August 2018 - Growing Up in Santa Cruz

From the NFL to Soquel Dwight Lowery is Inspiring Soquel High Players

growingupsc — Fri, 31 Aug 2018 00:44:36 +0000

From the NFL to Soquel Dwight Lowery is Inspiring Soquel High Players By Bryce Stoepfel In Soquel Knights Head Coach Dwight Lowery’s office, two things may give a clue to his approach to coaching, after nine years playing safety in the National Football League. An Xbox, and a dry erase board bearing the names of 20 players ineligible to play. It’s a carrot and stick approach. There are consequences to not keeping up with grades, but, there’s also a place to relax, to laugh, and to learn about life and football. For Lowery, coming back to Soquel was his way of using what he knows, football and training, to give back to the community where he grew up. It also keeps him in football. But he knows, even after nine years in professional football, that he has a lot to learn. “That’s the part I’m learning,” Lowery said about how he manages player eligibility. “They need to be accountable, and we need to get to the point when they’re not on that board.” If Lowery wasn’t coming home to coach his alma mater, he doubts he would be a head football coach. Lowery is also a personal trainer and given his athletic career, credentials, and the tangible evidence of his physique, he’s as qualified as anyone. Teams become champions in the offseason, and Lowery will have his players in the gym hitting the weights. “I’ve had friends in the pros who go into business or foundations, and I always wanted to get in that world, but I was always an athlete at heart,” Lowery said. “With this situation it allowed me to stay in football and at the same time sharing the knowledge of playing, traveling, meeting people and being part of organizations. I felt like I got so many lessons as a young adolescent and young adult being in this community it only made sense to come back and contribute.” Lowery was a multi-position and multi-sport stud during his time at Soquel High. He played defensive back, running back, returned kicks and punts, and was a three year start on the basketball team. His college career began nearby, at Cabrillo College in 2004, where Lowery picked off 13 passes in two years. From Cabrillo, he played cornerback at San Jose State, earning back-to-back All American awards. In 2008 the Jets selected him in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. In a league where the average player lasts only three years on average, Lowery played nine seasons for five teams, the New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Atlanta Falcons. Lowery has many coaches from who to get lessons. He remembers former Jets head coach Rex Ryan for his energy and how he made football fun; Eric Mangini as a no-nonsense tactician, Colts head coach Chuck Pagano for his passion and love of the game, and Chargers head coach for his discipline. Like his life in football, coaching inspiration comes back to where it started, with Athletic Director and Soquel Head Basketball Coach Stu Walters, Watsonville High Head Coach Ron Myers, and his former middle-school basketball coach Mark Marengo. “I really came here thinking I would play basketball,” Lowery said. “That hadn’t shifted until Ron got here and implanted his program. It felt like we were building something, and it felt special to be part of something like that. It was a special feeling to be part of something like that and to see where it went after he was here for awhile, to see them compete for CCS championships not long after.” Listed at 5 feet 11 inches, 210 pounds on NFL.com, Lowery shows that he’s not far removed from the field as he demonstrates a proper stance. He’s thick in the right places with not an ounce of unwanted fat. He has the quick, powerful, fast muscle twitch that led to 17 interceptions, eight forced fumbles, three defensive touchdowns and almost 400 tackles in his pro career. He is, by far, the most athletic man on the field. The idea of Lowery suiting up to play would be similar to asserting a maxed out player in Madden Football on Xbox, against the league’s perennial doormats. If by some quirk of high school eligibility Lowery put on pads and return to the field at Soquel, the video game-like stats he could accumulate would be mindboggling. Lowery takes over for head coach Brad Tompkins after a 4-6 season, where the team’s defense surrendered 168 points in their final four games, all losses. “If we start bad, we start bad, I won’t panic,” Lowery said. “I just want to improve. We need to be organized, and we need to know we’re in the right alignments. We need to know what we’re doing and not put kids on the field if they don’t know what they’re doing.” Since his days as a player at Soquel, athletes have changed. To Lowery, athletes don’t take sports as seriously as they used to. “I think kids still love to play, and they like the idea, but I don’t know if they understand what kind of privilege it is to play,” Lowery said. “You need to put time and effort into it, and if you don’t, you’re going to get dominated. It’s a game, but you need to be committed to playing. You need to take coaching and negative reinforcement and understand through these experiences you will grow as a player. That’s what football is all about.” Football itself is changing. Players are bigger and faster than ever, and coaches, players, and parents, are increasingly concerned about concussions. According to the CCS, 11-player football is still the leader in total athletes, 97,079. In 2017, that number decreased by 3.12 percent according to a story in the Register-Pajaronian. “It’s a physical game, and the bigger and faster players are there when you play,” Lowery said. “What I feel is lacking is a failure to learn the fundamentals. I don’t think kids should play tackle football until they get to high school. We can use flag football to teach the basic concepts of football so the players can understand the nuances of the game, like not using your helmet as a weapon. Sure you can get hurt, but something can happen anytime you walk outside.” In addition to being a coach, Lowery is a husband and father. With wife Ashley, and children Amani, 5, and Giavanna, 1, Lowery is happy to be back home. He’s seen a fair amount of the country as a player, and to him, Santa Cruz is a unique place to raise kids. “Other places seem more rigid than Santa Cruz,” Lowery said. “Being from Santa Cruz, it was a culture shock. The South is interesting, to say the least. The segregation is obvious. In Indiana, you have the white picket fences. I think Santa Cruz allows for more individually than in other parts of the country.” This fall, the roars from the crowd under the Friday night lights won’t be as loud as they are on Sundays in the NFL. This year he’ll be a coach, and while Lowery won’t be a player on Sundays, he’ll always be a fan. “I’m not one of those guys who say they’re not going to watch,” Lowery said. “I’ve always been a fan, and the game has changed my life so much. It would be silly for me not to enjoy it.”

