As Lori Petrick’s teacher assistant at Palisades Elementary, Marianne Bordier observed Petrick teaching fourth graders about Japan by guiding them in the making of samurai dolls, raising silkworms, computing math on an abacus and writing haiku. ‘She taught me to teach thematically, integrating all subjects around a theme,’ said Bordier, a Topanga Elementary fourth grade teacher who worked with Petrick in the mid-1980s. ‘That’s how I clicked with education, and that’s how I teach today.’ For that reason, Bordier said she feels especially honored that the Palisades Charter Schools Foundation chose her and four other teachers for the Lori Petrick Excellence in Education Award. Since 2003, the foundation has given the award to honor Petrick, a popular teacher at Marquez and Palisades Elementary schools, respectively. She died in 2002 of bacterial pneumonia. Foundation co-chairs Eileen Savage and Susie Newman presented each teacher with $2,000 and a crystal trophy during a ceremony at the Oak Room on Sunday. The teachers also received proclamations from LAUSD School Board member Steve Zimmer and State Sen. Fran Pavley (who was unable to attend). The other honorees included Topanga Elementary fourth-grade teacher Marta Graves, Kenter Canyon Elementary third-grade teacher Inyoung Lee, Paul Revere Middle School librarian Cynthia Murphy and Palisades High history teacher Steve Burr. Lori’s daughter, Kimi, and her son, John, along with his wife, Sara, attended the ceremony. ‘Thank you for continuing the legacy of my mother in the Palisades,’ said John, who was installed last Thursday as the new Chamber of Commerce president. Newman explained that judges Michelle Bennett and Teresa Riddle (both retired principals) chose Bordier and Graves, a teaching team, because they were impressed by the students’ pride in their work. ‘It’s just wonderful to see that kind of excitement,’ Newman said. ‘We have the teachers to thank for that.’ ??This past year, Bordier and Graves taught their students about California history across all subject areas, but they especially incorporated the arts. The students designed missions using different media and performed in two historical plays called ‘Missions and More’ and ‘Gold Dust or Bust.’ Bordier, who has taught at Topanga for 18 years, said that their goal is to give students experiences beyond the textbook. ‘You want to make it fun for kids,’ the 51-year old said, emphasizing that the students retain the material better. After graduating from Cal State Northridge, earning her teaching credential from Loyola Marymount and working as Petrick’s assistant, Bordier began teaching at Main Street Elementary in South Central, where she met her husband, Paul. Recently retired, Paul worked for 32 years in education, spending the last 10 years at City of Angels, an independent study school. They reside in Topanga and have two grown children, Matt and Katie. While Bordier and Graves received the award as a team, Graves gave special recognition to Bordier for teaching both of her children (Eli, 10, and Nikobe, 13) and for mentoring her in the classroom. Graves, 37, has worked at Topanga since 2003. Previously, she taught geographic information systems and global position systems for natural resources management at Louisiana Tech for five years. She moved to West Hills in 2003 because her husband, Steve Graves, accepted a job as an associate professor in geography at Cal State Northridge. Graves was looking for work and thought Topanga would be the perfect fit. She was originally hired as a science teacher for kindergarten through sixth grade. ‘I really enjoy the kids; there is never a dull moment,’ said Graves, who earned her bachelor’s degree in geography and environmental studies from UCLA and master’s degree in geography and urban and rural development from University of Illinois. ??At Sunday’s ceremony, Newman acknowledged Lee for also establishing high and clear expectations in her third-grade classroom. During the judges’ visit, the students composed and edited business letters. ‘I encourage a lot of peer revising,’ said Lee, who has taught at Kenter for six years. ‘It gives them a better eye for their own work.’ Lee, 29, requires her students write about specific memories in journals throughout the school year. The goal is to teach the students to focus on a specific topic. When the kids write about a summer trip, she asks them to hone in on one interesting moment. ‘It’s vivid and more meaningful,’ she said, noting that the kids have 20 to 25 entries by the end of the school year. Lee, who lives in West Los Angeles with her husband, Daniel, earned her bachelor’s degree in linguistics and English from UCLA. She planned to continue her studies until she took a temporary teacher assistant job at Canyon Elementary. ??’The teachers I was working with told me that I had a knack for teaching,’ Lee said, so she decided to continue in the profession and is proud to work in public schools. ??Newman also congratulated Burr and Murphy, who were previously profiled in the Palisadian-Post. ??The judges were impressed by Burr’s interactions with his students. ‘He honored everyone’s answers, even though they were not always right,’ Newman said. ??PaliHi Executive Director Amy Dresser-Held added that Burr recruits students who may not consider taking advanced placement history. ‘He knocks the gate down, so students get access to the course,’ she said. ??Burr thanked the foundation, saying that he taught Lori’s daughter, Kimi, during his first year at PaliHi. ‘It makes me even more honored to receive this award,’ he said. ??Lastly, Newman acknowledged Murphy for encouraging students to visit the library by hosting career days, author talks and cartooning workshops. ??’She has developed programs that have made our library a success,’ Revere Principal Fern Somoza said. ??Unfortunately, LAUSD decided to eliminate librarian positions at secondary schools, so Murphy will teach seventh-grade English at Bancroft Middle School next school year. ??’Fern did all she could, bless her heart, to keep me in the library,’ Murphy said. ??To end the festivities, Kevin Niles of American Legion Post 283 presented the foundation with a $5,000 check.

