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Latest Con Job May Kill Us All
They conned us again and this time might be the worst. First, they told us cigarettes were safe and even healthy, all the time knowing they were killing people. With grassroots efforts, we quashed that. Then, they ignored the fact that thousands of people were dying from drunk driving. They ignored it until Mothers Against Drunk Driving launched a nationwide effort to solve that problem by getting more enforcement and stricter laws. Now they have covered up the incredible harm plastics are doing to the Earth, acting like recycling will solve the problem. NO IT WON’T and they know it. Reporter Susanne Rust kept a record of all the plastics…
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Look Lively, There’s a New Kid’s Store Downtown
As the bright, mid-morning light streams through the Lively Kid’s storefront windows, owner Kayti Mata thoughtfully puts the finishing touches to her picture-perfect store. Surrounded by her hand-embellished furniture and snap-shots of her kids and their elementary school peers grinning down from the walls, Mata is completely in her element in the store of her dreams, located in the heart of her hometown. A third-generation Santa Cruzian, Mata always wanted to raise her two young children here, where they could have the same hometown experience she adored growing up. “There are so many roots here for our family… Santa Cruz was [always] the main option for us,” Mata said. “I’ve…
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How Can We Make Colleges Accessible to All Students?
In my previous article last month, I addressed how affirmative action really affects college admissions by creating substandard classes and dumbing down our best universities. Instead of giving free passes to students who meet ethnic and socioeconomic numbers, let’s level the playing field so all students have similar opportunities to compete for admission based on merit. We need to start teaching academic skills in preschool and offer cutting-edge courses in K-12. Remember there are over 4,000 colleges in the United States, and most will accept all applicants. For the sake of this article, we are only addressing the super selective colleges with acceptance rates below 10%. Academic preschool for all…
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Keeping the Airwaves Alive
“Our motto at the station is ‘Serve the Community First’,” said Tina Davey, station manager and co-founder of KBCZ Boulder Creek Community Radio Station, 89.3 FM. Every day since the station’s inception in 2013, Davey and her fellow DJs enter their small booth in downtown Boulder Creek, ready to share news updates, personal insights and community-based interviews with local listeners. Born in the UK, Davey originally moved to North Hollywood to pursue a career in rock music and eventually worked in television production in the 90’s. However, after visiting Boulder Creek with her husband, the pair resolved to move to the area. They packed up their instruments and moved here…
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Bellies, Birth and Babies is Back
Birth Network of Santa Cruz County is excited to offer the first Bellies, Birth and Babies (BBB) event since 2019, on September 10, 2-4pm at the Circle Family Center in Aptos. This 2-hour community event offers expectant and new parents, as well as their support teams, education, skills and resources to enhance their childbirth and parenting journey. Birth Network will offer BBB events every two months with the next one planned for November 12, at the RC Fam/Raíces y Cariño in Watsonville. Next year’s schedule will see BBB events held in the Westside/Scotts Valley area, as well.Each Bellies, Birth & Babies will offer a panel of speakers and an activity…
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Becoming a Great Grandmother
An old adage says the best thing about being a grandparent is that you can give the baby or toddler or teenager back to the parents when you’ve had enough. That might be true, but for me it doesn’t get to the heart of the matter. Plus, I don’t always want to give my granddaughter back to her parents when my time with her is up. Of course, I always do, because that would be kidnapping and kidnapping is bad.For me one of the best things about being a grandparent is that I know I’m not going to mess up or mess her up. As I mother, I wasn’t so…
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How Do You Feel About Going Back to School?
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Coloring Contest Winners
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Coloring Contest
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To Punish or Not to Punish?
