DJ Shae Slays in Santa Cruz Santa Cruz’s youngest DJ gets crowds dancing By Sophie Levine When most people think of a DJ, the typical association is not a 13-year-old playing shows for $50 an hour. But from elementary and middle school dances to parties, weddings, and golf tournaments, teenager Shae Mandell does just that, right here in Santa Cruz—who needs an allowance? Two turntables and a microphone, plus one MacBook. Some nice speakers, headphones, and a free program called Serato DJ Lite is what it takes to get the crowds dancing and put a smile on Shae’s face. Oh, and don’t forget the custom gray and blue hat with…
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How to Reduce Student Stress
How to Reduce Student Stress By Emily Listmann Many of us feel that children today are especially stressed out: some have even deemed the present the “age of anxiety” for youth. We blame technology, SATs, homework, and social media. We lament this widespread problem, yet most of us feel powerless to act. This was the case for me as a middle- and high-school social studies teacher in fast-paced Silicon Valley. Other than doing my best to reduce the homework load, I wasn’t sure how to meaningfully help my students. It took my own personal challenges with stress to uncover perhaps the most powerful tool for helping kids combat pressure: their…
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They Dance, They Swim, They Fly: Extreme Adventures September 2019
They Dance, They Swim, They Fly Three Santa Cruzans Splash into Synchro Extreme Adventures: September 2019 By Brad Kava How do they know what’s going on when they are underwater? How do they align themselves so perfectly? You can’t help but wonder that when you see synchronized swimmers. We got to ask them those questions and more. Although, they feel old for the too-unknown sport of Synchronized Swim, three Santa Cruz girls are excelling in the 13-15 year old category of the sport. Scout Bauman, 13, Meredith Robbins, 14 and Annelise Robinson, 12, have been working out in Santa Clara with one of the nation’s most prestigious teams, the Aquamaids,…
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Celebrating Grandparents
Celebrating Grandparents By Linda Kay September 8th is Grandparents Day. While cynics may believe this day of celebration was created by Hallmark, the truth is that it was proposed by Congress to be celebrated the first Sunday after Labor Day. President Jimmy Carter signed the proclamation back in 1978. Grandparenting with a Passion Wes and Judy Wick of Scotts Valley, founders of YES! Young Enough to Serve, whose goal is to “Make life’s second half count” say, “Don’t settle for blasé ‘bland-parenting’ or over-the-top ‘spoiling the grandkids’. Step into that grand role with deeper value and purpose, quite possibly the most significant opportunity of life’s second half.” “The relationship with…
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Finding Broken Hearts: Birth Matters September 2019
Finding Broken Hearts Birth Matters: September 2019 By Laura Maxson, LM It’s easy to observe a newborn’s first amazing breaths and not fully appreciate all that is going on deep inside that little body. The switch from “breathing” through the umbilical cord to breathing air generally begins rather seamlessly in the first minutes after birth and by the end of the first 24 hours of life, most babies have made the necessary shift from fetal circulation to adult circulation. However, an otherwise healthy looking baby could be hiding a serious heart defect requiring lifesaving hospitalizations, surgeries and procedures. By the time signs of the heart problem appear, a baby can…
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What’s in my Pet’s Food?: Talking Pets September 2019
What’s in my Pet’s Food? Talking Pets: September 2019 Dr. Nichole Brooks The pet food industry has gone from zero to sixty in a nanosecond! We went from a few choices on the shelf to a shocking amount of all types of foods, each designed to cater to a particular need. Deciding which food is best for your beloved canine or feline can be overwhelming and the information provided can be confusing. There are some resources available that can help guide us through the mystery of our pets’ food. In my opinion, we all take on huge responsibilities for our pet’s nutrition. We, including myself, feel compelled to control their…
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Catch the Career Train While Still in School: Career Pathways September 2019
Catch the Career Train While Still in School Mentorships, Internships and Shadowing Career Pathways: September 2019 By Mary Gaukel Forster Summer is almost over and I hope that your young people have had many opportunities to explore careers. As we begin the new school year, I will be highlighting the opportunities for exploration that are provided by our local schools in partnership with the non-profit Your Future Is Our Business. Work Based Learning is an educational approach that links learning in the classroom to careers, providing greater exposure and access to future educational and career opportunities. In the first step, teachers bring representatives from many occupations to demonstrate and speak…
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Helping Children Cope with Traumatic Events: Ask Nicole September 2019
Helping Children Cope with Traumatic Events Ask Nicole: September 2019 By Nicole M. Young, MSW It’s been hard to read and watch the news lately. Three mass shootings within one week. Migrant children in detention camps. Families torn apart after immigration raids. With each “new” story, I feel sad, angry, and heavy with worry. I worry about the safety of my children when mass shootings occur in public places without warning. I worry about what children of undocumented immigrants must feel, not knowing if they’ll see their parents again, or living in constant fear of being separated from their families. Traumatic events like these create emotional scars that last a…
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Why I Chose to Pack My Kid’s Lunches: Healthy Eating September 2019