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We Asked, You Answered August 2018

growingupsc — Mon, 06 Aug 2018 01:14:01 +0000

We Asked, You Answered! August 2018 By Ann Carin Niland Do you let your children play with a tablet or smartphone, and do you have any concerns about the effects that those devices have on your children? Linnaea Boone Wilson, who’s daughter is 3, lives in Santa Cruz “Sometimes we’ll watch some screen time. When she’s sick we’ve been watching ‘My Neighbor Totoro’. We recently went up to visit my in-laws in Humboldt, and on the car ride we watched a little bit on the computer. And sometimes if she has questions about something like ‘what’s a carousel?’ we’ll look it up together. But I don’t let her play on her own,” says Boone Wilson. “When I’m texting–I don’t hide what I’m doing–I’ll say ‘I’m texting your friend, or I’m texting your papa.’ And I’ll let her pick out some emoticons to send to them. But I’m not very into technology for little kids. I think it’s pretty concerning how much that is part of the culture these days. We really limit that and I try to have my phone off or I just have certain times when I look at it. I mostly do (my) screen time when she’s napping so that’s not part of her experience with me–having my attention really divided. I don’t want her to see me on it all the time. And you know, sometimes I’m not as good about it as I’d like to be. But it’s in my mind every day, to not have that be part of our lives very much.” “When she’s older I really don’t know. Once she starts saying ‘Oh I want a phone… Oh I want a tablet.’ there’s definitely going to be a lot of rules about that, and I’m not really sure what it’s going to look like.” “I don’t want to be an alarmist. But I was raised without technology when my friends had more access to technology, and there were times when that made me feel out of sync with what they were doing… But now that is something I want to give to my daughter. So that when her friends are thinking ‘I’m coding!’ she’s thinking ‘I’m going to go to the beach.’” Cristina Ramirez 29, has kids 9 and 5 and lives in Santa Cruz. “We do (let them play with devices). And yes, safety is always a concern. Who they’re talking to and sometimes they purchase things,” said Ramirez who chuckled while shaking her head. “We shouldn’t (let them use devices) as much. She explained that she and her husband never really had a conversation about their children’s technology use before they started using it. “It just kinda happened and now we’re fixing things.” Marissa Johnson-Csimma has 16-month-old twin girls in Live Oak. “I feel like my kids are at an age right now where this answer is going to be viable in the future. Granted we do have one or two movies that they have watched. But I have guided access. So I just lock the screen. So it’s only a movie and they’re not able to touch it and have that kind of sensory. “Since we’re so physical, we are out seven days a week, but when I’m just by myself I do give them screen time once a day, and it’s usually in that quiet time. “We’re coming into a day in age where we’re not really teaching common sense or anything like that. We’re just looking at a screen for answers, and that really drives me bonkers. But it’s like anything. I don’t really have a strong opinion towards other people’s kids it’s just towards my kids. We’ll do movies and that kind of stuff, but as far as learning on a tablet we’ll do it within reason. I guess it just really depends on how the school system is going to.” Nowadays I see apps that are marketed towards children, but they’re creepy! There’s been a few videos that I’ve watched here and there that make me worry. I do put on music for my girls though so – hey – we all have our things,” Kori Calubaquib, 38, has children who are 5 and 7. “They usually have to earn it,” said Calubaquib, interviewed at Cabrillo College. I limit the time on it. We have the Kindle and it has all the security on what they can see and all the parent controls on what we allow them. It’s usually the item of last resort. So if we’re at a restaurant we try to bring coloring, or books, or even little Legos. And if we’re spending a lot of time there then at the end we’ll let them use it. But it’s a last resort. That’s with the airplane too. We usually fill up the backpacks with new fun exciting things, and if it’s a long trip then it’s the last thing that they’ll get to use.” Jasmin Castillo, 27, has an 11-year-old son. “I do let him use the phone and tablet. At the beginning I was concerned about the safety about where he was going to go on line what he was going to be looking at. And we did have a conversation and he does know what is okay to look at and what is not. And yet, there’s times when I’m not supervising what he’s watching. But he, pretty much, is good about it. He’ll remove a site if it’s something he’s not supposed to be on. Jessica Valentin, 26, of Watsonville as a 7-year-old daughter. “I do let my daughter use my phone or my mom’s tablet, but i try to look at the history to see what type of things she’s watching. Once I go through the history I tell her ‘you’re not supposed to be watching this, you’re not watching that. I don’t want to see this again, or else I’ll take it away from you.’ Most of the time I look at the history and try to delete some things so it won’t pop up again. And I try to supervise her when I’m home, or I tell my mom ‘you need to supervise what she’s watching’ because there are some things that could be really bad for kids.”

The post We Asked, You Answered August 2018 first appeared on Growing Up in Santa Cruz.

