November 2019 - Growing Up in Santa Cruz

Breakfast Time Savers & Hacks: Get Organized November 2019

growingupsc — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 14:15:23 +0000

Breakfast Time Savers & Hacks Get Organized: November 2019 By Jhoneé Fillmore School Day vs. Weekend The typical school morning is face paced. Many tasks must be done by the kiddos and adults for a successful school arrival. Let the family know in advance which breakfast items are available for school mornings versus weekend mornings. At our house, weekend mornings are for making french toast, baking muffins, making waffles or pancakes from scratch or something as simple as cooking bacon. School mornings however need to happen much more quickly so I limit the menu to: scrambled or fried eggs, frozen waffles, frozen pancakes, cereal, toast, instant oatmeal, yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, smoothies, bagels or fruit. Freeze It Waffles and Pancakes Did you notice that I put frozen waffles and frozen pancakes in my school day approved breakfast list? Well, these are items that I have cooked in advance from scratch. I make a few batches of these on the weekends and stick them in the freezer. On school mornings, the kids like to pull them from the freezer and pop them into the toaster. In a quick minute they have homemade items to eat. And yes, they are still delicious. A further time saver that I use is that I keep on hand a container of the dry portion of the waffle and pancake mix. By Jhoneé Fillmore. Delicious waffles made from scratch on the weekends and frozen, which are then popped into the toaster on school day mornings. Notice the mini agave containers for portioning of the sweetener. Yogurt Sticks We love to freeze our yogurt sticks! The two ways that we eat them are: One, we pull a yogurt stick from the freezer in the morning when we are placing lunch containers into lunch boxes. By lunch time the yogurt is still very cold and completely thawed. Two, my kids enjoy eating the yogurt sticks straight from the freezer as a frozen treat when we are at home. A great way to cool off. Edamame Another favorite treat with a couple different scenarios is edamame. One, we place them right from the freezer into the children or adult’s lunch containers. By lunchtime they are thawed completely but cold. Two, snack on this halfway frozen treat while at home or driving in the car. No need to thaw completely as eating them halfway frozen is part of the excitement. Blueberries The frozen blueberries my kids will snack on right from the freezer. We also like to put the blueberries directly from the freezer into a bowl and pour plain yogurt on top. In about a minute the yogurt freezes onto the blueberries to create a healthy dessert with an awesome balance of sweet and tart. This qualifies as a great mid day snack or an after dinner treat. Lessen the Sweetener My children are huge fans of items like french toast, waffles and pancakes. They are equally big on covering them in agave to jazz them up. I am not a huge fan of a lot of sweetening so I portion how much agave my kids can use. I love the tiny containers that are designed for salad dressing and condiments to use for this task. (See the photograph of waffles and mini agave containers). My boys think having their own agave container is pretty cool. Another way to lessen the amount of agave they use is to mix in a little water into their agave containers. This trick not only lessens the amount of sweetener consumed but also stretches the life of your agave bottle.

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Juice vs Smoothies, What’s Healthier? Healthy Eating November 2019

growingupsc — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 13:56:13 +0000

