Trying College on for Size By Suki Wessling This is the second in our three-part series on helping teens prepare for life after high school. Our first, “What Do You Want To Do With Your Life? Teens Face Life Decisions Earlier Than Ever” was published in November. In this installment, we investigate the idea of “college fit” and question the assumption that students should aim for the most prestigious college possible. Frank Bruni’s book “Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be” is full of stories of failure. Students fail to get the grades they need to apply to the “elite” college their friends are applying to. Students fail to…
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“The Talk” with your Teen: Career Pathways March 2019
“The Talk” with your Teen: Career Pathways March 2019 By Mary Gaukel Forster This month’s edition of Growing Up in Santa Cruz focuses on teens. Last month I wrote about the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up” and how easily a preschooler might answer, “a firefighter.” Often by the teen years, the students I worked with answered that question with “I don’t know.” Self-consciousness, maturing bodies, peer influence, increased levels of academic challenge, and increased structured time, begin to limit a teen’s FIND WHAT YOU LOVE talk to your kids about what they want to do, what they love and what they are best at.…
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An Uphill Battle for this Downhill Rider
An Uphill Battle for this Downhill Rider By Kevin Painchaud Extreme rider Lee Faraola, 17, is a rising star in the Santa Cruz mountain biking scene. He’s a sponsored rider who has been racing since he was 11. The Santa Cruz High School junior is overcoming a major set back when he broke his back speeding downhill at Northstar in Tahoe, but is on the mend and ready to hit the dirt. Tell me about your family history here in Santa Cruz? My Dad’s family settled here in Santa Cruz from Naples Italy around 1860. They were one of the original fishing families here in town. Photo by Kevin Painchaud…
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Teaching Kids About Money: Ask Nicole March 2019
Teaching Kids About Money: Ask Nicole March 2019 By Nicole M. Young, MSW When I was young, my dad supported a family of six on a teacher’s salary. It was hard in the 1970’s, and I can’t imagine trying to do it now. I remember grocery shopping with my mom and watching her keep a running total of every item in the cart to make sure she stayed within her budget. In high school, after I bought a record album on impulse, my mom made me create a budget and show her my income, expenses, and bank statement each month. I hated it, but it taught me to live frugally…
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Letter from the Editors March 2019
Letter from the Editors March 2019 Dear Readers, The kids are coming. The kids are coming. On March 24, thousands of kids and their families will be celebrating Kid’s Day in Downtown Santa Cruz from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For those who haven’t attended in the past, it’s a revelation and it shows Santa Cruz at its family-friendliest. Downtown will be laced with booths and activities for kids and families from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday March 24 (please don’t rain, please don’t rain). Tourists from all over the world come to sample our colorful center. Now, the locals can appreciate just how great it is and how…
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Is Your Teen Graduation from High School Soon? What’s Next?
Is Your Teen Graduation from High School Soon? What’s Next? By Hayley Mears As your teenager nears graduation, knowing what kind of work or career is the right fit and supports their interest and goals isn’t easy. As students enter their senior year, they spend a lot of time thinking about what they really want to do in life and what colleges and schools have the programs that best support their goals. That’s why Monterey Bay Economic Partnership and Bright Futures Educational Partnership have joined forces to bring free career resources through the Monterey Bay Career Connect (mbcareerconnect.org) website. A one-stop shop for college and career readiness, the website provides…
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I’m Jewish, my Ex is Catholic, What About the Kids!
I’m Jewish, my Ex is Catholic, What About the Kids! By Bob Derber What do you do when you and your ex have different parenting policies? Bedtime at your house is 9 p.m., but 10 p.m. in your ex’s home. You permit ‘PG’ rated movies, your ex says ‘G’ only. Possibly it’s more basic. You are Jewish and your ex is Catholic. You each want the children to adopt your faith. Divorced parents face such issues daily. House rules, educational and extracurricular decisions, computer access and age-appropriate media are typical concerns. When household rules differ, children often use one parent’s rules to ‘play’ off the other. ‘But dad lets us…
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7th Annual Children’s Circus: Around Town March 2019
7th Annual Children’s Circus: Around Town March 2019 Ladies and Gentleman! Orchard School is presenting its 7th Annual Children’s Circus, CircOrchard, involving the whole student body, kindergarten through sixth grade. This is truly a show to be enjoyed by all ages, featuring clown antics, juggling, acrobatics, unicycling and stilt walking, hijinks, roust-a-bout, and circus spoofs. The public show will be performed Saturday, March 23rd, 2:00 p.m. at the Harbor High School Theatre. Our performance schedule includes free shows for students at Alianza Charter School in Watsonville and DeLaveaga Elementary in Santa Cruz. CIRCA-SIZE students at Orchard School get exercise and learn performance skills in classes that teach circus skills. Over…
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Caring 4 Kids
