L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger and PEF Executive Director Patrick Conyers at the Pasadena Educational Foundation's Celebrating Our Schools RESILIENCE 2025 at Pasadena City Hall [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Vannia De La Cuba and PSUD Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Blanco at the Pasadena Educational Foundation's Celebrating Our Schools RESILIENCE 2025 at Pasadena City Hall [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
PEF Board President Erik Berg, Teri Richardson, and Warren Bleeker at the Pasadena Educational Foundation's Celebrating Our Schools RESILIENCE 2025 at Pasadena City Hall [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Alma Stokes and Kathy Onoye at the Pasadena Educational Foundation's Celebrating Our Schools RESILIENCE 2025 at Pasadena City Hall [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Dana Hill, Sherry Joiner, and Denise Seider at the Pasadena Educational Foundation's Celebrating Our Schools RESILIENCE 2025 at Pasadena City Hall [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
PSUD Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Blanco, Brenda McGrath, and Michelle Richardson Bailey at the Pasadena Educational Foundation's Celebrating Our Schools RESILIENCE 2025 at Pasadena City Hall [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Oscar Franco, Leslie Ito, and Kerry Franco at the Pasadena Educational Foundation's Celebrating Our Schools RESILIENCE 2025 at Pasadena City Hall [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Margaret Hunt, Elizabeth Pomeroy, and Keith Sherry at the Pasadena Educational Foundation's Celebrating Our Schools RESILIENCE 2025 at Pasadena City Hall [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Yarma Velasquez, Molly Munger, Daniel Rossman, and Steve English at the Pasadena Educational Foundation's Celebrating Our Schools RESILIENCE 2025 at Pasadena City Hall [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Jeannine Bogaard and Staci Armao at the Pasadena Educational Foundation's Celebrating Our Schools RESILIENCE 2025 at Pasadena City Hall [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Oscar Franco, Kerry Franco, and Ruben Valles at the Pasadena Educational Foundation's Celebrating Our Schools RESILIENCE 2025 at Pasadena City Hall [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Denise and Dr. Anthony Culpepper at the Pasadena Educational Foundation's Celebrating Our Schools RESILIENCE 2025 at Pasadena City Hall [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Dennis McNamara, Anthony Portantino, Lynne Sullivan, and David Spiro at the Pasadena Educational Foundation's Celebrating Our Schools RESILIENCE 2025 at Pasadena City Hall [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
John Maynard, Laura Barba, and Eric Barba at the Pasadena Educational Foundation's Celebrating Our Schools RESILIENCE 2025 at Pasadena City Hall [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Richard Ingrassia, Garrett Miller Huckabee, and Andrew Ulmen Huckabee at the Pasadena Educational Foundation's Celebrating Our Schools RESILIENCE 2025 at Pasadena City Hall [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Stephanie Porter, Vanessa Roberts, and Alyce Monet at the Pasadena Educational Foundation's Celebrating Our Schools RESILIENCE 2025 at Pasadena City Hall [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Rick Wilson, Kim Scott, and Barton Anderson at the Pasadena Educational Foundation's Celebrating Our Schools RESILIENCE 2025 at Pasadena City Hall [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Greta and Peter Mandell at the Pasadena Educational Foundation's Celebrating Our Schools RESILIENCE 2025 at Pasadena City Hall [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
David Spiro, Karen Anderson, and Ann Rector at the Pasadena Educational Foundation's Celebrating Our Schools RESILIENCE 2025 at Pasadena City Hall [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Michael Ocon, Dominick Carrey, Lisa Odigie, and Marleni Jimenez at the Pasadena Educational Foundation's Celebrating Our Schools RESILIENCE 2025 at Pasadena City Hall [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Nancy Dufford and Jim Peterson at the Pasadena Educational Foundation's Celebrating Our Schools RESILIENCE 2025 at Pasadena City Hall [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Doug Colliflower, Wendy Silva, Nic Arnzen, Dawn Smith, and Mark Mariscal at the Pasadena Educational Foundation's Celebrating Our Schools RESILIENCE 2025 at Pasadena City Hall [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Michael Warner and Megheti Derboghossian at the Pasadena Educational Foundation's Celebrating Our Schools RESILIENCE 2025 at Pasadena City Hall [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Kelly McCord, Mimi Carter, and Hope White at the Pasadena Educational Foundation's Celebrating Our Schools RESILIENCE 2025 at Pasadena City Hall [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Just over 100 days after the Eaton Fire devastated five Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) campuses, the Pasadena Educational Foundation hosted its annual “Celebrating Our Schools: Resilience 2025” event Thursday evening in the courtyard of Pasadena City Hall.
“The significance is that we’re gathering to celebrate resilience,” said Dr. Patrick Conyers, executive director of the Pasadena Educational Foundation. Reflecting on the fire’s aftermath, Conyers noted the foundation had carefully considered whether to actually proceed with the celebration. “We ultimately decided that we needed to do it—a pat on the back, really,” he said.
The fire, which broke out January 7, forced hundreds of students, teachers and staff members to either relocate or rebuild, leaving emotional and physical scars across the school community. But Thursday’s event offered a moment of unity, hope, and healing.
Recalling his visit to a previous community event shortly after the fire, Conyers said, “I thought I wasn’t ready… but seeing people who had lost their homes, being able to give them a hug and talk to friends I hadn’t seen in a while—I realized how necessary it was for us to come together.”
At the heart of the celebration was a student showcase featuring work supported by the foundation’s programs, including teacher training and student writing initiatives. “It’s a big happy open house,” Conyers said. “Our supporters love interacting with the students and seeing their work.”
PUSD Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Blanco also recalled her own days as a young student looking for reassurance, which she received from her third grade art teacher, who she remembered fondly.
“That’s the kind of teachers we have in the PUSD,” she said, proudly.
PUSD students showed off their talents in a pair of performances, one from the Blair High Modern Band 2 rock group, who delivered sparkling performances of tunes from Chappell Roan, Weezer, and Santana, among others, as well as a performance of a tune from PUSD’s teen performance of “HadesTown.”
The event also featured a range of academic displays from robotics, poetry, and mathematics, to science and STEAM projects.
“The Eaton Fire impacted our school district across the board,” said Los Angeles County Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger praising the district’s efforts in the face of adversity.
“But you look around and see the performances and the work on display—it shows you that while it was tragic, we still have to build a community around our youth during these times.”
Barger also pointed to the importance of sustained funding for school programs, particularly in the arts. “Studies show that investing in art programs for youth means they’re 10 times more likely to graduate and really accomplish something,” she said.
The “Resilience” event was proof of those words.
