Monday, January 02, 2012

HIGHLAND PARK LOCAL IS ROSE PARADE PRINCESS: Franklin High School senior Sarah Zuno is on the Tournament of Roses' royal court.

By Andrea C. Quezada, Highland Park/Mt Washington Patch |

Sarah Zuno of Franklin High School was named to the 2012 Tournament of Roses Royal Court Credit Natalie Esber

Jan 2, 2012 | 8:19 am :: The 123rdRose Parade is underway and while spectators nationwide will have their eyes on Pasadena, the community of Highland Park will have one of its own in the spotlight.

As previously reported on Patch, Benjamin Franklin High School student Sarah Zuno is one of seven girls on the royal court. The senior is the first representative of the Los Angeles Unified School District in the history of the parade.

According to LAUSD’s website, the previous boundaries for the selection of Rose Queen were limited to the communities of San Marino and Pasadena. That changed this year after a rep on the Tournament of Roses Association executive committee authored a proposal to include Highland Park. The committee voted in favor of expanding the tournament’s application process to also include schools in Highland Park.

●● smf: The San Gabriel Valley communities of Altadena, Arcadia, Flintridge,  LaCañada and South Pasadena  have historically provided young women to serve on the royal court. The criteria, according to the Tournament of Roses, is that the queen and princesses be high school or college students between 17 and 21 residing in the attendance area of Pasadena City College.

Although Zuno was not selected as this year’s Rose Queen, she will reign on the royal court for one year.

The Rose Parade kicked off at 8 a.m. and if you’re considering heading out to Pasadena to partake in the festivities, here’s some friendly advice: take Metro’s Gold Line. For more information about the Rose Parade, call the toll free visitor hotline at (877) 793-9911.

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