Classroom of the future is in Arcadia. Arcadia Unified School District embraces AltSchool's "Personalized Learning" technology in an experimental lab that has flexible seating, desks and walls that can be written on, hanging chairs, an observation room, Google Jam Board, and other tools and techniques not typically used in other public schools.
Arcadia Mayor's Breakfast / State of the City and Methodist Hospital update at Community Connections by Joan Schmidt. Mayor Peter Amundson was born and raised in Arcadia and spoke about what a great city it is to live, love, learn and leave a legacy. He spoke about the great Arcadia Public Library with its 42 high tech computers.
Arcadia wine seller Rudy Kurniawan, 35, was arrested on suspicion of trying to sell $1.3 million worth of counterfeit wine and fraudulently obtaining millions of dollars in loans.
Arcadia Unified School District upgraded and improved four campuses over summer break, costing nearly $10 million. Funded under the district's $218 million Measure I Bond, the four schools that got updated classrooms and facilities are Arcadia High School, Camino Grove Elementary, Hugo Reid Elementary, and Highland Oaks Elementary schools.
Arcadia Unified School District (AUSD) Deputy Superintendent Robert Leri has resigned. Arcadia High School Principal David Vannasdall will take on the additional role of Deputy Superintendent March 1 and leave his job as principal at end of school year to become Deputy Superintendent. Other personnel changes within the school district. AUSD is trying to cover a projected $7 million annual budget deficit with a proposed 5-year parcel tax. Arcadia Educational Foundation is doing its annual solicitation.
Gilb Museum of Arcadia Heritage will have a groundbreaking for its Education Center at 5:30 PM on September 29. The 2,650 square foot Education Center will have classrooms for educational programming such as art, crafts, lectures, children's and senior activities. The building will provide the space needed for current activities and will allow for future expansion of Museum and recreation programs. The Arcadia Museum Education Center is a joint effort of the City of Arcadia and the Arcadia Historical Museum Foundation. The budget for the building is $877,339 with $500,000 of that donated by the Foundation. It should be open by May 2014.
A parcel tax in Arcadia appears to pass. Voters appear to have narrowly approved a parcel tax measure that will raise $3.4 million for the Arcadia Unified School District each year for the next five years, according to preliminary results. If the outcome is finalized, property owners would pay $228 per parcel per year in an effort to stave off additional cuts in the classroom. Measure A, which required a two-thirds vote to pass, was approved by 67.61% of those who voted in the district's boundaries. The vote should be finalized tomorrow.
City of Arcadia kicks off holiday season with second annual tree lighting celebration on December 2, 5-8 PM at Arcadia Transit Plaza, at the corner of Santa Clara Street and North First Avenue.
Arcadia Unified School District takes on social media in a new way. AUSD's Public Information Officer Ryan Foran, said, "Social media is an essential tool for our communication outreach plan..." Foran has formed a Digital Communications internship program for Arcadia High School students in advanced communications and journalism.
Arcadia High School senior Ryan Leung earns perfect AP exam score on the AP College Board's Computer Science A exam in 2017. He is among only 111 other students on Earth who got perfect scores on this exam. His teacher was Brent Reiske. See also Arcadia Weekly, p. 1, 11, April 5, 2018.
4th Annual Downtown Arcadia Patriotic Festival, an Independence Day celebration, takes place on First Avenue between Bonita Street and Diamond Street, Sunday, July 1, 5-9 PM.
Arcadia Planning Commission denies Marvin Fong's plan for a large development at 2236 Hollis Lane. The proposed project is 4 times larger than the existing property, which upset a grass roots group effort to prevent "mansionization."