Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "education"

Keller Group signs on as Powerhouse Science Center partner

2012-02-03T17:25:11Z

The Powerhouse Science Center in Sacramento announced that Keller Group Office Environments has joined the campaign to build the premier science learning center serving Northern California.

As a founding partner, Keller Group Office Environments joins other regional leaders and organizations in a cooperative effort to support the development of this vital new community asset.

Located on the scenic banks of the Sacramento River, the Powerhouse Science Center will function as a model for 21st century experiential STEM education (science, math, technology, engineering, space) and environmental stewardship. The design will be an exemplary “green” building that serves as an environmental teaching lab.

“We are honored to be a partner on such an incredible project benefiting not only Sacramento but the greater state and national communities,” Keller Group president Dianne Keller said.

Keller Group joins the regional effort to create a home for a high-tech, hands-on science museum for the Sacramento region that will immerse children in science, technology, engineering and math. The center will play a key role in inspiring young people to become the future engineers and scientists that California and our nation desperately need.

“We are extremely pleased to welcome aboard Keller Group Office Environments as one of our founding partners,” Powerhouse interim executive director Michele Wong said. “The Keller Group shares our goal of transforming a historic Sacramento landmark into a cutting edge educational center, featuring a museum, planetarium, restaurant and conference center.”

Supporters of the center include business and civic leaders, clubs and organizations, individuals, and the city of Sacramento. Mayor Kevin Johnson recognizes this project as a top priority for Sacramento’s future.

The facility will serve as a public forum, showcasing the latest scientific discoveries in a venue accessible to the entire family. The center will highlight the scientific achievements of the Sacramento region, the latest developments in medical science and technology and the fundamentals of resource conservation. It will also be a field trip destination for pre-kindergarten to 12th grade students from throughout the region.

The center, which will cost an estimated $50 million, has nearly completed its pre-construction phase. The 60-year-old Discovery Museum Science & Space Center on Auburn Boulevard is scheduled to move from its current location and become the Powerhouse Science Center in 2014.

For more information on the Powerhouse Science Center, including how to become a Founding Partner, visit www.powerhousesciencecenter.org, email info@PowerhouseScienceCenter.org, or contact Beth Callahan, Director of Marketing and Community Relations, at 916 853-0343.

Disclosure: Jeffrey Weidel is a Vice President of Halldin Public Relations in Roseville.

Drexel MBA student begins prestigious Valley Vision Fellowship; Will help craft “Next Economy” strategy

2012-02-01T20:20:30Z

Sally Phonthachack wants to some day run her own nonprofit organization and be a mentor to young people. The daughter of Laotian parents who immigrated to the United States when she was an infant, Phonthachack is currently working toward her master’s degree and helping a Sacramento nonprofit organization, believing these two endeavors will help provide a springboard toward her goal.

This month Phonthachack began working full time in a fellowship position with Valley Vision while she continues to pursue her master’s in business administration at Drexel University’s Center for Graduate Studies in Sacramento. In her new position, Phonthachack will assist senior Valley Vision staff in crafting the Valley Vision’s “Next Economy,” a highly visible, strategic regional effort aimed at accelerating jobs and new investment in the Greater Sacramento area.

“We had an overwhelming number of highly qualified candidates apply for the Next Economy Fellow position,” said Bill Mueller, CEO of Valley Vision and a member of the Next Economy management team. “In a field of great candidates, Sally was the clear front runner. She has the work experience, skill set and the community connections to make this vital regional initiative a success. And being a Drexel MBA student made Sally stand out all the more.”

Phonthachack has overcome extraordinary life circumstances on her way to becoming an involved and accomplished community leader. Her family of six escaped from their war-torn homeland of Laos and eventually wound up in Sacramento. Despite numerous obstacles for her family and herself, Phonthachack graduated from Grant High School, earned a two-year degree at American River College, and later became the first in her family to obtain a bachelor’s degree by attending California State University, Sacramento. She earned her B.S. in Business Administration with a Marketing concentration in 2009.

Phonthachack has a long record of community involvement which includes serving as a board member for the North Sacramento Chamber of Commerce, participating in the Leadership and Advocacy training with the South East-Asian Action Resource Center, and acting Team Lead for the Sacramento Asian-Pacific Chamber of Commerce Catalyst Leadership Program. She was also a committee member for the International Lao New Year’s Festival and the annual Lao Education Conference, and also served as a community liaison while working at SMUD.

Currently, she is one of three co-chairs for the Hmong Mien Lao Community Action Network, representing the Lao community. Phonthachack was the winner of the Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce Catalyst Scholarship at Drexel University, which provides $20,000 in tuition on any graduate degree at Drexel’s Center in Sacramento.

“I enjoy the collaborative work environment at Valley Vision. Working with a core group of very dedicated leaders in Sacramento’s nonprofit sector is a plus,” said Phonthachack. “I’m a huge believer in nonprofits and what they can do for the community. This is an exciting opportunity for me. I will be learning about what’s in store for Sacramento and discover how I can help strengthen our communities.”

The Drexel University scholarship reduced the financial obstacles in obtaining her graduate degree and will give Phonthachack the innovative management tools and knowledge to move forward as a community leader.

“Drexel is an institution that encourages and invests in experiential work for our students,” said Dr. Sandra Kirschenmann, Associate Vice Provost of Drexel University and Executive Director for the university’s Center for Graduate Studies. “Sally will have a whole team of educators behind her as she embarks on this great experience at Valley Vision. Drexel is committed to being very involved with our community as we build educational programs here in the Greater Sacramento region.”

Drexel’s Graduate Center opened in January of 2009 and offers programs focused on the heart of Greater Sacramento’s growth and economic development initiatives including business, human resource development, higher education and public health. Classes fit with the students’ working and are a blend of in class and online pedagogies. Drexel offers extensive financial aid programs for students, including special scholarship funds for Sacramento students.

For more information on Drexel's graduate programs in California, visit www.drexel.edu/sacramento or call (888) 389-3781 or (916) 325-4600.

Disclosure: Disclosure: Jeffrey Weidel is a Vice President of Halldin Public Relations in Roseville.

Making the Impossible Possible

2012-02-01T03:14:26Z

In the Mayor’s “State of the City” address he focused on two important and interconnected areas: jobs and education. The Mayor also spoke about making the impossible possible, a message that resonates with many citizens today. With unemployment at record highs (8.5% in the U.S., 11.3% in California and 11.1% in Sacramento) and prevalent low academic performance in the U.S. (compared internationally) and in California (compared to other states), the impossibility of the “American dream” is all too real for far too many people today. Still, all hope is not lost. There is a sense of urgency sweeping the nation and jobs and education are two very hot topics swirling in the media. There is a feeling that the will of the people is present; they simply need to know what to do to help usher in the change we all know is needed.

What is still lacking and hindering progress is a shared belief that education is the underlying issue of our economic woes.

In 2011, American manufacturing could not fill 600,000 skilled positions due to a lack of qualified candidates . Among a national sample of 1,123 executives, 67% experienced a moderate to severe shortage of qualified workers and 56% anticipate the shortage to increase over the next three to five years. These executives complained that the education system is not producing workers with the basic skills they need. A 2011 talent shortage survey of diverse companies across the globe cited the evermore specific skill sets employers are looking for and their frustration with finding people with both the technical competencies and business knowledge needed to be successful . Employers in the U.S. reported a 38 percentage point increase (from 14% to 52%) in difficulty filling jobs and 73% of all employers cited a lack of experience, skills or knowledge as the reason for this difficulty.

In the midst of economic crisis and record unemployment, many jobs are available. These jobs have the potential to fuel families’ personal economies which we know fuels spending, home ownership, and the like. So, what’s the disconnect?

Education is the missing connection and underlies the structural unemployment we are facing. While we have many people looking for jobs, the jobs that are open require skills our citizens don’t have. This is referred to as the middle-skill gap – skills in science, technology, math and engineering that will fuel our increasingly technological and global society are sorely lacking. It is estimated that the number of jobs for Californians with postsecondary education will grow 50% faster than jobs for high school drop outs between 2008 and 2018. By 2018, 60% of California jobs will require an education beyond high school and by 2025, there is a predicted workforce shortage of 1 million college graduates . Here in Sacramento, 57% of health care employers reported difficulty in finding registered nurses and 78% cannot fill medical imaging positions. Sacramento employers in the energy efficiency field, a booming field in the area as noted by Mayor Johnson, reported difficulty hiring workers in eight critical areas to clean energy.

There is a shortage of qualified employees, not just a lack of jobs.

Our education system is at the heart of this crisis. The U.S. ranks 15th in reading, 23rd in science, 31st in math, and 26th in overall educational quality among 65 countries . California is below average in academic performance compared to other states and schools in the Sacramento region boast similarly poor results with only half of the students being proficient in any subject . Those who make it to college are often still undereducated. Over 70% of California community college students required remediation in math and Englishiv. Similar results are seen in our state’s CSUs. With these types of results, achieving the American dream is becoming increasingly impossible – more a fantasy than a dream.

Amidst these bleak statistics, there are places to look for solutions. A recent Global Public Square special on CNN entitled “Restoring the American Dream: Fixing Education” profiled South Korea and Finland as two diverse examples of nations with very high student performance using very different approaches. South Korea relies heavily on testing and students spend an immense amount of time studying, in school and after school. Finland is a complete contrast spending less time in school with no standardized testing, but focusing instead on creativity and critical thinking. Both nations rank among the top three in reading, math and science. The special goes on to ask American industrialists what we can learn from South Korea and Finland and what is needed to transform public education in the U.S. The common message among the presenters and the common denominator between South Korea and Finland was teacher effectiveness. Among these commentators – national presidents, industry tycoons, and education reformers – there was agreement that effective teaching is a key ingredient in a strong educational system. In Finland it is more competitive to get into a teacher education program than medical school. Their teacher education system is rigorous and systematic, with layers of professional development and requirements for proof of ability to effectively shape young minds. By contrast, in the U.S. almost half of our teachers graduate in the bottom third of their college graduating class .

Two research reports were released this January on this very topic, one by the National Bureau of Economic Research and the other by The Education Trust–West (ETW). Both reports discussed the ways in which teacher effectiveness can be reasonably assessed and the impact a teacher can have on their students’ life outcomes. The economists found that students assigned to a more effective teacher were more likely to attend college, earn higher salaries, live in better neighborhoods, save more for retirement, and were less likely to become teenage parents. They also report that an increase in teacher effectiveness (replacing the bottom 5% of teachers) would add $250,000 of lifetime earnings per classroom into our economy. Researchers at The Education Trust–West found that effective teaching greatly impacts student learning, with an effective teacher adding half a year more learning in English-language arts (ELA) and four months more learning in math for their students. The ETW also reports that low-income students and students of color are systematically less likely to be taught by an effective teacher and more highly impacted by quality-blind layoffs. It is clear why we have such persistent achievement gaps.

These are not the first reports of their kind. There have been others before them discussing the importance of teacher effectiveness as well as other topics in education reform like fiscal responsibility and parent choice. Clear sets of solutions have been proposed. So, we are again left asking, what is the disconnect? Why do we not act on some of these suggestions and try something radically different?

You are the missing connection.

Your outcry is what we are missing – the voice of the people standing up and demanding a different course of action. In a democratic society, systems are transformed by the will of the people. No one can pretend to have the answer. There is no one magic bullet that will alter the course of education in this country. But we do know more of the same is not the answer. That is, after all, the definition of insanity. Democracy requires an educated citizenry. Our economy demands a quality education based in the future of science and technology we are all heading towards. Your future necessitates our children are prepared to run our nation, our state, and frankly, your affairs. Systems cannot reform themselves. You must require them to change, to become better, to meet your needs.

STAND UP for education Sacramento! With our state legislators in our backyard, what better place to begin than here. We can fix education. We can restore the American dream. Let us lead the way for the rest of the state to follow in making the impossible possible.

Sources:

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for November 2011; presented on Google.com
“Boiling point: The Skills Gap in U.S. Manufacturing” sponsored by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute
The “2011 Talent Shortage Survey Results” sponsored by the Manpower Group, surveying nearly 40,000 employers across 39 countries and territories.
“Can California Compete?: Reducing the Skills Gap and Creating a skilled workforce through Linked Learning” sponsored by America’s Edge
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/
http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/
A special edition of Fareed Zakaria’s GPS program, Restoring the American Dream: Fixing Education (November 6, 2011)

Disclosure: Aisha Lowe is Deputy Director of STAND UP, a local non-profit working to inform and mobilize the community for education reform, working to ensure every child in Sacramento has the opportunity to attend an excellent public school.

A look back at the remnants following infamous UC Davis pepper-spray incident

2012-01-30T08:56:33Z

DAVIS, Calif. — It has now been two months since the infamous pepper-spraying incident that made UC Davis an international house-hold name occurred. Even after Thanksgiving weekend, only the remnants of the incident remained. Although a bounty of tents could still be found on the quad, a mere handful of protestors could be found in them. Then the Monday morning after Thanksgiving break arrived. Once again, one by one, news vans crept back onto campus as if waiting for blood to be shed. The vans have now let the campus in peace.

