Sports
Entertainment
Local Football, page 4
Vol. 54, No. 15
“The Pitch, page 6
Serving the San Gabriel Valley Since 1966
August 30, 2017
EMCSD Welcomes Students Back in a Big Way! by Arlene Bury El Monte
Across the El Monte City School District, students were warmly welcomed back to a new school year. At Cherrylee School the students were greeted with colorful signs, balloons, and music as they entered the school. Teachers and staff lined up to cheer on the students and parents as they walked in. There were smiles all around and a general feeling of celebration and love. “Wow! I never expected this!” exclaimed Florence Salmon, a Cherrylee parent. She went on to say, “This is amazing! What a great way to get the whole community involved in celebrating education.” The special welcome back was the idea of Cherrylee’s new principal, Doris Tran. “I wanted to start the year off with fun and excitement,” she said. “Students who are motivated to learn have higher achievement and show better understanding of the concepts they are taught.” “I feel happy because the teach-
ers make me feel happy,” said second grader Analeah Ledesma after she had walked through the welcome area. Cherrylee sixth grader Joaquin Salcedo said, “The teachers care about us and I think that’s something that makes our school really special.” At Gidley School students were treated like celebrities with a red carpet welcome as the “paparazzi” took pictures. Bubbles filled the air along with music and brightly colored silly string. Teachers held welcome back signs and high fived the students as they walked in. Wilkerson School also offered a red carpet to their student celebrities. One student remarked, “This makes me feel so special!” Potrero School students were greeted by a large chalk sidewalk sign that read “Welcome Back Potrero Lions” - complete with lion mascot and paw prints. Durfee School had perhaps the
Courtesy Photo EMCSD Welcomes Students continued on page 8
Mountain View School Students and Staff View the Eclipse by Michele Earle El Monte
Adding to the thrill of the first day of school for students in the Mountain View School District was the first Total Solar Eclipse to be visible from coast to coast in the United States in almost 100 years. Equipped with their District provided protective glasses, students and staff members gathered outside their classrooms and offices to view the unique spectacle. As they watched the moon slowly move across the sun, students described it as awesome, pretty, cool, incredible and a few thought it looked like the moon was taking a bite out of the sun. “This is so cool,” said a 5th grader at Cogswell School who modified his protective glasses with pens to make sure they stayed on. “The eclipse makes the sun look amazing, he added as he gazed upward.” At Magnolia Learning Center students viewed the eclipse and tracked its progression by recording their observations. “Our students had a great time learning about and viewing the eclipse,” said Terri Thomas, admin-
istrator. “They reviewed information from CNN and NASA and tracked their observations as they watched it occur. It was a great experience for them.”
Even though we didn’t get to see the eclipse in totality here in Southern California, the partial solar eclipse was a great experience for all to see.
Courtesy Photos