and San Dimas. That was an indication to her that the word is getting out there about this event.
The yard sale will take place from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the parking lot of the Sierra Vista Park next to City Hall. The cost to rent a space for a booth is $25, which will help pay for senior programs and activities, such as the renovation of the Hart Park House Senior Center and other events approved by the Senior Commission, such as the annual Seniors Rock party.
According to a city press release by Elisa Weaver, Director of Community and Personnel Services, "Participants (of the yard sale) have the opportunity to clean out their garages, attics, storage sheds and closets without sending those valuable items to (the) landfill. Participants must provide their own tables, chairs, canopies (10'x10' maximum) and cash boxes. No electricity will be provided. Live animals, large canopies, and selling food or drinks are prohibited. All business must be conducted within your space."
For those who want to participate in the Community Yard Sale, you can register online at www.cityofsierramadre.com/onlineregisteration or in person at the Community Recreation Office, located at 611 E. Sierra Madre Blvd, until spaces are filled. Other activities will be going on in the park, but parking spaces and the area of the yard sale itself will be specifically reserved and marked off beginning Friday night until after the sale ends Saturday and all the booths are removed and the parking lot is cleaned.
Additional Meeting Items
Also at Thursday's meeting, commissioners approved a list of items to be paid for by their own General Fund, including using $800 to hire musician Danny Dean along with a four-piece band to play at the upcoming Seniors Rock Concert in the Park as well as no more than $300 to pay for other expenses for that event, using another $800 to pay for a new ping pong table for the senior center after staff does more research on a quality table for that amount, and using no more than $125 to purchase one web cam and a set of speakers for one of the two computers in the senior center as a test run for seniors to use Skype to talk to long-distance relatives and friends.
At the commission's next meeting on July 7, they will discuss the reorganization of the commission following Commissioner and Vice Chair Alice Hultsman's departure this month (who received a bouquet of flowers from her fellow commissioners at Thursday's meeting, which is to be her last), more fundraising opportunities like the Seniors Rock event and a wrap up of the Community Yard Sale, an update on the Hart Park House Senior Center renovation, and the upcoming Fall Health Fair.


Photo Gallery: Sacred Heart Graduation (La Cañada-Flintridge Patch article)

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Photo Gallery: Sacred Heart Graduation

It was a joyous day at the Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy’s graduation for 98 seniors

By Justin Chapman, La Cañada-Flintridge Patch, 6/6/2011

Sacred Heart, the all-girls Catholic school, held its graduation ceremonies on Sunday evening, and the ceremony was beautifully executed on Crane Field, atop a hill with an exquisite view of the San Gabriel Valley mountains.
A full story--as well as video interviews with graduating seniors and the school's president, Sister Carolyn McCormack--will follow shortly. For now, take a look at these proud, intelligent, beautiful seniors on their day of glory.











Nearly 100 Seniors Say Goodbye to Sacred Heart (La Cañada-Flintridge Patch article)

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Nearly 100 Seniors Say Goodbye to Sacred Heart

Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, the all-girls Catholic school at the top of the hill overlooking La Cañada, held its graduation ceremony on Crane Field Sunday with an exquisite view of the San Gabriel mountains behind the gorgeous seniors

