‘Every Child Can Learn’

Janice Aronin, a teacher at Encino Elementary School, was recently recognized by the Council for Exceptional Children for demonstrating professional standards and expertise in specialized education.

Aronin, 62, who lives in Woodland Hills, has been teaching children with learning disabilities at the school for 17 years. Every child she has helped has left an indelible mark, she said.

“As they get closer to grade level, they don’t need me,” Aronin said. “It can bring tears to my eyes. It’s very exciting to see their progress.”

Aronin’s special education classes take students from their mainstream classes a few hours each day to small groups in her classroom, where they receive one-on-one attention.

“My students feel good about themselves,” she said. “I can see their self-esteem go up. When the work is over their head, and the teacher is ignoring them, it makes the students feel bad.”

Most of the special education students she teaches are about two years behind their peers. All are struggling with hyperactivity and other disorders that hinder learning.

“I know some children would be forgotten if I didn’t work with them,” she said. “I’ve seen them in regular classrooms at the back of the room, lost.”

Aronin is planning to retire in June, but she hopes to keep her hand in teaching by training special education teachers.

“Every child can learn,” she said. “You just have to not give up on them.”

The Council for Exceptional Children represents professionals who serve 7.5 million students nationwide who are gifted or have disabilities.

KUDOS

Scholastic Bowl: Hoover High school won the 10th annual Glendale Unified School District’s High School Scholastic Bowl on Monday for the second consecutive year. The competition pits district high school students against one another in math, science, history, language arts and fine arts.

The winning Hoover team was made up of seniors: Brandon Cipes, Raffi Djihanian, Vaheh Shirvanian and twin sisters Elizabeth and Rachel Van Houten.

Each student on the team received a $500 scholarship.

Second place went to Crescenta Valley High school, followed by Glendale High and Clark Magnet High.

Next Julia Child?: Claiming she learned everything she knows from her dad, 7-year-old Katherine Weisbrod of Germain Street Elementary School in Chatsworth recently returned from a two-day trip to Alabama to compete in the Piggly Wiggly/Southern Living “I Can Do It Myself” recipe bake-off.

While the mildly autistic second-grader did not win for her “Katherine’s Favorite Grilled Three Cheese Sandwich” recipe, she did receive honors for being “the most fired up.”

And what exactly is Katherine’s secret to her fabulous prized sandwich?

“It’s the tomato and avocado,” she said.

Ten children from all over the country competed in the contest. Katherine won a $100 savings bond, an apron, a Piggly Wiggly stuffed animal and cookie jar.

Ocean Bowl: A team of five students from North Hollywood High School earned second place in the Los Angeles Ocean Sciences Bowl/Surf Bowl 2000, an academic skills contest focusing on marine biology and oceanography.

Ten schools from Los Angeles and Orange counties competed in the event sponsored by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the University of Southern California.

Congratulations to Jae-Woo Choi, Nina Han, Marie Kobler, Tyler Rubin and Danna Shulman.

Scene Stealers: Rebecca Diaz, Andy Schiller and Rachel Yates from Pacoima Middle School will perform a scene from Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie” at the state Capitol later this month to celebrate California Youth Theater Day.

The students were selected from 125 entries to represent the Drama Teachers Assn. of Southern California.

EVENTS

Women’s Lecture: A panel discussion on “The Women’s Movement: What Did We Gain? What Did We Lose? What Do We Need To Do?” is scheduled March 23 at noon at Glendale Community College, Kreider Hall, 1500 N. Verdugo Road. Free and open to the public. Call (818) 551-5161.

Opera Kids: “Family Day at the Opera” is scheduled Sunday from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Colburn School of Performing Arts in downtown Los Angeles for children ages 5 to 10 and their parents. This hands-on afternoon includes art, music and drama workshops--even participation in a professional performance.

Ticket prices are $35-$45 and can be purchased at (310) 836-1394. The program is presented through the Los Angeles Opera’s Junior Opera Project.

Class Notes appears every Wednesday. Send news about schools to the Valley Edition, Los Angeles Times, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth 91311. Or fax it to (818) 772-3338.