Almost all protestors and non-protestors alike felt strongly that the pepper spraying incident was nothing but unacceptable. “The extraordinary reaction of the pepper spraying is entirely sensible, given how horrific it was,” asserted Professor Joshua Clover of the UC Davis English Department. Now that time has passed, the reaction has appeared to settled down.

Similar to many non-protestors, some protestors admitted that the UC Davis movement would have flatlined much sooner, had it not been for the infamous pepper spray scene. “This movement wouldn’t have happened without the pepper spray incident” one protestor admitted.
Although the pepper-spray incident did bring attention to the protestor’s cause, many soon claimed that they were tired of the attention diverting from what really needed to be changed. Others, still, stated the pepper spray to be the reason they were protesting. The non-protestors appeared to be tired of the attention altogether.

Now, as the winter quarter has begun, the various artistic expressions of frustrations that once took over the quad in solidarity for the strike and ongoing protests have dispersed and almost disappeared. Signs such as “The Chancellor was appointed, so was Hitler,” “California RNs support Occupy UC Davis,” and “I’m queer; I’m for justice” could have once been found throughout the conglomeration of protestors, but are no longer abundant.

In the aftermath of the incident, some feared that the school would suffer financially. “I don’t think the protestors realize the long term negative effects the protesting is having on both the students and the university as a whole,” one UC Davis alum stated. In current light, however, it appears that these worries too can be calmed. According to a Sacramento Bee review of university records, not only did the Campaign for UC Davis experience an increase in donations during the this past December, but the $1 billion goal is currently 75 percent achieved.

Once written in chalk on the walkway of the quad was what appeared to be an unofficial documentation of a revised Preamble stating:

1. Reform higher education
2. Reform our justice system
3. Reform health care
4. End the Fed
5. End money in politics
6. Make lobbying illegal
7. Hold the banks and Wall Street accountable
8. End the war! Bring home our troops
9. Rebuild America’s infrastructure
10. Reduce dependency of fossil fuels

The chalk has now faded, and a mere handful of tents remain. Students are once again studying and spending time with friends on the grass outside of Memorial Union. It appears, at least for the present time, that the presence of Occupy UC Davis has run its course.

Disclosure: UC Davis student

Junior Journalism Writers

2012-01-24T03:20:50Z

When did you get the "writing" bug? That insatiable bug that you must write something, anything to tell and inform the world. Was it when you wrote for your College paper? Maybe, it started in High school when you were in the Yearbook Club or writing for the the school newspaper. Whenever it was, it gave you the momentum to continue to write your stories or articles today.

This just may be true for a handful of students that are in the Journalism Club at Isador Cohen Elementary School. Yes, I said elementary. They are students ranging from third through sixth grades and they write the stories for the school newsletter. The Club is in its second year at Cohen and has seen an increased interest to participate from last year.

If you peeked in the computer lab, you would see the students in different stages in their writing process. Ranging from: gathering research for their interviews, writing their story in Microsoft Word, copying and pasting their finished story into the Microsoft Publisher newsletter, taking pictures, or searching for graphics to place in their article. They are always working on something to meet the deadline or for the next newsletter.

Joining the club was a process within itself. The children had to fill out an application, provide one teacher reference, write an essay, and have a short interview. Those that met the deadlines and completed the process were selected to join the club. "This provides the students "real" world experience and helps put the students at ease when they are interviewing for their stories." said Dawn Weymouth, the club advisor.

The students were able to put those interviewing skills to the test when they had the opportunity to interview SCUSD's Bully Prevention Specialist, Shiela Self for their "Bullying" article and Rosemont.patch.com Editor, Cody Kitaura. Cody was actually doing a story on the Club, but little did he know, the club was doing a story on him too. Both were really great and had so much information for the students to use for their articles and later on in school or their lives.

The club is still in the infancy and with the kind of students that are currently partcipating, the club will continue to make great progress. As long as they have that writing "bug" they will have a place that allows them to continue to write and inform their parents and peers. Never know, it may give THEM the momentum to continue on long after they have left the halls of Isador Cohen. Keep that pen to the paper and your fingers typing, kids!

Disclosure: Dawn Weymouth works for SCUSD at Isador Cohen.

"Question One" West Coast Premiere at the Crest

2012-01-14T07:51:11Z

Thousands of same-sex couples in Sacramento and throughout California are eagerly waiting on a decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco that will ether uphold, or not, the California Supreme Court’s decision that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional.

This issue has already been dealt with in several other states with some accepting marriage equality but for California it has proven to be a highly emotional and complicated one for same-sex couples that are hoping to soon have the same rights as other legally married couples. The decision is expected any day now.

“Question One,” a newly released documentary on Maine’s 2009 referendum battle over same-sex marriage, will be shown for a special one night engagement, on February 1 at Sacramento’s Crest Theater, marking the film’s West Coast premiere.

The film chronicles in “War Room” fashion the behind the scenes workings on both sides of the campaign (which very closely mirrored California’s Prop 8 battle) and includes emotional and revealing interviews with key proponent and opponent campaign operatives. As was the case in California, the ballot measure was narrowly approved by Maine voters, thus overturning legislation to legalize same-sex marriage in that state.

Of special interest to Sacramento is the fact that the film also documents the controversial leading role of Sacramento-based campaign consultants Frank Schubert and Jeff Flint as referendum proponents. Schubert-Flint Public Affairs headed the 2008 campaign for Prop 8 here in California as they did in Maine and have since taken the lead in a national effort to outlaw same-sex marriage in other states.

In a recent article in the Sacramento Bee concerning the Sacramento screening of the documentary Schubert said, "I have no plans to see the movie, I already know how it ends."

The film illustrates how the same tactics, strategies and issues (in particular the claim “that same-sex marriage would be taught to children in public schools) that were used by Schubert and Flint in California were also used by them in Maine.

Produced by Fly on the Wall Productions and directed by award-winning journalists Joe Fox and James Nubile; “Question One” chronicles the campaigns and the issues raised but also tells the very human stories of various individuals who were connected on both sides of the divide, caught up in a cycle of events that would change their lives forever.

Fox and Nubile’s last documentary, Passing Poston, about a Japanese internment camp during WWII, aired nationwide in 2010 on PBS and screened in theaters across the nation to critical acclaim. The film was featured at the Crest Theater for the Sacramento International Film Festival in March of 2008.

Fox said of “Question One”, “To be honest, I was shocked at how I was able to gain the amount of access to both sides of the campaign to repeal marriage equality in Maine and the degree that Frank Schubert and his company here in Sacramento was involved in that process. I think this film will open a lot of eyes to those who attend this viewing February 1st as to what goes on behind the scenes in campaigns like this both in Maine, California, and throughout the nation.”

The screening on February 1st is free to the public. After the screening there will be a Q & A session with the director and a panel discussion about the film and marriage equality here in California. Additional panel guests may be announced in the coming weeks.

Co-sponsors of the screening here in Sacramento are Equality Action NOW, Outword Magazine, Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Center, Sacramento Stonewall Democrats and the Sacramento Rainbow Chamber of Commerce.

Admission to this special screening “Question One” is complimentary but reservations are essential. To attend sign up online HERE (http://bit.ly/wzOaDT). Include your name and how many tickets you would like (limit of 4 per person). More information and preview can be found at the web site: Q1 The Movie - Vimeo Question One, or on their Facebook Movie Page: Question One: Sacramento

Disclosure: Ken Pierce is the Public Relations Director and President of the Board of Directors for Equality Action NOW, a local Sacramento grassroots civil rights organization. Equality Action NOW is co-sponsoring this screening at the Crest Theater.

Aerojet announces sponsorship of simulated space program at Powerhouse Science Center

2011-12-12T19:22:17Z

The Powerhouse Science Center and Aerojet today announced a $1.5 million gift from Aerojet, that will launch the new science complex’s cutting-edge simulated NASA space mission program, to be named the Aerojet Challenger Learning Center.

The current heavily-used 17-year-old Challenger Learning Center is in full operation at the Discovery Museum Science & Space Center, which will relocate and become the Powerhouse Science Center when the new facility opens in 2014. Recently honored as one of the nation’s most successful Challenger Centers, Sacramento’s Challenger adventure inspires future astronauts with suspension-of-disbelief scenarios and problems, challenging students to apply the math, science and communication skills learned in the classroom to “real-life” situations.

Aerojet strives to influence and attract this nation’s next generation of rocket scientists, astronauts, doctors and teachers, and has partnered with Powerhouse to encourage students to pursue education and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). This major contribution highlights the company’s commitment to enriching the Sacramento region and championing STEM education for the future workforce.

“America’s many successes in space exploration have always benefited from the tremendous sources of technical talent graduating from our educational institutions,” Aerojet president Scott Seymour said. “Continued successes will require the same from future generations and our partnership with the Powerhouse Science Center and Challenger Learning Center will serve to inspire today’s youth toward that end.”

“Since 1997, Aerojet and the GenCorp Foundation have committed approximately $500,000 in support for our highly successful Challenger Learning Center at the Discovery Museum,” Powerhouse interim executive director Michele Wong said. “Now, as Discovery grows and expands into the Powerhouse Science Center, we are honored that Aerojet has stepped up to be our first title sponsor. The new Aerojet Challenger Learning Center at the Powerhouse will be the most advanced of the 54 Challenger Centers worldwide.”

The new Aerojet Challenger Center will be located on the Powerhouse Science Center campus in the Earth & Space Sciences Center, which will also include a 150-seat full-dome planetarium theater and interactive exhibits that focus on the relationship of the four spheres: air/atmosphere, water/hydrosphere, earth/lithosphere/ and life/biosphere. Exterior experiences will include water conservation, green energy and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.

Located on the scenic banks of the Sacramento River, the Powerhouse Science Center is situated in the River District at 400 Jibboom Street. In addition to the Earth & Space Sciences Center, the Powerhouse campus will also include innovative, hands-on exhibit halls, science laboratories and classrooms, robotics programs, an artificial wetlands, outdoor stage and screen, a restaurant with riverfront views and more. The center has nearly completed its pre-construction phase and will begin breaking ground in 2012.

For more information on the Powerhouse Science Center, including how to become a Founding Partner, visitpowerhousesciencecenter.org, email info@PowerhouseScienceCenter.org, or call (916) 853-0343. Visit the center on Twitter, Facebook and Flickr.

A selection of Powerhouse Science Center images can be viewed at dreyfussblackford.com/powerhouse.

Disclosure: Jeffrey Weidel is a Vice President of Halldin Public Relations in Roseville.

Drexel Center for Graduate Studies in Sacramento holding December Information Sessions

2011-12-07T17:20:01Z

Drexel University, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit university recognized as a national leader in academic innovation, will hold three more December information sessions for enrollment at the Center for Graduate Studies in Sacramento.

The center, which opened at One Capitol Mall in January 2009, is already known as one of Northern California’s most high-tech conference and educational facilities. In its state-of-the-art classrooms, Drexel – a top-ranked national comprehensive research university – will offer six master’s and one doctoral degree program in 2012 that are designed for working professionals.

All seven programs are focused on the heart of Sacramento’s growth and economic development initiatives: business, human resource development, higher education, public health, knowledge management and information science.

At the information sessions (the first one was Dec. 3)Drexel representatives will discuss how the university’s award-winning classes fit with the students’ business responsibilities. The classes are a blend of in-class and online pedagogies and are held in the evenings or on occasional weekends.

Wednesday, Dec. 7
4 to 5 p.m. via Webinar or at the Graduate Center, One Capitol Mall, Suite 260
Program, fall 2012:
Interdepartmental Medical Science (pre-med, post-baccalaureate)

Friday, Dec. 9
4 to 5 p.m. via Webinar or at the Graduate Center, One Capitol Mall, Suite 260
Program, fall 2012:
M.S. Finance

Wednesday, Dec. 14
6 to 8 p.m. at the Graduate Center, One Capitol Mall, Suite 260
Programs, spring/fall 2012:
Business Administration MBA
Human Resource Development
Higher Education
Doctorate of Education
Executive Master of Public Health (fall start)
M.S. Finance (fall start)
Note: Complimentary food and parking provided

To attend an information session for Drexel’s graduate programs in California, register online atdrexel.edu/sacramento or call (888) 389-3781 or (916) 325-4600.

Disclosure: Jeffrey Weidel is a Vice President of Halldin Public Relations in Rocklin.

Looking for a 'win–win' for West Campus and Sac High

2011-12-06T04:07:37Z

The Sacramento City Unified School District board is considering a potential campus “swap” for two central city schools – a move that has stirred up a storm of criticism from parents, students and education advocates in the city.

The proposed swap would move the West Campus High School program from its current 58th Street location to the old Sacramento High School facility and replace it with the Sacramento Charter High School program, which is currently at the old Sac High campus.

Proponents of the swap say the move will allow the popular West Campus program to expand and will create an opportunity to establish a non-college preparatory high school program for students in central city neighborhoods.