Editor’s Note August 2018

growingupsc — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 04:06:08 +0000

Editor’s Note August 2018 Dear Readers, Who knew that sharing a spoon with your infant could lead to lifelong dental problems? Not me. I assumed that we share the same DNA and nature would have more to do with their infant teeth than nurture. Not so, says our new pediatric dental columnist, Dr. Mojdeh Faraz. Infants are born without our bacteria in their mouths and sharing a spoonful of something can put harmful sugar bugs there. That turned into a big problem for our 2-year-old and was a lesson I wished I’d already learned. That’s our goal with this monthly magazine. We want to tell you about things you may not have known but would want to know, to answer your questions and help guide you to services and fun things in the community you may not have known about. What do teachers really think about your kids and what are their biggest challenges and rewards? Writer and teacher Tiffany Wayne will talk about that here monthly and more often on our website, growingupsc.com. We are looking for teachers of all grades to blog for us and let us know what goes on behind the teacher’s desk. send your ideas to editor@growingupsc.com Who knew there was a roller coaster factory hidden in La selva Beach? Coaster nut Erik Chalhoub did and writes about it here. He regularly keeps us posted on tourist attractions and amusement parks around the state. Are you worried about putting your first teen behind the wheel of a 2-ton beast that can kill them and others on a snaking monster like highway 17? Writer Ann Carin Niland has been teaching local teens to drive for two years and has some tips you may not have considered— like get them on Highway 17. She even drew cartoons to help remind parents and kids about the problems of learning to drive. We love local entrepreneurs and Patty Benson, of Aptos, came up with a business that should be a hit for parents and couples. She sells notepads that start a thought and let the parents complete it in a daily note in their children’s lunch boxes. she’s now got a line of them to keep romance in relationships. Radio DJ and musician Chris Jackson wrote two months ago about how to raise your kids like rock stars. This month he tells us how to connect with kids and keep them honest with “Amnesty Hour.” Have you tried something like this? Linda Kay doesn’t just walk the walk. she spent a year gathering gifts and donations and took them to needy kids in Uganda and wrote an eye-opening story about how they start their school year, how little they have and how much they appreciated the donations from Santa Cruzans. Want to keep your kid writing when school is out? that’s Robin Estrin’s specialty. She teaches creative writing and gave us some tips to keep kids inspired. There’s plenty more inside and plenty more coming in the months ahead, including profiles of after-school activities, a kids downtown walking tour and how to make just about everything under the sun. We love your input, requests and letters. Send them to editor@growingupsc.com.

The post Editor’s Note August 2018 first appeared on Growing Up in Santa Cruz.

Many Iconic Rides Built by Former Local Company: Always Amused 2018

growingupsc — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 04:02:43 +0000

Many Iconic Rides Built by Former Local Company Always Amused August 2018 By Erik Chalhoub The trains for the Giant Dipper at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk were manufactured by Morgan Manufacturing in 1984. By Erik Chalhoub Giant Dipper at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Quicksilver Express at Gilroy Gardens, and Grizzly at California’s Great America are staples at their respective parks. But you might not know that all three roller coasters are tied together by a local connection. That is D.H. Morgan Manufacturing, a company founded by Dana Morgan in Scotts Valley in 1983 that eventually moved its operations to San Andreas Road in La Selva Beach in 1991, near the present-day Monterey Bay Academy. Dana Morgan is the son of Ed Morgan, the founder of the famed ride manufacturer Arrow Development, known for building many of the original rides at Disneyland and coasters throughout the world. After working as a ride operator at Playtown in Palo Alto, Morgan graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Morgan eventually became general manager of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk before he founded D. H. Morgan Manufacturing. Quicksilver Express, Gilroy Gardens’ star coaster, was created at Morgan Manufacturing’s La Selva Beach facility. The company, which was bought out by Chance Industries in the early 2000s and moved to Wichita, Kan., was best known for manufacturing carousels, hyper coasters (those over 200 feet tall), coaster trains and other rides. In 1984, Morgan manufactured the trains for Giant Dipper out of its Scotts Valley headquarters, which are still used on the coaster today. After the success of those trains, the company expanded their operations to build coaster trains, which also included manufacturing those seen on the Grizzly. Quicksilver Express was manufactured at Morgan’s facility in La Selva Beach near Watsonville, where it sat for a number of years before finally being constructed at Gilroy Gardens in 2000. Todd Manoff, the Boardwalk’s mechanical maintenance manager, worked at Morgan beginning in 1994 and later at Chance up until the late 2000s. During his time at Morgan, Manoff took on a variety of duties, such as loading trucks with finished products, purchasing, attending trade shows and the like. But perhaps his favorite job was in manufacturing, crafting a variety of coaster track, trains, carousels and other rides. “I loved manufacturing; it was a lot of fun,” he said. “You got to see all that raw material turn into this fabulous machine. “The Morgans were great to work with.” Morgan was also known for its antique car rides, one of which can still be ridden at Gilroy Gardens: South County Backroads, which features two separate courses. In addition, many of the park’s rides were Morgan-built. The company got its first major from-the-ground-up hyper coaster project at Minnesota’s Valleyfair in 1995: a 200-foot coaster called Wild Thing. Todd Manoff, mechanical maintenance manager at the Boardwalk, gives a tour of the Giant Dipper’s motor room in 2014. Manoff worked for a number of years at Morgan manufacturing. “That was a big project,” recalled Manoff, who was in charge of the trains. The small, local, family-owned company was also international. It manufactured Steel Dragon 2000, which opened at Nagashima Spa Land in Japan in 2000. Eighteen years later, the coaster, at 8,133 feet, is still the longest roller coaster in the world. It also stands 318 feet tall. Manoff spent time in Japan prior to the coaster’s opening, training the park’s maintenance staff. “I probably never would’ve went to Japan if not for that project,” he said. Another memorable project Manoff worked on was the Caro-Seuss-el, a Dr. Seuss-themed carousel for Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Fla. Before the ride was shipped to the park, Mrs. Geisel herself came out to La Selva Beach to check out the ride, and took a spin on it herself. Looking back on his time at the company, Manoff recalled the “beautiful setting” of Morgan’s La Selva Beach facility. “It was a really special, unique place,” he said. “Nobody knew it was out here.”

