Clare Frank made history as an inspirational firefighter and as one of first female fire chiefs in California. Her career is a testament to her dedication, leadership, and pioneering spirit. Through her writing, in her memoir “Burnt,” she provides readers with an inspiring perspective on resilience, leadership, and the transformative power of pursuing one’s passions against all odds. “Burnt” captures the challenges Clare faced on her journey to becoming a trailblazer in a traditionally male-dominated profession. Frank’s family fostered a household of independence and finding one’s passion. While living in Santa Cruz, in consultation with her parents, Clare emancipated herself at 17 years old. Clare’s older brother, a firefighter, told…
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Rainbow Conference Offers Opportunities for Teens
The Rainbow Conference opens the door for our LGBTQIA2S+ teens and their parents/guardians as well as their adult allies. There is also an event for elementary school students and their families. It’s a day of celebration, community, and learning for our young people and the adults who support them in Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties. Students who have attended in previous years say it’s changed their lives and made them feel more welcomed in their homes, schools, and broader community. This free event takes place on Saturday, September 28, 2024 at Watsonville High School from 9:30 am – 2:00 pm and is organized through the Safe Schools Project.…
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Visit to the White House An Experience We’ll Never Forget
I knew Logan Heine was a very good student when he was in my journalism class at Cabrillo. He was one of many motivated, bright future writers. But I was really surprised when at the end of the semester he told me he was the valedictorian at Scotts Valley High School. Like a lot of people, I assumed if you were at the top of your class at a very good school, you would head straight for a four-year college, maybe even in the Ivy League. But Logan had a different idea, and so did his brother, who was the salutatorian at the same high school. They chose to attend…
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How to Make the Most of Back-to-School Nights
The best part of the new school year is that the teachers are fresh and enthusiastic, and the kids are glad to be back at school where they can reconnect with friends they hadn’t seen all summer. Everyone is optimistic — Enjoy it while it lasts! And, every school has Back to School Nights at this time of year to give parents the opportunity to meet their kids’ teachers and get a little glimpse of what to expect for the school year. Some teachers layout their plans and give parents a heads up about big projects. Others share with parents grading rubrics — how they calculate grades — and tips…
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Environmental Poster Contest Winner Announced
Brayden Willick, 12, from Branciforte Middle School, was the winner of this year’s Keep Santa Cruz Clean! poster contest, announced The City of Santa Cruz. This annual event encourages students to creatively express the importance of recycling and litter prevention. Brayden’s winning poster, which celebrates the three Rs of waste reduction—Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle—features a colorful hand-drawn dolphin and will be displayed on the sides of City recycling and refuse trucks throughout the next year. In an exciting addition, the City animated Brayden’s winning poster into a short video public service announcement to further spread the message about reducing waste and preventing litter. This video PSA helps celebrate Plastic Free…
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Encouragement: The Heart of Positive Discipline
The root of the word encouragement is the Latin word cor, which means heart. When we encourage others, we hearten them, cheer them up, inspire confidence in them, and show them care and love.Encouragement plays a quintessential role both in child development and in the development of healthy relationships. To understand why that’s the case, let’s begin by briefly reviewing the theories, criteria, concepts, and tools that help make Positive Discipline so encouraging. TheoriesPositive Discipline is a relationship-based approach to parenting and guiding children. It is also rooted in the psychological theories of Alfred Adler and Rudolph Dreikurs. Adler asserted that all human behavior stems from a fundamental psychosocial need…
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Community College Can Be a Big-Brain Decision
A good friend of mine clapped me on the back, laughing, telling me there was no way I was going to Cabrillo, a community college. There were so many great universities out there that Icould go to! I was so smart, after all. A boy from one random Spanish class greeted me with a wide smile, gave me a handshake, telling me I was the smartest person he knew. He asked how come I wasn’t in Stanford already, being a professor or other, and then he was gone. My parents looked at me funny when I told them that I wasn’t really interested in any of the academics I was…
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School Supplies That Are Safe for Kids
Wow – summer really is winding down. Whether your kids are getting ready for school to start or if they have already started, here are some Environmental Working Group’s tips about school supplies that are safer than others. BACKPACKS:Select backpacks that are made with natural fibers. If you can’t find cotton or hemp backpacks, choose polyester or nylon. Stay away from backpacks made with PVC or #3 plastics on the label LUNCH BOXES:Choose lunch boxes that don’t have lead paint, PVC, BPA or antimicrobial chemicals. Be careful of products made in 3rd-world countries because they may use leaded paint even when they don’t state that on their labels. It’s best…
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Embracing the Back-to-School Transition
Summer is coming to a close, and the new school year is soon approaching! I vividly recall the mixed emotions I had as a child. Realizing summer was almost over brought a sense of anxiety – new teachers, new classmates, new homework. Alongside the anxiety, there was also an overall feeling of loss.Summertime meant having flexible schedules, quality family time, and fun outings or activities with my siblings. Although saying goodbye to a carefree time was bittersweet, I remember quickly embracing the school routine. Discovering that this new experience brought its own set of great adventures and joyful moments. Amidst our busy schedules, I still had time to connect with…
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Getting Lost at Aptos High School
If we had not gotten lost, we would have never found ourselves looking down on Aptos High School from the mountain above. Seeing the sprawling school from the mountain side made me understand what a huge pillar of this community the high school is, huge in size and community support. Sometimes you just don’t know what you will find until you get lost. Freedom Boulevard is my road home, I have driven by Aptos High School five hundred times, and I never gave the school a thought. “Not my place, not for me.” Except for an occasional morning or afternoon traffic jam at the entrance to the school on Freedom,…
