By Kevork KURDOGHLIAN

A set of presentations at the Glendale Unified School District meeting on Feb. 4 showcased the many accomplishments of the talented students and teachers in the district, as well as some of the issues dear to district parents.

The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance led by Daniel Gamboa, a fifth grader and student council president at La Crescenta Elementary School. Gamboa, a disabled student, won third place in the district-wide spelling bee held last week.

He said La Crescenta Elementary is a “wonderful place to learn.” He added, “Despite my disability I have been accepted there.”

This was followed by a presentation from a group of students from the Daily High School Environmental Futures Academy. The students presented the board of education with a proposal for the Second Chance to Grow garden on Jackson Street, a garden that would beautify the area around the GUSD administration building.

The students requested support to help fund the $25,000 project. The student group plans on partnering with a number of community groups to fund the project as well.

After the garden presentation, Steven John, a director from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Southern California field office presented the Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Education to Clark Magnet High School biology teacher Dominique Evans-Bye. Evans-Bye is one of 11 teachers nationwide to receive this honor.

Congressman Adam Schiff’s office and the GUSD board of education also acknowledged her and her students, who recently won $30,000 for their environmental projects in the Lexus Eco Challenge.

The final presentation was by Rosario Outes Jimenez, the education advisor at the Spanish Consulate. She presented the principals of Franklin Magnet School and Toll Middle School with certificates that designated these schools as International Spanish Academy Schools.

Jimenez said of this designation, “These schools will have the assistance of our embassy to have the best results in the teaching of Spanish.”

An update on the dual language program was also presented at Tuesday night’s meeting. As it relates to families in the Crescenta Valley area, the update included a possible scenario to expand the Korean language program to Crescenta Valley High School.

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Kelly King mentioned among Monte Vista dual language students there is “a high percentage ready to matriculate to Rosemont.”

Whereas the Korean dual language program will arrive at Rosemont in the 2017-18 school year, Crescenta Valley High can expect to see its first class of Korean language students two years later once the Rosemont student have completed the middle school Korean program.

  Kevork KURDOGHLIAN