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Do Baby Teeth Matter At All?: Healthy Smiles August 2018

growingupsc — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 04:00:37 +0000

Do Baby Teeth Matter At All? Healthy Smiles August 2018 By Dr. Megan We are constantly encountered with questions from parents asking whether it is important to maintain baby teeth. After all, kids lose them, right? Through my years of experience working with children, I have seen a variety of reactions from children as they step into the clinic. Some are very cheerful, excited and can’t wait to jump on the chair, and some other…not so excited! Children are not all the same. We all know twins with different characters, personalities and coping skills. If it takes a little longer for one child to get himself or herself adjusted to a setting, we can only remain patient and be supportive. The rewarding part of my daily experience is when I see improvement. This would be my “YES!” moment to see a child trusting their dentist and the staff. According to the Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, it is recommended that children be seen by a dentist by their first birthday, and every six months thereafter. As children encounter a child-friendly setting twice a year, their anxiety and fear diminishes more and more. They develop a level of trust and comfort, which prepares them for future, in case any treatment is needed. Now, let’s think of a child who has not been exposed to such settings, and around age 5, he/she develops an abscess on a tooth that never seemed to be a problem because there was no obvious “hole” in it? How do you think this child would react when the dentists decides the tooth needs immediate treatment before the infections becomes systemic and requires hospitalization? Exposing children to a friendly dental setting early in their life makes them feel comfortable and more at ease. A dental visit does not have to be a source of anxiety for a child or in general for anyone! How many adults do we know who are nervous to see their dentists, even for a cleaning? A good number of nervous parents usually reveal to me they did not have a good dental experience as a child. I must confess, I didn’t! The dental office I used to go to did not have any TV, toys, any comic character (to be more specific no Cinderella for me!), or even laughing gas. Every treatment was done in the “real world” which is not every kid’s favorite place to be at. So “baby teeth life matters!” Why to take your kids to a pediatric dentist? In order to become a dentist, one finishes 4 years of Dental School after obtaining a bachelor degree. At this point, they are titled a “general dentist”. A general dentist receives training on almost all aspects of dentistry including cosmetics, fillings, crown/bridge, denture, implant, some pediatric dentistry, and usually limited training on orthodontics. However the committed general dentists do not stop here and move on by taking additional courses after they graduate to be able to do and offer more to their patients. A pediatric dentist advances his/her education further to receive 2-3 years of specialty training in pediatric dentistry through which they get extensive exposure to all aspects of dealing with children including infants and adolescents, including treatment under sedation. As a requirement of their training they usually have to perform more than 50 cases of treatment under sedation to graduate. This training is significantly different and more in-depth than a continuing education course taken in one to multiple sessions. In conclusion, a pediatric dentist sees and treats kids all day along, rather than sporadically. Through experience, they usually are well able to predict what could come next through looking at the child’s face and body language. In general, the children have proved to perform a lot better in a dental chair if they are exposed to a child-friendly environment early in life. Dr. Mojdeh Faraz, aka Dr. Megan, is a Board-certified pediatric dentist at Pajaro Valley Children’s Dental Group. She received her DDS at NYU followed by her specialty training at Jacobi Medical Center in affiliation with Albert Einstein School of Medicine. Her passion in working with children led her to where she is today. Please feel free to come by and visit our fun and child-friendly practice at: 230 Green Valley Rd, Freedom, CA 95019 (831) 722-9202 Send your questions for Healthy Smiles to editor@growingupsc.com

The post Do Baby Teeth Matter At All?: Healthy Smiles August 2018 first appeared on Growing Up in Santa Cruz.

Let Your Children Know You Love Them Every Day at Lunch

growingupsc — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 03:57:37 +0000

Let Your Children Know You Love Them Every Day at Lunch Aptos Mother Creates Award-Winning Lunch Notes Series By Brad Kava When Patty Benson was growing up, she felt out of place in school. She was a Tom Boy and didn’t feel like she fit in with the girls in her elementary school. She was the only girl on her school’s football team. But every day at lunch, she got a treat from her mother–a special hand-written note celebrating some aspect of their lives together. They were funny, loving, endearing and they made her day. “I felt someone was thinking of me and it made going to school so much easier,” she says. “It made a huge difference in my life. I wish I had saved them all. I always felt that something was coming in my lunch that made a connection.” Benson was raised in Philadelphia and moved to new York after college to work for ABC Sports as a graphic designer. that led to stints at CBS, “the View,” and Ricki Lake. She met her husband, Kevin Painchaud, in Los Angeles where he was producing a TV travel series. She was also an on-camera carpenter on the TV shows Home Improvement and Knock First. They moved to Aptos to be closer to his family and because they loved the area. When she sent her daughter, Tess, 7, to school, she wanted to do the same thing her mother did for her and realized she could do it in a way that would help other parents too. “The toughest part for parents is what am i going to write?” says the 43- year-old, who has worked in TV and designing websites. “I love you, I miss you…I thought, what if I gave them a prompt for something more. It would be easier and make them special.” So her notes say things at the top such as: “I love it when you…” and “Remember the time we…” and “I laugh when I think about…” and the moms and dads fill in the rest. Each pad has 25 different prompts, all of them amusing. “Kids bring them home and keep them in a special box,” says Benson. “We save them. it increases the bond between parents and kids. Benson started writing them for Tess when her daughter was 3 and her teacher had to read them to her. It was a joy for teacher and student. Now, she’s selling her notepads online at www.ursospecial.com and has added a line of love notes for husbands and wives that say things such as “It makes me smile when you…” and “Tonight lets…” her pads won second place at the national stationery show in New York. “The most important thing for me is to make kids feel loved,” says Benson. “and to have this connection.” You can buy the note pads at www.ursospecial.com A pack of three, with 25 notes in each, sells for $14.95.

