Students in Altadena celebrate Read Across America Day with president of California Teachers Association
Kindergarteners from Altadena Arts Magnet School had a special time reading in class Monday morning celebrating Read Across America Day.
The students are temporarily attending class at Allendale Elementary after the Eaton Fire caused smoke damage to their campus.
The students had a special guest read with them, David Goldberg, the president of the California Teachers Association. His union represents teachers from across the state.
Goldberg isn't a stranger to Southern California. He's a former elementary school teacher from Boyle Heights.
Goldberg was in Pasadena as part of Read Across America, which is usually celebrated on March 2 each year to mark Dr. Seuss's birthday. Read Across America is also a national year-long celebration of reading sponsored by the National Education Association and the CTA.
Every year educators pick books as part of the program. Goldberg chose to read a book called, "It's Okay to Be Different."
While the students loved the bright colors and cute stories, there was a special moment that stopped the entire class. One of the pages said, "It's okay to say no to bad things."
One of the students mentioned the recent wildfires and nearly every one of the 17 children in the class brought up either losing their own home, a grandparent, or a friend's home due to the fires. Some of the students even talked about being evacuated.
A poignant moment for these young students who are dealing with displacement every day caused by the fire.
Even though their school campus did not burn in the fire, the district said it was damaged by smoke. The hope is to clean the campus and finish repairs in time for the students to return next school year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
3 days ago
- CBS News
Sierra Madre search and rescue team faces financial difficulties following Eaton Fire
A local search and rescue team that helped evacuate people during the Eaton Fire now needs rescuing of its own. The Sierra Madre Search and Rescue team is dealing with unexpected costs from the fire. Rob Klusman, a healthcare consultant, is the team's operations leader. He has been with the organization for 29 years. "Most of our responses we have are all away from vehicles and up trails, so we have to walk to everything or fly," Klusman said. Lauren Capoccia, a San Bernardino nurse, also volunteers as one of 42 team members. The Sierra Madre Search and Rescue team has 42 members who help respond to fires at no cost in the steep terrain of the San Gabriel Mountains. KCAL News They have all put in hundreds of hours a year responding to calls for help at no cost in the steep, unforgiving terrain of the San Gabriel Mountains. When the Eaton Fire started the night of Jan. 7, they were called to help with evacuations. "We were up in the canyon evacuating houses, making sure people out aware of going on," Capoccia said. Helping residents evacuate came at a cost to the hardworking nonprofit that has a budget of about $80,000. They need pickets for anchors, replacement rescue ropes, replacement fire shelters and they need a new rescue truck. "This truck is 25 years old at this point," Klusman said. The rescue team has set up an online fundraising campaign and Klusman, like every team member, saves money where they can. "I used dental floss to sew up and close the holes," he said about his gloves. Members spend thousands of their own money to buy their gear. In their free time, they train in the mountains charred by the fire. With dead and burned trees after fire, they now have to haul up a 45-pound bag of metal pickets to conduct the rescue missions. "For the next 5-8 years, once they re-open this, we are prepared to use picks and tools," Klusman explained. "Can't rely on trees or natural anchors that used to be here." Even with the financial difficulties, the team remains determined to keep protecting the people in their foothill city, at whatever cost.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Pasadena bear ‘Cinnamon' makes splash in return from January fires
A bear known to residents in the Upper Hastings Ranch area of Pasadena as 'Cinnamon' made her first appearance since the deadly Eaton Fire in January by taking a dip in a resident's pool on Wednesday. 'The mountain is directly across the street from us and as you know the fire in January devastated so much,' said resident Ramona Mucciolo. Mucciolo says there were several bears that frequented her neighborhood for years but she and her neighbors had not seen any of them since the massive fire, until yesterday. 'Cinnamon (yes we name them) showed up,' said Mucciolo, whose video shows the large bear swimming around in her backyard pool on a sunny afternoon. Mucciolo said Cinnamon seemed peaceful and knew to stay safe in the shallow end of the pool, but mostly she was just happy to see one of the bears return. 'It was a big deal here since all of us who live here have been wondering if the bears survived,' she said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Eaton Fire survivors share challenges of rebuilding home, including delays in permit
The Brief Ted Koerner, an Altadena resident, faced challenges rebuilding his home after the Eaton fire, including delays in the permitting process. The Army Corps of Engineers is assisting with cleanup, but the volume of permit applications is overwhelming local offices. LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger is advocating for a centralized permitting center to streamline the process for affected homeowners. LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - Ted Koerner thought losing his beloved Altadena home to the Eaton fire was bad enough until he started to go through the rebuilding process. With about 600 applications in process, 15 permits have been issued so far. Keep in mind, 9,800 homes were destroyed by flames in January. His was one of the first homes cleared of debris, a process that is moving relatively quickly, with 56 Army Corps of Engineers cleanup crews in Altadena already clearing more than 5,000 properties. But after weeks of delays in the permitting process and repeatedly being told, "Your plans look good, but so and so still has to approve this or that," he decided to call every politician representing his area—city, county, state—demanding answers. In the process, he met the District Commander for the Army Corps of Engineers, who is making it a point to help frustrated homeowners. Colonel Eric Swenson can't speak for the permitting process itself but tries to put it in context, saying the volume is overwhelming. It usually takes more than a year, and closer to three, to build a new home in California. With the fires, an office that was handling perhaps 20 permits a day is dealing with hundreds of applications coming in daily. But there are some things that seem to be helping. Don't wait. Even if you don't know yet whether you'll rebuild, get the permit process started for something on the property. Even if you sell the property, you'll get more with plans. Unless your home is very old, the original plans are still filed with the county. If you rebuild the home's exterior within 110% of that plan, permits will be similar to the original ones and easier to get. The county has several pre-approved home plans in different styles, where permits are much easier to get than a one-of-a-kind, unique feature home. If you and your neighbors use the same architect and contractor, you might save money, especially when it comes to materials, which can be bought in bulk. Get on the phone. It's much less likely your paperwork will remain at the bottom of some huge pile if the person at that desk is getting calls asking, "What's going on?" "What do I need to do?" LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who has been very vocal about permit issues, is calling for the county to create the Altadena One Stop Recovery Permitting Center to expedite the process by bringing under one umbrella the different departments usually involved in the permitting process, like Building and Safety, Planning, Public Works, Fire, and so forth. The Army Corps of Engineers does have a call center at 212-308-8305 that connects to the local personnel. "Don't give up," adds Koerner, as he shows us the permit he got today. "We can and will get through this," he adds, looking at his scorched garden filled with green growth making its way through the charred plants. "It's strong," he says, "just like us."
