Norma Coombs Alternative School
Encyclopedia
Norma Coombs Alternative School is located at 2600 Paloma St., Pasadena, California
91107 and is in the Pasadena Unified School District
.
and the school district, established to answer the community's desire for a school that offered a more unstructured approach to education. The original PAS was founded in 1972. Instruction began in a single classroom at the Washington Elementary site with about 50 students organized as a K-12 school.
PAS moved several times as its numbers swelled. By September 1975, it was housed at the Washington Junior High School site, which was renamed the Washington Center for Alternative Studies. An Evening High School was also located at the site, although the programs were kept separate.
In 1982, Pasadena Alternative moved to temporary quarters at its current site on Paloma Street, adjacent to the former Hale Elementary School. Hale Elementary was named after noted astronomer George Ellery Hale (1868-1938), who in addition to co-founding the California Institute of Technology
in Pasadena
, also founded and directed some of the world's greatest observatories, including Mount Wilson Observatory
.
In 1996, the school was reconfigured from a K-12 into a K-8 and was renamed Norma Coombs Alternative School in honor of Norma S. Coombs, who died earlier that year. She had served three years as the principal of PAS and was with the Pasadena Unified School District
for 36 years, first as a teacher and later becoming a language arts specialist.
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
91107 and is in the Pasadena Unified School District
Pasadena Unified School District
The Pasadena Unified School District is a unified school district that is responsible for the schools of Pasadena, California. , it has 4 high schools, 3 middle schools, 2 K-8 schools and 16 elementary schools...
.
History
Norma Coombs Alternative School began as Pasadena Alternative School (PAS), which was a cooperative venture by the University of MassachusettsUniversity of Massachusetts
This article relates to the statewide university system. For the flagship campus often referred to as "UMass", see University of Massachusetts Amherst...
and the school district, established to answer the community's desire for a school that offered a more unstructured approach to education. The original PAS was founded in 1972. Instruction began in a single classroom at the Washington Elementary site with about 50 students organized as a K-12 school.
PAS moved several times as its numbers swelled. By September 1975, it was housed at the Washington Junior High School site, which was renamed the Washington Center for Alternative Studies. An Evening High School was also located at the site, although the programs were kept separate.
In 1982, Pasadena Alternative moved to temporary quarters at its current site on Paloma Street, adjacent to the former Hale Elementary School. Hale Elementary was named after noted astronomer George Ellery Hale (1868-1938), who in addition to co-founding the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
in Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
, also founded and directed some of the world's greatest observatories, including Mount Wilson Observatory
Mount Wilson Observatory
The Mount Wilson Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The MWO is located on Mount Wilson, a 5,715 foot peak in the San Gabriel Mountains near Pasadena, northeast of Los Angeles...
.
In 1996, the school was reconfigured from a K-12 into a K-8 and was renamed Norma Coombs Alternative School in honor of Norma S. Coombs, who died earlier that year. She had served three years as the principal of PAS and was with the Pasadena Unified School District
Pasadena Unified School District
The Pasadena Unified School District is a unified school district that is responsible for the schools of Pasadena, California. , it has 4 high schools, 3 middle schools, 2 K-8 schools and 16 elementary schools...
for 36 years, first as a teacher and later becoming a language arts specialist.