Christian Zwicky, 17

Christian Zwicky, a senior at Arcadia High School, has taken it upon himself to spay/neuter 20 feral cats in the City of Arcadia for no charge as part of his Eagle Scout badge for Troop 125.
He and his mother, Dr. Barbarina Zwicky, have already adopted the two homeless Arcadia cats that Christian rescued, Prince and Vladimir.
Christian hopes to make a difference in the lives of feral cats in the community. He has already rescued five cats and had them spayed and neutered, two of which he kept and one of which he gave to his grandmother. The others were given to the Pasadena Humane Society, and are being placed up for adoption.
Dr. Valerie Tesauro of the TLC Pet Medical Center in South Pasadena, serves as an important key to this project.
In addition to being the family’s veterinarian, Dr. Tesauro has also agreed to neuter 10 male and spay 5 female felines who are currently living with Arcadia residents.
Christian would like to extend an open invitation to any Arcadia resident who would like to have his or her feline neutered or spayed at no cost, although donations to support his cause would be greatly appreciated. Any money exceeding the cost of the entire Eagle Scout project will be donated to the Pasadena Humane Society.
Arcadia MD, Bernardine Celoni said this of Christian’s work He has been so helpful and caring in helping me catch these innocent animals and have them taken care of in such a loving way. I hhave had the pleasure of watching him work tirelessly at this commitment.”

Mother Love was one of this mornings recipients- Photo by Terry Miller

Flanked by Assemblyman Portantino and Carol Liu, Mother Love from Pasadena. was one of 25 women who were recognized at the 11th Annual Women In Business Awards luncheon held at the Hilton Hotel in Pasadena.
The event which is also co hosted by Assemblyman Gatto ( who was not present but gave a video presentation) this year celebrates businesswomen from the San Gabriel Valley and San Fernando Valley whose professional skills and commitment to community have made them outstanding leaders.

Pasadena's new Police Chief talks with a Tuskeege Airman at the luncheon

Brigadier Gen. Mary J. Kight and Oliver Goodall - Photos by Terry Miller

For this Foothill Unity Center volunteer, the memory of being too embarrassed to go back to school is still all too fresh. And that’s why she’ll be on hand for Foothill Unity Center’s 12th Annual Back-to-School Event on Thursday, August 19, at Santa Anita Park racetrack.

Last year, nearly1,700 local kids from very low income families went back to school— equipped with brand new backpacks, clothing/uniforms, school supplies, even haircuts and manicures. This year, as the tough economy puts more and more parents in desperate straits, the Center needs help to outfit over 2,000 local K-12 students.

The event is about much more than uniforms and pencils, says Center Executive Director Joan Whitenack; it’s about helping children feel good about themselves and excited about school — starting them off on a confident note that lasts the whole year.

“There’s nothing like poverty for creating low self-esteem,” she observes. “Children are quick to notice other students are wearing crisp new clothes and carrying new backpacks, pens, pencils and notebooks. Embarrassment may lead to withdrawing in class, making it much harder for them to learn.”

The entire community shares in this annual effort. About half the costs of this year’s clothing and supplies will be covered by major sponsors including Walmart, Vons Foundation, Southern California Edison and WorleyParsons. Each child will also receive a voucher toward new shoes from the Tzu Chi Foundation and a new age-appropriate book from Monrovia Reads. The day will feature dental screenings by the USC School of Dentistry, vision screenings by the Western University College of Optometry, and a ceramic art project with Paint N Play. The balance of costs must be raised through individual contributions.

While donations of school clothing and supplies are welcome, dollars allow the Center to buy far more efficiently than individuals can on their own. Just $50 provides a uniform, socks, underwear, a new backpack and school supplies for one child.

Those who prefer to purchase supplies are asked to drop them off by August 10. Checks may be mailed to Back-to-School Program, Foothill Unity Center, 415 West Chestnut Avenue, Monrovia, California, 91016. Donations can also be made securely online at foothillunitycenter.org.

For further information on Back to School needs and volunteer opportunities, call the Center at (626) 358-3486.

Foothill Unity Center provides a range of services unparalleled not only in the San Gabriel Valley, but across Los Angeles County. Operating with a small staff and a corps of dedicated volunteers, the nonprofit, nondenominational organization distributed over four million pounds of food to 3,974 unduplicated very low-income families last year. It also provides clothing, limited motel vouchers, and referrals to the homeless and people in crisis. Clients meet stringent income guidelines and are re-qualified annually. Over 94% of every dollar goes to program. For more information, call the Center at (626) 358-3486.