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Cabrillo Before Graduation

growingupsc — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 03:55:13 +0000

College Before Graduation Cabrillo Offers Local High School Students an Alternative By Suki Wessling Probably the most important thing happening to high school education these days is seldom acknowledged in the wider discussions of k-12 education: students are benefiting from an increasing number of alternatives to attending comprehensive high schools. Some students are homeschooling. Some students attend alternative schools. Some students attend specialized magnet schools. And many of them have the option of attending college at the same time. “It’s a safe way for students to have the college experience,” explains Meghan Brightwater, Outreach and Recruitment Coordinator at Cabrillo. “They have access to all our resources and they’re getting support from their high schools, as well.” Students in area high schools can take many courses at Cabrillo as dual enrollment students. As long as a course is not offered by their high school, and with the exception of some of the higher-level UC-transferable courses, students are taking—and excelling in— community college courses. Charlotte McManus’s 14-year-old has been taking courses at Cabrillo as a homeschooler. “I was worried because he was young, but so far, Cabrillo has been a positive experience,” she says. “He’s had great teachers who are focused on helping students learn.” Homeschooled and schooled teens alike may have trouble accessing courses in their areas of passion and interest. Charlotte McManus’s son has been pleased with what he’s found at Cabrillo. “There have been field trips and hands-on activities,” she says. “He’s taken two lab classes and his lecture classes had some small group work. He feels like he fits in and is more confident.” Meghan Brightwater explains that high school students commonly come to Cabrillo for three reasons: They have exhausted the high school offerings in one area of study Their high school doesn’t offer a specific type of course They are behind in credits or want to make up credits quickly “We work with the alternative schools in the county,” she points out. “For every one credit they get at Cabrillo, they get 3 1⁄3 credits at their high school.” Cabrillo’s foreign language courses are especially popular, given that two semesters fulfills the two years of credits needed by high school students. Advanced math students may find more math offerings at Cabrillo than at their high school. And students with interests in the arts will find more variety. “There are hundreds of classes at Cabrillo that students can take through the dual enrollment program—great hands-on, computer-based, and academic-themed courses.” Cabrillo courses are especially popular with students taking alternative paths. “Students gain maturity and confidence as they experience a college-level environment,” says Jasmin Gerer, a teacher at alternative family education in Santa Cruz. “High school students have benefited from the guidance they have gotten from their community college professors while also receiving more individual attention in smaller classes.” There can also be practical reasons for students to take college courses. “Families can save on college tuition as students complete their degrees in three years instead of four—if the college they attend accepts the credits—and students can often enroll in advanced upper division courses when they transfer,” Gerer explains. What You Should Know There are a few things that prospective dual enrollment students should know about enrolling in Cabrillo courses. First of all, the process is not as quick as they might imagine. students need to register online then enroll in person with a signed dual enrollment form from their high school counselor. They may need to take placement tests. Second, although meeting with a Cabrillo counselor is not required, it is strongly recommended so students can make the best decisions about their education. Third, dual enrollment students have low registration priority, so it might be difficult to get into popular courses. Students should check with their counselor about the steps necessary to get into priority enrollment. Finally, college courses taken during high school may or may not count for college credit at a four-year institution. Students should look carefully at potential four-year universities to understand their policies. You can also listen to past students for advice. Jay friedland’s son started taking classes in 10th grade and found that looking at the course catalog was just the start. “The key to his success (beyond hard work) was finding professors compatible with his learning style,” Friedland says. “Research using Rate my Professors is a great start along with asking other students who had those professors. The other very helpful thing he learned was to talk to the accessibility office about accommodations and well-matched professors. The Cabrillo accessibility support Center is a great resource for students.” Access to College is Growing There are currently two charter high schools on the Cabrillo campus that integrate Cabrillo courses into their curriculum, Delta and Oasis. Other schools in the county strongly encourage or even require Cabrillo courses. “We require concurrent enrollment as a graduation requirement because there are a great deal of unanticipated challenges when a student goes to college for the first time: transportation, placement tests, registering for classes, LMs interface, initiating conversations with teachers, dealing with the registrar and ordering transcripts,” explains Jay Dunlap, Executive Director of explore MCP, a small private school in Scotts Valley that serves students with special learning needs. “When in high school you have a better support network, lower stakes for mistakes and the opportunity to develop tools and routines to address those challenges.” Cabrillo’s services to high school students only stand to grow with the funding of a new, full-time staff position. “We are making an additional commitment to our dual enrollment program as an area of growth overall,” explains Cabrillo’s Director of Marketing, Kristin Fabos. “The core elements of Cabrillo’s focus are our basic skills, transfer, and career and technical education. having a robust dual enrollment program really benefits each of those three areas.” “I think it’s a wonderful way for students to accomplish their credits quickly, and get a jumpstart on college education as well as experiencing the culture of college.” For more information: access Cabrillo’s dual enrollment information at https://www.cabrillo.edu/services/outreach/hsstudents.html or call 831-479-5759. Suki Wessling is a writer and teacher and the mother of two teens, both of whom have attended Cabrillo as high schoolers. Her most recent book is homeschool with Confidence, a goal-setting guide for teens. Read more at www. SukiWessling.com.

