Pasadena Unified Names New Principals at Altadena Elementary School and Eliot Arts Magnet Middle School

Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) Superintendent Brian McDonald, Ed.D. has named Lorena Martinez as Principal of Altadena Elementary School and Lori Touloumian as the Interim Principal of Eliot Arts Magnet Middle School, pending board approval.

“I am appreciative of the work that Lorena Martinez has accomplished at Eliot and that she has agreed to go to Altadena Elementary and help prepare the next generation of Eliot students,” said Superintendent McDonald. “Lori Touloumian is very familiar with the fine work that has taken place at Eliot and will ably lead the school on an interim basis.”
Lorena Martinez has been principal at Eliot Arts Magnet since 2012 where she has led the school’s transformation into an arts themed magnet school. During her time as Eliot, Principal Martinez has seen increased parent participation, built sustainable relationships with arts partners and community organizations, and spearheaded the instructional shift to common core standards. Martinez replaces Greg White at Altadena Elementary School who accepted a position with another district.

“I am proud of the work we’ve done at Eliot,” said Martinez. “I am grateful to be given the opportunity to stay in the Altadena community which will allow me to build on the relationships that have been so diligently established at Eliot Arts. Now as a feeder school administrator, I am dedicated to building a strong academic foundation for our community’s children.”

Prior to her position at Eliot, Ms. Martinez was principal of Grapevine Elementary School in the Vista Unified School District in San Diego County where she was recognized for managing a high quality of teaching and learning and for developing professional collaboration among staff. She was also an assistant principal at Apollo Middle School in Tucson, Arizona with multiple areas of responsibility ranging from maintaining a safe and orderly environment to building relationships with the variety of people who must collaborate to ensure a successful school. Ms. Martinez also has experience as a classroom teacher in California and Arizona.

Lori Touloumian has served as the Magnet Program Coordinator for PUSD since 2013 where she has led the management of a $7.9 million federal grant to create magnet schools at Eliot Arts Magnet, Washington STEAM Magnet Academy, Jackson STEM Dual Language Magnet and Washington Elementary STEM Magnet. As the Magnet Program Coordinator, Touloumian has overseen the implementation of all facets of the magnet program including student recruitment, budget oversight, planning, coordination and evaluation of the magnet program at the district and site levels.

“It is my sincere honor to serve as the Interim Principal of Eliot Arts,” said Touloumian. “As the Magnet Grant Coordinator, I have had the privilege of assisting in Eliot’s transformation into a premiere arts magnet and look forward to building upon that momentum as Interim Principal.”

Touloumian has been with PUSD since 1999. Before her position as Magnet Program Coordinator, she served as assistant principal at Pasadena High School (PHS), where she supervised student activities, student leadership groups and served as the liaison for the school’s Safe and Supportive Schools grant. Previously, she was chair and co-chair of the school’s English department from 2007-2010. She started in PUSD teaching 10th and 11th grade regular and honors English at (PHS) and has also been an Upward Bound instructor at Pasadena City College.

Altadena Elementary School, 743 East Calaveras Street, Altadena, (626) 396-5650 or visit altadena.pasadenausd.org.

Eliot Middle School, 2184 N. Lake Ave., Altadena, (626) 396-5680 or visit eliot.pasadenausd.org.

For more information, call (626) 396-3600 visit www.pusd.us/pages/PasadenaUSD.