Opponents of the swap say the current programs are doing just fine as they are – and where they are – and they have the high graduation rates to prove it.

Ultimately, the final decision rests with the seven-member SCUSD board.

A comprehensive high school is one that offers both general academic courses and specialized trade, and technical subjects but does not necessarily have a college prep emphasis.

If a comprehensive program is established on the Sac High campus along with the West Campus program, the two schools would be independent of each other, yet share the same campus facility.

Proponents of the swap say if the West Campus program – which is currently at capacity and has a long waiting list – is moved to a larger facility, the program will be able to expand. That will give more students an opportunity to take advantage of amenities at the Sac High campus, such as a newly refurbished swimming pool, athletic fields and state-of-the-art science labs.

The current West Campus High facility has 863 ninth-12th grade students enrolled, according to Gabe Ross, spokesman for SCUSD.

The Sac High facility has capacity for more than 2,000 students, Ross said Friday, and currently the charter school has just over 900 students – not quite half full.

“Everyone says (the central city neighborhoods) need a high school,” said Phil Pluckebaum, a project manager for the Public Health Institute and a member of the Sacramento Comprehensive High School Coalition.

“The dilemma has always been, where do you put the school?” Pluckebaum said.

The Sacramento Comprehensive High School Coalition, founded in January, is a group dedicated to establishing a high school to serve the central city area.

The proposal of a campus swap is not a new one – the College Glen Neighborhood Association brought it up in 2003 – but, with recent recommendations from the SCUSD Facilities Reuse and Consolidation Committee, the swap idea was revived and has since been getting a lot of attention.

“The question has been persistent for years,” Pluckebaum said. “It just wasn’t fully vetted before.”

The Committee’s recommendation was not initially a “swap,” board member Patrick Kennedy said Friday, because the district doesn’t have jurisdiction over the charter school program – the board is not responsible for how the charter program expands or if it has a waiting list.

The district does have a legal responsibility through Prop. 39 to provide an “equivalent” facility for the charter school as it would make available for a district school of the same enrollment size.

The West Campus facility appears to satisfy this requirement, Ross said, and that is why it is under consideration as a replacement facility for Sacramento Charter High School, if the SCUSD board decides to move the expanding West Campus program onto the Sac High site.

Pluckebaum said Thursday that the coalition’s focus is on providing a “pedestrian-friendly,” neighborhood comprehensive high school.

“We want a high school fed by neighborhood middle schools to be a place where people can walk and ride their bikes to,” Pluckebaum said.

Mayor Kevin Johnson, who was involved in starting the St. Hope Public Schools at the old Sacramento High School facility in 2003, said at a press conference in November that a campus swap would be a mistake by the school board.

“I don’t think any community wants it to happen,” Johnson said. “The West Campus community doesn’t want to move. Obviously, (the) Sac High campus doesn’t want to move – this is just politics.”

For those who oppose a campus swap, the limited number of neighborhood schools is not the issue – a disruption of two successful education programs is the greater problem.

Keiona Williamson, 17, a senior at Sacramento Charter High, appealed to the City Council Nov. 22 to oppose a campus swap.

“(Sacramento Charter High) has cultivated me and my peers into successful young adults,” Williamson said. “Switching the campuses is not only unnecessary, it disturbs the culture that we have worked so hard to build up. Please don’t mess with success.”

Parents of students told the City Council that they are happy with the schools as they are – and where they are.

“My family purchased a home in Sacramento specifically for the schools we would access,” said Debra Larson, a social worker and parent of a West Campus student.

“I am told that West Campus needs to be relocated to the Sac High campus because West is too old and lacks modern amenities,” Larson, 50, said. “We urge you not to believe that our children want a better school. They love their campus.”

Larson said the idea of swapping campuses because one may be inferior in some way would send the wrong message to students and their families.

“I’m horrified that one group of kids would be forced to move into a space vacated because it isn’t good enough for another group of kids,” Larson said. “I am concerned about the message we are sending to both groups of kids and their families if this happens. It is just wrong.”

Members of the SCUSD board have been working on this and other proposals for increasing efficiency within the district for months, Kennedy said Friday – and the work is far from ended.

“I understand the anxiety these things cause,” Kennedy said. “It’s hard on the schools, and on the community at large. But these are conversations that have to take place to make sure we are doing the right things for our students.”

Still, there is no need to rush to any conclusion about what action the board may take, Kennedy said.

“We are just at the data gathering point,” Kennedy said. “There is a lot of work to be done before we can make a decision.”

Ross said that “design teams” – appointed by the principals of each school and comprised of staff, parents, students and neighbors – are studying the potential benefits and drawbacks of a campus swap.

“The superintendent felt the most prudent effort was to get input from all kinds of affected communities about the prospect (of a swap),” Ross said.

When the design teams send their findings to the school board, Ross said, the board will take a closer look at all options.

“I’m not in favor of moving schools and programs just for the sake of moving them,” Kennedy said. “If you can’t prove to me that we are improving things, then I wouldn’t be in support of it.”

Kennedy said that, whatever decision is made, isn’t going to be made in the next month – but he couldn’t estimate a time frame for a decision.

When the SCUSD board meets Thursday, it will hear an update from staff on all the consolidations under consideration, but the board will not vote on anything.

Ross said that, because there is no specific time frame, the soonest the board could be in a position to vote on the situation is Dec. 14.

“Ultimately it’s an advisory recommendation for the board,” Ross said. “Ultimately it’s the board’s decision.”

Melissa Corker is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on twitter @MelisaCorker.

Editorial Note: A spelling correction has been made to this story after it was published.

Sacramento City College politics go Green

2011-12-01T03:07:46Z

As Earth welcomed its 7 billionth child Nov. 1, international concern for diminishing world resources and mounting pollution are on the rise. This concern not only stems from the number of people on the planet, but how those people consume and dispose of their resources. However, depending upon how the international community prepares for that challenge, it could serve as an opportunity for positive change.

The Sacramento City College’s Student Associated Council has recognized the international concern for its impact on the planet by creating a new position to help facilitate the campus’ desire to reduce its waste by welcoming plant biology major Michael Viscuso to the newly created position of secretary of Sustainability.

“When we created the new constitution, we put in the secretary of Sustainability so that someone can always be available for that position,” says Vice President of the Student Associated Council, EloHim Cofield. “Hopefully this one [constitution] will stay in place the next 10, 15, 20 years and hopefully by that time the school will be completely green.”

Before Viscuso had considered running unopposed for the position, Cofield had to convince the Connecticut-backwood native he was the right student for the job.

“We need someone that’s green and he has knowledge about being green. He’s already done this kind of work outside the school, so he would be a perfect candidate,” says Cofield, an administration of justice and political science major.

Viscuso, who intends to transfer to UC Davis, would not strike you as the type of candidate to run for a student government position. His calm, deep voice and demeanor is accented by his dark beard and curly hair that sands on end.

When Viscuso realized that his many years of experience working on sustainability projects would work to his benefit as secretary of Sustainability, potentially having far-reaching effects with other schools in the Los Rios District, he knew he had to run for the position.

“I realized I could actually do something good throughout the whole district,” says Viscuso who moved to Sacramento in January.

“Burning Man is one of the things that definitely got me into the [sustainability] scene,” says Viscuso who has attended or volunteered at Burning Man almost every year since 2000. “That’s where I met a lot of people that are deep in the scene in California.”

Viscuso, a 40-year-old vegan, assisted with coordinating solar projects at Burning Man that allowed patrons to charge their phones and cameras at the event despite being isolated in the Nevadan desert. Later the solar structure was dismantled and installed on public structures in Gerlach and Lovelock, Nev., reducing their energy usage.

“I was really blessed and stoked we helped facilitate all that in a way,” says Viscuso with his laid-back tone.

Viscuso is also a member of Freedom Farms, a community garden in Oak Park that has proposed a garden next to Jedediah Smith Elementary School.

“Hopefully it will come to fruition,” says Viscuso. “There is a 6-acre plot right next to it that is owned by the Sacramento School District and we’ve proposed in a two year span to turn that area into a community garden for the whole community as well as to produce food for the school. It’s a great plot too! It will be like a little eco-village. The principal and vice principal are really into it too.”

Viscuso is also a volunteer at City Farm, Sacramento City College’s organic urban-gardening pilot-project on campus.

“Michael's energy around sustainable agriculture goes well beyond City Farm,” says Robyn Waxman, Sacramento City College graphic communication professor and faculty coordinator of City Farm. “Most of his contributions to City Farm have been directly related to our garden parties every other Friday at noon.”

“He donated seeds, trained students in how to transplant seedlings, he offered advice regarding irrigation, and he keeps ideas about compost and how to be most sustainable at the front of everyone's minds,” says Waxman. “He's truly a gift.”

Since the beginning of fall semester, Viscuso has been collecting signatures for two petitions he has written. As San Francisco has done, he has proposed the composting of organic waste from the campus cafeteria to divert waste from landfills and create usable soil for future use.

“It is a commodity,” says Viscuso with conviction. “It’s the one way to revitalize the soil that we need.”

Viscuso’s second petition proposes that the campus cafeteria take steps to become more sustainable: offering healthier snack and meal alternatives produced by local, environmentally sustainable farms that practice fair labor and the humane treatment of animals.

“It would encompass safe farming practices—all the way from how you take care of your soil, to your workers, to the end result of it ending up on your plate,” Viscuso says.

Faculty at Sacramento City College are supportive of Viscuso’s vision of generating less waste on campus.

“What we are doing on the planet, where we are going with this kind of stuff, with the population and with all the things that come into food security, how can it hurt to maybe create a system that is a little more holistic or sustainable versus one that is not?” says Craig Davis, geography professor at Sacramento City College who was involved with coordinating the current recycling program on campus 10 years ago.

“Maybe it isn’t just about composting, it’s also about the front end of the food service; the materials we use in the cafeteria as a whole,” says Davis, a City Farm supporter.

One of Viscuso’s first priorities as secretary of Sustainability will be to form a sustainability committee think-tank to come up with different ideas on how to create a sustainable campus and minimize the waste created.

With the rewriting of the constitution to include a secretary of Sustainability, the Associated Student Council is an example of how world governments could restructure themselves to include the interests of future generations—having Viscuso’s vision and experience is just an added perk for the student government.

Disclosure: This article was featured in the Sac City Express Nov. 22, 2011. Matthew Blackburn is a journalism student and City Farm volunteer at Sacramento City College.

United Way grants more than $1.1M to nonprofits across five counties

2011-11-24T00:29:13Z

United Way California Capital Region will make grants totaling $1,168,008 to 13 local nonprofits, United Way president and CEO Steve Heath announced today. Funded partners serve people across Amador, El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento and Yolo counties and participate in United Way’s projects: STAR Readers, $en$e-Ability and Fit Kids.

“All of our funded partners have proven their incredible abilities to produce profound change in our community,” Heath said. “They know how to achieve measurable outcomes on important issues, and we’re excited to see what they do in the very important areas of children’s education, financial literacy and childhood obesity.”

United Way’s STAR Readers project is working to ensure all children are reading at grade level by fourth grade, a key indicator of whether or not a child will eventually graduate high school. The project uses a three-pronged approach: after-school tutoring to at-risk children from kindergarten through third grade, tools and resources for parents to involve them in their children’s reading, and summer reading programs for children.

STAR Readers partners are Amador-Tuolumne Community Resources ($48,903), Boys & Girls Clubs of El Dorado County Western Slope ($82,000), New Morning Youth and Family Services ($54,281), Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Sacramento ($50,000), Sacramento Children’s Home ($70,000) and Sacramento Chinese Community Services Center ($94,283).

United Way’s $en$e-Ability project is working to ensure low-income households are financially literate so they can meet their current obligations and maximize longer-term financial well-being. United Way partners are providing financial education and follow-up support on bank services, budgeting, saving, debt management, retirement planning and insurance.

Several $en$e-Ability partners are working specifically with foster youth to create Individual Development Accounts so they can be self-sufficient when they leave the foster care system. These special bank accounts earn one dollar for every dollar the foster youth saves, and the matching funds can be used to purchase specific items. While earning, foster youth take financial literacy classes and receive financial counseling.

$en$e-Ability partners are Amador-Tuolumne Community Resources ($81,791), Koinonia Family Services ($40,175), Child Abuse Prevention Council of Sacramento ($81,836), Community Link ($94,070), Women’s Empowerment ($40,000), New Morning Youth and Family Services ($27,500) and Yolo Family Resource Center ($70,000).

United Way’s Fit Kids project is working with several nonprofit partners to address the rise in obesity and challenges related to weight gain so that more people will live a healthy lifestyle and fewer people will battle obesity and its corresponding health challenges. Fit Kids partners are teaching kids about nutrition and physical activity and providing opportunities for healthy eating and exercise.

Fit Kids partners are YMCA Superior California ($40,160), Child Abuse Prevention Council of Sacramento ($72,347), Sacramento Chinese Community Services Center ($63,429) and Health Education Council ($197,393).

