Two ad hoc committees have been established to help the Board of Education make a final ruling on two major problems: Smoking (recent legislation has made smoking on campus legal at the discretion of the local school board) and Graduation requirements.
Arcadia High School graduation requirements were defined and settled after considerable discussion by the Board of Education at the regular meeting last week.
A curriculum change instituted by the Arcadia Board of Education means there will be 10 more science classes offered in September for Arcadia High School students.
Since October 1975 a committee of citizens, teachers and
administrators have been studying requirements for graduation from high school. They recommend raising the units needed to graduate from 160 to 170. The School Board will vote on this proposal on April 14.
The Arcadia Board of Education will study the environmental impact of new uses and the addition of lights at Dana and First Avenue Middle schools and the Arcadia High School softball field.
James Romo, an education attorney and school district volunteer, has been selected to fill the vacant seat on the Arcadia School board. He will replace Michael Lamb, who resigned from the board last month.
Dr. Kay Clifford, president of the Board of Education and candidate for re-election, has dropped out of the race. Clifford has been called on a 3-year mission for his church.
A decline in enrollment which has threatened to close one of Arcadia's 3 junior high schools appears to be less precipitous than anticipated, and may even be leveling off. According to official figures presented by the Arcadia Board of Education, there has been a loss of 164 students, far less that the drop of 429 that was expected.
Former two-term Arcadia Board of Education member and longtime Arcadia resident Robert E. Kladifko was recently named California School Administrator of the year in the high school principal category by the Association of California School Administrators.
First Avenue Junior High has been nominated as a 1990 California Distinguished School by the State Department of Education. First Avenue will be one of six schools in Los Angeles County to be so nominated.
Incumbents Maryann Gibson, John McClain, and James Romo, are the only candidates so far to request school board candidacy papers. Forms must be filed by Jan. 17.
Arcadia Unified School District school board refuses to reinstate James O'Brien as the cross country coach. The school board expressed appreciation for all the individuals who shared their perspectives on the Arcadia High School cross country program at the Board of Education meetings. Mr. O'Brien continues to be employed as a teacher at Arcadia High School. Coaching assignments are made on a year-to-year basis.
Arcadia High School offers unique courses to provide further collegiate opportunity. For over 50 years, Arcadia High School has offered a variety of Career Technical Education (CTE) courses, allowing students to gain hands-on experience, such as in graphic design, engineering, computer science, dance, stagecraft, video production, and sports medicine.