Why I Chose to Pack My Kid’s Lunches Healthy Eating: September 2019 By Kris Holden Kids are just getting back to school, classroom supply lists are waiting to be fulfilled, disorderly morning chaos is on the rise (at least in our household) and school lunches are needing to be packed. The start of school is always a bit challenging getting everyone back on a routine. Breakfasts now need to be a source of fuel for focus and energy, lunches require research and creativity in order for them to be enticing but nutritious. When my oldest child started public elementary school I wanted to get to know the school and where…
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When They Melt Your Heart: Teacher’s Desk September 2019
When They Melt Your Heart Teacher’s Desk: September 2019 By Lisa Catterall We were scared, but our fear was not as strong as our courage. – Malala Yousafzai Surely we digress. We were working very hard, painstakingly going over every single detail of a test the entire class failed. When this happens, it’s time to try again. We had spent a class and a half going through every problem asking every possible question, with me explaining it every possible way. It turns out, this is a really good way to build trust. No one had anything in the gradebook for this test, basically, it was heading for the garbage and…
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School Lunch Time Savers: Get Organized September 2019
School Lunch Time Savers Get Organized September 2019 Jhoneé Fillmore, Owner PACK IT When to Pack: Every family likes to pack school lunches differently. Some like to do the morning of and some prefer the day before. I personally am a night before lunch packer, usually right after dinner. I like to wash all lunch containers prior to eating dinner so that if there are any leftovers from dinner that sound good for the next day’s lunch, I can put it directly into the lunch containers. This saves me time putting away leftovers and then pulling those back out to put into lunch containers. Containers: My sons have the same…
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Put an End to Wish-Cycling: Green Tips September 2019
Put an End to Wish-Cycling Green Tips: September 2019 By Meredith Keet of The Zero Shop Wish-cycling is a term used to describe the action of tossing those questionably recyclable items into the blue recycling bin in hope that they can be recycled. We’ve all had that moment when you’re holding some plastic object, maybe a child’s broken plastic toy or the twisty thing that seals the lid on your milk jug, and you wonder if it’s recyclable. You’re not sure, so you throw it into the recycling bin anyways and “wish” for it to be recycled. With a 9.1% recycling rate in 2015 that is expected to be dropping precipitously…
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New Rides, Boardwalk Campout Always: Amused September 2019
New Rides, Boardwalk Campout New-for-2020 attractions unveiled Always Amused: September 2019 By Eric Chalhoub For theme park nerds such as myself, Christmas comes in August, and this past month was no exception. The last month of summer is home to National Roller Coaster Day on Aug. 16. But even better, most theme parks announce their new attractions for the following season. On a seemingly daily basis, news breaks of some major record-breaking coaster announcement, new technologies for familiar attractions and more. Our California parks were busy last month California’s Great America, two years after it retired two rides and removed a handful of other attractions, finally announced what it had…
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Protecting Our Bay: County Scoop September 2019
Protecting Our Bay County Scoop: September 2019 By Zach Friend, County Supervisor It’s hard to imagine something more interconnected to our county than the Monterey Bay. Over the last few decades our local community has worked on preservation efforts that stopped offshore drilling efforts, ensured the creation of the Sanctuary and now are working to reduce plastic waste. Plastic waste, in particular single-use plastics, are particularly problematic for our local marine ecosystem. Recently a joint study by the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute found significant amounts of micro plastic particles from the ocean surface to the seafloor. These plastics threaten marine life and the overall…
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He Built it, They Came
He Built it, They Came Paul Bailey Scored With Aptos Athletic Fields By Brad Kava Santa Cruz Realtor Paul Bailey was driving down Highway 1 when he spied a construction crew widening the road and moving piles of dirt and rocks—tons of them. He did what few people would do. He pulled over and talked to the crew, asking them what they were doing to get rid of the rocks. He figured they were paying $15 a yard to truck and dump the dirt in Morgan Hill and found out they could only do 10 to 12 loads a day. Watching every Aptos High football player sincerely thank builder Paul…
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Mole & Mariachi Festival and a Fiesta on the Beach!
Mole & Mariachi Festival and a Fiesta on the Beach! The Beach Fiesta includes culture not just from Mexico, but from Colombia. Photo Contributed The 7th annual Mole & Mariachi Festival on Saturday, Sept. 7, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park (144 School St.) in downtown Santa Cruz. The festival features mariachi bands, folkloric dancers, kids’ activities and the main event: the Mole Tasting Competition. Mole — a traditional savory, sweet Mexican sauce, sometimes made using chocolate — will be available to sample. Mole tasting kits will be available for purchase. Attendees will have the option to purchase six tasting tickets for $10.…
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Letter from the Editors: September 2019
Letter from the Editors September 2019 Growing Up is growing up, or at least we’re dressing more fashionably. We decided to redesign our monthly after 22 years, going glossy on the covers and spicing up the insides. While we liked our old logo and design, the message it presented to too many people was that we were a publication only for toddlers or young kids. We hope the new design will show off the changes we’ve been making over the past 18 months, including advice and features for parents of kids newly born all the way up through students in college. We hope you’ll find articles of interest to all…