United Way is the region’s leading provider of innovative solutions on the community’s most pressing issues, including high school graduation rates, household financial stability and obesity. United Way’s team of nonprofits, businesses, donors and volunteers work together to provide positive, measurable results on these issues through United Way projects: STAR Readers, $en$e-Ability and Fit Kids. Community members can give, volunteer and advocate in support of the causes they care most about, benefiting United Way and hundreds of nonprofits in Amador, El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento and Yolo counties. United Way is an independent, local affiliate of United Way Worldwide. For more information, visit www.yourlocalunitedway.org.

Disclosure: Kristin Thébaud is the marketing consultant for United Way California Capital Region, as well as other local nonprofits and philanthropic companies.

Save Sac High (and West Campus)

2011-11-17T16:48:00Z

Decisions can determine destiny. One critical decision regarding education is currently facing the Sacramento City school board. Recently a few groups have thrown around arguments favoring that Sacramento Charter High School and West Campus swap or even co-locate campuses. There are multiple areas in these proposals that are not in the best interests of both high schools.

My name is Jessica Brewer and I am a senior at Sac High. Last night, I had a chance to attend the parent meeting at West Campus. It could not be clearer that neither Sac High nor West Campus students have a desire to move or co-locate. So why are the adults, who all claim that they want what is “best for students”, pushing this action forward? It is obvious that this would be an all-around poor decision. There is no sign of democracy being displayed when decisions are potentially being made by groups that are not directly going to be affected by this action.

As a student, I am directly affected and I have a lot of questions about these proposals.

Why are the two best performing large high schools the ones being targeted, when the board should put this amount of focus on the schools that are not performing well?

What would happen to PS7, the middle school that is also located on Sac High’s Campus?

Additionally, an argument is being made that the facilities at West Campus are not satisfactory. If the facilities at West Campus are not good enough for that school, then why would they be up to par for Sacramento Charter High School students?

If there is a continuous push to merge or relocate these two high schools, it will only lead to additional questions that will await the school board at the board meeting scheduled for this evening. Many of the parents at West Campus have also made it clear that they will take their children out of the school if these actions occur.

As a senior at Sacramento Charter High School, I am a primary source of facts about my schoo. Let me take a minute to tell you what our school is and isn’t.

I can testify that I have the privilege of going to an excellent comprehensive high school that offers a positive environment, high achievement rates, a senate, successful athletic programs, and a wide range of electives such as: art, theatre, photography, law, business, communications, engineering, and science, in addition to providing a rigorous list of AP classes. Along with having the highest API score of any open enrollment high school, Sacramento Charter High continues to close the achievement gap profoundly thanks to its unique program taught by passionate educators. The teachers on our campus understand the importance of individual attention for each of their students and the impact it has on their learning. As a result, in the past eight years this charter school has delivered a gain of 218 points on their API score.

Sac High is not a school that picks and chooses which students they want, so allow me to make clear that all students are welcome to attend and will receive college preparatory classes. Do not allow yourself to be persuaded by some of the false statements that are made by those who do not even attend the school. Some have tried to say that we do not use our facilities such as our gym, field, and Mel Lawson Theatre. Let me point out that we have two of the best local athletic teams; boys and girls basketball, along with a football team that has made it to playoffs the last three consecutive years. Also, the seniors have a government and economy class in the Mel Lawson every day, so how can it be inferred that our facilities are not being utilized? Note: we do not use the swimming pool-because it is broken.

With all of the facts, it should be apparent that change to either campus is unfavorable. Parents and students at both schools are asking the school board not to “mess with success.” I urge you to share this viewpoint and keep it strong through this fight to protect schools that work.

Disclosure: I am a senior at Sacramento Charter High School. The outcome of the school board's decision is very personal to me.

Drexel Names Sandra Kirschenmann Executive Director of the Sacramento Center for Graduate Studies

2011-11-10T20:19:50Z

Drexel University has named Dr. Sandra G. Kirschenmann, vice chancellor of resource development for Los Rios Community College District, as executive director of the Sacramento Center for Graduate Studies, Drexel president John A. Fry announced today. She will begin her tenure on Dec. 12 and report to Provost Mark Greenberg.

“I am confident that we have found in Sandra Kirschenmann the right professional to help us position the Center for Graduate Studies as a unique academic presence in Sacramento offering excellent career-oriented programs with high student engagement and strong outcomes,” Fry said.

As executive director, Kirschenmann will oversee all Sacramento operations, building on three years of strong growth resulting in a total enrollment of more than 300 students in eight programs and an inaugural graduating class of approximately 100 this past June. She will work with the provost and deans to grow, assess and refine the center’s portfolio of academic programs.

Working with the center’s Advisory Board and community partners, Kirschenmann will ensure that Drexel’s commitment to civic engagement carries over to Sacramento. She will replace Dr. Frank Linnehan, associate dean of Drexel’s Lebow College of Business, who has served as interim executive director since June.

“I am delighted to have the opportunity to build Drexel's excellent educational offerings for Sacramento,” Kirschenmann said. “Drexel’s unique combination of rigorous academics and real-world job experience are perfect for our region.”

Kirschenmann brings 30 years of experience as a higher education administrator and leader with Los Rios, which comprises four colleges serving more than 90,000 students in the Sacramento region. Since 2003 she has served as vice chancellor of resource development for the district, responsible for all efforts to secure resources through fundraising, grants and corporate partnerships. She previously held senior roles in academic oversight and program management.

Kirschenmann has extensive experience in economic development for the Los Rios District and served as director of the Economic Development Coordination Network of the California Community Colleges. Her expertise in this area will help Drexel remain committed to partnering with the people and businesses of Sacramento.

“As mayor, I’m delighted to see the appointment of Dr. Sandra Kirschenmann as the new executive director of the Drexel University Sacramento Center,” Mayor Kevin Johnson said. “Not only is Dr. Kirschenmann a proven leader in the field of higher education, she is a true home-grown talent, having been raised in Sacramento and having served on the leadership team at the Los Rios Community College District. I’m especially proud that she’s a fellow Dragon, a Sacramento High School graduate. Congratulations to Dr. Kirschenmann and Drexel University.”

The Center for Graduate Studies, which opened in January 2009, is already known as one of Northern California's most high-tech conference and educational facilities. In its state-of-the-art classrooms, Drexel – a top-tiered national comprehensive research university – is offering in Sacramento six master's, one doctorate, and one post-baccalaureate program that are designed for working professionals in the fields of business, higher education, knowledge management, health science and medical science.

Disclosure: Disclosure: Jeffrey Weidel is a Vice President of Halldin Public Relations in Rocklin.

Drexel’s Graduate Student Association provides educational support to Mustard Seed School

2011-10-26T15:53:40Z

Drexel’s Graduate Student Association recently presented a $1,000 check to the Mustard Seed School, a program associated with Loaves & Fishes that helps to educate homeless children in Sacramento.

“The Sisters at Loaves & Fishes knew quite a bit of Drexel history because of the connection between Drexel and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament," said Christopher Levermore, President of the Graduate Student Association at Drexel’s Center for Graduate Studies in Sacramento.

“Drexel’s campus in Philadelphia prides itself on continuing the legacy of providing help for those in need and our Sacramento students have established that same tradition as well,” Levermore added.

The Graduate Student Association organized a golf tournament in June and designated part of the proceeds to benefit the Mustard Seed School, which provides a positive learning experience for children 3 to 15 years old. From 15 to 35 children attend the Mustard Seed School each day, but often that stay lasts just three to four weeks because their families are in constant transit. The program has helped more than 4,500 individual children since its opening in 1989.

Despite their busy lives as working professionals, graduate students, and in many cases parents of young children, many Drexel students have also found time to volunteer.

“It’s amazing that students, especially in this economy, put on a fundraising event like this to support our school,” said Angela Hassell, Director of the Mustard Seed School. “We really appreciate Drexel’s generosity.”

More than a century ago, Katherine Drexel established the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament and led the effort to provide educational opportunities for African and Native Americans.

Education was a high priority for her family, which included her uncle, Anthony Drexel, who founded Drexel University in Philadelphia in 1891.
Offering education to others was important to the Drexel family back then, and that same message continues to resonate today for students at Drexel’s Center for Graduate Studies in Sacramento.

Offering help to the Sacramento region is nothing new for Drexel’s students. Last year, the Board of Supervisors of Sacramento County adopted a resolution commending seven Drexel student leaders for taking it upon themselves to make sure that public service is a constant part of their graduate education. The GSA leadership group is committed to performing one public service project each month.

Among the volunteer projects that Drexel’s graduate students have participated in are the Great American River Clean Up, working the telephones for a KVIE fundraiser, donating blood to BloodSource, collecting toys for the Department of Health and Human Services, collecting professional clothing for the Sacramento Food Bank, entering a team and collecting donations for the Run to Feed the Hungry and the Komen Race for the Cure, and cleaning a section of the Sacramento bike trail during Earth Week. In each of these projects, Drexel’s faculty and staff also participated.

The Graduate Center, which opened in January 2009, offers programs focused on the heart of Greater Sacramento’s growth and economic development initiatives including business, human resource development, higher education and public health. Classes fit with the students’ work schedules and are a blend of in-class and online pedagogies.

For more information on Drexel's graduate programs in California, visit www.drexel.edu/sacramento or call (888) 389-3781 or (916) 325-4600.

Disclosure: Disclosure: Jeffrey Weidel is a Vice President of Halldin Public Relations in Roseville

Matsui Announces $300,000 in Federal Grants for SETA's On-The-Job Training Program

2011-10-20T19:46:34Z

SACRAMENTO, CA - Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento) held a press conference announcing that the Sacramento Employment & Training Agency (SETA) is receiving $300,000 in federal funding to support SETA's On-The-Job Training Program. The event was held at the Beutler Corporation, located at McClellan Park, one of the several Sacramento companies that will be able to hire workers as a result of this grant. Congresswoman Matsui was joined by California Energy Commissioner Karen Douglas, SETA Executive Director Kathy Kossick, and Beutler Corporation President Rick Wylie to make the announcement, followed by a tour of Beutler's manufacturing plant.

“I am excited to announce the allocation of $300,000 in federal funds to the Sacramento Employment & Training Agency for their On-The-Job Training Program,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “This infusion of federal funds will specifically support Sacramento businesses and projects committed to boosting the area's economy, clean technology industry, and are creating jobs for our local workforce.”

The federal funding was allocated through the U.S. Department of Energy and the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to the Energy Commission Clean Energy Workforce program, which in turn has awarded funding for the On-The-Job (OJT) Training Program. The Program subsidizes employers who are hiring workers in the clean energy fields, helping to create jobs, support Sacramento's growing clean energy sector, and ensuring that local workers receives the training they need to be successful in their new positions.

“Sacramento is making its mark on the clean energy economy,” said Energy Commissioner Karen Douglas. “Under the Energy Upgrade California Program, successful partners, such as SETA and small business leader Beutler, have trained and employed hundreds of workers in the Sacramento area while reducing homeowners energy bills.”

“The Green OJT program, funded by the California Energy Commission and the Employment Development Department, will reimburse employers 50-70% of the wages paid to trainees for 3-6 months of training. The program will put unemployed people back to work learning skills that are needed for the jobs of the future,” said SETA Executive Director, Kathy Kossick.

“In the midst of the most horrific crash in the new home construction industry of our lifetimes, the support that we and many of our existing and incoming employees have received through an earlier Green OJT program over the last 12 months has helped us turn around our company and provide jobs and enriched careers for over 90 people here at Beutler Corporation. For the first time in 5 years, our business is growing, we're hiring again, and home owners throughout the region are living more comfortably with lower energy bills because of this and other ARRA funded programs. This additional funding will only add to these wonderful success stories,” said Rick Wylie, President of Beutler Corporation/Advanced Comfort & Energy Systems.

Beutler has enjoyed employment growth over the last year, in large part due to the Moderate Income Sustainable Technology (MIST) Program, part of more than $20 million made available by the California Energy Commission through the Recovery Act. MIST is a revolving loan program that finances third tier energy efficiency measures through 0-3 percent, 15-year loans and grants under the Energy Upgrade California program for moderate income families. Currently the MIST program is providing more than $14.8 million in funding to homeowners with 251 completed retrofits; another 241 retrofits in progress; and 141 applications in process. These energy upgrade loans average about $23,500 each will save homeowner hundreds of dollars in energy costs each year.

“Clean energy has enormous untapped potential for job creation in our region, and that is why I believe the federal government must continue to invest in American clean energy technology, support U.S. companies who are creating new jobs, and ensure that we are able to compete in a global marketplace,” Matsui added. “I will continue to fight for cost-effective, efficient, and high-quality programs like the On-The-Job Training Program that allow companies to innovate, grow, and hire. Today, is an example of federal funding – and the Recovery Act – hard at work putting Sacramentans back to work.”

For more information about the Clean Energy Workforce Training Program please visit http://www.energy.ca.gov/cleanenergyjobs/

For information about Energy Upgrade California, a one-stop shop for home improvement projects that lower your energy use, conserve water and natural resources while making your home more comfortable, visit https://energyupgradeca.org/overview

For more information about Congresswoman Matsui’s efforts to make Sacramento the Clean Tech Capitol, visit www.matsui.house.gov.