Juice vs Smoothies, What’s Healthier? Healthy Eating November 2019 By Kris Holden There’s a lot of hype over juicing these days. More and more juice bars are opening and most grocery stores offer a variety of bottled fruit and vegetable juices. The latest trend seems to be cold-pressed juice. But, what is “cold-pressed juice,”? Are there more health benefits in drinking fresh pressed juice over drinking blended smoothies? Let’s start off by looking at the process and benefits of juicing. Juicing 101 Juicing is the process of extracting the liquid from fruits and vegetables and discarding the skin, pulp and fiber. Without the fiber your digestive system doesn’t have to work as hard to break down the food. The nutrients are more readily available to the body in much larger quantities. You can be absorbing the nutrients from up to three pounds of produce in one 16 ounce bottle of juice. That’s roughly the equivalent of eating 9 apples or 12 carrots in one sitting. You can essentially fulfill your daily fruit and vegetable intake, in only drinking fresh juice, but you will be lacking vitally important vitamins, minerals and fiber, only found in the skin and bulk of the produce. What is cold-pressed juice? Cold-pressed juice is made with a hydraulic press that uses large amounts of pressure to extract the most amount of liquid from fruits and vegetables. Since this process doesn’t require any high-speed spinning or blades (which creates heat) the juice is richer in vitamins and enzymes. These juices can be more expensive than other types of juice as the hydraulic press uses thousands of pounds of pressure to squeeze the juice from the produce and requires more fruit and vegetables. Where do smoothies fit in for nutrition? Smoothies are made by blending whole fruits and vegetables. With blending, you retain all the skin, pulp and fiber which contain much of the nutrients that juicing excludes. The fiber helps slow digestion and slow the rate that sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream. You won’t be able to consume nearly as much produce as you would juicing, as the fiber helps you feel fuller longer. You can also add additional supplements for bonus nutrition: seeds, nuts, oats, even cooked beans, for a fiber and protein boost. The healthiest smoothies would be made at home. Be cautious when ordering smoothies from the big-name franchise, name rhymes with “mamba.” Many of their smoothies are made with juice blends from concentrate, artificially sweetened sherbet or frozen yogurt and a mysterious “dairy base.” There are some good options offered, just read the ingredients, carefully. Whether you prefer fresh pressed juice or blended smoothies, both help you increase your fruit and vegetable intake. Drinking 100% fruit and vegetable juice offers you nutrients from larger quantities of produce, is easier on your digestive system, but lacks the fiber your body needs. Drinking blended smoothies offers you the fiber and additional vitamins and minerals as well as keeping you feeling fuller longer. You receive nutritional benefits from both but it should not replace eating fruits and vegetables in its most natural state. Eating whole foods, such as a piece of fresh fruit or a green salad, offers the most nutritional value. Recipe: Delicious Green Breakfast Smoothie – Kid approved 1 cup non-dairy milk or water, or blend a whole peeled orange or cored apple or pear first, then add remaining ingredients. May need to add extra water. 1 frozen banana 1/2 cup frozen mango 1/4 cup organic rolled oats 2 dates (pitted) 1 Tbls hemp seeds or other seeds (optional) 1 cup or handful spinach or kale Directions: Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Recipe by Livelydays.com

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Foster Parenting and Adopting is Like Crossing the Sea

growingupsc — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 13:47:43 +0000