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Preparing Your Child for Transitions Ask Nicole August 2018

growingupsc — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:46:13 +0000

Preparing Your Child for Transitions: Ask Nicole August 2018 By Nicole M. Young, MSW My oldest child is getting ready for the biggest transition of his life. He’s leaving for college soon, and I couldn’t be more sad. I mean, proud. And sad. Half of my heart is bursting with excitement for him. He worked hard, did well in school, and is a kind, funny, thoughtful (but still tardy) young man. The other half of my heart breaks when I think about his empty room. I know we will always be a family, and yet I also know things will change once he leaves home, and that my daughter is not far behind. As I brace myself for this huge transition, I’m reminded of all the times I helped my children handle big transitions in their lives – starting kindergarten with “the big kids,” going to middle and high school among a sea of strangers, starting new jobs, and now moving away from home. The steps I taught them to deal with their emotions during transitions are coming in handy – for me. This monthly column provides tips for anyone who is raising children, based on the world-renowned Triple P – Positive Parenting Program, available to families in Santa Cruz County. If you have questions for a future column, email me at triplep@first5scc.org. Dear Nicole, My son starts middle school soon. He seems excited but also anxious about going to a new, bigger school. He struggled with homework in elementary school and is worried about having multiple classes. His group of friends also drifted apart over the summer, and I think he’s worried about making new friends. The more suggestions I give him, the less he wants to talk. What can I do to help him feel confident and ready for this transition? —Rob Dear Rob, Ah, yes. Going back to school can be stressful for many kids, even when they enjoy learning. Starting middle school can be particularly stressful because of changes in the school schedule, academic expectations, friendships, and teenage hormones. Here are some tips to try: Talk about the positive aspects of this transition Ask your son to describe the things about middle school that he’s looking forward to. Write them down as a visual reminder of things that might be fun, exciting, or a welcome change in middle school. Encourage him to keep adding to the list whenever he thinks of something. Encourage your son to ask questions It’s natural for parents and caregivers to try and help worried or anxious children by reassuring them their fears won’t come true and that everything will be alright. This can end up increasing children’s anxiety if they feel their concerns haven’t been acknowledged or addressed. Encourage your son to ask you questions about anything he’s worrying or wondering about, such as whether he’ll make new friends, be able to keep up with the schoolwork, how to find the bathrooms, whether he’ll be able to find his classes, or where to eat lunch. Listen and reassure him that all his questions and feelings are common and natural. Coach your son through a problem-solving process Write down all your son’s questions and concerns. Pick one to start with and ask him to describe his concern in more detail. This helps uncover the underlying worries and fears, which will help with the next step. Then encourage him to brainstorm as many possible solutions as he can think of. Write down all his ideas, then ask your son to identify the benefits and limitations of each idea. Finally, ask him to pick an idea or solution that seems most realistic and useful to try. Have him practice (role play with you) what he would do or say. Offer guidance throughout this problem-solving process if he needs help, but try to avoid telling him the solution. For example, if he’s worried about not being able to find his classrooms, ask “What could you do to get familiar with the campus?” instead of telling him, “You should walk around the campus before school starts.” After he’s had a chance to try his solution, talk with him about how it worked and whether he needs to try any additional ideas. Repeat this process for the other questions and concerns on his list. Final Thoughts Life is a series of transitions, one after another. Teaching children how to prepare for and problem-solve during major transitions will help them adapt and cope with change. It can also help parents and caregivers breathe easier, knowing they’ve done their best to prepare their children for life. Nicole Young is the mother of two children, ages 14 and 18, who also manages Santa Cruz County’s Triple P – Positive Parenting Program, the world’s leading positive parenting program. Scientifically proven, Triple P is made available locally by First 5 Santa Cruz County, the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency (Mental Health Services Act) and the Santa Cruz County Human Services Department. To find a Triple P parenting class or practitioner, visit http://triplep.first5scc.org, www.facebook.com/triplepscc or contact First 5 Santa Cruz County at 465-2217 or triplep@first5scc.org

The post Preparing Your Child for Transitions Ask Nicole August 2018 first appeared on Growing Up in Santa Cruz.

