South Pasadena Unified Tidbits

News from South Pasadena Unified.

By News Desk

South Pasadena Middle and High School Choirs Soar in Music Festival

On April 27, 2024, these two ensembles competed at the Verdugo Hills A Cappella Scholarship Festival. SPMS Advanced Choir placed 2nd, earning a $5,500 scholarship. SPHS Choir placed 6th, earning another $5,500 scholarship. The scholarship money will be used for purchasing instruments, buying sheet music, hiring accompanists, and paying for buses.

This is the third year both choirs have participated in the event. During the competition, each choir performs two (a cappella) songs and are adjudicated in nine categories (tone, balance, blend, diction, interpretation, rhythm, intonation, general effect, and music selection).

To hear the choirs perform live, attend these upcoming events:

• SPHS Choir Concert – May 22, 6:00 & 7:30 pm (SPHS Little Theater)
• SPMS Music Fest – May 29, 5:00 pm (SPMS Quad)

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SPHS Students Launch Literary Magazine

On Friday, April 26, 2024, SPHS students launched Issue 1 of the high school literary magazine, Voice Box Lit. The club encourages creative writing and provides a platform for student voices. Club members met weekly for freewriting, literary discussions, and writing workshops. With over 100 submissions, student editors and artists collaborated to edit and design the publication. The South Pasadena Educational Foundation (SPEF) generously funded the printing costs. The club hosted an open mic to celebrate the initial issue and invited students to read and perform. Congratulations to Voice Box Lit. and their advisor, SPHS English teacher Katie Jaroch, for this accomplishment!

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SPMS Drama Students Earn First Place Overall at DTASC Shakespeare Festival

On April 20, 2024, the Drama Teachers’ Association of Southern California (DTASC) held its Shakespeare Festival Competition in Valencia, Calif. Congratulations to the following students and to their Drama teacher Schuyler Mastain.

1st Place – Overall

1st Place – Large Group Drama (Hamlet: Kody Bartnes, Phoenix Meraz, Sadie Solinger, Zach Mockler)

1st Place – Large Group Comedy (As You Like It: Isabel Edwards, Evie Skinner, Selina Heidenreich, Isabelle Hon, Alice Fan)

1st Place – Open Comedy (Twelfth Night: Sebastian Millar, Max Mobley, August Jaeger, Ethan Han)

1st Place – The Real Housewives of Shakespeare (The Merry Wives of Windsor: Sophia Vyas, Ronda

Williams, Veronica Vasquez, Samadhi Nickels)

1st Place – Court Costumes (Elizabethan England: Owen Finney, Natalia Avila)

1st Place – Character Costumes (Hamlet: Sadie Zierler, Apolline Tsai, Mary Mironenka)

2nd Place – Marketing; Publicity (As You Like It – Judy Lin)

3rd Place – Monologues (Judah McFerrin)

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SPHS Students Earn 134 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

South Pasadena High School (SPHS) students earned 134 regional awards in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards Competition. The Awards recognize student achievement in the visual and literary arts, including architecture, painting, flash fiction, poetry, printmaking, fashion, expanded projects, and more.

SPHS regional winners earning Honorable Mention, Silver Key, and Gold Key Awards are listed here along with their supervising teachers. Gold Key-awarded entries are automatically considered for national awards, including Gold Medal, Silver Medal, and scholarship awards. Works are judged on originality, technical skill, and emergence of personal vision or voice.

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SPHS Hosts 2024 Tiger Invitational

On April 5, 2024, more than 197 schools from across the country and one school from Canada participated in the 2024 Tiger Invitational held at South Pasadena High School. Student athletes from schools in Oregon, Washington, Utah, Idaho, Colorado, Arizona, Texas, Nevada, Missouri, Mississippi, and Washington D.C. competed this year. The Tiger Invitational serves as a sister event to the Arcadia Invitational, providing an opportunity for schools attending both meets to bring larger teams to Southern California to compete.

SPHS Athletic Director and Coach CB Richards oversaw the day’s activities including a DJ, food service, custom t-shirts, lively announcers, and medal display.

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SPHS Senior Earns $50,000 Edison Scholars Award

SPHS senior Victoria Lee has been awarded a $50,000 college scholarship from Edison International. Lee is one of 30 high school seniors who earned this award in SoCal Edison’s service area. The 2024 Edison Scholars Award is intended to help students follow their dreams in science, technology, engineering or Math (STEM) and empower them to change the world.

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South Pasadena Middle School Earns California Distinguished School Honor

The California Department of Education (CDE) announced that South Pasadena Middle School (SPMS) has been selected for the prestigious 2024 California Distinguished Schools Program.

“This honor recognizes the hard work and dedication of the students, staff, and parents at South Pasadena Middle School,” said Superintendent Geoff Yantz. “SPMS offers outstanding educational opportunities for our students that encourage them to find their passions and excel.”

The CDE uses multiple measures to identify eligible schools based on their performance on the state indicators as specified on the California School Dashboard. Schools were selected by analyzing data reported through the 2023 Dashboard data, with a focus on demonstrating excellence and growth in academic achievement and ensuring a positive school climate.