Foster Parenting and Adopting is Like Crossing the Sea By Amanda Firth This is the introduction to a short series about Foster Parenting and Adoption in Santa Cruz County. Proper names in the story have been changed for the privacy and protection of the children involved. I’m drowning over and over again. First there was paperwork, miles of forms and visits to our apartment by person after person. This mother walks the walk, adopting and fostering kids and taking on the toughest challenges. They arrived with briefcases, clipboards, forms, and delved into every cupboard and cabinet, every bit of history, and every personal value we had. They rifled through our emotional baggage. They challenged us at every turn. They asked doctors to examine our very bodies for soundness. They looked at report cards for our two teenage birth children, talked to friends, then made sure there were no sad secrets lurking in the recesses of our minds, hearts, lives and souls to prevent us from being good parents. The message was clear; in this county, the system, and the people in it, really care. This was the beginning of our foster-to-adopt journey. We had two birth children. We had always wanted another child and had been trying to get pregnant for ten years. Finally, we had to admit that my body was just not up for another round of fertility treatments, and it was time to find other options. We ended-up fostering seven children and adopting three. We are now a family of seven. Over 400 children come into foster care in Santa Cruz County each year. While going through this process, I had a hard time finding anything to read from others who were experiencing it. My hope is that foster parents reading this will find points of connection, and that other readers gain insight into what foster parents in our community experience every day. Our apartment became a “certified foster home.” Then we waited. And waited. Then another ocean appeared. This one was full of warm, tranquil, turquoise water lapping at our toes. Happy, tropical fish in jeweled colors popped to the surface and made us quake with joy. This happy land was in the real form of a baby! The top of her head was downy soft and smelled beautiful, and she was there to be fed, shopped-for, dressed up, and engulfed in the sensory bath of love that we had been waiting to offer. The next sea was a stormy one; the baby went back to her birth mother who had recovered from addiction. We loved the mother, and honestly we felt like we’d done more good in six weeks than in the rest of our lives combined, but handing over the baby hurt. Then the darkness fell and the black tide rose. Although another baby arrived shortly, and stayed, a distant relative appeared and fought for him, and we went through a two-week shipwreck from which we barely recovered. There has been no darker time in my life than the two weeks we spent thinking a baby we had loved for nine months would be abruptly handed-over to a person we did not trust. This ocean was full of lawyers, tears, friends with casseroles who cried with us, and a fifty-five page plea I wrote in two days explaining to anyone who would listen why this was a travesty. It earned me the forever nickname “Fifty-five Page Amanda.” But then the sun finally rose. A sharp and blinding glare burst over the horizon with a single, short phone call from our lawyer: “I can’t tell you why, but you never have to worry about this again.” The next ocean for drowning was simply one of adoption paperwork. As in, don’t bother me, I’m drowning in a four-inch stack of paperwork and I have a double-booked schedule of adoption appointments. Later in the process, we discovered the fulfillment of fostering kids whose parents just needed a little time to recover and heal, called a “reunification.” I believe when I reflect on my life, this will be the single best thing I ever did for the world and my greatest source of pride. So now I am drowning again. I’m drowning in school lunches, teacher meetings, school district meetings, doctor appointments, therapy appointments, college prep for my birth children, new and exciting paperwork for status changes, and let’s face it, figuring out what on earth to cook for dinner and how to pay for it all when suddenly I have a family of seven in one of the most expensive counties in the US. But you know what? At least once a day, I am so overwhelmed by joy, gratitude, and love, that it just takes my breath away. It’s a deeper joy than I ever experienced before I jumped into this ocean, not knowing how many oceans there were to cross ahead of me. And I know what to cook for dinner. Easy One-Pot Creamy Spaghetti 1 lb ground Italian Sausage (turkey, soy, pork… you choose) 12 oz uncooked whole wheat spaghetti 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes 1 32 oz carton chicken broth ½ cup of heavy cream Brown the sausage in the bottom of a large covered pot on the stovetop (6-8 minutes on medium high while stirring). Add the remaining ingredients and stir. Cover. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 15-20 minutes until the pasta is tender.

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Downtown Felton Frolic

growingupsc — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 13:47:01 +0000