# # #

Disclosure: Mara Lee is Communications Director for Congresswoman Doris Matsui.

Drexel Center for Graduate Studies in Sacramento Adds Five New Faculty

2011-10-20T16:23:17Z

Drexel University begins its fall semester welcoming five new faculty members at the Center for Graduate Studies in Sacramento.

Of the five faculty members starting in the fall, four have been hired on a full-time basis by the LeBow College of Business to staff the master of science finance and MBA courses. They will join Dr. Ramya Ghosh, who has been teaching economics at the center this past year.

The four new MBA faculty have diverse educational backgrounds. Dr. Sally Hamilton will teach accounting and finance; Dr. Kenneth Scislaw has an expertise in finance; Dr. Leon Schjoedt will teach management; and Dr. Ed Arnheiter will focus on the decisions science area, a curriculum that includes the academic disciplines of production operations management and statistics.

A fifth new faculty member, Dr. Steven Winlock, will be a part-time professor in the School of Education, working closely with Dr. Ed Bureau in the Ed.D. program.

“We are honored to have such an innovative group of educators join our team in Sacramento,” interim executive director Frank Linnehan said. “As we increase our offerings, we are adding some great educators to ensure that the education we provide is not just among the top-ranked in the country, but closely calibrated to the practical, business needs of this region.”

Dr. Leon Schjoedt
Born in Denmark, Schjoedt comes to Drexel with considerable international teaching experience. He spent two years teaching at Copenhagen Business School and also taught four summers at Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand.

He served the last two years as a business professor at the University of Central Florida, where he taught entrepreneurship, strategic innovation management and strategic management. Before that, he was a faculty member at Illinois State University for six years. He is currently serving on four editorial review boards of prestigious international journals in entrepreneurship, management and education. His research focuses on entrepreneurial behavior and his work has appeared in many prominent journals.

After receiving a bachelor’s degree in business administration and economics and languages at Southern Denmark Business School, Schjoedt received an MBA from University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, and in 2002 earned a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Dr. Sally Hamilton
Hamilton has local ties to the region, graduating from UC Davis with a B.A. in international relations. She later received her MBA at the University of San Diego and went on to earn her Ph.D. at UCLA’s Anderson Graduate School of Management.

She joins the Drexel staff after serving the last two and a half years as a full-time assistant professor of finance for South University College of Business, headquartered in Savannah, Ga. She was previously a part-time instructor at the University of Maryland University College Graduate School of Management and Technology. Her background also includes teaching at Santa Clara University Leavey School of Business, Ecole Superior de Commerce in Rouen, France, and business schools at both USC and California State Northridge.

A Davis resident, Hamilton also has more than 10 years experience in manufacturing finance, business systems and global project management for firms in Silicon Valley.

Dr. Kenneth Scislaw
Scislaw entered the academic profession after two decades of work in institutional investments, including Merrill Lynch trading in New York, Templeton Investment Counsel in Florida and the Bahamas, and his own institutional investment consulting firm. He has worked with retail, institutional, buy-side, sell-side and academic and investment research segments of the finance profession. His comprehensive background provides an understanding of securities trading, investment consulting, portfolio management and market applications of modern finance theory.

A native of Alabama, he has been a member of faculty at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, University College Dublin (Ireland), and the University of St. Andrews (United Kingdom). He recently completed a year as a visiting assistant professor of finance at Drury University, a small private liberal arts college in the Midwest.

Scislaw has a B.S. from the University of Alabama, an MBA from the University of Edinburgh and a Ph.D. from the University of St. Andrews (United Kingdom).

Dr. Ed Arnheiter
Formerly a New England resident, Arnheiter earned a Ph.D. in industrial engineering and operations research from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he also earned a master’s degree in engineering management. Arnheiter received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Union College in Schenectady, N.Y.

In addition to his 13 years of academic experience, he has also worked as a consultant in quality improvement, as well as a quality engineer with GE Defense Systems and senior quality engineer for Spalding Sports worldwide. He is also a member of the Decision Sciences Institute and has published and presented papers on lean production, process improvement and quality management. He comes to Drexel after serving on the faculty in the School of Business, Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn.

Arnheiter served as clinical professor for more than 12 years at the Lally School of Management and Technology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, based in Troy, N.Y. The institute is focused on developing aspiring business leaders who have a passion for technology and the ability to work across business functions.

Dr. Steven Winlock
Winlock has been involved in education for more than three decades as a teacher, vice principal, principal and most recently as an associate superintendent in the Elk Grove Unified School District. He has also been an adjunct professor in the area of school administration and teacher credentialing programs at both Sacramento State and San Francisco State.

A Sacramento native, Winlock has served as a director of development for the training and development of school site administrators for the state of California. He is the executive director of the Sacramento County Office of Education Leadership Institute that focuses on the development of school leaders for the Sacramento region. He has also served as the chairman of the African American Advisory to the California State Board of Education with the focus of addressing the achievement gap in the state. Winlock’s involvement has created a number of policies and educational practices that have assisted with the improvement of education in the state of California.

Winlock earned a doctoral degree in the Ed.D. program at USC. He received both a master’s in educational administration and a liberal arts degree from Sacramento State.

The Graduate Center, which opened in January 2009, offers programs focused on the heart of greater Sacramento’s growth and economic development initiatives, including business, human resource development, higher education and public health. Classes fit with the students’ working schedules and are a blend of in-class and online pedagogies.

For more information on Drexel's graduate programs in California, visit www.drexel.edu/sacramento or call (888) 389-3781 or (916) 325-4600.

Disclosure: Jeffrey Weidel is a Vice President of Halldin Public Relations in Roseville.

Sacramento's below average readers. Who's working on solutions?

2011-10-18T20:48:45Z

Sacramento, CA | The momentum is building. That was the message that Stand Up, the Sacramento based non-profit organization devoted to reforming education, touted in front of a packed house at the Guild Theater on Monday night.

The event was part of a series of monthly meetings organized by Stand Up to spotlight education improvement efforts in Sacramento. Previous events have brought in former California State Senator Gloria Romero to discuss the “parent trigger” law, the founder of Teach for America Wendy Kopp, and the co-founder of the Knowledge is Power Program, Mike Feinberg.

Local high school students acted as ushers alongside staffers from a variety of organizations including Sacramento READS!, Mayor Kevin Johnson’s third-grade reading initiative, and StudentsFirst, Michelle Rhee’s latest foray into education reform.
Monday’s guest speaker was CNN’s education correspondent Dr. Steve Perry, there to promote his new book Push Has Come to Shove, a warning cry to the “grownups” about our failing education system. Dr. Perry pulled no punches in his address to the mostly welcoming crowd. “Every day you drive by a failing school in your community,” he said, “and you know where they are, you have blood on your hands for not doing something.”

The frankness that won him accolades as “America’s most uncompromising principle” was on display as he excoriated communities for failing to shut down schools, principles for allowing unions to bully them, and absentee fathers to whom he pointedly asserted, “No, we can’t be friends.”

His fiercest criticism, however, was reserved for poor teachers. When asked in the post-presentation Q & A session about disproportionate numbers of minority students facing in-school suspension and other punishments, he laid the blame squarely on the educators. “If my detention hall is filled with student athletes who are doing well in other classes,” he said, “then maybe the problem is [the teacher]. You suck.”

If his presentation had a dose of harsh medicine it only endeared him to the crowd members even more, many of whom were educators and parents struggling with their own classrooms and schools. He fielded questions about boarding school alternatives to public school education, the tendency to blame parents, and the high illiteracy rate in Sacramento County.

Mayor Johnson addressed the audience briefly to tout the progress made in the reading initiative and to thank business partners who adopted schools in which they spent time and money to assist education efforts. In particular, Old Soul Co. was applauded for hosting a book drive and encouraging employees to volunteer their time to read to students at Peter Burnett Elementary School.

Other speakers included the Eric Lerum, the Vice President of National Policy at StudentsFirst, who ran down national mission goals of the organization, and the oldest volunteer in Sacramento READS!, former Queen of the Rose Parade Margaret Huntly. Her personal journey, as a 90-year old former school teacher who still goes back to the classroom to volunteer, drew perhaps the most enthusiastic applause of the event.

The statistic that most participants will walk away with was pointed out by Sacramento Reads earlier in the evening, that “only 37% of our third-grade children are reading at grade-level; the flip-side of that coin is that 63% are not.” Dr. Perry later took the opportunity to expand on that point. “If we are to have a real conversation about this issue, we have to recognize that some of us in here aren’t reading as well as we should either.”

Urban youth lounge Vibe opens Oct. 8

2011-10-06T06:57:13Z

After several years of planning, Vibe, the new urban youth lounge, will host a party at 5 p.m. on Saturday to celebrate its grand opening. Located at 1725 K St., the center will provide a place for teens to do their homework, socialize and be safe, said Catherine Pentoney, spokeswoman and former chair of Vibe’s Board of Directors.

Since 2007, the Vibe Foundation has been raising money to open its youth lounge. The nonprofit organization was founded by Julian Nagler and David Schenirer.

“Vibe was a concept that came out of a need in Sacramento for the youth to have productive things to do,” said Nagler, one of Vibe’s co-founders.

Nagler said he believes places like the Boys and Girls Club of America didn’t have the ability to attract modern teenagers.

“There needed to be something else in Sacramento that had a more inviting social atmosphere,” he said.

Nagler said that he and Schenirer came up with the idea for Vibe after the Sacramento Youth Commission identified “a significant lack of safe and relevant places for Sacramento teens to socialize, connect to community resources and seek … employment.” They then surveyed teenagers across the city, asking them what they would like to see an after-school hangout look like. Before long, the idea of Vibe began to solidify.

One of the main ideas behind the center is that teenagers should play an active role in administrative decisions. Two boards, a youth board and an adult board, are in charge, but the youth board has the final say on most matters.

Many prominent people are on the board, such as City Councilmembers Angelique Ashby and Steve Cohn, Steve Briggs, the marketing manager at The Sacramento Bee, and several students from local high schools.

The party on opening night will feature performances by a wide variety of local teen musicians. Pentoney says that many genres, from hip-hop to indie acoustic, will be represented. Some of the acts include the 2011 Jammies 3rd place winner Parie Wood and the spoken-word group Sacramento Area Youth Speaks.

During some of the musical sets, performance art will take place as well. Pentoney said that Matt Bird, a local visual artist, will be doing an art piece on a blank wall while the musicians play.

The party is free and open to the public. Food will be sold, including coffee donated by Starbucks and baked goods made by Vibe’s teenage volunteers. Pentoney said that the money raised will go to help fund the lounge and its activities.

“We want people to come out and participate,” she added.

At the party, teenagers will be able to sign up for a Vibe membership, which Pentoney said will be structured similarly to a gym. Any student enrolled in high school is eligible for a membership.

The cost of a membership has not yet been set, but Pentoney said that it will be around $10 per month. Members will be allowed one guest to encourage more people to sign up. She added that scholarships will be available to low-income teenagers who are willing to work on site at Vibe.

Membership will allow teens to come after school and take advantage of the center’s amenities, such as laptops and tables, to do homework and hang out with friends, said Pentoney. They will also host regular events.

“(There will be) everything from rap battles to video game contests to poetry readings,” she added.

She said that to decide what events will be held at Vibe, surveys will be done routinely at local high schools to get a feel for what would be popular.

“We try to make all of our events reflective of what the youth in Sacramento want,” Pentony said.

Pentoney said that she believes Vibe will have a positive impact on high schoolers growing up in Sacramento. “The way I look at (Vibe) is that it’s a place for people to teach and inspire each other and to do things that they otherwise couldn’t,” she said.

Equality Action NOW and Gender Health Center Hosts Coming Out Party

2011-10-04T05:21:21Z

Come out, come out, wherever you are! ~ Harvey Milk

Equality Action NOW and the Gender Health Center are co-hosting an all-ages party to formally introduce the “coming out” of the first elected Board of Directors for E.A.N. on National Coming Out Day - Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at Hoppy Brewing Company (6300 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95819) starting at 6:00pm.

Equality Action NOW is a nationally-known civil rights organization based in Sacramento and is at the forefront of speaking out and standing for the rights of all people since its inception. The organization was born moments after the November 2008 general election when President Obama was elected and Proposition 8 was voted into law which states that marriage can only be between a man and a woman.

Tina Reynolds and her staff at Uptown Studios were devastated at the news that LGBTQ citizens had lost Marriage Equality here in California and set out immediately to create a web site and organize their first Marriage Equality rally and march at the state capitol to protest the new law. Several rallies, marches, protests, and equality events later and Equality Action NOW recently elected their first Board of Directors and have taken their first steps towards becoming a 501c3 non-profit.

The Gender Health Center is a non-profit service organization meeting the counseling needs of the LGBTQI community in Sacramento focusing on the “T” or transgender. The Center provides excellent counseling/therapy services to anyone who expresses the need as well as anyone who self-identifies or is perceived to be gender variant.