Kelsey Sih, Tyler Yung, Kasey Sickles, Dana Tran, Christine Nowak, and Carrington Taylor getting ready to head to down under

Kelsey Sih, Carrington Taylor, Dana Tran and Tyler Yung, were all smiles as they were surrounded by family and friends for the farewell dinner. They will leave Thursday evening for the land down under.  While getting ready for their trip the students  performed a California themed skit for those in attendance in preparation for their debut in Australia.   Two of the students will be celebrating  birthdays abroad.

When asked what they are most looking forward to,  Tyler  immediately replied,  “I can’t wait to say I swam in the Australian waters in the middle of winter.”  While Dana mentioned, “I want to see the wild kangaroos.”  The students will tour sites in the Hawkesbury as they stay in the homes of six Australian students who, in turn,  will visit Temple City this spring.

They will also attend high school with their host sibling , as well as visit some of the local elementary schools. There will be a tour of the capitol of Canberra and Sydney, including the famous Opera House, the Harbor Bridge, and Centerpoint Tower. The students will also venture to Bondi and Manley Beaches.

Stay tuned for personal accounts of their adventures in the upcoming weeks.  We will be featuring them weekly in Upcoming issues of the Temple City Tribune and online..

The Relay for Life survivor medals were worn by those who have beat cancer and those currently battling the disease.

Arcadia firefighters try to guess the number of marbles in a jar as part of one of the high school team's fundraising efforts. The firefighters at Relay for Life were honoring Captain Andy Troncale and FF Gerry Martin, both of whom are battling cancer.

By Amy Leong

Whether it is a close friend, relative, or family member, we are all affected by cancer. In fact, one of three individuals are affected by cancer every day. For 25 years, Relay for Life of Arcadia has been giving local citizens of all ages the chance to raise money to be used in the search for a cure. On June 26-27, relatives, friends, and family members gathered at the Santa Anita Race Track from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. to fight back against cancer and relay in support of their loved ones.
Hosted by the American Cancer Society, communities across the globe participated in this life-changing event to help individuals get the support they need and develop ways to help prevent the disease. Because cancer never sleeps, each team was required to have at least one representative on the track for the entire twenty-four hours.
LeAnn Solis, Arcadia’s Relay for Life Event Co-Chair and Team Recruitment Chair said, “This year’s event was a HUGE success with approximately 20 new teams and over $103,000 raised for the fight against cancer. I am particularly proud of the event chair, Carter Spruill, who managed to bring this event to new heights. He is an amazing man and he plans on doing bigger and better things with the Arcadia Relay for Life next year. We hope to see more new faces join us next year as we continue to fight back again cancer!
After the opening ceremonies, Relay for Life of Arcadia took off with the survivor’s lap, a first lap around the track. The survivor’s lap then followed through with a caregiver’s lap, where close family, friends, and medical personnel could join in the effort. Soon after they finished that lap, participants were invited to join their team in a parade around the track.
Activities Co-Chair Melody Wong said, “Relay inspires me by showing me that hope still exists and despite all the tragedies and burdens of the world, it’s a miracle that people are willing to donate their time and money for finding a cure which seems almost like an impossible task. I admire the passion some people have for this event because I, in my miniscule way, have a partial understanding of what ACS stands for and what ACS can do for cancer patients.”
When that ceremony was over, several teams offered games and activities at their tents for the participants to enjoy, while other teams sold various snacks on the pathway of the race track. One group named Team Hope went the extra mile by hosting a series of activities during the event including a watermelon eating contest, balloon toss, obstacle course, musical chairs, and water balloon fight. There were also live singers, dancers, and a karate performance to keep participants engaged throughout the day.
The conclusion of the event closed with a Luminaria ceremony in which each participant had their own candle to light, honoring the memory of those touched by cancer. Hundreds of decorated paper bags were also lined up around the track and campsite areas, each representing an individual who lost their loved ones from cancer and those who are survivors. But the light inside the bag still drives on, representing the hope with which we all continue to fight.
With 49 teams participating in the event and over 751 total participants, Arcadia’s Relay for Life was able to raise thousands of dollars this year. Event Chairman Carter Spruill said, “We shattered our goal of $80,000.00 by raising over $103,800.00 and while I am very proud to have been the event chairman this year, what made me the most proud was the contributions of Arcadia School District.” All the proceeds from the event will go towards completing the American Cancer Society’s ultimate goal: a world with less cancer and more birthdays. By distributing some of the funds to their telephone counseling service, the American Cancer Society’s “Quitline” program doubles a person’s chances of quitting tobacco, a major cause of many types of preventable cancer. There are also on-line resources available to help people maintain a healthy lifestyle and programs to assist cancer patients with their treatments and lodging.
In the hope that one day cancer will be eliminated, Relay for Life participants’ motivation for such a great cause will go far in the future, becoming even more inspirational to those who lost loved ones, celebrate those who survived cancer, and most of all fight back against the disease.