Downtown Felton Frolic By Christina Wise The downtown Felton area has taken a decidedly decorative turn in recent years. The southern stretch of Highway 9 (from the Graham Hill intersection) is dotted with darling shops that call to the eye of stylish dressers and the spirit of gift-givers. From the crystals and gems at Mountain Spirit to the vintage and consignment items at Tomboy Outpost to the carefully curated collections at Simpatico, shoppers are drawn to the homespun charm of Felton anytime of year—but especially in November. On Saturday, November 30th, Felton celebrates Small Business Saturday (a national movement to promote local shopping) by rolling out the red carpet with tons of special events and holiday spirit. The Downtown Felton Association is hopped up on the excitement of it all. “The purpose of the Downtown Felton Association (DFA) is to bring together the community and help promote all of the amazing groups and associations in our town,” says DFA founder, Christy Shults. “Felton is really going to shine on Small Business Saturday. DFA and Felton businesses are sponsoring free bike taxis to deliver shoppers from their parking spots at Felton Bible Church to town. All of our stores will be open, with additional vendors at some stores. Shoppers can enjoy free gift wrapping and complimentary crafts on the redwood deck, sponsored by the DFA. We’ll also have raffle prizes at downtown businesses—get your tickets from the elves strolling the sidewalk and making mischief!” In addition, the Santa Cruz Mountains Makers’ Market will be at the Felton Community Hall from 10am -4pm, and there’s a Train Expo at Felton Presbyterian Church. The Felton Business Association invites you to enjoy free cookies and cider on the redwood deck, while being entertained by caroling as Santa arrives on a fire truck and lights the downtown tree. Finally, visitors are invited to follow Santa back to the Felton Fire Department for pictures and the ever-important task of sharing that holiday wish list. If it sounds like Shults is an evangelist for the town, well…she is. As the founder of the DFA, Shults is passionate about Felton, and her spirit shows. “The Downtown Felton Association’s mission is like that of a good old-fashioned barn raising. We want to bring together the residents and the commerce of the town.” Shults has activated that connection by working with Selena Santos, owner of Skavenge Art, to bring back First Fridays Art Walk, featuring a consortium of shops in downtown Felton that host a trifecta of culture: art, wine and small bites. The Santa Cruz Mountains Pet Fest will be returning in 2020, and the DFA are also working on hosting events on the town’s redwood deck, so everyone in the community feels included. “This is my hometown,” Shults reflects, “and I have lived here all of my life. My kids go to the same school I went to. I have an abundance of love for everyone here, the ones who have been here forever and the ones who have moved here because they can feel the magic.” Come feel the magic of Small Business Saturday in downtown Felton on Saturday, November 30th beginning at noon.

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Medical Technician Students Tour Santa Cruz County 911 Center: Career Pathways November 2019

growingupsc — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 13:34:22 +0000

Medical Technician Students Tour Santa Cruz County 911 Center Career Pathways: November 2019 By Mary Gaukel Forster Workplace tours can be powerful early career awareness activities for students, helping them learn not only about specific careers but about their own preferences and values. Nowadays tours can be virtual or in-person, increasing the opportunities to get an inside look at careers and workplaces. We are fortunate to have many local and digital opportunities in Santa Cruz County and I am sharing a sampling to get you started. Parents can help provide these experiences and enrich them by asking open-ended questions. When asking these questions you are helping your child to think about the work being accomplished, the culture of the workplace, and the physical setting. We all know that most teens and pre-teens don’t like to be “told or lectured” especially not in front of others. I recommend that the questions below can be asked, at various times, after the workplace visit. Three teenagers of my own helped me learn not to be too obvious or heavy handed, “Oh, mom you are not my teacher.” What did you think of (name of workplace)? What kind(s) of work was being done there? What did see that you might like to do? What impressed you about the physical workplace? Why might you like/not like to work at (name of workplace)? Have fun and explore! Adobe Animal Hospital (Veterinarian) Virtual and in person tours https://adobevets.com/about-us/photo-gallery/ Annie Glass (Arts/Manufacturing/Design): Handcrafted Dinnerware and Home Decor. Studio tours are FREE and given Thursday – Sunday at 1:30 pm. Walk-ins are welcome for our 1:30 pm tour. https://annieglass.com/pages/studio-tours Canepa Auto Museum (Manufacturing, Design, Transportation) In-person tours https://canepa.com/ Central Fire District (Fire Science, Emergency Services) in-person tours http://www.centralfpd.com/2205/Station-Tours-Classroom-Visit Google- (Computer Information Systems) Virtual tour of a very unique workplace https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCqNEqtN43c Live Earth Farms (Agriculture, Ag Technology) https://liveearthfarm.net/ Santa Clara Crime Crime Laboratory (Forensics) The Crime Laboratory provides “virtual tours” each month, consisting of a 2-hour presentation on the forensic work performed in the laboratory. This presentation “virtually walks through” all the different areas of the Crime Laboratory via photographs and case examples. However, it does not include actually touring the facility itself due to the sensitivity of our work and the potential for contamination. Anyone interested in attending a presentation or organizing a group to attend should contact Criminalist Cordelia Willis at cwillis@lab.sccgov.org with the subject: Crime Lab tour Santa Cruz Bikes (Transportation, Manufacturing, Design) https://www.santacruzbicycles.com/en-US/google-factory-tour Santa Cruz Guitars (Entertainment, Manufacturing, Design) https://santacruzguitar.com/tour-the-shop/ Career questions have been a part of Mary’s life since she was first asked what she wanted to be when she grew up. She began teaching elementary school, had her own children, taught in middle school and high school, became a high school principal, finally a grandparent, and currently the executive director for the non-profit organization, Your Future Is Our Business. Your Future Is Our Business partners with schools to link students to career explorations. Reach Mary at marygaukel@gmail.com