National Coming Out Day (NCOD) is an internationally observed civil awareness day for coming out and discussion about gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) and asexual. Founded in 1988, the day is observed by members of the LGBTQA community and their allies on October 11 (October 12 in the U.K.) each year.

There is a suggested donation for the coming out mixer of $5 to help cover the costs of the event and will go to both Equality Action NOW and the Gender Health Center to help with their programs. Paid donations will get you a wristband for happy hour drink prices all night long. Please bring the family as this is an all-ages event. In addition it is $2 taco night and half off appetizers after 9:30pm. A special gay trivia game will begin at 10pm.

MEET THE NEW BOARD MEMBERS

Tina Reynolds, co-founder of EAN was officially hired by the board as its first Executive Director. Reynolds, a long-time activist and business owner, along with her employees of Uptown Studios, an award-winning website and graphic design firm founded the organization within days after the 2008 general election where President Obama was elected and Prop 8 became law.

Today Equality Action NOW is one of the most visible and active civil rights organizations in the Sacramento region. In the beginning members focused on defeating Prop 8 and held huge rallies on the west steps of the state capitol. It wasn’t long before the organization diversified their efforts to include fighting for civil rights beside other minorities and disenfranchised people of color, sexual orientation, age, disabled, and those in poverty.

Elected as the first Chairman of the Board is a well-known Sacramento gay and civil rights activist, Ken Pierce. Pierce volunteered with Equality Action NOW early on as their Director of Public Relations and continues to serve in that capacity. Born and raised in Texas, Pierce moved to California in 1989. Since becoming EAN’s PR Director, he has worked hard to brand the organization as a premiere civil rights group who’s focus Is to “mobilize, motivate, activate, and educate” the public to the issues important to the group. This was Pierce’s second year on the Sacramento Pride Festival Organizing Committee. He works for Manpower during the day and has his own Public Relations Firm part-time. This year Pierce received the “Harvey Milk Activist Award” at the organization’s 2nd annual Harvey Milk Day event.

Vice-chairperson, "Vihil" Heather Vigil is a U.S. Navy Veteran from Woodland, CA. In 2003 she received her BA in Art History and Museum & Gallery Studies from Humboldt State University, in 2008 Vihil received her MBA in business development from Ashford University and has experience working in small business management, corporate accounting for small to large professional services firms and currently serves as an association membership director for four state-wide non-profit organizations based out of Sacramento. Vihil is also owner/primary photographer of Vihil Photographix, a Sacramento based fine art photography studio. As a regular supporter of the Crocker Art Museum, Vihil continues to spread a passion for the arts by encouraging others to explore the local arts attractions of Sacramento. Currently Vihil is developing a workshop series titled, "Business for the Artist" to be held in midtown Sacramento beginning January 2012.

Emily Bender is the current Treasurer for Equality Action Now. She is an active Community Organizer and volunteer for underserved populations, including gay rights and youth empowerment. She has been an adult adviser for the Friday Night Youth Group at the Gay & Lesbian Center for over nine years. Emily is a co-founding member of the 20s-Something Group that meets on Thursdays at the Center. She is a native of Nicaragua and has lived in Northern California for most of her life. Her formal education includes an M.A. in Organizational Leadership, a Master's Certificate in Public & Nonprofit Leadership from Chapman University, and a B.A. in Rhetoric & Communications with a minor in Psychology from the University of California at Davis.

Rachel Pearman is a founding member and Secretary of the Equality Action Now Board of Directors. She received her undergraduate degree in Government, and is currently working on her Masters in Gender Equity in Teacher Education. In addition to EAN she has volunteered to raise funds for HIV/AIDS and with the Sacramento Pride organizing committee. She lives happily with her partner in Midtown Sacramento.

Rounding out Equality Action NOW’s board members at-large include:

Angela F. Luna serves as EAN’s education lead and author of the first LGBT history workbook, “In Celebration of Harvey Milk” for grades 4 through 12.

Benancio Garza (20), college student, Christian, and EAN’s youngest board member. Garza is director and creator of EAN’s “Youth Force” dedicated to motivating, activating, and educating our youth and future leaders.

Enrique Manjarrez has been an activist for 5+ years fighting for queer youth and pro LGBT legislation. Manjarrez works for Breaking Barriers and is EAN’s Spanish Spokesperson.

Tyx Pulskamp is very active in the transgender community and works for STEP, Strategies to Empower People.

Sarah Barkawi, EAN’s straight ally recently had a commitment ceremony with partner Eli. Until there is full marriage equality for all, the couple stands in support. Barkawi also volunteers for the Matthew Sheppard Foundation.

UC Davis Extension Launches Sustainability Studies Program

2011-10-03T17:28:59Z

UC Davis Extension recently announced the launch of its new program, Sustainability Studies, a multidisciplinary unit that combines aspects of green building, sustainable design and energy. Recognizing the integrated nature of sustainable solutions, this unique collaboration allows students from a variety of sectors, including energy, planning and policy, environmental and water resources, and public health, to access practical, timely training and flexible certificate programs.

“UC Davis Extension has been providing the knowledge and tools to confront issues of sustainability for three decades, but to respond to today’s unprecedented challenges, professionals need cross-training to be effective,” explains Land Use and Natural Resources Director Julia Lave Johnston. This new program will provide a platform for outreach and technology transfer across many disciplines.

Aimed at providing expanding educational options for this evolving field, Sustainability Studies lets students design a course of study that meets their needs more effectively and efficiently. Students can take one course, pursue a whole certificate or choose from a number of courses within a variety of programs to create the education they need to advance their careers. Program options include Green Building and Sustainable Design, Energy Resource Management, Renewable Energy, and LEED and Green Construction.

Courses are offered online and in the classroom, and fall courses are now underway. For more information, call (800) 752-0881, email extension@ucdavis.edu or visit the UC Davis Extension website at extension.ucdavis.edu/sustainability.

UC Davis Extension, the continuing and professional education division of UC Davis, has been an internationally recognized leader in educational outreach for individuals, organizations and communities for more than 50 years. With nearly 50,000 annual enrollments in classroom and online university-level courses, UC Davis Extension serves lifelong learners in the growing Sacramento region, all 50 states and nearly 90 countries.

Disclosure: Disclosure: Michelle Pond is an editor for the Marketing Department at UC Davis Extension.

New Political Party Hosts Happy Hour Discussion Thursday

2011-09-27T19:24:59Z

Did you know that 57 percent of California voters want a third party alternative? While the idea may seem pie-in-the-sky, it's not. Just like the dot-com and housing bubbles that suddenly popped without warning, it can be difficult to grasp where we are at our current point in history.

I'm here to tell you that there's a revolution coming, but it's not going to be of the Arab Spring sort. Instead, it's going to come from people like you who decide that even though they have a viewpoint, collaboration is better than competition. Our political system - whether in Congress or the State Capitol - has simply lost the capacity to solve problems. And it's no coincidence that it seems like things are getting worse.

Even if you agree with one party or the other, you also probably recognize that neither side has all of the answers. There are 3.5 million voters in California who have declined to affiliate with any political party at all. That's more than one in every five voters. But who represents them? Who stands for tough choices and political courage even when that threatens the chances of a politician's reelection?

Voters aren't stupid. They know that we've put off the tough choices for long enough. And they're yearning for political leaders to simply tell them the truth so that they know what to expect.

If you think our current system is going to fix itself, I can tell you it's not. There are political startups launching everyday to tackle our most pressing problems and while you may not be aware of them yet, they're led by folks who are willing to take a risk because they know that nothing less than our future is at stake.

I recently launched the California Moderate Party out of my Midtown apartment. If you want to learn more about this project and other similar efforts, we're hosting a Happy Hour this Thursday at 5:30pm that will begin with drinks and socializing, followed by a brief presentation and open discussion. Although I sometimes feel like I'm promoting Scientology, I can assure you that this is about as authentic as it gets.

Lastly, I should note that this is less about getting folks involved than it is about soliciting honest feedback. This is an open invitation and I hope to see you there.

Join the Meetup group and RSVP at Meetup.com/Sac-Moderates.

Learn more about the California Moderate Party at CAMod.org.

Figure skating fairytales at Fairytale Town

2011-09-26T07:25:03Z

This weekend, Fairytale Town was transformed into a menagerie of creative writing and reading. Fairytale Town hosted the 11th Annual ScholarShare Children's Book Festival this past Saturday and Sunday. Arts and literacy organizations were on hand, most of them providing information to parents and interesting literacy activities for children.

Mother Goose Stage was the centerpiece of the day. Authors and presenters sat in a giant and rather royal-looking throne at the center of the stage and the children crowded around. The weekend’s events included readings by eleven different authors including Olympic gold medal figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi.

Trevor Wyatt was the MC and resident magician for the day. Wyatt entertained children and family members throughout the day and between author presentations. In previous years, the ScholarShare Book Festival hosted up to 13,000 visitors. This year they were expecting around 15,000.

Children and families moved around the park throughout the day, listening to authors or stopping by for a magic trick or two, and then heading off to various areas of the park. Children ran from the slide in Farmer Brown’s hayloft to visit the Three Billy Goats Gruff and then moved on to water the flowers in Mr. McGregor’s garden.

There was an abundance of hands on activities for children in the park, starting with MatrixArts. The MatrixArts booth helped kids create their own books using a plethora of arts and crafts materials.

Sacramento Parent distributed this month’s issue and two additional resources, their annual Sourcebook of parent and family resources and Dandelion, a publication specifically for the parents of children with special needs.

The Sacramento Public Library played many roles during the weekend. Their bookmobile sat outside the gate and its staff provided information on new materials and features. Some highlights included new apps for mobile devices and information on downloading eBooks, audiobooks and Freegal music. There were also $1 books for sale just outside the park.

“When can you get this many books for $15!?” One happy parent exclaimed.

The Sacramento Zoo brought a booth over from across the street, Sacramento Braille Transcribers made bookmarks for passersby, Red Rover handed out information on keeping pets safe and children had their faces painted by a kind woman I could only assume was a Fairy Godmother.

Bethanie Murguia, otherwise known as the bug book lady, had great rapport with the kids in just minutes. During her segment, she read her new book, “Buglette the Messy Sleeper,” taught a bug dance and even handed out antennae to some helpful, young volunteers.

916 ink is an organization dedicated to young writers in Sacramento. The program currently works with four area high schools in the Sacramento City Unified School District. Students from Health Professionals High School were onsite to help explain just what 916 ink does. Saturday afternoon a young poet and a young crime fiction writer were available for questions. Executive director Katie McCleary likened the program to 826 Valencia, a bay area organization for young writers. They plan to publish several anthologies of student writing in June of 2012.

Jeff Savage presented twice on Saturday alone, telling kids all about his experiences being a sportswriter and sports author and how they can become writers as well.

There are just two secrets, he said. After much buildup, he revealed the first.

“Pay close attention to your teacher!”

The second secret, he explained, was to write with confidence. Savage also explained how his first book was a short book on Jim Abbott. He explained to the kids how Abbott, born with just one hand, managed to play baseball and become a pitcher.

His presentation was engaging and active and his booming voice seemed to only enhance the performance. As Savage left the stage, he mentioned that Yamaguchi would be up next.

“I met Kristi Yamaguchi back in 1992…” he said.

Before the reading, I got to spend a few minutes with Yamaguchi. Since the birth of her children, she has taken the Always Dream Foundation in a special direction, working in support of early childhood literacy. Her best advice for parents, she said, was to start reading early.

Even at a young age, she explained, saying that she was regularly reading to her girls already at three months, “They listen to your voice, get used to seeing a book and touching the book…”

Her family still reads together; Keara, who will be turning eight next week, now reads to her younger sister Emma as well.

I asked her how often she skates, and to my surprise, she answered, “I don’t.”

“We went for fun last week,” she said. She does try to get out once a week, though she admitted she doesn’t do any tricks.

Yamaguchi was relaxed and natural throughout the day. It was easy to see that her attention has shifted.

When asked why she decided to try writing, she said that she had always wanted to give it a try. She had a good idea of what she wanted to write about, though her two daughters played a huge role.

She wrote the book for them and children like them, a sentiment that she repeated for spectators at Fairytale Town who came to see her appearance.

“All these faces,” she told the audience, are why she wrote “Dream Big, Little Pig!”

“The children inspired me.”

Her youngest daughter Emma plays a special role in the book. Poppy the pig’s best friend’s name is Emma.

Keara named Poppy herself, said Yamaguchi.

Yamaguchi soon stepped onto Mother Goose stage to sit down on the author’s throne. Many children were already surrounding the chair, most holding their own copy of “Dream Big, Little Pig!” The parents surrounding the stage might have been even more excited than the kids.

Yamaguchi interacted well with the kids, who quickly took a liking to Poppy.

“…but they did not know Poppy,” she finished. “She was a pig who dreamed big.”

Following the reading, Yamaguchi took questions from her young fans.

“What if I can’t read a book?” asked one child.