Secrets of a Driving Instructor

growingupsc — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:43:38 +0000

Secrets of a Driving Instructor A Lesson in Teaching from a Pro By Ann Carin Nilland Getting a drivers license is one of the biggest, and sometimes the most casually acquired, responsibilities that a young adult can take on. As a parent/guardian, the feelings you experience when your child becomes a student driver can be similar to when they were born. It’s exciting, terrifying. and stressful. There is a new financial responsibility, and it is life altering. I’ve been a driving instructor for nearly two years. It’s a funny job, and I like it very much. When you find yourselves teaching your student driver something complex and dangerous, but at the same time has become second nature to you, parents need all the help they can get. The view from the passenger seat can leave you shaken, but if you and your student driver prepare, it can be fun! Being a safe driver is like a philosophy for life. We get into the driver seat and head towards our destination. Sometime you have to look at what’s behind you in order to see the best way forward. We try to be good communicators by indicating our direction, but sometimes we end up flipping the bird… We try to avoid dangerous collisions and fender-benders, but if they become inevitable we hope to survive them so we can learn and continue on our way. There are laws that we follow – and some that we don’t. Judging others for the laws they break can be a funny heckling pastime or a dangerous rage-filled habit. And I don’t know about you, but even if I’m doing everything right, I never find myself at ease while I’m being followed by a cop. Most of us have been drivers and passengers for a long while. One thing we have been programed to do is let the driver drive – don’t grab the wheel for any reason. This is not the case with student drivers. They need help sometimes. Just remember that when you do grab the wheel be very slight about it. No wild swerving that could ruin your day. Stay calm. You know your student driver better than most. Be prepared for their typical reaction to embarrassment, then counter it as best you can. And be kind to yourself. When you’re done teaching, the lesson is over. This goes for your student driver too. If they start behaving similarly to when they were three and needed a nap, call it a day, and pick it back up tomorrow. Driving involves independence, responsibility, and an unending onslaught of choices in an unpredictable environment. These are learned skills, and even the most confident student drivers need your full attention. These days, a new student driver is required to complete a 30 hour instruction course online before taking the DMV’s written test. The practical application of that knowledge can be mixed with apprehension and even fear. The calmer you are the easier it will be for your student driver to stay calm themselves. In 1990, California pulled the funding that paid for the driver’s training in public schools. For a while parents would pay the cost, but eventually schools began to drop the elective from the curriculum. The state still requires classroom-based driver’s education, but that law is largely ignored. This leaves students’ behind-the-wheel instruction to licensed driving schools. And thank goodness too, because that’s where I come in. Some parents decide to get their student driver into the drivers seat before their first official lesson. If you’re wondering whether or not that is the way to go with your student driver, you have to consider the situation. If it’s a public road, it’s not legal. Student drivers are supposed to get their first go in the drivers seat with a licensed instructor. Some of the potential penalties for driving before the first lesson are fines, court fees, as well as the payment of towing and impound fees. Sometimes students drivers loose their permit until they are 18. S.M.O.G. stands for Signal, Mirror, Over the shoulder, Go. Signal, use your blinker to communicate your intentions to other drivers, pedestrians, or cyclists.. Mirror, you check your rearview mirror first making sure of all the activity going on behind you and then you check your side view mirror in whichever direction it is you intend on going. Over the shoulder, glance over the shoulder in the direction you intend on going in order to make sure there are no cars, pedestrians, or cyclists in your blind spot. Go, once your eyes are facing front you – well, you go! This is a tool that should be used every time you change lanes, enter the freeway, pull over to park, pull away from a parking spot and every time you turn right. You might be wondering why you should do it when you turn right, and that’s no surprise. In order to reduce the number of traffic incidences involving cyclists, California has recently adopted new safety requirements for drivers when they interact with the bike lane. When drivers cross it they have to do what they would for any other lane change. When drivers turn right they are cutting across the bike lane, and the idea with this new law is that they change lanes into it so that cyclists have to slow down behind them – instead of being hit by the the car. It’s not always easy to know how to navigate this new stage in life. Even if your student driver grew up in town, even if they’ve been a passenger on the journey to the store a hundred times, being in the drivers seat changes a student drivers perspective so drastically that sometimes knowledge takes a backseat. Ask them if they would like a reminder when turns are coming up, and try to leave a little earlier than you need to incase they make a few wrong turns. Street names, directions, red lights, green lights, yellow lights. Here are a couple of questions to ask your student driver before they climb into the driver seat. These will help to remind them of things they probably already know, but might forget when the pressure is on. And even if they need to be reminded of the answers to some, it will help to assure you that they are ready to take the wheel. Who has the right-of-way at a stop sign intersection? First, pedestrians. Second, the person that comes to a stop first. Third, the person on the right. And if two drivers are traveling in opposite directions (and stop at the same time) the person going straight goes first. What is the speed limit in a residential or business District? 25mph Are you allowed to turn right on a red light? yes, unless there is a sign telling you otherwise. When should you stop for a yellow light? You should consider how fast you’re going. If you are far enough from the limit line to come to a safe, gentle stop then you should. What’s the difference between, and how do we do, a protected-left and an unprotected-left? A protected left has a dedicated green arrow light that indicates you have the right of way. If it’s just a green circle then you enter the intersection with your tires pointed straight, stop part way through the intersection to yield to cross traffic, and proceed through when there is a gap in the flow of traffic. What do you do if you see something in the road? Slow down, check over your shoulder, and safely go around it. Never swerve! What do you do every time you turn right, or cross the bike lane? At 200 feet before your turn you should S.M.O.G. Signal, Mirror, Over the shoulder, Go. Go meaning enter the bike lane to block potential cyclists from catching up to you when you slow for the turn, to prevent them from getting hit. Entering the bike lane should be done at least a 100 feet before the turn, not at the last second. There might be more questions to ask them based on the kinds of road conditions you have around you. For instance they might need to know how to use a turn out lane, or what you’re supposed to do for blind turns. With that said, Highway 17 is the most dangerous stretch of road around, and yet an alarming number of student drivers about to take their drive test have never driven it. With it in such close proximity to the lives we lead here in Santa Cruz County the likelihood of your newly-licensed teen never driving highway 17 is pretty slim. Even if you forbid it, the moment a teenager has her/his drivers license they are legally allowed to drive it – alone. Like I said, driving has become second nature to most of us. So much of it has become common sense. Before we were driving we didn’t have a mini computer to look down at, so we were looking out at what was going on around us a bit more often than the student drivers of today. Know that they might have some weird questions, and you might not know the answers to some of them – just like in life: no mater how long we live we’ll never have all the answers.

The post Secrets of a Driving Instructor first appeared on Growing Up in Santa Cruz.