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Divorce on a Budget

growingupsc — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 13:33:08 +0000

Divorce on a Budget By Bob Derber and Judge Paul Marigonda Many people want to divorce but think they can’t afford it. Attorneys are not cheap. If you have limited assets and can agree about most matters – property division and issues surrounding the children – you have low-cost alternatives. One alternative is our Superior Court’s free Self-Help Center, which can guide you through the divorce process. Center staff can’t give you legal advice, but they can help you through the process which can be confusing. If you have been there already, you know their time is limited, and you might consider a more personal approach. If you and your spouse can agree and be civil with each other, a great second alternative are private Legal Document Assistants (LDAs). They LDAs provide detailed guidance and assistance, reducing the costs of a simple divorce, custody or support matter. LDAs are specialists who can walk you through a divorce and prepare and the file legal documents for you. They are often very affordable and will meet jointly with both parties. Don’t get me wrong: I’m an attorney. I want your business, and all that I can get! But when families have limited resources and spouses can work together, my services may not be necessary. If you want to separate amicably and still need guidance, an LDA is often the best bet. I often refer people to these professionals when this can work for them. I reached out to an LDA that I often work with, Alternative Legal Services in Felton, and spoke with Jill Chambers to understand how she helps couples separate while avoiding court and the expense of an attorney. Jill’s typical fee for a divorce averages $1,250. She works with couples at her office and handles all court filings. You don’t need to go to court when you can agree on the result you want. Even better, she is available by phone for your questions! Legal Document Assistants are professionals. While they cannot give legal advice, they will work with you through a list of questions to help you familiarize yourself with the divorce process and raise important points that may not have occurred to you. For example, you may not have considered who will claim the children on future tax returns. LDAs also help prepare a formal agreement to file with the court. Frankly, I am quite impressed with what LDAs accomplish for the price. If your issues relate to custody and visitation with the children, you can still take advantage of the court’s free mediation services and the LDA can guide you through the forms for this. You might use a LDA for only part of the process, and nothing prevents you from consulting with an attorney where legal help is necessary. LDAs encounter situations like this often and are careful to suggest this when your matter needs legal analysis. I don’t want to belittle my own services. In the right circumstance, attorneys play a vital role. But there is a place and time for both professionals. I have found LDAs very helpful to divorcing couples who can still work together through their issues. From the Bench Most divorcing individuals navigate their own way through the process. It’s impressive when they work together and take the time to do it right. Whether you use an attorney, an LDA or our Self-Help Center, we are here to help. If you can reach agreements without the need of a judge, it’s better for all concerned.

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Happy and Successful Kids Life Skill 5: Critical Thinking

growingupsc — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 13:29:24 +0000

