Teens may be having the toughest time of all during the lockdown. They are in the years where they are starting to break away from their families and enjoy some independence and responsibility.

Not to mention, this is the time when hanging out with friends is hugely important to them, and the best thing about being in school is being around peers who influence, teach and share.

Instead, they are locked into a Zoom world, right at the age when we are begging them to get off their computers, turn off social media and get out and do things.

Well, our writers have found that many of them have found ways to thrive during the year of shelter in place. Jeanette Prather has a must-read story about teens and tweens who have taken to volunteering and helping people. We salute those teens. They all deserve medals.

In his wanderings around town, reporter Hugh McCormick found a surprising fact—skateboarding has taken some air of its own. Shut out of gym classes and organized sports, more Santa Cruz teens have bought skateboards and are hitting local skateboard parks in record numbers, showing once again that you can’t keep a good teen down.

We’re seeing some signs that things are getting better for everyone. Little League is coming back; Santa Cruz vaccination rates are among the best in the state. We’re seeing light at the end of the tunnel. Will the next years be a return to the Roaring 1920s, when that pandemic ended? We all deserve some fun after the worst years in recent memory.

We love people who help people and follow their dreams. Check out the Purple Power story in which realtor Terry Balantyne Brezsny bought and gave away 900 purple porch lights to spread good spirit. We’d like to see all of Santa Cruz painted purple. Thanks, Terry.

We’ve got an awesome Teacher of the Month and a Mom Who Made a Difference. Our advertisers have chipped in to give them prizes. You can nominate candidates for the awards at [email protected] Let’s brighten your favorite peoples’ days.

You must, must read a teen’s eye view of learning during the pandemic. Grace Timan takes us inside her world in a beautifully written and crafted article.

Finally, we have our Teen Guide, featuring the best in education, health, and after school activities for our oldest kids.

We hope you love this issue. We do. Please send your comments, requests, and ideas to [email protected] and let us know what you think we should add, what we can do better, and what you would like to contribute in the way of writing, advertising, and/or donations to keep us publishing.

We want to keep this a real community news source and that means we really value your contributions and ideas. Someone we know said, “It takes a village” and we’ve really got one here.

Thanks for reading!
Brad Kava, Jennifer Ford, and Steve Dinnen