Category Archives: Faculty and Staff

Chaminade Family Raises $1.2 Million

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Thank you Postcard2014In a year when Chaminade bid farewell to its 18-year President Jim Adams, the school also celebrated a national speaking championship, robotics awards, four state athletic championships, another successful college placement year, and a banner year in annual giving. The 2013-2014 Chaminade Fund closed the year having raised $1.2 million – funds that are directly invested in students and faculty.

The annual fund raising effort is truly a Chaminade family achievement – 1,325 donors contributed to The Chaminade Fund. Gifts ranged in size from $1 to $75,000. Every single gift, from every single donor makes a difference in the Chaminade experience.

Chaminade College Preparatory thanks all of its generous supporters.

Middle School Music Teacher Kathy Rohrs Receives Innovation in Education Award

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On Monday, May 19, Chaminade’s middle school music teacher, Kathy Rohrs, received the Innovation in Education Award from The Valley Economic Alliance, at the 14th Annual Steve Allen Excellence in Education Awards ceremony. Each year The Valley Economic Alliance recognizes San Fernando Valley schools, educators and students that achieved national recognition during the school year.

Recognized for her innovative use of music in the classroom and in the community, Mrs. Rohrs also received certificates of achievement and recognition from the California State Senate, California Legislature Assembly, the City of Burbank, the City of San Fernando, the Calabasas City Council, Mayor’s Commendation from the City of Glendale, and the City of Los Angeles Councilmembers Paul Krekorian and Mitchell Englander.

Mrs. Rohrs is a vocalist, guitarist, harpist, conductor, composer and music educator. She is a native of the San Fernando Valley, and currently holds a bachelor’s degree in classical guitar and a K-12 Secondary Music Credential in Music Education from California State University, Northridge. She joined the Chaminade family in 2001 and serves as the music director and choral director of the Chaminade C-Notes. Under her instruction, the Chaminade C-Notes have had the honor to travel and sing in Washington D.C., Chaminade University in Hawaii and to New York performing as the solo feature choir for the National Children’s Festival at Carnegie Hall in 2011 and 2013. The C-Notes are honored to return to New York to perform on the prestigious Carnegie Hall stage on March 22, 2015.

Chaminade Appoints New President

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IMG_1335-BChaminade College Preparatory Board Chairperson Pamela Meyer ’76 announced on March 7 that Robert Webb has been appointed as the school’s fifth president.

After a six-month long, nationwide search, Mr. Webb has been selected and will begin his tenure on July 1, 2014. He is currently vice president of institutional advancement at Chaminade.

Mr. Webb is the successor to James Adams, who has served as Chaminade’s president since the 1996-1997 school year. In September 2013, Mr. Adams announced his intent to step down at the end of the 2013-2014 school year. He will continue to serve the Chaminade community as president emeritus.

“Rob Webb is an excellent choice to be Chaminade’s next president.  He is a consummate professional and a gifted educator,” said current President Jim Adams. “Under his capable leadership, I am confident that Chaminade will continue to set the standard for Catholic college preparatory education in Southern California.”

“It is truly an honor to be chosen by the board to serve as the next president of Chaminade College Preparatory,” said Mr. Webb. “During my 14 years of service to the school I have developed a deep love for the mission of Chaminade and the Catholic Marianist traditions that guide our work. Our family has been blessed to call Chaminade home for many years and indeed we have been enriched by sharing our lives with the school family.  As we look toward the next chapter of Chaminade College Preparatory, it is impossible to not reflect on the impact that Jim Adams has had over the course of his 18 year tenure, no one can fill his shoes but we can stand humbly on the foundation which he envisioned and with prayer and planning, boldly take the next steps into the future.”

Mr. Webb is a Southern California native and a San Fernando Valley resident. Sarah, his wife of 16 years, is a school psychologist. They are the proud parents of two Chaminade students, Luke and James. Their Catholic parish is Our Lady of Lourdes in Northridge, California. Mr. Webb holds a bachelor’s degree in speech communication from California State University, Northridge. He completed his graduate work at Azusa Pacific University, where he earned a master’s degree in educational administration.

With 22 years of experience in Catholic education, Mr. Webb has a well-rounded curriculum vitae. In 2004, he returned to Chaminade as director of development, and in 2008 was promoted to vice president for institutional advancement. He has also served as a school administrator at both The Webb Schools and Chaminade. His career began in education at Bishop Alemany High School as a teacher and coach; he taught math, health, physical education and social sciences. Mr. Webb also serves as an adjunct consultant with Catholic Schools Management (CSM), a Connecticut firm which serves Catholic schools, nationwide. His work with CSM focuses on comprehensive development program assessments, marketing programs, annual giving, capital campaign feasibility studies, and capital campaigns.

Middle School Music Teacher Moves on to Semi-Final Round for the Music Educator Award

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DSC_4451 (2)Chaminade’s Middle School Music Teacher Kathy Rohrs has advanced as a semi-finalist for the Music Educator Award presented by The Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Foundation. She is among a group of 25 teachers, from 24 cities and 15 states to be named as semi-finalists. In May 2013 it was announced that Mrs. Rohrs was a quarterfinalist. At the time, there were 217 music teachers, from 195 cities, and 45 states. Initially, more than 30,000 nominations were submitted from all 50 states. The 10 finalists will be announced in December.

For more information on the Music Educator Award, please visit the GRAMMY Foundation’s website.

A Message from the Office of the President

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Dear Chaminade Family,

I wanted to bring you up to date on a situation on our High School (West Hills) Campus this morning. At approximately 9:30 a.m., we received a phone call alerting us to the possibility of a person on our campus carrying a weapon. High School personnel followed protocol and the school was immediately placed in lockdown and the police were notified. The Topanga Division of the LAPD arrived on the scene within 5 minutes of that call and students were secured in classrooms with teachers and staff.  A thorough search of the campus was conducted and after 2 ½ hours, LAPD determined that our campus was safe. Authorities determined that a student had been mistakenly identified as an intruder. That student was not armed, no crime occurred, and at no time were any of our students in danger.

I would like to thank High School Principal Brother Tom as well as our site administrators, faculty, and staff for employing lockdown procedures and making sure that all students on campus were as safe as possible. It was gratifying to know that this lockdown was put into operation quickly and efficiently. 

Thanks also to the Topanga Division of the LAPD who were on the site so quickly and for conducting a search of the campus. The officers that responded were most professional and thorough in their handling of this situation.

I would also like to add a word of appreciation to the parent who made the phone call alerting us of a possible intruder. Even though this turned out to be a case of mistaken identity, we remain grateful that we were notified and could put emergency procedures in place. We want to continue to encourage anyone in our school community who sees something dangerous or out of the ordinary to notify us right away. It is always better to err on the side of caution than to hesitate and be too late.

Finally, I appreciate all of you for your patience, cooperation, and prayers as this situation unfolded.

God Bless,

Jim Adams
President