Barnhart Launches a New Look for a New School Year: Tree Dedication Celebrates the Trees Featured in the School’s New Logo

Barnhart’s tree dedication ceremony today was a student celebration that spanned the entire community. During an 8 a.m. all-school chapel students began their celebration near a group of sycamore trees at the heart of the three-acre campus in Arcadia. The school’s new logo, inspired by the trees, was revealed by eighth grade students, complete with drumroll fanfare. In true Bobcat spirit, students hand painted rocks at the start of the school year and placed their creations at the base of the trees for the dedication while singing. Students Gianna Butler, Katherine Kuo, Ryan Reddy and Kieran Sheldon showed off their rock artwork when the student body relocated inside the Santa Anita Church sanctuary to continue the celebration.

“Today was a great day in Barnhart history! For a year we have been engaging our diverse community to determine what imagery would best tell Barnhart’s amazing story. Barnhart is continuing to embrace our tradition of academic excellence and balanced learning, and we sought out our new mark to better showcase our students, program and our dynamic community,” said Tonya Beilstein, Barnhart’s Interim Head of School.

Driving by the school’s location across on Colorado Boulevard, signs with the new school logo are now visible. The rollout includes other campus décor such as new wayfinding signage and classroom refurbishments in the kindergarten and first grade.

The sycamores featured in the new logo were planted in 2012 to replace similar-looking trees that were blown down in the December 2011 wind storm.

“A very generous parent graciously donated our new trees and they have become a wonderful symbol of our resilient and successful Bobcat spirit over the recent years,” added Beilstein.

Local businesses who supported the brand launch with generous contributions included Empire Sales Strategies, Randy Montgomery Stone Engraving and Stone Yard in Altadena, who contributed all the rocks for the event.

The celebration was an extended community effort, as Randy Montgomery, and his son, Caleb, a Bobcat graduate (class of ’05) created a large boulder engraved with the new logo. Sign installer Ben Mireles, employee of Custom Signs, Inc., installed the new signage and Santa Anita Church is where he married his wife, Angela, 18 years ago.

Barnhart offers a private K-8 education. Distinguishing programs of Barnhart include Spanish, Music, and Art at all grade levels, daily physical education, the Virtues Project™ character development program, the creative writing for kids program with the Lucy Calkins’ Writer’s Workshop, a choral group, and an on-site harvest garden. The school has an early literacy emphasis, a 1:1 technology ratio and an average 12:1 student-teacher ratio. Barnhart is accredited by the California Association of Independent Schools and Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Established in 1959 by Dr. Ethel Barnhart, Barnhart is affiliated with the non- denominational Santa Anita Church. Visit barnhartschool.org for further information or to inquire about a tour.

Tonya Beilstein, formerly Associate Head of School and Director of Curriculum and Instruction, was recently named Interim Head of School. Beilstein has been with Barnhart for 15 years and has two Bobcat graduates (class of ’06 and’09).