Amnesty Hour

growingupsc — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:41:49 +0000

Amnesty Hour By Chris Jackson As a parent, you’re like a spy. You need to gather intel on your kids. With good intel, you can make the right adjustments to keep them safe. The best way to get this intel is to get it right from them during what I call, “Amnesty Hour.” During Amnesty Hour, your kids can confess anything without fear of punishment. More importantly, they can tell you anything without fear of being lectured or seeing you disappointed in them. You see, one of the main reasons kids keep the truth from us is that they treasure our love and approval. They don’t want to lose it. They want to please us, and they want us to be pleased with them. I developed amnesty hour when my kids were preteens, but you can start amnesty hour with kids much younger than that. there is no age minimum. There is however, one important requirement of Amnesty Hour that must never be ignored: it must always be done with one child at a time (this frees up the child to share more freely). For this same reason, I prefer one parent with one child (I did it this way because I was a single parent). If yours is a two parent household, both parents must be mentally prepared to follow through with the conditions of Amnesty Hour: after a child shares, a parent will not punish, lecture or show disappointment. For your first Amnesty Hour, simply ask your kids to choose a time to meet with you that works for both you. Give them a few days and times that stretch over a few weeks. You don’t need to mention the term Amnesty Hour or explain the plan for the hour yet. Remind them when it gets close to the day. If they try to reschedule, allow it, and once again give them several choices of days and times. When the time finally comes, it’s important for you to make sure there are no serious anxieties and problems that day that might present a need for the appointment to be rescheduled. Parents and kids should feel at ease for Amnesty Hour. Once the hour starts, simply say to your child, “I’d like you to feel like you can tell me anything and be completely honest with me, so I’m giving you an Amnesty Hour today. During the next 60 minutes, anything you tell me will not result in you being punished. You won’t be yelled at, and I won’t be disappointed in you or give you lectures. Anything you share will be kept between us. I’m going to go first.” At that point, you confess something you hid from your parents. You explain why you hid the truth from your parents, and why you regret it now. Most likely, your kids will not trust that you will follow through with not punishing them, not being disappointed in them, and not lecturing them, so they will say they have nothing to share or confess. In that case, tell your child you will share one more confession about something you hid from your parents. By sharing your own confession, you model how to do it. It can be awkward and embarrassing, but when your child sees and hears you do it, she will be more likely to share with you. After your additional share, remind your child of the awesome opportunity she has, and that the deal is only good for 51 minutes more (or whatever time is left in the hour). Tell your child that after the hour ends, anything you discover may come with a punishment. She will probably still not trust you to keep the amnesty hour terms, and she will most likely say she has nothing to share. That’s typical. At that point, just end the Amnesty Hour prematurely, and thank your child for listening and keeping her word about meeting with you. Tell her you’ll check in with her in a few weeks to schedule another one (it could be a few months later). Please note that after an amnesty hour, it’s important that you keep any plans with your child later that day. If you’re supposed to go to the movies, go out for ice cream, or go play tennis, do it, and do it without showing anger, moodiness or disappointment. For the next Amnesty Hour, it’s best to come with facts surrounding a lie told by the child. I knew my son lied about eating my leftovers (which were marked with my name), so I used that in my second amnesty hour with him. First, I shared with him my regret for the times I lied or kept something from my parents (his grandparents). Then, I calmly gave him an example of something he could share with me during the hour: he could confess that he lied about eating my leftovers. If he declined to share, I would remind him that if I discovered he was the guilty party, the only way for him to avoid punishment–for example, temporarily losing privileges with electronics–would be to confess the truth before the end of the hour. When he continued to decline, I simply shared another of my confessions about something I hid from my parents (or from someone else). With one minute left in the hour, I asked if he wanted to try sharing something before time ran out. he quickly said, “It was me. I ate your leftovers and lied about it. I was hungry.” I listened, stayed silent while nodding my head, thanked him, and declared that amnesty hour was over. I told him I’d keep my end of the agreement: there was no punishment or lecture. We went out to play basketball, and he never heard about it again. This laid the groundwork for his confessions during future amnesty hours because he knew he could trust me. As for my daughter, I once presented her with an opportunity to confess that she’d lied about brushing her teeth a few nights prior. I saw that her toothbrush was dry, so I knew she wasn’t telling the truth. another time, I presented her with the opportunity to share that she lied about spilling pasta sauce on the floor. It’s important to always start with small offenses that they know would result in small punishments if you, her parent, were to not keep your part of the Amnesty Hour terms. In your child’s mind, the first confession will be a risk, and she will only try it with the truth surrounding a small offense. You may be thinking, “Why should my kids get no punishment? What good does any of this do?” Remember, you are looking for serious, lifesaving intel. for example, one day (it could be years later), you may ask your teen to admit she snuck out at night and drove your car with friends partying in the backseat. When your child confesses to something like that, while you will not be punishing or lecturing, you’ll have an opportunity to make “adjustments” to your arrangement with your child. For example, the next time your child asks for the car keys, you hand her the keys to the two-seater, rather than the four- seat sedan, so she can’t have multiple friends in the car. additionally, you may start writing down mileage. During Amnesty Hours, I’ve learned the names of those who present a danger to my kids (though my kids didn’t see the danger). When you gain information like this, you can act on it in somewhat of a covert way (remember, you’re a spy). For example, if the danger is from one of the popular kids at school, introduce yourself to the kid, and start up some small talk. You can mention how you noticed he’s really good with a basketball. Mention who your son is, and that as you’re around most days to pick him up from school, you’d like it if the kid could show you some of those basketball tricks. This may surprise you, but troublemaker kids don’t want parents who want to be their friend hanging around. their way out? They stop hanging out with your kid. now you don’t have ask your kid to stop hanging out with the troublemaker (which won’t work anyway). I remember one particular amnesty hour where I learned the name of a troublemaker most of us would never suspect: a neighborhood parent who was supplying alcohol to kids, including my son. After I showed an unusual amount of interest in become this parent’s new buddy, my son stopped getting invited to his home. Imagine that. Amnesty Hour makes it easy to be a “spy” parent. Try it. You’ll gain invaluable intel about your child’s feelings, actions, friends, and unhealthy coping mechanisms. You be better able to help your child, and you’ll grow closer together. Best of all, you need not have the spy skills of 007, just a free hour every few months. Chris Jackson is the afternoon drive DJ at KFOX radio and is working on a book about raising your kids like rock stars.

The post Amnesty Hour first appeared on Growing Up in Santa Cruz.