Caring 4 Kids By Susan Wallace Anyone who has ever held a baby, cared for a baby or fed a baby is struck with the extreme vulnerability and innocence of such dependent beings. We know humans take decades to develop and mature into their adult selves with many challenges and struggles along the way. As a society, we keep learning better ways to improve child-rearing and parenting. Parents strive to support and listen with unconditional love regardless of the quality of parenting they endured. We all realize that love, appreciation and connection are much more powerful than correction or punishment. Many parents’ worst nightmares include being unable to protect their…
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Cabrillo Game Designers Get a 10 out of 10
Cabrillo Game Designers Get a 10 out of 10 By Ricky Chavez Most gamers are satisfied beating bosses or winning multiplayer matches, but for many this isn’t enough. Every semester, a class of students enroll into Intro to Programming/Games, a games programming class at Cabrillo College. Future video game developers get the satisfaction of making their own game and after a tough semester they showed off their games in December. GAMERS ON GAMES students testing JAVA’s game Project Jumpman. The class got together the week before finals to play and test each others games. I was able to sit in and personally test out every game that was made. Ed…
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Ask a Simple Question, Get a Simple Answer? Birth Matters March 2019
Ask a Simple Question, Get a Simple Answer? Birth Matters March 2019 By Laura Maxson, LM “I’d like to have a natural birth. Is that ok?” While, “Sure, that sounds great,” might seem like the right answer from a care provider, it’s not necessarily a helpful answer. Instead of this one question, a pregnant woman needs to ask many questions while seriously considering the answers. Wanting a natural birth is not the same as having one. Of course there are no guarantees as to how a birth will go, but there are ways to tip the balance toward natural birth. Be specific. Ask, “What can you do to help me…
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Thrive by Three: Youngest Residents
Thrive by Three: Youngest Residents By Ryan Coonerty, County Supervisor Santa Cruz County has launched an effort called Thrive by Three to achieve break-through outcomes for local babies and toddlers facing adversity. The first three years of life provide the greatest window of opportunity to build a strong foundation for lifelong health and wellbeing. Exposure to chronic stressors like poverty or adverse childhood experiences such as abuse and neglect, parental substance abuse, or family violence can disrupt healthy brain development, creating lifelong negative impacts on learning, behavior and health. Too many young children are starting life at a disadvantage, leading to poor health and education out- comes which make life…
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Every Day is Kid’s Day for These Kids
Every Day is Kid’s Day for These Kids By Chip, Downtown Association of Santa Cruz Owning a business is a lot like being a parent; Sleepless nights at almost every stage of the process. Sure, there are plenty of books and lots of people will give you advice, but really, you have to learn as you go, and learn fast. Then there is this notion that there is a part of you, out in the world that has a life and a personality of its own. You work hard to instill your values, to provide the resources and to pay enough attention to be sure your baby is healthy and…
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A Bicycle Built for You
A Bicycle Built for You Local Bike Builders Shine at Sacramento Bike Show By Karen Kefauver I love cycling, but I’m not a bike geek. That means when I’m with cyclists who get pumped up comparing bottom brackets, cranksets and gear ratios, my eyes glaze over. So when I first heard about the North American Handmade Bike Show (NAHBS) more than a decade ago, I thought I might feel out of place. Happily, I was wrong. While there were plenty of bike geeks attending the Sacramento show, I also found my people — mainstream cycling enthusiasts who were there with their families to meet dozens of bike builders, admire their…
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Helping Around the World
Helping Around the World Scotts Valley dentist Nannette Benedict does more than treat local kids. She travels the world to places where kids have never seen a dentist to help them out. How did you get involved in relief work and how many trips have you done and where? BRUSH AWAY Dr. Nannette Benedict passed out toothbrushes and taught Ugandan kids how to brush their teeth properly. I became interested in public health and community dentistry before I started dental school. I received a community health grant while in dental school and organized a preventive dentistry clinic in an orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico. That inspired me! I volunteered with Los…
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Burning Man at the Mall: Around Town March 2019
Burning Man at the Mall: Around Town March 2019 Imaginarium Celebrates Creativity By Patrice Keet Love the idea of Burning Man? How about a family-friendly version, free, March 2 at the Capitola Mall? Imaginarium will feature aerial performances, puppet shows, puppet story time and a bounty of captivating characters in costume and give families a chance to explore their creativity with puppet crafts. The Puppetry Institute at the Museum of Discovery and Stellaria Arts are planning performances and workshops from 4 – 6 pm at this free event. Organizer Ricki Vincent says this will be an event where Cosplay folks mingle with Furfolk and others who want to share their…
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Green Family Living Going Local
Green Family Living: Going Local By Suki Wessling I find it works best, when scolding people, to start with oneself. So what follows is a public scolding of myself, by me. First, look at the photo. What do you see? One large cardboard box made of recycled wood fibers (Resource use: moderate. Energy use: high.) One large sheet of heavy duty packing paper probably made of virgin wood fibers (Resource use: high. Energy use: high.) Photo by Suki Wessling. OUT, OUT DAMN CLICK it seems so easy to order something and have it dropped on your door. But the environmental expense of packing and shipping adds up. Two sheets of…
