St. Matthew’s Celebrates New Scoreboard With Ribbon Cutting

By LILY TINOCO | Assistant Editor

St. Matthew’s Parish School in Pacific Palisades recently celebrated its 75th anniversary with a series of events, kicking off with a “momentous” ribbon-cutting ceremony for a brand new athletics scoreboard.

The event—attended by preschool through eighth-grade students, faculty, staff and parents—marked the inauguration of the school’s new “state-of-the-art” scoreboard for Falcon Athletics. It took place on Blue-White Day, a St. Matthew’s tradition that helps build school spirit with a day of healthy athletic competition for all students to participate.

This year’s Blue-White Day was full of “boundless Falcon spirit,” celebrating with the school’s mascot, Freddie the Falcon, who was cheering students on from the sidelines. The day also welcomed a special guest to the school’s campus: Marty, a real life Lanner falcon, accompanied by falconer Cortney Vargas from Raptor Events.

“Embracing both tradition and progress, St. Matthew’s eagerly anticipates the positive impact of this enhancement on our vibrant community,” according to a statement. “Led by their esteemed Head of School Alley Michaelson, the ribbon-cutting ceremony symbolized a significant milestone in the school’s history.

“From now until next year’s Blue-White Day, the school will honor the rich history of St. Matthew’s Parish School. This milestone year is an opportunity for the entire community to come together and celebrate.”

St. Matthew’s Parish School announced the appointment of Michaelson as head of school on March 14, 2023. Michaelson is St. Matthew’s ninth head of school and the first alumna to take on the role, according to a statement.

“I am overjoyed and grateful to return to St. Matthew’s as the head of school,” Michaelson previously said. “I look forward to honoring the traditions and values St. Matthew’s holds dear while leading the school into its next chapter.”

St. Matthew’s is billed as an Episcopal co-ed school for students in preschool through grade eight. With a tagline of “serve, lead, flourish,” the school operates with a community character covenant, which addresses things like respect, responsibility, honesty, empathy and fairness.