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Students Take Science Seriously
Kids in Santa Cruz County are busy with all kinds of activities, and some in our next generation are taking scientific research seriously as evidenced at the Santa Cruz County Science Fair held March 18 at the County Office of Education. One-hundred-forty students from schools across the County representing 123 science projects competed in this annual event. I had the pleasure of interviewing organizers, judges, and participants. Emma Smith, a sixth grader from Mountain School, is concerned about climate change and flooding. Her project explored whether a living shoreline might mitigate damage from ocean flooding better than the standard impervious sea walls which are built for this purpose. “I knew…
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Making Magic at Camp Kesem
My father sadly passed away when I was 7 years old. My family had been uprooted from our home in Mexico and pulled back to America for a more advanced treatment for my dad’s cancer. He fought for four long years. In the wake of his death, I refused to speak of him or his suffering. It was just too painful to relive. Eventually, my mom persuaded me to attend a program called Camp Kesem. Adding to the preexisting dozens of locations across the USA, the first chapter of UC Santa Cruz Camp Kesem opened in 2014.This amazing non-profit program is run by passionate, volunteering university students, and among other…
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Growing Up In Santa Cruz, Literally
When the University of California came to town in the 1960’s, our then conservative town thought the worst they were getting were boys in letter sweaters and girls in bobby socks, who may get a little rowdy at fraternity or sorority parties. Well, weren’t they surprised when every public university campus in the United States immediately became a hot-bed of liberal and radical politics: anti-war, pro-feminism, anti-establishment, and pro-environment. But, the changes did not stop there. Newly arrived folks associated with UCSC in some way or other became active in City politics, electing radicals such as Mike Rotkin, Bruce Van Allen to the city council, and Gary Patton to the…
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Kids on the Trapeze with the Greatest of Ease
Ladies and Gentleman! Orchard School presents CircOrchard, its 8th annual children’s circus, featuring the entire 60-strong student body performing clown antics, juggling, acrobatics, unicycling, stilt walking, and circus spoofs. The not-to-be-missed public show will be April 23 at 2pm at the Scotts Valley Cultural and Performing Arts Center. See ticket information below. Over the years, audiences have been wowed by the expertise and creativity of the school’s young performers, as well as impressed by their confidence level and powerful stage presence. The show, under the direction of teacher and professional performer, Rock Lerum, is created fresh every year with the addition of new, kid-generated skits, and an ever-growing student skill…
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Positive Parenting After the Floods
It’s hard to believe that a few months ago, California was still in a deep drought, with many concerns about the lack of water. Now, after multiple atmospheric rivers, many people’s lives have been turned upside-down (yet again) by events they have no control over. It’s heartbreaking to see the devastating impact of the storms and floods on families, many of whom already faced challenges meeting basic needs. While the water may recede, the emotional ripple effects of the loss, disruption, and uncertainty will last a long time.If you have a question or idea for a future column, email me at [email protected]. Dear Nicole,My family had to evacuate in the…
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Santa Cruz’ Top Pitcher Even Practices in the Dark
Something often have an epiphany in which they realize their passion. For Nevaeh Martinez, a 17-year-old junior at Soquel High, this moment occurred at a Stanford softball game when she was young and watched in awe at the speed and power of the pitchers. At that moment she knew she would do whatever it took — work as hard as she must – to manifest herself onto the pitching mound. “I thought it was really cool watching the softball pitchers pitch and how fast their arms moved,” said Martinez. “Just how different it was than baseball.” Years later, that same girl watching wide-eyed from the bleachers, has received the Player…
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A Rosy Spring for Real Estate?
The spring real estate market is about to come into full bloom, and from where I’m sitting, our local market is looking downright rosy. I’m guessing it may surprise you to see me write that, because it runs contrary to the narrative that’s we’re being fed in the media – that rising interest rates have snuffed out the real estate market, the Federal Reserve is working to bring about a recession, and the real estate market is circling the drain. There’s no question that the market has cooled – and cooled dramatically. Prices are down across the board throughout the Bay Area, to varying degrees. But Santa Cruz specifically is…
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Do Smartphones Help or Hinder Students in the Classroom?
Smartphones are facing scrutiny in classrooms from K-12 to college. Some teachers prohibit cell phones inside the classroom because their alerts, text messages, and social media updates are a distraction to the students. Other teachers allow them because students need easy access to information, assignments and calendars. Are smartphones interfering with academic productivity and learning? While students are clicking on messages and checking out images of their friends, these interactions on their smartphones often trigger anxiety, and FoMo (fear of missing out) when they see that their friends are engaged in exciting activities while they’re stuck in a classroom or their bedrooms. Although the students may physically be in the…
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Editor’s Note
We asked an Artificial Intelligence program to write a poem about being a teen whohas grown up in Santa Cruz and this is what we got in 20 seconds: In Santa Cruz by the sea, Where the waves crash wild and free.I spent my teenage years, With laughter, love, and tears.The sun-kissed sand, the salty breeze, The boardwalk bustling with glee.The pier where we’d fish and dream, Our youth so full of promise and esteem.The town was quirky, artsy, and kind, With open minds and hearts refined.Where we could be ourselves, express, And never feel the need to impress.We’d hang out at cafes, skate parks, and beaches, Taking risks, pushing…
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ChatGPT – How Will This Change Education?