Happy and Successful Kids Life Skill 5: Critical Thinking By Jan Pierce Everyday life involves a lot of problem-solving. How do you encourage your children to get along with others? What’s the best way to help your child learn to manage their time and select appropriate activities? Should you let your kids play video games and which ones are off-limits? Without realizing it, you’re making logical decisions every day, and your kids need to learn how to make sound, logical decisions as well. Thinking logically helps kids get balance. Not just in their social and emotional lives, but in their reading, their writing, and their math and science explorations as well. In short, the child who knows how to think logically will be a better student who comprehends his or her reading at a higher level, is able to think creatively to solve math and science problems, can communicate clearly and may even score higher on IQ tests. Critical thinking is a complex skill learned over time. It involves being able to evaluate information for accuracy, interpret information, make predictions and inferences (conclusions based on evidence and reasoning), recognize fact vs. opinion and explain one’s thinking clearly. So…it’s kind of hard. But, there are simple ways to build these logical thinking skills and you can begin to teach them in easy and fun ways. Here are some skills to work on at home to ensure your child is a strong, clear and logical thinker. Analyze Analogies Analogies are comparisons between two different things. They show a relationship between two items. The skill involved requires your child to first identify the relationship and then select words demonstrating that relationship. The use of analogies increases understanding in virtually all areas of learning. For example: day is to light as night is to _____. To solve this analogy you first see that it is light in the daytime, then supply the opposite concept, dark, to night. Or, book is to read as song is to ____. One reads a book. What do we do with a song? We sing it. Analogies can demonstrate a number of relationships such as part to whole, opposites, cause and effect or degree of intensity (cool is to freezing as warm is to ___.) Kids enjoy solving these word puzzles and you might make a family game of solving them. www.learninggamesforkids.com (vocabulary games) Create Categories and Classify Items Sorting items for like attributes has always been fun for kids. For example you can sort buttons by color, size, number of holes, shape, etc. You can group animals into size, habitat, pets vs. wild, stripes and no stripes, or any other categories you create. And what kid wouldn’t want to sort M & M’s by color? You can go further and help children to graph their information in a simple bar graph or pie chart. Classifying items builds both math and language skills and leads the way to simple science explorations. www.mensaforkids.org (classifying animals) Identify Relevant Information In the process of problem-solving, it’s crucial to be able to pull out the information that matters. For example, consider the following sentence and the question to be answered: Tom has four quarters and three dimes. He also has a frog in his pocket. How much money does Tom have? Obviously the frog in the pocket is not important in determining the amount of money. But selecting only pertinent information can be very challenging. Go to www.study.com and search for relevant information in math. You’ll find videos followed by simple quizzes to practice this important skill. Test Hypotheses A hypothesis is an educated guess based on the current information known. Your child needs to be able to consider what is known and predict what might happen next, then test it out to see if the hypothesis was correct. This is an important skill in all of learning. When your child is reading ask: “What do you think will happen next?” Then after reading you can evaluate the accuracy of the prediction and determine why it was or wasn’t right. We can learn just as much from an inaccurate hypothesis as from an accurate one. In math and science it’s important to make logical hypotheses and then go on to test and evaluate them. Go to www.study.com and search for How do you Develop a Hypothesis? Distinguish Between Evidence and Interpretations of Evidence (fact vs. opinion) In this day of information overload and cries of “fake news” all around, children must know how to recognize facts from opinions of others. Facts are always true. Opinions are beliefs held by an individual and can vary from person to person. Help your children learn the difference. www.pbskids.org/arthur/games/factsopinions More Ways to Build Critical Thinking Skills: Observe your child’s efforts to understand the world. Support learning through discussion, stories and actions. Support your child’s natural curiosity. Allow exploration and then supply answers. Promote your child’s passions. If she wants to learn about bugs, give her all the books, field guides, and nature walks she can handle. Take advantage of true motivation. Be willing to “be the expert” and look up answers to your child’s questions. Point your child to trusted experts. Friends, family members, teachers, coaches, all can be mentors. Help your child evaluate information. “Do you think that was right?” “Was John telling the truth?” “Let’s look that up to see if we’re right.” Evaluate television programming, movies and other media. “What are they selling in that commercial?” “Our family doesn’t choose to watch shows that…” When problems arise, teach a method that builds critical thinking such as: What is the problem or issue? What is the goal? What are the possible solutions? Let’s choose one solution to try. Did that work? Kids benefit from opportunities to practice problem solving using critical thinking skills. And don’t forget that an old-fashioned conversation around the dinner table is a great time to pose questions that require clear, logical thinking. Jan Pierce, M.Ed., is a retired teacher and reading specialist. She focuses on education, family life and parenting issues. Find Jan at www.janpierce.net. *Ellen Galinsky is the author of Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs.

