Burbank Unified School District

HASTINGS — CIULLA Michael and Kathy Hastings, of Burbank, have announced the engagement of their daughter, Lauren Elizabeth Hastings, to Peter Matthew Ciulla, the son of Louis and Maureen Ciulla, of La Crescenta. The bride-to-be is a graduate of John Burroughs High School and Cal State Northridge. She works in special education with the Burbank Unified School District. The groom-to-be is a graduate of Loyola High School, did his undergraduate work at UC Riverside and received his master's degree in mechanical engineering from UC San Diego.

Marilyn Louise Kemper Eichlin Marilyn Louise Kemper Eichlin died on Aug. 22, 2005, in Burbank. She was 84. Eichlin was born on June 13, 1921 in Missouri. She was a 31-year resident of Burbank and a retired school teacher, having taught in the Burbank Unified School District for 35 years. Eichlin is survived by her cousin Elaine Carlson Thurn of Overland Park, Kan.; cousin Eugene Carlson of Clay Center, Kan.; sister-in-law Mary Eichlin Strawn and husband George Strawn of Riegelsville, Pa. A memorial service was held at Pierce Brothers Little Country Chapel at Valhalla Memorial Park in Burbank.

GONZALEZ-BASS Tina Gonzalez and Mike Bass were married at the United Methodist Church in Burbank. Dr. Paul Sago officiated. The groom drove the bride's stepfather's '57 Chevy truck to the reception held at the Lakeside Country Club. The matron of honor was Pam Cohen. The bride's 91-year-old grandmother, Margaret Adams was the special guest. The couple honeymooned in Maui, Hawaii, and are living in Burbank. The bride is the daughter of Judi Gascoigne and the late Dan Gonzalez.

o7Here are some of the items the Burbank Unified School District Board will discuss on Thursday: f7 SUMMER SCHOOL REPORT The board will review the 2005 Summer School Report, which includes student attendance records and teacher and principal recommendations for next year's summer school session. ELIMINATION OF POSITIONS The board will consider the elimination of three classified positions. A project assistant technician position is being considered for elimination because school construction for modernization has slowed down and there is less work to do. A campus supervision assistant at John Muir Middle School is being considered for elimination because of a lack of funding.

Mark R. Madler Local voters have identified a Glendale City Councilman, a former assemblyman and a Burbank Unified School District board member as potential candidates they would support for a state assembly seat, according to a poll commissioned by an Assembly hopeful. The poll, commissioned by Burbank School Board Vice President Paul Krekorian, has identified Glendale City Councilman Frank Quintero and former Assemblyman Scott Wildman as potential candidates for the 43rd District legislative seat.

A cheer went up from a table filled with Burbank Unified School District administrators and school board members Friday, as Laura Vinyard was named a Los Angeles County Teacher of the year. The sixth- and eighth-grade math and science teacher at Jordan Middle School, was one of 13 teachers selected from more than 50 Los Angeles County school districts. "It feels wonderful to be in a room full of people who appreciate what we do," Vinyard said, as she accepted the honor at a luncheon at the Hilton in Universal City on Friday.

A Burbank Unified School District teacher turned herself in Monday for having sex with a 14-year-old student from March to September last year, police said. Amy Beck, 33, a sixth-grade teacher at Jordan Middle School, surrendered Monday afternoon to Burbank police with her lawyer, and was being held on $400,000 bail, Burbank Police Sgt. Robert Quesada said. “We’re still trying to piece everything together, what happened, where, what kind of sex acts, how many, and how long it’s been going on,” he said.

New Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Burbank Unified School District has hired Gabriel Soumakian as the new assistant superintendent of human resources. Soumakian previously served as the director of human resources for certified and classified employees at the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. He will begin serving employees Burbank's district on Oct. 1. Juggling and Origami at library The Burbank Library will present "Juggling and Origami" at 7 p.m. Thursday at the central library auditorium at 110 N. Glenoaks Blvd.