Yamaguchi explained that you should bring a book and ask your mother or father or an adult, “Can you tell me a story?”

At the end of the book, Poppy the pig finds that she is a good figure skater, despite the fact that she is a pig.

“Do you skate?” asked one young reader as the adults in the audience chuckled.

“Yes, I did, before you were born,” said Yamaguchi, “at the Olympics,” she smiled.

“Is Poppy seven?” asked another child.

Clearly, Poppy was the real star of the show, and that, figure skating fans, may just be the real moral of the story.

Yamaguchi set out to write a book to promote early childhood literacy, and she succeeded. Children all around were interested in the activities that Poppy tried, and just why she decided to try again when she failed. They were interested to know why it was good to “Dream Big.”

The ScholarShare Book Festival did the same. Throughout the park, children and young adults were reading, writing, drawing and even chasing excitedly after Clifford the Big Red Dog.

The key to early childhood literacy is connecting with children. You can only wonder if there were two tables - one for Yamaguchi and one for Poppy - which would have the bigger line.

This event is a must for families with children of all ages. For more information on the next ScholarShare Book Festival and future literacy events and programming, contact Fairytale Town, Sacramento Public Libraries or one of the many arts and literacy organizations that are working so hard to get your kids addicted to reading.

The next special event at Fairytale Town will be a special Harry Potter event. This year is the 25th anniversary of the Safe & Super Halloween event. This year, Fairytale Town will celebrate - for the last time - the magical world of Harry Potter.

The event was organized following the outcry when the previous Harry Potter events were discontinued. This final event will celebrate the world of Harry Potter at a four day event at Fairytale Town October 21, 22, 28 and 29 from 5:00 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Latino community advocate receives graduate scholarship

2011-09-22T15:58:08Z

Serving as a missionary for almost two years, Diana Hernandez-Benton realized there was a great need for representation, education and assistance in the Latino communities.

It’s a role that Hernandez-Benton continues to excel at today in her professional career and also as a volunteer in the Latino community.

In recognition of her leadership qualities and community involvement, the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Drexel University, announced today that it has named Hernandez-Benton as the recipient of the Hispanic Leadership Master’s Grant. Hernandez-Benton will receive a $20,000 scholarship for her studies at Drexel’s Center for Graduate Studies in Sacramento. This scholarship is given annually to an up-and-coming leader from the Hispanic community.

Drexel and the chamber established the Hispanic Leadership Master’s Grant in fall 2008. Two of the three award winners are currently pursuing graduate degrees at Drexel. The first, Wells Fargo manager Gloria Mirazo, graduated from Drexel with her MBA last December.

Hernandez-Benton is currently serving as a senior case manager at Kaiser Permanente. She received a bachelor’s of science degree in physiology from UC Davis.

“I am truly honored to be the recipient of this scholarship,” Hernandez-Benton said. “This scholarship will get me closer to obtaining my master’s in public health, which will allow me to better serve the Hispanic community in addressing important issues in the public health sector.”

Hernandez-Benton, who lives in Sacramento, is currently enrolled in Drexel’s Executive Master of Public Health (MPH) program.

“It is a great opportunity to partner and have the support of Drexel University in preparing our leaders of tomorrow,” chamber president Steve Gándola said. “We’re very proud to support this scholarship opportunity for young working professionals like Diana who will make a great impact in our Hispanic community.”

The Hispanic Leadership Master’s Grant is awarded through a competitive process to a student whom the Hispanic Chamber’s selection committee believes holds excellent promise for future leadership in Sacramento’s Hispanic community. It is expected, and a condition of the award, that the winners will continue to be active in the chamber and give back to their communities as they pursue their graduate degrees.

A panel of leading Hispanic business and community leaders reviewed grant applications, met with finalists and awarded the grant. This year’s selection committee was chaired by Norma Andrade of Wells Fargo. Other committee members included Lydia Ramirez of Union Bank, Victoria Rosario of Los Rios Community College and Gándola.

“Drexel is proud to partner once again with the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber to promote the development of the next generation of leaders in the Latino community,” graduate studies recruitment director Nancy Thompson said. “We share a passion to the community, diversity and excellence of the professionals in our region. Our innovative and dynamic programs meet the needs of working professionals, helping them achieve success in their careers, personal lives and communities.”

The Graduate Center, which opened in January 2009, offers programs focused on the heart of Sacramento’s growth and economic development initiatives, including business, human resource development, higher education and public health. Classes fit with the schedules of working professionals and are a blend of in-class and online pedagogies.

Disclosure: Sofia Gutierrez is a Vice President of Halldin Public Relations in Roseville.

Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Jessup University announce scholarship winner

2011-09-09T16:28:58Z

The Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with William Jessup University in Rocklin, announced Thursday that Cristina Nuno of Sacramento is the recipient of an annual $5,000 scholarship to use toward her education at Jessup University.

As the eldest of three children, Nuno is the first in her family to graduate high school and pursue a higher education.

A Sacramento native, Nuno is an active member in her community, having volunteered for Toys for Troops. At Natomas High School, Nuno received the Top Hawk award for her outstanding grades and GPA.

In recognition of her educational excellence and icommunity involvement, Nuno will be awarded $5,000 per year for up to four years to pursue her bachelor’s degree in psychology.

“I thank the chamber and William Jessup for this scholarship opportunity that will help me get closer to my dreams of becoming a psychologist one day,” Nuno said. “William Jessup is a very welcoming and supportive community that I am enjoying.”

The scholarship comes at a particularly important time for students who are not only faced with keeping their grades up but also paying for their college tuition.

“The Sacramento Hispanic Chamber is proud to partner with William Jessup University to offer this scholarship opportunity to Cristina Nuno,” chamber president and CEO Steve Gándola said. “We hope that this scholarship brings Cristina closer to achieving her goal of obtaining her bachelor’s degree in psychology and one day fulfilling her dream of helping families.”

Nuno has a passion for helping people and making a difference in their lives. She hopes to one day become a psychologist to help those families in need—and she wishes to concentrate her work in the Hispanic community. Through this scholarship opportunity, Nuno will have the opportunity to get closer to one day helping those families.

“William Jessup University appreciates the support and partnership with community groups, helping to ensure that young people like Cristina have opportunities to pursue higher education and fulfill their dreams,” admissions director Vance Pascua said.

Disclosure: Sofia Gutierrez is a Vice President of Halldin Public Relations in Roseville.

Youngsters help to clean up Salvation Army playground

2011-08-30T23:59:35Z

“There was a lot of weed growing. It was really dirty.”

That is the way 16-year-old Brianna described the playground area at The Salvation Army Oak Park campus.

“Just didn’t look good,” she said.

But that changed on Saturday when Brianna and nearly 20 other youngsters from The Salvation Army youth, church and education programs volunteered to help spruce things up.

In a community event called “Together We Grow”, the kids, along with Salvation Army staff and other volunteers, worked collectively to take out the weeds, plant vegetable seeds and clean up all of the playground area.

“We’re giving young people a good example of working together,” Luisa Lose, Salvation Army community center coordinator. “It’s also great that they’re learning about growing plants in the garden and healthy eating, as well.”

In all, the project took more than three hours to finish, with the youth doing the lion’s share of the work.

“These kids were amazingly focused,” said Rosella Shapiro, master gardener from the Sacramento County UC Cooperative Extension Service. “I was stunned at how interested they were in pulling up weeds and (discovering) the bugs that came from the ground.”

For Brianna, however, this day was much more than just a volunteer project.

“This brought people together and kept them out of trouble. It was also very spiritual because it really brought us closer to God.”

Disclosure: Syd Fong is the public relations director for The Salvation Army of Sacramento County. For more information about The Salvation Army, log onto www.salarmysacto.org or join the facebook page www.facebook.com/salvationarmysacramento

Powerhouse Science Center breaks ground

2011-08-11T22:37:11Z

The Powerhouse Science Center project officially broke ground this morning, commemorating its push forward with the unfurling of a large 30 x 10 foot banner, which adorned the front of the former PG&E power station building. In attendance were some 60 citizens, dignitaries, funding partners, Powerhouse Science Center staff and City staff. Speakers at the event included Mayor Kevin Johnson, Congressmember Doris Matsui, Senator Darrell Steinberg's District Director, Susan McKee, and Michele Wong, the Interim Executive Director for the project.

A $7 million check was presented to the project, generated by Proposition 84's "Nature Education Facilities" grant. The funds will be used to partially spur construction, which is anticipated to start this fall. With an expected completion date of 2013, the project will include a number of amenities, including a large domed planetarium, science exhibits, gift shops and cafe, and an open park area.

More information can be found at the Powerhouse Science Center website.

Disclosure: Carlos Eliason is a photographer/videographer and designer working in the Sacramento area. He is also a creative media intern for the City of Sacramento.

Dr. Dennis Jameson named William Jessup University vice president of academic affairs

2011-08-11T15:45:21Z

William Jessup University, Sacramento area’s only residential four-year private university, announced today that Dr. Dennis Jameson will become the university’s new vice president of academic affairs, effective Aug. 15.

Jameson comes to the university after serving in leadership positions at Trinity Western University in British Columbia since 1999, where he served as provost of the university and its chief academic, program and operating officer since 2007.

“Dr. Jameson was the unanimous selection of our search committee, and we could not be more excited about his decision to join William Jessup University,” university president John Jackson said. “When Dennis arrives, he will be just in time for our school year – as well as being here to welcome six new full-time faculty members and our largest number of incoming students in the university’s 72-year history.”

Jameson holds a Ph.D. from the UCLA Graduate School of Education and a Doctor of Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena. He holds three master’s degrees in counseling, New Testament, and theology and leadership and a bachelor’s degree from Bethany University.

“I am honored to be chosen for this position and to be able to join William Jessup University at this critical juncture for the university,” he said. “While I will be new to William Jessup, I have known the institution and people associated with it for many years and the university’s commitment to delivering high-quality, Christ-centered curriculum.”

William Jessup University offers a number of traditional undergraduate degree programs on its Rocklin campus as well as degree completion programs through its School of Professional Studies, which operates on its campuses in Rocklin and San Jose.

“Dr. Jameson’s experiences at Trinity Western University and Judson University have uniquely qualified him to lead our academic endeavors toward the God-size future we are already seeing and sensing,” Jackson said. “We will seize that future in order to become one of the premier Christ-centered higher education institutions in our country. I personally could not be more happy and expectant to welcome Dennis and Marlene Jameson to the WJU family.”

Disclosure: Disclosure: Jeffrey Weidel is a vice president of Halldin Public Relations in Roseville.

College makes EPIC leap to new, expanded campus

2011-08-10T21:00:28Z

On the heels of another record-setting year of increased enrollment, EPIC Bible College (formerly Trinity Life Bible College), has located to a new campus. EPIC will host a VIP and Media “Hard Hat” Tour and Reception on its new campus, 4330 Auburn Blvd., Thursday, August 11, 2011, 5:30-7:30 p.m. The new college campus is located just off of the Interstate 80 corridor and includes over 30,000 square feet of space—nearly four times the size of its former home off of Madison Avenue at Hillsdale Blvd.—with plenty of on site parking and “front door” access to public transportation.

EPIC’s early relocation came about as a result of the economic “perfect storm”—a withering local commercial real estate market, a wealth of reasonably priced property, and EPIC’s initial new campus grassroots fundraising campaign that exceeded all expectations. Ultimately, EPIC’s officials settled on the Auburn Boulevard location, previously owned by a local LLC.

The $2.3 million new campus project began January 1 earlier this year, with the launch of a 45 day fundraising campaign to raise nearly $390,000 for Phase I: the new campus down payment. Following the overwhelming success of Phase I, Phase II is currently underway and includes a $350,000 fundraising effort for additional building improvements—construction and expansion of new classroom and administrative facilities, installation of communication services and a new university-specific technology platform—the same system currently utilized by the University of Michigan.

EPIC Bible College begins construction inside its new campus this week, with plans for completion of both building improvements and Phase II fundraising within several weeks. In the meantime, donations of goods and services—including new furniture, computer systems, video monitors and equipment for the music labs and college library and resource center, continue to pour in—valued at over $250,000 and growing.

“The generosity of our students, alumni and community never ceases to amaze me,” stated Dr. Ronald Harden, DD, President, EPIC Bible College. “As a result, we are now putting together a group of contractors to produce a version of an ‘Extreme Makeover’ of our new college campus so that we can accelerate Phase II of our campaign that much quicker.”

EPIC’s new building improvements include: state-of-the-art classrooms designed to accommodate up to 35 students in each, music labs, computer labs, an expanded college library and resource center, student and faculty lounges, a new 1,800 square foot Chapel, EPIC Hall—special purpose space for community gatherings and graduations, wings of offices for college administration and faculty, and the EPIC Courtyard overlooking Arcade Creek, offering the entire campus community a peaceful place for meditation, study, meal and class breaks.

As EPIC Bible College settles into its new home, the administration will begin long range development and implementation of new programs—including online, graduate and doctoral degrees—a much desired addition to its current offering of two and four year degree programs.

