South Pasadena Unified Tidbits (Photo – ColoradoBlvd.net)
South Pasadena High School (SPHS) students showcased exceptional talent and achievement across academics, arts, and career technical education programs throughout March 2026, earning top honors in regional competitions and community events while continuing to foster a strong culture of learning and creativity.
By News Desk
– SPHS Students Win National Honors in Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
SPHS students celebrate earning Scholastic Awards in art, writing, and photography (Photo- SPUSD)
Two South Pasadena High School students have achieved national recognition in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Sophomore Ellis Kim earned a Gold Medal for poetry, while Sofiia Zabrodska received a Silver Medal for photography. In total, fourteen SPHS students secured Gold Key awards at the regional level, advancing their work to national judging. National medalists are awarded certificates and medals and may also be considered for exhibition, publication, and scholarship opportunities.
At the regional level, SPHS students earned an impressive 108 awards across categories, with works evaluated on originality, technical skill, and the strength of personal voice or vision. Congratulations go out to all the student winners as well as their supervising teachers, Rouzanna Berberian, Jennifer Cutler, Denise Gill, Karen Hames, Aimee Levie-Hultman, and Diane Shires, for their guidance and support.
– SPHS Students Earn Honors in Ericson Foundation Photography Competition
SPHS Senior Alexander Pobereyko’s image won 1st Place and earned him a $10,000 scholarship in the Ericson Foundation Photography Competition. (Photo – Alexander Pobereyko)
South Pasadena High School (SPHS) students earned top recognition in the Ericson Foundation Photography Competition held on March 14, 2026, with several students receiving awards for excellence in photographic art.
Alexander Pobereyko took first place, followed by Ian Howard in third place. Additional category winners included Nico Watford-Edelson in Abstracts, Emiko Essmiller in Places, and Naiomi Gary in Things. All finalist photographs were judged through a blind review process, with winners selected by esteemed judges, while honorable mentions were determined by Ericson Foundation Board members.
The competition, sponsored by the William G. Ericson Foundation in partnership with the PCC Foundation, was open to public high schools in the Pasadena City College district and aimed to recognize outstanding student artists.
The awarded photographs will be exhibited at the South Pasadena Arts Council (SPARC) Gallery, located at 1121 Mission Street. An opening reception will be held on April 11, 2026, at 3:00 pm, with an additional viewing on April 25 from 3:00 to 6:00 pm. Both events are open to the public.
School officials expressed appreciation for the dedication of all participating students and their photography teacher.
– SPHS Sports Medicine Team Qualifies for Nationals
SPHS Advanced Sports Medicine students celebrate after a recent competition at St Francis High School in La Cañada (Photo – Andre Zumaeta)
On March 14, 2026, SPHS Advanced Sports Medicine students competed in the 25th annual AACI High School Sports Medicine Competition, the largest in the event’s history with 43 schools and nearly 800 participants. The team delivered an outstanding performance, earning 3rd place overall and qualifying for nationals.
Students excelled across multiple categories. In the Anatomage Tournament, SPHS teams placed 8th and 12th out of 39 schools, with standout contributions from James Lacey, Esther Roh, Sofiia Zabrodska, Zen Williams, Griffin Matlock, and Naya Holden. Griffin Matlock also earned an individual gold medal for his performance.
Additional recognition went to Kyle Kirchen, Jonah Mekhitarian, and Sophia Allen for their Quiz Bowl success, and Kaitlynn Lowstuter for her work on the Medical Abbreviations exam. Izabella Deere was honored as a Student of the Year candidate after completing more than 90 hours of clinical experience and producing an advanced research paper.
The students were guided by Advanced Sports Medicine teacher Andre Zumaeta.
– SPHS Choir Earns Top Honors at Vocal Festival
Members of the SPHS Choir perform at a recent concert (Photo – Wylder Reinman)
On March 13, 2026, the SPHS Choir participated in the Southern California Vocal Association Festival held at San Marino High School, earning the highest possible “superior” rating in both portions of the event.
The festival evaluated choirs in two areas: a prepared performance judged on tone, musicality, and presentation, and a sight-reading component in which students performed unfamiliar music after just one minute of study. SPHS students demonstrated excellence in both, reflecting their preparation and musical skill.
The choir is led by teacher Wylder Reinman.
– Virtual Enterprise Students Shine at Regional Trade Show
SPHS Virtual Enterprise State Award winners celebrate after the competition (Photo – SPHS Virtual Enterprise)
On March 5, 2026, SPHS Virtual Enterprise students competed at the Virtual Enterprise International West Coast Regional Trade Show at California State University, San Bernardino, where they earned multiple awards and national recognition.
More than 40 students represented SPHS’s Varsity and Junior Varsity companies, DinoCooking and SecondBite. Chloe Moon earned 1st place in Company Branding for DinoCooking, while the Finance Plan team—Daniel Gutierrez, Madelin Rentmeester, Gavin Chow, and Dylan Bartnes—placed in the top five out of 54 schools, qualifying for the Youth Business Summit in New York City from April 21–23.
The Varsity team also secured bronze awards in the Saint Patrick’s Day Banner Ad, Elevator Pitch, and Trade Show Sales Pitch competitions. Meanwhile, the Junior Varsity team SecondBite celebrated strong results, including a 2nd place Elevator Pitch by Ryder Carlson, a top-five Company Branding finish, and a silver-tier award for their sales pitch video.
– District Celebrates Read Across America Week
Clockwise from top left: SPUSD Board Member Karen Tamis reads to Monterey Hills second graders; Superintendent Dr. Angela Elizondo Baxter reads to third graders; and Principal Jessica Zavala gathers Board members and district staff before the reading begins (Photos – SPUSD)
From March 2–6, 2026, South Pasadena Unified School District schools celebrated Read Across America Week with a variety of literacy-focused activities.
Special guest readers—including school board members, administrators, and district staff—visited Monterey Hills classrooms to share their favorite stories with students. Schools across the district highlighted the importance of reading through creative initiatives such as art installations at Arroyo Vista and annual book fairs designed to engage students and families.
The week underscored the district’s ongoing commitment to promoting literacy and a lifelong love of reading.
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