No Monrovia Student is an Island Entire of Itself

BySusan Motander

“We are student centered in this district,” saidDr. Katherine Thorossian, superintendent of schools. “It is our reason forbeing, the staff, administration and board.”

In a wide-ranging discussion of the schooldistrict, the superintendent pointed to the multiple focuses of the school:academic rigor, character development, athletic process, as well as communityinvolvement. She also pointed out the fact that the staff does everythingit can encourage students in pursuing all their interests.

“To that end, we are encouraging our students tobe proficient at coding,” she said. “We want our graduates to be the onescreating new programs and games rather than merely using them. It is thefuture. We want all our students to pursue and explore all their options.”

There is no lack of support for students in thedistrict. A lot of that assistance comes not just from the district staff,but also from the community. For example, under a partnership with MonroviaReads there is the pro-active tutoring program to assist students at alllevels. Oak Crest Institute of Science has a summer program using olderstudents to assist younger ones with hands on laboratory experience.

During the summer months the School District itselfhas two summer programs for students falling behind in two areas: reading andmath. Camp Read-A-Lot stresses getting students to grade level in reading;Camp Infinity focuses on the same situation in math. Last year thestudents in each program made great strides.

There is even a tutoring program two afternoonsa week at the Monrovia Library supported by the Library Foundation and theLibrary staff. There are even peer tutors at the high school with studentsin honors programs helping those struggling in the same subjects. Even thePolice Department is involved with the community resource officer program, inessence a cop on campus.

One thing of which Dr. Thorossian is especiallyproud is the community service required for graduation. “This communityhelps our students in so many ways; this is one way we can give back to thecommunity.”

This year to be in compliance with the state’sLocal Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) to identify local goals and ways tomeasure and improve services. A group of 35 staff members, parents andcommunity leaders met earlier this year to develop a three-pronged plan:improving student achievement especially among disadvantaged students, achievingthird grade literacy, creating an atmosphere where students feel moreconnected to their schools in order to achieve greater success.

In the next few weeks this paper will run aseries of articles detailing the special interests and activities of thevarious Monrovia schools.

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