Mrs. Toni King congratulates Diana Ortiz, who was awarded a scholarship in memory of Anthony King, Jr. which focuses on graduating high school students in the San Gabriel Valley.

By Kristie Tom

On June 17, the seniors of Monrovia High School sat in their seats at Citrus College, anxiously awaiting the moment in which they could finally throw their graduation caps in the air, officially commemorating their leave from MHS. Throughout the night, many were awarded with honors of national merit, gold seals, and silver seals, but only one was awarded the first annual Anthony King, Jr. Memorial Scholarship: Diana Ortiz, who wrote an essay on the subject of “Seeing it Through.” The scholarship, founded in loving memory of Anthony King, Jr., focuses on graduating high school students in the San Gabriel Valley, offering a financial award to help them purchase their books during their first year of college.
Anthony was born on April 6, 1983, graduated from MHS in the Class of 2001, and went on to Citrus College before transferring to Benedict College, a historically black college in South Carolina. On July 22, 2009, at the young age of 26, Anthony suffered from a bilateral pulmonary aneurism. His death was instantaneous. As a junior at Benedict College, Anthony was majoring in English and studying to be a teacher through the “Call Me Mister” program, which is dedicated to African American males and helps people work in underserved communities. His charity work was fully supported by his family, and especially encouraged by Toni King, his mother, who said, “When you are raising your family, you can only hope that they become upstanding citizens [like Anthony], ready to leave a mark on the world.” Anthony, who would have graduated in the class of 2011 to go on to become a teacher, was affectionately known as Big Macc in South Carolina, where he had already touched the lives of many. A special service, in addition to the one at Second Baptist Church, in which the attendance reached an astounding 200 people, was held in South Carolina for Anthony in order to honor his memory in the community in which he would have had a large impact. At the local memorial, friends and family gathered to pay respects, and Jennifer Bryant, that year’s recipient of the Teacher of the Year Award at MHS, spoke dearly of Anthony, as did Debbie Collins, a long time educator and administrator of the Monrovia Unified School District.
The King family, who moved to Monrovia in 1985, also produced two other graduates of MHS—Aaron, Class of 2005, and Andrew, Class of 2008. They played active roles in the community, and their home was “always full of friends, family, and visitors, but it was not until Anthony’s service that I realized that he had, in his short 26 years, made a difference. This young man had touched the lives of many.”
Mrs. King, who described her son as a “gentle giant, who loved to laugh and make others laugh,” did not fully realize the influence that Anthony had, until one of his classmates from Columbia told her, “I did not know Macc long—all I know is that he changed me.” Benedict College offered the King family a certificate of completion in honor of Anthony, and the President of the college, Dr. David Holmes Swinton, told the family that Benedict College’s students are “powers for good” in society—and that Anthony had now transcended into “a power for good forever.”
Mrs. King incorporated this into the Anthony King, Jr. Memorial Scholarship by making “A power for good forever” the foundation’s motto. Its mission, to live each day with purpose, faith, and confidence, knowing all things are possible, is embodied in the continual remembrance of Anthony by his family in the community. In order to be eligible for the scholarship, the graduating seniors had to complete an application and submit a 500-word essay based on Anthony’s favorite poem, “See It Through,” by Edgar A. Guest. Anthony wrote to his mother shortly before his death, attaching this poem, and explaining that “things get hard sometimes, but I remember all the support I have and how I can’t let anyone down—including myself.”
Diana, the recipient of this award, said in her essay that “hope is what induces me to persevere above all.” Although he is no longer here, Anthony continues to encourage students in the community to press forward to achieve their goals through the scholarship that his family created in his memory. In the words of Anthony: “Love, peace, and chicken grease.”

photographs by Terry Miller

Arcadia's We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution Team with teach Kevin Fox in Washington D.C where the team won the national championship on Monday.