By Justin Chapman, La Cañada-Flintridge Patch, 6/6/2011

While the stunning seniors, dolled up in their pure white dresses gloves, lined up for official graduation photos, the eight-year president of the school, Sister Carolyn McCormack, talked to Patch about how she feels blessed to run what she called "the most beautiful school in the world."
Before moving to Southern California, Sister McCormack grew up in San Francisco and became a principal of another all-girls Catholic school there.
"We have a beautiful, beautiful campus, but by far the beauty of our school is those beautiful girls you're looking at," she said. "And not just physical beauty, which they have, but also they're intelligent, articulate, well-rounded, and they're going to great schools across the country next semester. Our programs provide an education for them that allow them to step out into colleges and universities with confidence, with self-knowledge, and with excitement. So it's a great day for us today."
Several of the 98 graduating seniors of Class of 2011 spoke with Patch as well about their challenging yet rewarding experience at the school and their plans for next year. Their level of excitement was palpable and contagious.
"It feels good to graduate," said Anna Ramirez. "I'm definitely done. I'm ready for college. I definitely think they prepared us, and I'm definitely ready to leave."
Ramirez plans to attend Glendale Community College for two years and then transfer to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to study engineering.
"It feels really great to be graduating," said Kristine Locker, who attended Sacred Heart all four years. "It's awesome! Next year I'm attending SMU and I will be studying I-have-no-idea-what yet, but it's OK, and I'll try to figure it out there."
Locker agreed that Sacred Heart prepared her for college but hopes the first year will be a breeze. Ali de Oca, one of the ceremony's Valedictorians and the winner of the Tolog Award, noted that Sacred Heart was no breeze.
"It's amazing to be finally graduating because these have been a really stressful four years and now that it's all over, it feels really great," said de Oca. Next year she's going to Berkeley to study business.
Two long-time friends who went to grade school and Sacred Heart together, Alanna Piros and Sara Rosenberger, were especially excited to be graduating because their paths will continue to parallel when they both room together next year at UCLA.
"We're going to have a really good time," Piros laughed. She also added that she will miss the high school on the hill. "I love this place. It was very challenging but the teachers are absolutely wonderful and the girls are magnificent. I love them. I'm excited to move on, but it's kind of nerve wracking, so we'll see how the ceremony goes."
"I feel like I'm ready," said Piros' friend Rosenberger. "I'm excited about graduating and I plan on majoring in economics."
Another pair of friends, Alex Lopez and Elie Franks, who will both be studying business at the University of Colorado at Boulder and UCLA, respectively, spoke to Patch about the friendly and welcoming environment at Sacred Heart.
"I love the whole all-girls environment," said Lopez. "I was really active. I was on the ASB, I ran cross country, and I just love the community here."
"It feels like home," added Franks. "I think since it's an all-girls school we all feel like sisters. We're all comfortable around each other."
"We all have our group of friends," said Lopez, "but you can mix and be friends with everyone."
Before the sun dipped behind the mountains and the cold wind swept through, the graduation ceremony went off without a hitch. Sister McCormack gave the invocation before the Valedictorians and the student body president gave their speeches. A few of the seniors joined a couple other musicians to perform the song "I Hope You Dance."
Tears of joy and nostalgia filled their eyes as the Sacred Heart Class of 2011 threw their red roses into the air and officially graduated from high school, ready to enter the next phase of their lives.


Winning Smile: Flintridge Sacred Heart Grad Earns Honors (La Cañada-Flintridge Patch article)

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Winning Smile: Flintridge Sacred Heart Grad Earns Honors

The women of Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy bid adieu to high school Sunday, as they set their sights on the future

By Justin Chapman, La Cañada-Flintridge Patch, 6/6/2011

Valedictorian and graduating senior Ali de Oca shows off the awards she won during the ceremony Sunday evening, during which she gave a heart tugging speech about her time at .
Please check back on LCF Patch for a graduation photo gallery and story.


Police Helicopter Arrest Simulation (Altadena Patch article)

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Video: Police Helicopter Arrest Simulation

At the Pasadena's Police Department heliport open house in Altadena on Saturday, Pasadena PD showed off some simulated arrests using their air fleet

By Justin Chapman, Altadena Patch, 6/6/2011

Saturday's Pasadena Police Department Air Operations open house event featured two demonstrations of how they might use their helicopters in conjunction with their police officers, SWAT, and canine teams.
We can't vouch for how authentic these simulations might be but the crowds at the event certainly appeared to enjoy them.
For more on the event and Altadena residents' reaction to helicopter noise from Pasadena Police operations, check out .
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