May Coloring Contest! Print out the drawing, have a kid color it in and enter to win two free tickets to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Winners will be picked at random, but you have to color to win. We will also pick 10 winners from those who subscribe to our newsletter at the home page.
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Teens Talk Back: These Students are Well on Their Way to Beloved Careers
Teens Talk Back These Students are Well on Their Way to Beloved Careers By Mary Gaukel Forster “The Talk” With Your Teen was the focus of last month’s article, about how parents can begin conversations about and encourage career explorations. This month teens “talk back” about their work based experiences in Career and Technical Education courses offered at high schools throughout the county. Our organization, Your Future Is Our Business, held its annual luncheon, on March 8, which highlighted the work of Career and Technical Education teachers and students along with the support given by the community. Caption: CTE award winners Adriana Avila-Medrano, Riley Rozario, Grace Bailey, Elijah Galster and…
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Founding Director of the Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery Retires
Founding Director of the Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery Retires After four and half years of volunteering as Executive Director of the SCCMOD, co-founder Patrice Keet, will be retiring in June. The Board of Directors and Patrice tell us that there will be a smooth and well-planned transition as Dr. Rhiannon Crain will be stepping in as Interim Executive Director. Rhiannon has the distinction of being a founding Board member of the Museum bringing her knowledge, expertise and degree in Museum Science to the position. Previously she was Executive Director of Yardmap, a Citizen Science program of Cornell University. ALL COLOR students in Susan Penprase’s third grade class at…
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What You Can do Now to Prepare for Fire Season
What You Can do Now to Prepare for Fire Season By Becky Steinbruner, Fire Safety Council of Santa Cruz The recent deadly Tubbs and Camp fires that devastated suburbs and wild land alike have given us all cause to ponder: What would I do if it happened here? Could such fires happen here? The answer is: Yes. You can begin preparing your family and home now and be miles ahead when fire season arrives. The important thing is to just do something and get started, building muscle-memory for the actions you may have to actually perform when needed … much like a firefighter who trains repeatedly. Keeping Safe in Summer.…
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California’s Mother of the Year is from Soquel
California’s Mother of the Year is from Soquel Forget apple pies and crocheting, Susan Tatsui-D’Arcy is a Renaissance Woman By Brad Kava Before career woman Susan Tatsui-D’arcy had her first child three decades ago, she thought she’d hire a nanny, so she could run her corporation during the daytime. But one look at her daughter and she knew she wasn’t leaving home. She didn’t want to leave her job either, so she came up with a plan. She hired a nanny, of sorts, who was more like a teacher and she brought in other kids whose parents could share the expense of the childcare at her house. She worked upstairs,…
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This Santa Cruz 12-year-old is a Ripper
This Santa Cruz 12-year-old is a Ripper By Kevin Painchaud As the fog was gently settling down on the Steamers Lane, I sat on a bench in front of the lighthouse interviewing a bright-eyed, blond haired 12-year-old ripper named Jackson Taylor. He had just won the Santa Cruz Waves Swellies award for best “Grom Boy under 16 surfer.” He’s 12 and goes to New Brighton Middle School. KP: Tell me about your family history in Santa Cruz. JT: We’re a third generation family for surfers. My grandpa grew up here. He started shaping boards for people and started surfing more. Then my dad came along and he was a very…
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Your Green Choices Are Not Made to Insult Others
Your Green Choices Are Not Made to Insult Others By Suki Wessling Last month I talked to local resident Canaan Sasha about shopping local and frequenting stores that had bulk items so we could bring our own containers. We were having fun geeking out about all the things we bring containers for when she mentioned something important: “[Shopping local] is not necessarily economically viable for everyone in the community, but I take that responsibility pretty seriously because I know it’s not going to be possible for everyone.” In the way that the universe works, the next day I had a conversation in which someone told me that shopping local is…
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The Live Oak Cradle To Career Initiative Supports Families: County Scoop May 2019
The Live Oak Cradle To Career Initiative Supports Families By John Leopold, Santa Cruz County Supervisor Live Oak is home to multi-million dollar homes but also pockets of real poverty just a few blocks away. At Live Oak Elementary, 85% of the children are on free or reduced lunch, and Shoreline Middle School has over 100 kids that have lived at more than two homes over the past year. To address these challenges the Live Oak Cradle to Career Initiative was formed by parents, educators, health, and social service leaders working together to ensure that all children can reach their full potential. We do this through responsive programming, policy change, community engagement and leadership development. After assembling the…
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Softening Postpartum with a Doula
Softening Postpartum with a Doula By Laura Maxson, LM CPM In an ideal world, every new mother would have her own mother or mother-in-law come stay for several weeks after the birth of a baby, helping with cooking and laundry while dispensing rare but sage advice on breastfeeding and childcare. However, in our real world many families are miles apart, if not in distance, then in temperament. Whether having a family member come to help is logistically impossible or just plain undesirable, the postpartum doula is ready to step in. Postpartum doulas have skills, time and – most importantly – an air of calm confidence when it comes to…