The Palisades Charter High School board voted at a June 8 meeting to hire retired Los Angeles Unified School District administrator Mike Smith as interim executive director instead of Tom Stekol. Smith and Stekol interviewed for the position on May 26. Following that meeting, the board offered the job to Stekol, a field director in the office of staff relations at LAUSD.   ’After receiving the offer for the position of interim executive director, I entered into negotiations with the board’s designated representative,’ Stekol wrote to the Palisadian-Post on June 9. ‘I submitted a counter-offer to Pali-Hi with terms that I considered important to the prospective success of an executive director who would be called upon to resolve the complex issues the school now faces. ‘I regret to say that we could not come to agreement on terms mutually acceptable to both the board and me. I very much enjoyed meeting with the members of the Palisades community and remain enthusiastic about the future possibilities for the school and the community.’ Stekol desired a permanent position with the school. Board chair Karen Perkins wrote to the Post on June 9 saying that until work with the UCLA School Management Program is complete, the board is hiring only interim leadership. On June 8, the board voted 7-2 with one abstention to retain UCLA School Management Program consultants for another year at a cost not to exceed $33,000. The board hired the consultants on March 9 to help facilitate the selection of a new principal/executive director. So far, PaliHi has spent $7,000 on UCLA’s services. The consultants have met with teachers, classified staff, parents, students, administrators and board members to define the school’s vision and the leadership needed to achieve it. ‘The board is committed to working with all stakeholders towards developing a consensus around our school vision, organizational structure of upper management, and the qualities and characteristics we want in a permanent leader,’ Perkins told the Post.   ’The board hopes that the outcome of our work with the UCLA School Management Program is that we will choose a permanent leader and stakeholders will be confident that their views were important to the process, so they can support the hire of the individual over the long term. The ultimate goal is that we hire a leader whom all stakeholders can support.’   The consultants will now meet with the board to develop the selection criteria and job descriptions for the new leadership. They will help with the formation and training of a selection committee. In addition, they will give the board guidance on operating with greater efficiency and better collaboration.   Meanwhile, Smith will replace Executive Director Amy Dresser-Held, who has taken an executive director position at Citizens of the World, a start-up charter school serving kindergarten through eighth grade in Hollywood. Dresser-Held has served on Citizens of the World’s school board since January.   An educator for 37 years, Smith retired in 2009 after spending the previous five years as an LAUSD director overseeing secondary schools for District 7. He has experience as a teacher, middle school vice principal, elementary school principal and high school assistant principal.   Stekol told the Post ‘When the high school resolves to pursue a permanent executive director to lead it into the future, I would be happy to be among the candidates it considers.’   At the meeting, the board also voted 5-4 to approve a $22.7-million budget for the 2010-11 school year, which calls for dipping into the reserve by $337,564.   ’This budget was not one that was created in a back room,’ explained Rob King, chair of PaliHi’s Budget and Finance Committee. ‘Everyone was brought in early. We had period-by-period meetings, where it was spelled out what was happening at the school. We explained that it would be a tough year.’ The school community spent months deciding where cuts could be made, King said. This year, summer school will be eliminated. Next school year, teachers and classified staff will take four furlough days, while administrators will take six furlough days. Custodial and food services will also be reduced.   PaliHi’s Chief Business Officer Greg Wood reported that school officials expect 50 additional students in September. The students will be enrolled in distance learning courses and at Temescal Academy, located below the high school. PaliHi took over Temescal High School from the LAUSD this school year and renamed it Temescal Academy.   As a result of the additional students, the school will receive more money from the state, which pays schools about $6,200 per student, Wood said.   King told the board that the committee decided to use part of the $2.9-million reserve because forecasts indicate that educational funding will increase in the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years.   ’We are hoping this next school year is the bottom of our recession and that it is time to climb back out,’ King said. ‘We believe that if we dip into the budget reserve about $300,000, it will be a sound, sound strategy.’