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Cabrillo Returns to Voters for Support This Spring

growingupsc — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 13:18:08 +0000

Cabrillo Returns to Voters for Support This Spring By Suki Wessling In 2016, local voters narrowly rejected a bond to improve Cabrillo College’s infrastructure. The argument against the measure seemed to focus on what current Cabrillo President Matt Wetstein, hired in 2017, calls “our reverse curb appeal problem.” “The college looks great from Soquel Drive, but we have all these decaying infrastructure issues,” Wetstein explains. Brad Kava interviews Matt Wetstien on Talk of the Bay. Photo by Kristin Fabos As an example, he details the headache of last summer’s emergency repairs to the building that houses the cafeteria as well as a variety of student services. A major sewer pipe break cost over $100,000 to repair, and the building was shuttered for much of the summer. The public sees the beautiful new VAPA campus but doesn’t get up close to the original campus structures. “All of those buildings up the hill that were built in the 1960s era are on the same kind of aging infrastructure: water delivery, sewers, and so on,” Wetstein explains. “The State provides a limited deferred maintenance budget, which this year is around $240,000 for the entire campus—and we need $17 million.” Another problem is the sort of “voter tax fatigue” that makes us feel that the college is always asking for money. However, compared to other community colleges, Cabrillo has approached the community less often. The average community college bond is issued every six years around the state, whereas Cabrillo last passed a bond issue nearly 16 years ago. One specific project that Wetstein would love to jumpstart is the renovation of the old theater building, currently closed, as a student services center. Currently, students have to go to several different buildings—many of them an aerobic hike up the hill—in order to take care of diverse services like enrollment, counseling, and financial aid. The new student services center would reach down to Soquel at the bus stop, and would allow staff to direct students down the hall instead of up the hill. Wetstein speaks fondly of his new home and our vibrant community, the diversity of which is served by Cabrillo. From high school students, low income students, and newly matriculated students who attend academic classes for free, to seniors, budding artists, and hobbyists who are seeking to expand their horizons, Cabrillo is set up to enrich our community. Because state funding for major infrastructure upgrades simply isn’t in the budget, each community has to step up with local bond issues to keep their community colleges functioning. With this bond, Wetstein is asking the community to put a price tag on a local center of education, enrichment, and economic opportunity generation. Suki Wessling is a local writer and educator. Learn more at www.SukiWessling.com.

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November Coloring Page

growingupsc — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 13:06:51 +0000

November Coloring Page Send your finished pages to editor@growingupsc.com or post to our Facebook page and you could win a prize!

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Behind the Scenes at American Idol

growingupsc — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 13:06:13 +0000

