Conejo Valley Unified School District Names School Library After SAGE

Thousand Oaks–based publishing company recognized for long-standing support of local schools

At a ceremony at Newbury Park High School on November 10th, the Conejo Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) announced the re-naming of the Newbury Park High School library as the SAGE Library. This honor was bestowed on SAGE, an academic publisher based in Thousand Oaks, in recognition of over a decade of ongoing support for the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at NPHS.

“SAGE believes passionately in the value of education,” said Blaise Simqu, chief executive officer of SAGE. “We see our mission as not only to disseminate teaching and research globally, but also to make a difference locally by being active in our community and supporting educational programs that prepare students for college and beyond.”

Since 1995, SAGE has donated more than $600,000 to the school district, including $385,000 for the IB program at NPHS. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to reveal a representation of the brass plaque that will be placed outside the school library.

Announcement of the naming of the SAGE Library at NPHS and unveiling of the new library plaque (a representation of the plaque is pictured; the actual plaque will be installed at a later date at the library). Left to right: Jeffrey Baarstad, superintendent, Conejo Valley Unified School District; David McCune, Corwin co-founder, former CEO of SAGE, current member of SAGE board of directors; Timothy Stephens, member, CVUSD board of education; Betsey Connolly, member, CVUSD board of education; Mike Soules, Corwin president“The IB program put NPHS on the map and draws as many as 300 students from other communities,” said Jeffrey L. Barstaad, superintendent of CVUSD. “A program like IB requires resources above and beyond our ability to fund. We recognize the long trail of giving by SAGE that has made the program possible.”

The IB program at NPHS is the only one in the Conejo Valley. Since the start of the program in 1996, approximately 315 students have graduated with an IB diploma. This school year, 47 students are scheduled to test in May—the program’s largest cohort ever.

“The IB program at NPHS has benefitted students, teachers and the whole school community in so many ways. Its commitment to rigor and creative thinking, to teaching students to see a larger picture and take an active role in the global community, has definitely affected the whole campus,” said Christine Thompson, the IB program coordinator at NPHS.

SAGE continues to support educational organizations in the Conejo Valley and Ventura County through its corporate giving program. The company has also provided CVUSD with funding for language arts grants and teacher summer writing workshop scholarships.

About SAGE: SAGE is a leading international publisher of journals, books, and electronic media for academic, educational, and professional markets. Since 1965, SAGE has helped inform and educate a global community of scholars, practitioners, researchers, and students spanning a wide range of subject areas including business, humanities, social sciences, and science, technology and medicine. A privately owned corporation, SAGE has principal offices in Thousand Oaks, London, New Delhi, and Singapore. For more information, please visit www.sagepublications.com.