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Bike to Work Day May 9 in Santa Cruz Rolls Out New Bike Challenge and 12 Free Breakfast Sites
Bike to Work Day May 9 in Santa Cruz Rolls Out New Bike Challenge and 12 Free Breakfast Sites By Karen Kefauver Bike to Work Day in Santa Cruz ranks right up there with July Fourth and Thanksgiving as one of my favorite days of the year. I get to wake up, roll out of bed and immediately do a few of my favorite things: ride my bike, munch on free breakfast treats and socialize with my fellow cyclists. What a delicious combination! While Bike to Work Day isn’t an official holiday (yet!), there’s a celebratory mood as both new and experienced bikers, adults and kids alike, ditch their cars,…
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Swimming Lessons Save Lives
Swimming Lessons Save Lives The sooner you get them educated the better By Tiffany Harmon The stark truth is this: drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children ages 1 – 4 and is the second leading cause for children 1 – 14 after motor vehicle crashes. Unfortunately, many children are at risk due to low, or no swimming ability, and the risk is even higher for minority children. These statistics, while frightening, are extremely relevant for us, as residents of the Monterey Bay Area. We are incredibly fortunate to live in an area that is home to amazing ocean views, wildlife, and opportunities for recreational activities like surfing, swimming,…
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Communicating with the Ex
Communicating with the Ex By Bob Derber When dealing with an ex (or to-be ex), always: 1. Be polite and civil; 2. Communicate in writing; 3. Discuss only the children, support or property, and 4. Never delete past communications This should be obvious, but often it is not. Emails and text messages can end up in court when custody battles erupt. Matters may become strained at any time, especially when the children are involved. Perhaps a parent wants to move away, or a child wants to join in an activity you cannot agree upon. Disagreements about the children often spill over into other areas. You may be a strong parent…
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Mother and Son Dental Practice: Happy Smiles May 2019
Mother and Son Dental Practice: Happy Smiles May 2019 By Nannette Benedict Most of you reading this paper have kids. So I am writing about the joy of sharing my passion of dentistry with my kids. Dentistry is an exacting profession so I did not want to push my passion onto my kids. The profession requires a love of people, a desire to help, and an understanding of both science and art. I could tell early on that my son Devin would be able to enjoy dentistry(since he excelled in everything), but it needed to be his decision. I hired him and his brother to help in the office—installing the…
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Wax Wraps: Green Tips May 2019
Wax Wraps: Green Tips May 2019 By Meredith Keet, Founder the Zero shop Have you heard of wax wraps? These are an awesome alternative to use in place of plastic wrap: to cover a bowl, wrap up some leftover cheese or that pesky half of an avocado, keep your bread from going stale or to pack your sandwich for lunch . The best part? You can reuse it again and again. Wash with lukewarm water and the soft side of a sponge, hang to dry and you’re done. These should last you 6-9 months or even longer depending on how heavily you use them. And when they reach the end…
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These Two Santa Cruz Moms Risk Their Lives Daily
These Two Santa Cruz Moms Risk Their Lives Daily By Jordy Hyman Every day, firefighters, law enforcement and other first responders risk their lives to serve the people of their community, but for these local women it’s not just their own safety they need to consider. They also have to contend with the fate of their children should anything happen in the line of duty. “It’s definitely a scary possibility,” says Trista Drake, an officer and spokesperson for California Highway Patrol Santa Cruz and mother of four. “I would never want to lay down my life, but would I do it? Yeah, of course, it’s what we swore to do…
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On the Best Day a Teacher Can Have…Behind the Desk May 2019
On the Best Day a Teacher Can Have… Behind the Desk May 2019 By Lisa Catterall True teachers are those who use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross; then, having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create their own. – Nikos Kazantzakis I have a funny tradition in my science class. Each year, when we get to organic chemistry, I introduce the topic in a half-hour long discussion. For the last five minutes of class, I give the kids exactly sixty seconds to come up with a structure for the chemical C6H6. If a student can do it, they do not have to…
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We are all Michelle Obama: Ask Nicole May 2019
We are all Michelle Obama: Ask Nicole May 2019 By Nicole M Young, MSW I recently listened to Michelle Obama’s book, Becoming. I was fascinated by her life and the depth of skills and experience she had before becoming the First Lady. I was also surprised to hear her describe selfdoubts and the number of times she questioned whether she was “good enough” as a child, a student, a professional, and a parent. My first reaction was disbelief, since I’d only seen the confident, public version of Michelle. My reaction was followed by the realization that I often ask myself that same question – am I doing “good enough” as…
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Letter from the Editors May 2019
Letter from the Editors May 2019 Dear Readers, One of the best things I did this year was go back to school—no, schools. I was part of an annual group called Inside Education put on by the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, which takes community members to schools across the county and educates them about education. My mind was blown many times. I watched teens build a house, a canoe, a sailboat, learn to cook gourmet food, fix bicycles, take college level classes and farm, to name a few things. Every month we went on field trips to schools to see what they were doing, and even with two…
