Claremont School News
Claremont Graduate University recently announced veteran poet Jennifer Chang and newcomer Eduardo Martinez-Leyva are winners of the 34th annual Kingsley Tufts and Kate Tufts poetry awards, respectively. Chang won for “An Authentic Life,” Martinez-Leyva for “Cowboy Park.” The poets will take part in a free and open to the public 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 15 reading and reception at Lyman Hall, 340 N. College Ave., Claremont. Photos/by Jessica Attie, Nicholas Nichols
The Los Angeles County Department of Education has put Claremont Unified School District on notice: tighten up your budget or face “difficult decisions.” The news came during Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Desiree Reyes’ presentation of CUSD’s second interim budget report at the March 19 Board of Education meeting, and on the heels of the December 2025 announcement that CUSD’s budget deficit estimate had ballooned to $11.49 million. Board member Kathryn Dunn and Clerk Cheryl Fiello are pictured here at the meeting. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo
Three Claremont Unified School District campuses have earned recognition for excellence from the state of California.
Bridges Auditorium, 450 N College Way, Claremont, will host a 90-minute California gubernatorial debate at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 28.
El Roble Intermediate School was named a 2026 California Distinguished School by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond on March 10.
“Every person that comes through here — doesn’t matter if they’re current students, recent alumni, been out of school 40 or 50 years — they all say the same thing: ‘San Antonio saved me.’ And that’s a big deal,” said San Antonio High School Principal Andrea Deligio. Pictured here is San Antonio teacher Tyler Baugh getting soaked at the school’s 60th anniversary celebration on Wednesday. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo
The Claremont High School speech and debate team was recently crowned Citrus Belt Speech Region league champion, qualifying several members to compete in the Southern California District Tournament.
The Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic School’s boys varsity basketball team recently concluded a historic season, going 21-2 and winning a Catholic Youth Organization Mountain East Conference championship under the leadership of head coach Matthew Moffitt and assistant coach Erik Villavicencio.
Standout Claremont High pitcher Brady Houlton, seen here practicing at first base on Monday, is 4-0 with a third best in state 42 strikeouts over his first four starts, and with Wednesday’s 7-4 win over Charter Oak, the Wolfpack is 8-2 in preseason play. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo
While teaching English in Malaysia during her Fulbright year, Rhian Moore would often take her class to the theater to watch U.S. blockbusters. Since returning to Southern California, Moore has amplified Asian and Pacific Islander voices in entertainment as head of programs at the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment. And last year she cracked Forbes’ yearly “30 Under 30” list of rising Hollywood and entertainment groundbreakers. Photo/by Jeff Hing
Trampled by Turtles is not a bluegrass band. Yes, of the six members, there’s a banjo player, a mandolin player, and a fiddle player — all core instruments of traditional bluegrass — but the music they play, along with the lead singer/guitarist, bassist, and cello player, owes as much to folk, country, rock ’n’ roll, and even, it turns out, speed metal. Tickets for Trampled by Turtles’ 7:30 p.m., Thursday, March 12 show at Bridges Auditorium are $59-$69 at pomona.edu/administration/bridges-auditorium. More info on the band is at trampledbyturtles.com. Photo/by Cooper Baumgartner
Webb girls soccer team captain Kate Cook, right, looks on Tuesday as visiting Francisco Bravo High School players begin to celebrate their 2-1 first-round win over the Gauls in the CIF-State Division 5 tournament. Webb finshed the season 20-2-1 and won the Academy League and CIF SS titles. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo
Pomona College hosted a “coffee talk” session February 27 to update staff and students on next steps as it prepares for a final decision on the proposed acquisition of Claremont Graduate University, which may come as soon as May. Photos/courtesy of Wikimediacommons
Scripps College President Amy Marcus-Newhall will speak about and present plans for the Centennial Plaza Project, an update to the western entrance to the school ahead of its 100th anniversary in a free and public 2 p.m.
On February 12 Harvey Mudd College physics professor Daniel Tamayo was named a 2026 Cottrell Scholar. The award, from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement, comes with a $120,000 grant.
Claremont Unified School District is exploring the possibility of asking voters to approve a new facilities bond as part of the November 3 election. If Claremont voters approve it, the potential new bond it would go into effect after the $48.9 million Measure Y bond, which voters approved in 2000, is retired in 2029. CUSD Superintendent Jim Elsasser is pictured here at the February 19 Board of Education meeting. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo
Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic School’s girls basketball team recently completed an historic season, finishing 13-7, and compiling a seven-game win streak along the way, both school records. “This is not just a good year for girls’ basketball; this is a historic one,” said OLA’s David Higuera. “The Lady Raiders have shattered expectations and school records alike, putting together a season that will be talked about for years to come.” Photo/courtesy of OLA