When doctors 10 years ago diagnosed Mary Strauss with breast cancer, the retired bookkeeper was forced to confront a condition that for much of her life went unnamed. “Growing up, we never talked about cancer,” said Strauss, 76, of La Cañada. “It was the big C. You didn’t tell people you had the big C, this dreadful, terrible disease. Who tells people about a looming death sentence?” This weekend she joined more than 1,000 survivors, their supporters and people who lost loved ones to cancer at American Cancer Society Relay for Life events in La Crescenta and Burbank.

Opinions. Everyone has them and thinks theirs are right. Otherwise, they’d get new ones. And when a scandal like the alleged sexual affair between a 33-year-old female teacher and a 14-year-old male student comes along, the opinions blossom like spring flowers — abundant, colorful and fleeting. I am of course referring to the Amy Beck case currently rocking the Burbank Unified School District. We don’t know yet the motives and emotions behind the events that led to Beck turning herself in for allegedly having sexual relations with a minor.

A Burbank Unified School District teacher turned herself in Monday for having sex with a 14-year-old student from March to September last year, police said. Amy Beck, 33, a sixth-grade teacher at Jordan Middle School, surrendered Monday afternoon to Burbank police with her lawyer, and was being held on $400,000 bail, Burbank Police Sgt. Robert Quesada said. “We’re still trying to piece everything together, what happened, where, what kind of sex acts, how many, and how long it’s been going on,” he said.

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge on Wednesday postponed the arraignment of a Burbank Unified School District teacher accused of having sex with a 14-year-old student, her attorney said. Amy Beck, a 33-year-old teacher at Jordan Middle School, will remain in jail and is working with authorities as they investigate allegations that she had a sexual relationship with a student who was 14 at the time, said her attorney, Michael Williamson. “My client is not making any admissions,” Williamson said.

Looking at Paul McKenna Jr., one thing is clear. “It’s not a young person’s war anymore. I turned 50 on my way to Iraq,” he said. “But to look at young people who I met for the first time and then six months later was in a combat zone with them, and to see the growth, it gives us a lot to be proud of.” McKenna, a Unites States Marine from 1977 to 1985, tried his hand at acting, teaching and served as vice president of a transportation company before joining the Army National Guard about 16 years later.

A proposed 20% cut to the statewide education transportation budget would severely affect students in Glendale and Burbank, local officials said. The California School Employees Assn. held a rally Monday in Sacramento opposing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed $400-million cuts to the 2009-10 budget. “This is a reduction that could significantly disrupt the education of the more than 900,000 school children who are transported on school buses every year,” said State Supt.

BURBANK — The city’s homeless services subcommittee is poised to recommend that the City Council initiate a pilot program to provide case-management assistance for transient families, officials said this week. But the idea has already been met with resistance from some in the city who are concerned that the proposal would cost too much in a depressed economy and might be unneeded given the number of homeless service providers already offering programs in Burbank. The proposal, initially presented at the subcommittee’s Oct. 22 meeting, would provide up to $100,000 for homeless families that may require case management services in Burbank, said Mayor Dave Golonski, who, along with Councilwoman Anja Reinke and city staff members, serves on the subcommittee.

College View School teacher Bud Yoho has known Sharone Maltez for almost her entire life. So escorting Maltezon Wednesday to her graduation ceremony at College View School in Glendale was a powerful moment for him. “It’s like walking your daughter down the aisle,” Yoho said. “You’re giving her away. It touches your heart.” Maltez, 22, graduated from College View, which serves students with cognitive and physical disabilities, by virtue of her age. Under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, young people with disabilities between the ages of 3 and 22 must be served by public schools.

GLENDALE — Students’ overall academic performance on state tests continues to trend upward in Glendale, Burbank and across the state, according to revised Academic Performance Index data the state department of education released on Wednesday. Glendale Unified School District’s 2007 Base Academic Performance Index released on Wednesday — which was based on the results of state tests students took in spring 2007 — was 807, five points higher than the district’s academic index level in 2006.

BURBANK HIGH — Burbank High has chosen its new football coach, and this time the school is convinced they have the right man for the job. Ted Amorosi, 34, a former head coach at Glendale High, was introduced Wednesday as Burbank's coach. "We are very pleased to have Ted as our new coach teaching our kids," Burbank Principal Bruce Osgood said. "He came across very well in his interviews, but even more impressive were the recommendations that came from his peers in football.