WE CELEBRATED OUR TEACHER GRANTS WITH A PARADE Our amazing 2020-21 PEF Teacher Grant winners decorated their cars and received their awards at the first-ever teacher celebratory parade in front of the PUSD district headquarters building. This year, 181 educators received awards representing 124 unique proposals from every school in…...
Scholarship Spotlights 2020
While high school graduations definitely looked different this year, one thing remains the same—the amazing talent, spirit, passion, and strength of Pasadena Unified’s graduating seniors. Every year, the Pasadena Educational Foundation recognizes the achievements, accomplishments, talents, and financial need of our students through our College Scholarships Program. Some scholarships are…...
Celebrating the New Hopes and Dreams Scholarship
Celebrating the Inaugural Year of the Hopes and Dreams Scholarship In the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the following protests and campaigns for greater accountability and equality in our economic, political, and social systems, current Marshall parents Martin and Katrina Ortega had been thinking about how they could support…...
Celebrating the Manwani Family Scholarship in 2020
Celebrating the Manwani Family Scholarship in 2020 by Brianna Chu In its second year, the Manwani Family Scholarship is a scholarship specifically for Marshall Fundamental graduates, created by Marshall alumnus Bhart Manwani. Mr. Manwani and his older brother attended Don Benito Fundamental School and then Marshall Fundamental School after they…...
Celebrating the Norman Schmidt Visual Arts Scholarship in 2020
Celebrating the Norman Schmidt Visual Arts Scholarship in 2020 by Brianna Chu The Norman Schmidt Visual Arts Scholarship is named after the beloved Director of Art and art teacher, recognized by fellow teachers and students alike for his deep love of art, great smile…and his signature moustache and red socks!…...
Teacher Grants Spotlight: Nurturing Communication Skills with STEM and Storytelling
by Brianna Chu Technology can be used for many different purposes, not just scientific ones. Washington Elementary STEM Magnet third grade teacher, Janice Sandberg, thought it would be great for her third grade class to collaborate with the kindergarten class to create their own stories by coding using KIBO. KIBO…...
Teacher Grants: Chemistry in Action at Pasadena High School
by Brianna Chu Pasadena High School chemistry teacher Roger Baar wanted a way to physically demonstrate an essential technique in chemistry – determining melting points of elements – to his five chemistry classes. To do so, he purchased two melting stations with which his classes could perform labs. These melting…...
Teacher Grants: Adventures in 2D and 3D Art Techniques
by Brianna Chu Art instructor Violeta Lerma wanted to branch out into different art media with her students, so she introduced watercolor Impressionism and basket weaving into her curriculum with support from her PEF Teacher Grant. The first new assignment incorporated Impressionist and watercolor techniques into a landscape painting, allowing…...
Teacher Grants: Reading Matter(s)
Reading Matter(s) with La Libreria and the Blair Dual Language Immersion Program by Brianna Chu The value of books and reading is never underestimated by teachers, and their impact on Blair’s dual language immersion program perfectly demonstrates the power of a good book. Teacher Elizabeth Najera for Blair’s Dual Language…...
Teacher Grants: Raising Rainbow Trout for Project STREAM
Reconnecting an increasingly urbanized population of youth to the systems of streams, rivers, and watersheds that sustain them. by Brianna Chu At Sierra Madre Middle School, science teacher Ravi Dev Anandhan (aka Mr. Dev) wanted to help his students better connect with the concepts of water quality and ecosystems, especially…...