How could we possibly raise children without punishment? How will they know the difference between right and wrong? I think when people picture an absence of punishment they are actually picturing an absence of discipline. Discipline is different than punishment, though. Discipline comes from the word disciple, which implies teaching and learning. Punishment is punitive in nature and it often comes out of our own anger and need to release that anger. Learning new skills (such as learning the difference between right and wrong) can’t come from punishment because punishment creates an atmosphere that is threatening and often disrespectful. This is not an atmosphere that is conducive to learning. As…
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Iconic Attraction Returns Soon to the Boardwalk
Something has been missing at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk for too long, an attraction that is a staple at any seaside amusement park: a Ferris wheel. Thankfully, that’s about to change. Plans are in the works to install a new Ferris wheel at the Boardwalk, more than five years after it removed its classic ride due to decades of wear and tear and salty air. This Ferris wheel, approved by Santa Cruz city planners in August, will stand 68 feet tall, roughly the same size as the previous one, and feature 15 gondolas that can sit up to four adults or six children at a time, according to the…
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Skipping Grades, Relevance of College and Homework Research
Editor’s Note: The following questions were submitted by Growing Up in Santa Cruz to Santa Cruz County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Faris Sabbah, based on common questions we’ve received from our readers. If you have questions about a topic impacting TK-12 education, please submit them to [email protected] with “Ask the Superintendent” in the subject line for a chance to have them addressed in a future column How do you know whether your child should skip a grade or stay back?This question really depends on the age of your child, the school district’s specific policies, and your child’s academic and social-emotional preparation. But in general, skipping a grade – also called…
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A Brave Space for All
By Sion Erkiletian, Juniper, and Daphne The Queer, Trans & Allied Student Summit of the Central Coast has a special place in my heart because of how much fun I had when I attended last year. It was a very powerful experience, and I made lifelong friends that will forever be in my heart. When I first got to the summit, I was immediately given a warm welcome by friendly attendees, kind volunteers, and I realized I wasn’t alone. I observed delighted youth from different counties participating in activities, and it felt impactful to be in a space so unapologetically queer. My name is Sion Erkiletian, and I am a…
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Top University and College Options in California
California is home to many higher education institutions. A 2022 Statista report indicates that it had 384 institutions in 2021, the most of any state that year. California also has the most college students, with 2,637,722 enrolled in 2022. This is mainly attributed to the number of universities in the state and the high-quality education they offer. Given this, high school seniors and soon-to-be university students may be attracted to studying in California. Still, they must first decide what type of institution to attend and which one. To this end, this article lists the top private universities and colleges, state universities, universities of California, and community colleges to consider. Private…
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Everyone is a Winner When Kids Have the Supplies They Need to Start School
There’s nothing better for kids than the first day of school. It’s like the first day of the baseball season: everybody’s a winner. They’ve got the shiny new backpack, be it Spiderman, Roblox or Barbie (probably not Oppenheimer). There are the fresh new pencils, crayons, notebooks, book covers. And there are endless possibilities. They strut into the classroom that first day so proud and colorful. But what if your kid can’t afford all that new stuff? How would that feel? It’s too sad to even think about. Luckily, people in Santa Cruz have taken up the challenge to help the 2,000 or so students who are unhoused or living in…
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Santa Cruz Turns Out to Stuff the Bus
When word got out that hundreds—no, thousands—of students didn’t have the money for school supplies, Santa Cruz residents, businesses and charity groups got in gear. They came up with a program called “Stuff the Bus,” which literally filled a giant yellow school bus with backpacks stuffed with the needed supplies, including pens, pencils, notebooks, crayons, erasers, glue, highlighters, staplers and index cards. The good news is that the project has gathered some 2,000 backpacks so far. The bad news is that so many kids truly need them and they are struggling through homelessness and poverty. Among the groups sponsoring the program, which got going some 14 years ago, are United…
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Ramifications of Affirmative Action Ban in College
Who benefits from Affirmative Action? Affirmative action policies were designed to address historical and ongoing inequalities by providing preferential opportunities to Black and Hispanic students that have been marginalized or disadvantaged. These policies were aimed to promote diversity, inclusion, and equal representation in education. Who is targeted by Affirmative Action? Critics of affirmative action argue that it is unfair to Asians and Whites who may be denied admission to as a result of these policies. They believe that affirmative action can result in reverse discrimination by favoring individuals based on their race or gender, rather than their individual merit. It undermines the principles of fairness and equality; students should be…
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Something You Never Get Over
In early July, I interviewed Dr. Gail Newel, who was retiring from her position as County Health Officer, about her career. We talked about how Santa Cruz had just logged its first official death from “tranq,” an animal sedative called Xylazine that is extremely dangerous for humans. I knew we’d talk about the opioid epidemic and I suspected what she would say about the causes. But one statement she made brought me up short: Santa Cruz has a bigger problem than most counties in the state and it stems in part from our local culture. “We have a pretty active glorification of drug culture [in Santa Cruz],” Newel said. “I’m…
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Mama Bear Self Care Back to School
It’s that time of year when we are hitting the stores to get our kids school supplies and enjoy the last few weeks of summer. This is also the time when we may feel a bit sad that the summer is coming to an end as we’ve just been getting into the flow of the non-scheduled routines. Or maybe you are reading this so excited to get back to your kids’ school routine – either way, there is a transition coming up and I want to share a big tip on preparing for this change as a parent to keep it smooth for our kids. Everyone talks about the village…
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Time to Celebrate Breastfeeding
It’s clear that working parents are more successful with their breast/chestfeeding goals when they are given adequate support. Pressures to get back to earning a paycheck often compete with the ability to get breastfeeding firmly established Not enough parents qualify for paid maternity leave, with some back to work even before the typical six weeks given by state disability. While there are supportive employers out there, many workplaces ignore the needs of their breastfeeding employees, making pumping and storing milk at work difficult. While the California Breastfeeding Coalition works with parents who feel their employers are ignoring state and federal guidelines for lactation support at work, not every parent is…