When spell check and grammar check features became available in the late 1970s, critics feared that we would rely on technology to edit our work and that the quality of our writing would diminish. Then when the internet first appeared in 1983, critics worried that people would lose the ability to think critically. Both the internet and spell/grammar check features have become a mainstay in writing and we rely on them for research and editing our work. Today ChatGPT – an artificial intelligence software program that provides instant research results and can write an original essay in a matter of seconds – is the new obsession. Teachers and administrators are…
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Tips for Music Teachers
My greatest satisfaction, after 70 years of musical experience, has been teaching piano to people of all ages. I’ve found it to be an art of empathy, perception, intuition and constant appraisal. Teaching is about preparing and encouraging a student to continue conscious and creative learning as a life long practice. Here are some tips that may be useful.
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A Plea for Your Help
Kevin, a 16-year-old teen, was sitting in my dental chair in terrible pain. He had a deep cavity that was hitting his nerve and needed treatment right away. As a dentist and a mom, I really felt for Kevin. Fortunately, I was able to get him the care he needed to get him out of pain and save his tooth – a risk he didn’t know he had when he arrived. I knew that the cavity had taken years to get to this point. If he had been seen by a dentist at an earlier stage, it could have been easily treated with a filling before it caused Kevin any…
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Athlete of the Month
Local swimmer Oliver Santana of Soquel High School is only a sophomore, but has already proved himself to be one of Santa Cruz county’s most promising young athletes at age 16. Oliver’s parents encouraged him to take swimming lessons as a child to grow familiar with the nearby ocean. This is where his love for swimming collided with an innate desire to compete and improve. “I always just loved the water,” said Santana. “I like doing a little more every time.” And improve he has; as Santana has improved his times nearly every time he competes. Not only is he racing against other swimmers from the area, but additionally against…
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Community College is Best Path to University of California
Each year more than two million people enroll in a California Community College. While each student has their own personal goals during their time at community college, many have aspirations to transfer into a four-year university — the most popular of these universities being University of California. In April of 2018, the UC president and California Community Colleges issued a memorandum of understanding (an “agreement”) that guarantees admission for all CCC students who complete one of the UC pathways and has qualifying GPA. The GPA standard is set at 2.4 or 2.8 for non-residents. While this base GPA varies between majors, it offers a reasonable expectation for students who want…
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Harraher is the Chief of Neurosurgery at Dominican Hospital
Dr. Ciara Harraher is running around her front yard on a cool Saturday afternoon in January with 20 nine-year-old boys at her son, Finn’s, birthday party. Directing a nerf war is no easy task. “Wrangling the boys was like getting an operating room in check! That was so much fun. Finn envisioned doing his nerf war, so I had to come through with it,” said Harraher. Dr. Harraher’s professional resume is remarkable. She is the Chief of Neurosurgery at Dominican Hospital and heads the Stanford Neurosurgery Outreach Clinic. She also teaches Principles of Medicine to Stanford MD students. She received her medical degree from McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, a…
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A Grandmother’s Love
My granddaughter is adorable and everything she does is adorable. I’m not just saying that because I’m her grandmother. Everyone thinks so. She is objectively adorable. Why do I feel the need to say that? Probably because I am not only an adoring grandmother, I am also an obnoxious grandmother. And I’m not just saying that. I am objectively an obnoxious grandmother. Everyone says so. I can’t get enough of that little pumpkin. I make excuses to stop by just so I can smell the top or her head (which is very big because of all the brains). I knew that I would love my grandchild even if she wasn’t…
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Managing Screen Time
Let’s face it. It’s hard to unplug from our screens. Our devices connect us to other people, as well as to fun and useful information, but they can also have a downside. In this month’s column, I’ll share some reminders for managing screen time as a family. This monthly column provides tips for anyone who is helping raise children, based on the world-renowned Triple P – Positive Parenting Program, available to families in Santa Cruz County. If you have a question or idea for a future column, email me at [email protected]. Dear Nicole,We have a toddler, a third grader, and a tween who is growing up fast. If we let…
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Caramel, Beige and Pink
Race is a mirage but one that humanity has organized itself around in very real ways. – Ibram X. Kendi My son asked me the other day about our different skin colors. He’s six, and something that might have been affecting him for several years is suddenly something he can put into words: “What color am I Mama?” “You have absolutely beautiful, caramel-colored skin,” I said. “What color are you?” he asked. I thought for a moment. “Pink and spotty,” I said. I’m an aging surfer, and this was the most accurate description I could come up with. I wondered if I had been correct in how this conversation went.…
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School Should Start Later to Give Teens More Sleep
As her teenage son groggily dragged himself out of the house and into the car at 7:10 am to make it to school on time, Lisa Lynn Lewis wondered if he was even capable of absorbing information in those first few hours of the day. “He was hardly alert, and definitely not in an optimal state to be showing up to school ready to learn. It was his first year of high school, and classes started at 7:30 am. “That was the earliest he’d ever had to go to school, and it really felt too early for all of us,” she said. She was right. Last July, state Senate Bill…
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What Is Your Favorite Thing To Do In The Summer?
