Elementary School Marks 70th Birthday

Playing out the classic September ritual, this year’s new and returning Granada Elementary School students showed up for the first day of school last week sporting new shoes and lunch boxes, their emotions ranging from resignation to exhilaration.

Unlike the students who passed through the school’s doors when they first opened in 1928, those who arrived on campus last week could no longer look out at orange groves that stretch as far as the eye can see. But seven decades later, the 550 students attending Granada Hills’ oldest school can reach out globally through their computers, a technological advance their predecessors couldn’t even imagine.

Named after the beautiful region in southern Spain known for its Moorish castles, the northwest Valley town of Granada changed its name to Granada Hills in 1942. The school, which has maintained its original name, was built on land donated to the school district by the Suburban Estates Corp. in 1928.

At Back-to-School Night next month the school plans to kick off a series of 70th anniversary activities, which will run throughout the year.

“We’re like a family at Granada Elementary,” said third-grade teacher Mark Ellis. “Two of our teachers were students here. We’ve come full circle. There’s history here, and we’re excited about celebrating it.”

PROGRAM NOTES

Lights, Camera, Action! Eager to bring broadcast journalism expertise to Louisville High’s juniors and seniors, the Woodland Hills school has introduced a video production course to its curriculum. Study topics include campus news coverage, camera composition and techniques, editing, sound mixing and lighting. The students, who will attend occasional seminars led by guests from local news organizations, will also produce documentaries.

KUDOS

Top Scores: Advanced Placement calculus is challenging even for die-hard math students. So when 12 of Charles Hall’s 17 AP students received perfect scores on last spring’s national exams, the John F. Kennedy High School teacher was quite pleased. During the 15 years Hall has taught the college-level course, 90% of his students have passed the tough test.

The Granada Hills school’s AP Spanish teacher, Carmen Espi, who had just completed her first year at Kennedy, was equally delighted when 12 of her AP students also received top scores on their exams. Espi has added Spanish literature to this year’s curriculum, hoping to encourage her students to tackle both the Spanish language and literature tests next spring.

On a High Note: Viewpoint School’s Kristopher Khang, 16, hit all the right notes at Michigan’s Interlochen Arts Camp last summer, where the Woodland Hills musician won the prestigious Frank Miller Cello Award. Kristopher, a junior at the Calabasas school, performed with the Honor String Quartet at the arts camp. He was also a featured soloist with the World Youth Symphony Orchestra.

STAFF APPOINTMENTS

Orit Adler has joined the Kadima Hebrew Academy staff in Woodland Hills, where she will serve as the school’s first full-time counselor. The psychologist will offer support groups for students and teachers. Longtime educator Cantor Laurie Rimland-Bonn has been hired to oversee the school’s new Judaic studies program.

Lisa Geuther has joined Viewpoint School in Calabasas as director of community service and publications.

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