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Do the WAVE Heading Into the New School Year
As the new school year begins, parents all over are gearing up for another transition. Whether your kids are in public, private or homeschooled – there is going to be an adjustment period that can be a challenge. It can also be a very exciting time and a wonderful opportunity to prioritize family self-care. This year, I invite you to focus on your entire family’s self-care as we get back into our fall routines. As a big fan of systems to help keep me and my family moving and grooving, I will share my signature WAVE system to support yours too. Through WAVE: Well-being, Awareness, Vision and Energy we can…
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Celebrate Community at National Night Out
Mark your calendars and prepare for an evening brimming with community spirit, engaging activities, and delightful treats at Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz. National Night Out is just around the corner, and the City of Santa Cruz is thrilled to invite you to this family-friendly event on Tuesday, Aug. 6, from 5 to 7:30pm. National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign aimed at enhancing public safety, fostering community partnerships, and cultivating camaraderie to create safer, more caring neighborhoods. Held nationwide on the first Tuesday each August, this event unites law enforcement, public safety officials, residents, businesses, and community leaders. It offers a unique opportunity for residents to engage…
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Best of 2024
We asked you to share your favorite places to take your kids and places you enjoy as a family. We wanted to know what businesses you consider the Best in Santa Cruz, and man, did you ever respond! Thanks to everyone who answered our survey. Camps Day Camp Kennolyn Day Camps kennolyncamps.com Runner up Redwood Music Kid Camp (Community Music School) Redwood Music Kid Camp CommunityMusicSchool.org Young musicians explore Celtic music at this two-week day camp for ages 7-13. For players of violin, flute, penny whistle, recorder, harp, guitar, ukulele, keyboards, and cello. Students practice in instrument-specific groups, and with the entire ensemble. Camp begins July 22 in Scotts Valley.…
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Thanks to Everyone Who Came By and Said Hello During Kids Day
We had a great time during the Kids Day Downtown event on June 22. Everyone had a fun time and we enjoyed seeing all the smiling faces. Thanks to everyone for coming by the Growing Up in Santa Cruz booth. In this issue, don’t miss our annual Best Of awards as voted by our readers. Thanks for reading,Brad Kava,Editor and Publisher
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Creating Summer Routines
Let’s face it, summer is the time of year where kids are out of school, vacation mode is turned on and we become notorious for losing track of routines and rituals. Part of this is great, especially if you’re sitting on a beach enjoying a vacation. However there are still things that every mom or dad will have to take care of – work, or planning the daily meals. It can end up feeling more stressful at times, because many of us are still juggling while our kids are off. Leading to, yep, you guessed it..summer feeling like MORE work! Not to mention, summer comes and goes quick — often…
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Exploring Equity Grading
As education evolves, so too does the way we assess student performance. One such evolution is equity grading, a concept sparking debate among educators and parents alike. What exactly is equity grading, and should it raise concerns? Over the past century, grading systems have morphed from the absence of grades to the conventional A-F scale. In today’s educational landscape, where grades wield considerable influence in high-stakes college admissions, the assessment of student learning methods holds paramount importanceEquity grading, the latest trend, shifts focus from traditional letter grades to assessing students’ mastery of specific skills or standards. This approach attempts to provide a more accurate depiction of students’ understanding by emphasizing…
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The Anger Wheel of Choice
Another great Positive Discipline tool to keep in your parenting “toolbox” is the Anger Wheel of Choice. The book Sophia’s Anger Wheel is a wonderful story to help teach kids about appropriate ways of expressing anger. This book can be ordered here: positivediscipline.com/products/sophias-anger-wheel-choice All emotions are okay, not just pleasant/positive emotions. It’s very important to talk about ALL emotions with children so they can start to identify their own emotions as they come and go. I found it helpful to have a feelings/emotions chart up in the house when my kids were little with real pictures of childrens’ faces (not just cartoon images) so we could point to how we…
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Festival Brings People Together for Fun and Worship
Simon Cassar was praying in the middle of the night four years ago when he had an inspiration.“What is true love?” he wondered. “Can we show that true love amongst ourselves? How do we show it?”The answer came as a joyful festival bringing together 16 churches in an Aptos park to spread love, culture, fun and caring. “The whole purpose is we see a world that’s kind of torn apart,” says Cassar, 66, a retired aviation engineer who has six kids. “We have different neighbors trying to destroy other people. We are just seeing a world that’s being torn apart because of Covid. Half the country is one way and…
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Secrets to Building Relationships with Your Grandchildren
Being a grandparent is a unique and precious role. It’s a chance to influence young lives, share wisdom, and create lasting memories. As grandparents, we have the opportunity to connect with our grandchildren on a deeper level and instill values that can guide them throughout their lives. Here are five secrets to building the best relationship with your grandchildren, drawn from personal experience and timeless principles. Cultivate a Love of LearningOne of the most impactful ways to bond with your grandchildren is by fostering their curiosity and love of learning. Instead of asking the usual “How was your day?” try something more engaging and thought-provoking. For instance, when I picked…
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Making the Most of Summer Schedules
Dear Yesenia,My four and seven year old are so excited that school is out for the summer. I’m also glad to have a break from the daily school schedule. However, I work full-time, so my kids have to go to day camps or child care. They usually have fun the first few weeks of summer “vacation,” but then they complain about having to go somewhere every day. It’s stressful, but I don’t feel comfortable leaving them home alone, and I don’t have time to arrange a summer full of play dates. What can I do to minimize their complaints and still make summer fun for them? – Sofia Dear…
