On the Town: Humor stays dry during St. Bellarmine event

Sure, there was a little rain. OK, at times, there was even a lot of rain. But the much-needed precipitation did nothing to dampen the spirits of the students, parents, family members, supporters, staff and faculty of St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Elementary School as they recently gathered for their annual open house.

Manning (or would it be “fathering”) the grill, the parish’s pastor, the Reverend Father John Collins, gave no thought to the inclement weather. “What? You think this is the first time an Irishman has cooked in the rain?” he quipped with a laugh.

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This annual event gives both parents of current students as well — as those who are considering enrolling their children — the opportunity to meet with principal Melissa Ronan, each teacher, and student ambassadors who offered guests a tour of their classroom that showcased their work.

The event also provides visitors with annual update information on various programs the school embraces including its focus on accelerated math, an academic decathlon and the California Junior Scholarship Foundation.

Along with the classroom tours, meet-and-greets and food, a highlight of this yearly event is a musical performance presented by the school band led by David Etterbeek and choir under the direction of Ednalee Moreno.

Among those that made this year’s open house a success were teachers Debbie Mariscal, Anna Lucero, Denise Harwell, Annette Riggio, Claudia Gleason, Sawsan Ibrahim, Caroline Behrens, Romina Incandela, Michael Fess, Jeanette Cortez, Bruce Pavalon, Lance Alexander, Martha Duarte, Corinne Poulain and staff members Kimberly Forbes, Annabella Mardiros, Donna Santa Cruz, Evelyn Hawkins and Jose Robles.

This year’s open house, attended by Burbank Mayor Bob Frutos, was chaired by Adriana Steward and was also made possible by Teresa D’Agostaro, Rema Tohme, president of the school’s Parent Teacher Organization and many of the parents Tohme represents including Angie Crosthwait, Anet Mashhour, Silvia Davis and Armine Margaryan.

St. Robert Bellarmine Parish was founded as Holy Trinity Parish on Dec. 12, 1907, in the Odd Fellows Hall located on San Fernando Road and Olive Avenue. The church was erected on its current North Fifth Street location in 1909 and was the first Catholic church in the San Fernando Valley.

The school opened in September 1936 and, in 1938, was renamed St. Robert Bellarmine. Today, the school serves students in transitional kindergarten through eighth grade. Along with Roman Catholic training, students receive instruction in core subjects, religion, physical education, computers, music and Spanish.

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DAVID LAURELL may be reached by email at dlaurell@aol.com or (818) 563-1007.