After three days of simulated congressional hearings on the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights, the class from Arcadia High School of Arcadia, California, has emerged as the national champion of the 23rd annual We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution National Finals.

The academic competition marked the end of months of study and hard-won victories at the congressional district and state levels for more than 1,100 high school students representing all 50 states, District of Columbia, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

The announcement of the first- through tenth-place classes was made at an awards banquet on Monday evening before an audience of 1,500 students, teachers, coordinators, judges and other program participants. Awards were also presented to the class with the highest non-finalist score in each of the six units of the text and in each of the five geographic regions in the country.

AHS teacher Kevin Fox confers with the student moderators as they host a debate of the Arcadia City Council Candidates on March 31. - Photo by Terry Miller

The first rounds of the competition took place on Saturday, April 24, and Sunday, April 25. Today, the top 10 schools met on Capitol Hill. Students demonstrated their knowledge of the Constitution before simulated congressional committees made up of constitutional scholars, lawyers, journalists, and public officials.

The panel of judges tested the expertise of the classes on the six units of the “We the People: The Citizen & the Constitution” text: What Are the Philosophical and Historical Foundations of the American Political System? How Did the Framers Create the Constitution? How Has the Constitution Been Changed to Further the Ideals Contained in the Declaration of Independence? How Did the Values and Principles Embodied in the Constitution Shape American Institutions and Practices? What Rights Does the Bill of Rights Protect? What Challenges Might Face American Constitutional Democracy in the Twenty-first Century?

The We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution program provides an intensive curriculum that offers students comprehensive instruction on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and the principles and values they embody. The program is designed to promote an understanding of the rights and responsibilities of citizens in our constitutional democracy.

- Photo by Terry Miller

When combined with the companion noncompetitive elementary and middle school programs, more than 30 million students have participated in the program during the past 23 years. Developed and administered by the Los Angeles-based Center for Civic Education, the program is funded by the U.S. Department of Education under the Education for Democracy Act approved by Congress.

A LIST OF ALL TWENTY-ONE AWARD WINNERS FOLLOWS:

NATIONAL WINNER:
Arcadia High School, Arcadia, California

SECOND PLACE:
Vestavia Hills High School, Vestavia Hills, Alabama

THIRD PLACE:
Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School for Government and International Studies, Richmond, Virginia

FOURTH PLACE:
Lincoln High School, Portland, Oregon

FIFTH PLACE:
East High School, Denver, Colorado

SIXTH PLACE:
East Brunswick High School, East Brunswick, New Jersey

SEVENTH PLACE:
Our Lady of Lourdes Academy, Miami, Florida

EIGHTH PLACE:
Munster High School, Munster, Indiana

NINTH PLACE:
Westminster Christian Academy, St Louis, Missouri

TENTH PLACE:
Wauwatosa West High School, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin

WINNERS OF UNIT AWARDS
(BEST NON-FINALIST TEAM FOR EXPERTISE IN EACH UNIT OF COMPETITION)

UNIT 1 (The Philosophical and Historical Foundations of the American Political System): Sky View High School, Smithfield, Utah
UNIT 2 (How the Framers Created the Constitution): Greenwich High School, Greenwich, Connecticut
UNIT 3 (How Changes in the Constitution Have Furthered the Ideas in the Declaration of Independence): Corona del Sol High School, Tempe, Arizona
UNIT 4 (How the Values and Principles Embodied in the Constitution Shaped American Institutions and Practices): Essex High School, Essex Junction, Vermont
UNIT 5 (The Rights That the Bill of Rights Protects): Tahoma Senior High School, Covington, Washington
UNIT 6 (Twenty-first Century Challenges to American Constitutional Democracy): West Anchorage High School, Anchorage, Alaska

WINNERS OF UNIT AWARDS
(BEST NON-FINALIST TEAM FOR EXPERTISE IN EACH UNIT OF COMPETITION)

Western States: Incline High School, Incline Village, Nevada
Mountain/Plains States: Highland High School, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Central States: East Kentwood High School, Kentwood, Michigan
Southeastern States: Raleigh Charter High School, Raleigh, North Carolina
Northeastern States: Half Hollow Hills High School East, Dix Hills, New York