Valley Masonic Lodge to Honor Valley English Teacher in April

VAN NUYS, CA -- Annually, Clarence F. Smith Daylight Lodge No. 866, Free and Accepted Masons of California (“CFS Daylight”), honors a worthy teacher as a part of its – and the California Grand Lodge’s -- commitment to support public schools.

Supporting public schools is a bedrock principle of California Masonry.

Most Worshipful Arthur H. Weiss, Grand Master of Masons in California, proclaimed April 2021 to be Public Schools Month in California.

On nomination by a colleague, Mr. Alejandro (Alex) Arellano, an English Teacher at Birmingham Community Charter High School, has been selected as honoree this year by CFS Daylight.

Mr. Arellano was the first in his extended family to graduate college. His parents both immigrated from Mexico and did not finish grade school. His studies began at University of California, Irvine, and later at California State University, Fullerton, where he completed his undergraduate work. He went on to study at California State University, Northridge, where he earned a Master’s Degree in English Creative Writing. Currently he is in the Stanford Hollyhock Fellowship where some of his cohorts are focusing on creating and pushing for student voice.

“My major focus in teaching,” Arellano says, “is really being able to connect as a human being first with my students and to try to connect in order to build an inclusive environment. Growing up, my family really struggled to get by on a daily basis, so I understand a lot of the struggles my students are going through. The demographics of the high school where I teach are very similar to how I grew up, and choosing the right school was extremely important to me.”

CFS Daylight Lodge’s Public Schools’ celebration, at which Arellano will be honored, is planned as a Zoom event, to take place on April 22, 2021, at 7:30 PM PDT. Mr. Arellano’s family, friends and colleagues are all invited, as are Masons in good standing and others interested in Freemasonry. The meeting ID is 897 8226 7826. If you would like to attend, email davidikarp@karpmediation.com , CFS Daylight’s Public Schools Liaison, to register and to obtain the pass code.

For more information about Clarence F. Smith Daylight Lodge, go to www.facebook.com/cfsdaylight/ . For information about Freemasonry in general, go to https://freemason.org/ .

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Contact:
David I. Karp, Newsletter Editor/Public Schools Liaison
Clarence F. Smith Daylight Lodge No. 866
818-515-9361
davidikarp@karpmediation.com

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