Behind the Scenes at American Idol By Lindsey Wall Early last summer, I opened my email to find an unread message from a talent producer who works for ABC’s American Idol. When I first saw it, I was in disbelief. I thought maybe this was a scam. But I soon realized this was a personalized email written to me. She wrote about a song I had written that she heard on Spotify and said she was taken by the writing and artistry. Santa Cruz Idol Lindsey Wall, 26, still has a day job selling flowers in midtown, but still travels the country as a singer/songwriter. Photo by Brad Kava She asked about getting me to audition for the next upcoming season of the show. After the initial disbelief, I was over the moon to get this sort of feedback on a song I wrote all alone in my bedroom. This song is an emotional, folksy indie tune called, “Honey”; it was about the first song I ever completed. I had never considered being part of a show like that. But after giving it some thought, I realized how much I could gain from the experience. As far as singing and guitar goes, I pretty much had only ever taught myself, starting at a young age. As long as I stayed true to myself and only expressed the art that I wanted to express, it felt like I had nothing to lose. The first step would be a Skype showcase/interview about a week later in front of the executive producers. On this day, I had a three-hour window to stand by my computer with two or three songs ready to sing. I chose a song by Gillian Welch and a couple of originals. By the end of the three hours, I finally heard the ring. After a short 10-minute call, they told me I had to wait for a follow up call later that day. They wanted to see me in the following round of the showcase, which was an in-person audition in Burbank another month later. I drove down in early June with my mom and best friend. You wouldn’t believe how many people worked at these offices and how big they were. We waited in the holding area until they called my name with a group of about 10 other contestants to go downstairs. I was second to go in my group. There were about 30 producers and a little stage at the front of the room. The executive producer and I chatted a bit and then I sang a couple songs. She said they liked me and thought I had a “cool vibe” and handed me a golden piece of paper that ensured me a slot to sing in front of the celebrity judges for the televised audition in mid-October. I was the only one to move forward in my group. They gave me an option to either audition in LA or a small town called Coeur d ‘Alene, Idaho. I’d been to LA quite a few times and figured this was a great opportunity to go somewhere beautiful and new. Audition day was a complete whirlwind. The day started with six hours of filming for my backstory. When the time finally came, I walked through the doors and stood there under blazing lights and Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan. Lionel Richie was the first to talk after I was through singing. He said he loved the “timbre” in my voice. And he said there were a few things I could work on within my artistry but overall he loved it. Katy Perry said she was impressed that I wrote the song and that I have a spark that just needs some polishing. They all took a vote, and what felt like three hours later, I walked out the room with a golden ticket and three yes votes. It felt surreal then and it still does. After six or more hours of paper work and a long psych exam, most contestants got back to our places sometime after midnight. I thought this was a long day until Hollywood week came another month later. I got to L.A. early one Sunday morning in December. I was shuttled to the downtown Biltmore. After meetings, on-camera interviews and chatting with fellow contestants who quickly became close friends, we were all shuttled down to the Orpheum theatre. After quite a few more hours of filming, we were shuttled back to the hotel for rehearsals in front of Adrianna McPhee, the main vocal coach on American idol. She was the first vocal coach I’d ever worked with, and she actually gave me a few life-changing words of wisdom. She told me to just believe I deserved to be there. She said I had something unique and special, but the most important thing was to know this. Being surrounded by 200 of some of the most talented people I had ever heard, I felt extremely small. Every one of these singers had something so special, which inspired me, but also made me question why I was there. After all was done for the day, I got to my room for the first time at 3:45 a.m. and was to be back in the ballroom to be shuttled to the Orpheum by 5 am. Sitting in that theater on the next day, the first day of performances, was completely humbling. We sat through about 100 singers and about half of them were sent home. Some of the best ones were sent home, in my opinion. I had to believe in my own voice, to be able to walk up on that stage the next day and sing in front of the judges again. I remember having to dig really deep, to remember why I was there, in order to let that driving force and passion carry me through all of the chaos, cameras and show-biz craziness. I sang my favorite Bob Dylan song, “Don’t Think Twice.” When I was done, Katy Perry stood up clapping for me as I walked off of the stage. I had the undeniable and incomparable feeling of my entire soul being on fire. I made it through this round. There wasn’t time to process it because the remainder of contestants were thrown into a long night of rehearsals in the infamous “group rounds.” My group consisted of some of my now life long friends. We chose a song at about 11 p.m. and then changed the song at 3 a.m. to something I was completely unfamiliar with—One Direction’s “Drag Me Down“. Unfortunately I was the only one who didn’t know the song. At that point, I didn’t care enough to argue. I tried my best to learn the lyrics in two hours. But a week of sleepless nights left my brain a-mush. I was sent home after the very messy, but fun performance. None of my singing was aired, unfortunately. They showed me celebrating after getting through rounds but never a shot of me doing what I was there for. Still, I gained more than I could have imagined on that journey. I am ready to record another album with this momentum. American Idol took almost a year from me. Learning all of the cover songs and working on my voice for the show was good, but creating my own stories and sound is what I really want to share with the world. I am optimistic about what my future holds in music. And I can’t wait to share it with you, and hopefully have you along for the ride, too.

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