Disclosure: Karen Bakula is President of Karen Bakula & Company, Inc., which manages public relations services for EPIC Bible College

Catherine Moulton brings design, management skills to Powerhouse Science Center team

2011-08-03T19:19:49Z

SACRAMENTO, CA. – Catherine Moulton has spent much of her professional career managing and advising on a variety of intricate design and construction projects, working for high profile companies like Walt Disney, Apple and NASA.

Moulton’s latest endeavor will be to help shape one of the region’s most engaging projects – the Powerhouse Science Center. Moulton will volunteer her services, joining Michele Wong and Warren Smith as chair people for the Powerhouse Science Center, a premier science learning center that will serve Northern California.

“I am inspired by all the talented, dedicated people who are collaborating to make the Powerhouse Science Center an outstanding educational facility. The Center will certainly be a tremendous asset for the entire Sacramento region,” Moulton said. “I look forward to helping transform this historic Sacramento landmark (PG&E Power Station B) into a cutting-edge educational center.”

The Center will cost an estimated $50 million and will become the new home for the 60-year old Discovery Museum Science & Space Center, which is currently located at 3615 Auburn Blvd. Residing on the scenic banks of the Sacramento River, the Powerhouse Science Center will function as a model for 21st-century experiential STEM education and environmental stewardship.

The complex will feature exhibits, a digital theater, planetarium, restaurant, merchandise shop, labs, classrooms and open park space. It will be utilized as a field trip destination for pre-kindergarten to 12th grade students from throughout the region.

A Sacramento resident, Moulton joins the Powerhouse effort at an ideal time. The Center is in the design phase for the facility and exhibits, and is scheduled to begin breaking ground this fall. The new facility, targeting completion in 2013, will create more than 300 jobs and help invigorate Sacramento’s riverfront area and open the space for more public usage.

Moulton has built a track record of leading multi-disciplinary teams to successfully complete large, complex projects. She has managed over $500 million in capital projects for Fortune 500 companies, government agencies and nonprofit clients.

During her nine years with Walt Disney Imagineering, Moulton led construction, show and ride installation, and testing for the first Tower of Terror attraction – constructed in a record-breaking 15 months. She also served as Senior Project Manager for Dinoland in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Dinoland is a 13-acre development containing a fossil preparation lab, themed exhibits, an outdoor theater, restaurants, a thrill ride, themed merchandise and an interactive playground.

Working as a consultant for NASA, Moulton led early concepts for a new visitor experience for NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. She also worked with a nonprofit community development group to create the initial concept for Naples Botanical Garden in Florida.

Moulton also played a major role in opening the first Apple store in the U.S. while working for the Apple Retail team.

“We are extremely excited to have Catherine chairing the design and construction efforts of the Powerhouse Science Center. Her involvement further solidifies that it will be a world-class facility,” Smith said. “Catherine brings an incredible background in turning ideas into high quality, functioning facilities and operations. We are at an exciting time with the building phase of the project about to begin. What makes it even more exciting is knowing that we have someone of Catherine’s caliber helping to lead our efforts.”

The Powerhouse Science Center has many key supporters, including Congresswoman Doris Matsui, Mayor Kevin Johnson, State Senator Darrell Steinberg, Assembly member Roger Dickinson, Sacramento City Council member Angelique Ashby, and numerous Sacramento-area businesses and organizations who have become Powerhouse Partners.

"Having someone with Catherine’s capabilities is very exciting news. Her contributions in both design and construction will allow Warren and me to focus on completing our fundraising efforts,” Wong said. “Catherine has an amazing background, and her experience with Disney, etc. will lend a great deal of credibility to the Powerhouse Science Center, and ensure that the project is high quality and will deliver great visitor experiences.”

Moulton has a bachelor’s degree in Construction Management from the University of Florida and has been certified as a general contractor with the State of Florida.

She is married to Richard Rich, the Development Director for Thomas Enterprises, Inc.

For more information on the Powerhouse Science Center, including how to become a Founding Partner, visit www.powerhousesciencecenter.org, email info@PowerhouseScienceCenter.org, or call 916 853-0343. Visit the Center on Twitter, Facebook and Flickr.

Editor's Note: Click here to view images of PG&E Power Station B, where the new Powerhouse Science Center will be constructed.

Disclosure: Jeffrey Weidel is a Vice President of Halldin Public Relations in Roseville.

Equality Action NOW Participates in County School Bullying Project

2011-08-03T18:09:38Z

Tuesday, Board Members of Equality Action NOW, Tina Reynolds, Executive Director; Benancio Garza, Youth Spokesperson; Angela Luna, Education Lead and Author of "In Celebration of Harvey Milk"; and Ken Pierce, Board President and Communications Director attended the Sacramento County Division of Behavioral Health Services and Office of Education's "Sacramento Countywide Bullying Prevention Project" (SC-SPP) workshop.

Under the direction of Pamela Robinson and Cheryl Raney of the Sacramento County Office of Education, the main purpose of the project is to "develop the capacity of (school) districts and their demonstration school sites to implement sustainable bullying prevention programs and strategies. This initial project of the countywide Student Mental Health and Wellness Plan will allow each district to focus on a school-based bullying prevention program, providing training for selected district personnel and demonstration site staff, and establish the infrastructure that will support expansion of bullying prevention efforts throughout the district and support future implementation of additional strategies that promote student mental health and provide early interventions for students and families who need them”.

The Sacramento County Student Mental Health and Wellness Plan is the result of two years’ work conducted by the Sacramento County Mental Health and Wellness Collaborative to develop a plan for promoting student mental health through school-based programs and strategies. The Collaborative developed from a partnership between the Sacramento County Division of Behavioral Health Services, (DBHS) and the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) and includes mental health professionals, educators, youth, parents/caregivers and other system partners collaborating to develop a common vision and desired results for the role of schools in creating a comprehensive countywide system of prevention and early intervention for the mental health of children from birth to high school completion.

A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Massachusetts Department of Public Health finds a strong link between bullying and mental health problems, family violence and drug and alcohol use.

Middle and high school students who are both bullies and victims of bullying are three times more likely than students who are nether to seriously consider suicide, intentionally injure themselves, report being abused by a family member, witness violence in their family, and use drugs and alcohol, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report.

“A comprehensive approach that encompasses school officials, students, and their families is needed to prevent bullying among middle and high school students,” the CDC concludes.

While the project will include a wide range of common issues such as students who are handicapped, students with learning disabilities and cultural and religious differences, leaders of Equality Action NOW will be working closely with the Sacramento County Office of Education to offer their expertise and provide youth and adult speakers on the bullying of lesbian, gay, bi, transgender, questioning, and intersex (LGBTQI) students.

For more information on this project contact Pamela Robinson at probinso@scoe.net or Ken Pierce at kpierce8272@yahoo.com.

Equality Action NOW Applauds Signing of the Ending of DADT

2011-07-23T02:20:27Z

Friday, members of the newly elected Board of Directors of Equality Action NOW announced their elation about the signing of the certification by President Obama that all branches of the U.S. Military are fully ready for the end of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and the long-standing policy of kicking perfectly good solders out of service just because of their sexual orientation.

Ken Pierce, Chairman of the Board of Directors sent this statement on behalf of Equality Action NOW. “Our organization has always led the way in speaking out about civil rights and the fair treatment of all. With the signing of this very important certificate LGBT people can now lift their heads high and be even more proud of serving our country. We know gays and lesbians have always served and died to keep us free and it is past time that they can do so without lying about themselves and who they love. In 60 days this country will be just a little closer to what our founding fathers intended us to become.”

“As a US Navy veteran and from a military family I can truly say that I am proud of President Obama's decision to sign to end the military ban on its members who may not be heterosexual. Vihil Heather Vigil, Vice-Chairperson went on the say, “I experienced the loss of too many friends and colleagues in the military, not from losing their lives on the battle field, but from losing their respect as a member of the military based on sexual orientation discrimination and receiving a dishonorable discharge. I wonder now will those individuals receive their honor?”

Board member Enrique E. Manjarrez exclaimed, “Today we have taken another step closer to full equality. As someone who knows personally the unfairness that DADT inflicted on the people who served our country bravely, I am glad to see that it has finally come to an end. I commend the pentagon, President Obama, and the men and women of the US Military for their embrace of social change, and the evolution of our backward policies. This is also an embodiment of the freedoms that the US military fight for on a daily basis to ensure justice and liberty for all people.”

Emily Bender, EAN Treasurer said, “We begin a 60-day countdown toward achieving equality in the treatment of our soldiers...those who have defended our country for decades. It is now our turn to stand up and defend them.”

As a mental health professional, Nicola Simmerbach said, “A big wrong in American history has been righted. LGBT service members can let us look them in the eye and say ‘thank you for your service to our country’. There are not "LGBT" or "straight" soldiers anymore; there are just Equal soldiers. We can't forget their spouses, however, who still need to receive the full equality all service spouses deserve.”

Concerning the recent signing of the FAIR Education Act, author of “In Celebration of Harvey Milk”, teacher and Equality Action NOW board member, Angela F. Luna wrote, “The burial of DADT has been long overdue. This heinous sort of discrimination toward LGBT military members who unselfishly serve our country is history. Thankfully, we will be able to teach that part of American history to students in public schools in order to ensure it never happens again."

Equality Action NOW Youth Spokesperson and member of the board, Benancio Garza (20) said, “Having a policy that dishonorably discharges gay men and lesbian women is just as bad as slavery, and the ‘old unequal’ women's rights. It also went against the First Amendment, of freedom of speech, and expression. I know there will be more youth who will consider military service now that they can serve openly.”

Tina Reynolds, co-founder and Executive Director of EAN wrote, "The long awaited repeal of antiquated thinking - thank you for doing the right thing, President Obama!"

For more information about Equality Action NOW, visit their website at: http://www.EqualityActionNOW.org.

University of Phoenix Supports Childhood Literacy with $5,000 Donation to Sacramento Boys & Girls Club

2011-07-13T23:49:53Z

University of Phoenix, the nation’s largest private university, announced that it has donated $100,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs across the country. Twenty local Boys & Girls Clubs have been recognized with a $5,000 grant to support projects that make a meaningful contribution to literacy. Sacramento Boys & Girls Club received $5,000.

According to research from the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2003, 22 percent of Americans aged 16 and older ranked as having below basic literacy, meaning they possessed the most simple literacy skills. Thirteen percent were categorized as above proficient, meaning they had the skills to perform complex and challenging literacy activities. The funds from University of Phoenix are aimed to help the next generation achieve higher literacy proficiency.

“Childhood literacy is an important step on the road to a life of education and achievement,” said University of Phoenix Sacramento Valley Campus Director, Scott Lewis. “We’re thrilled to support the Boys & Girls Club with their efforts to increase literacy in Sacramento’s children.”

“University of Phoenix has been an important partner of the Boys & Girls Club for years,” said Maureen Price, CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Sacramento. "We’re excited that they share our passion for expanding childhood literacy and we look forward to seeing the results this donation will have for our children.”

The grant in Sacramento was used in two parts. The first portion of the grant was used to buy school supplies for the Club’s literacy day. At this event, 30 volunteers from the University of Phoenix Sacramento Campus led kids through a variety of reading and language arts activities. The remainder of the grant went toward updating the Club’s reading rooms with wall art and rugs in order to create a more inviting environment for the children to read in.

This effort is a continuation of University of Phoenix’s ongoing commitment to the Boys & Girls Clubs. Since September 2010, University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix Foundation, together, have donated more than $700,000 and awarded 22 full-tuition scholarships to Boys & Girls Clubs, in addition to the $100,000 designated for this literacy initiative.

Disclosure: Justin Dyke is a public relations professional working for University of Phoenix.

Seth’s Law Under Suspension

2011-07-13T20:43:56Z

Monday, the California Assembly Appropriations Committee heard testimony concerning AB 9, otherwise known as Seth’s Law. Speaking for the anti-bullying law was its author, Assemblymember Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco), bill sponsors Matt Bunch, Equality California’s Government Affairs Manager and John Lovell of the California Police Chiefs Association.

AB 9 will work hand-in-hand with the 2008 Safe Place to Learn Act by requiring schools to adopt comprehensive polices prohibiting intimidation and bullying in their existing anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies; establishing a process for receiving and investigating complaints of intimidation and bullying; ensuring personnel are trained to recognized and must intervene in bullying; and creating an appeal process for decisions.

Assemblymember Ammiano stated that, “AB 9 is named after Seth Walsh who tragically took his own life (at 13 years old) after years of relentless harassment and bullying he experienced at his school in Tehachapi, CA. Seth’s mother and close friends reported that teachers and administrators were aware that Seth was being harassed and in some instances participated in the harassment. Yet, Seth’s mother’s pleas to the school for help were brushed aside.”

Ammiano continued, “Research shows that students that were harassed at school frequently suffer long-term social, emotional, and psychological harm.”

Matt Bunch speaking on behalf of Equality California focused on the immense financial savings school districts stand to make if this law was implemented.

Indeed, according to the California Healthy Kids Survey, 27% of students who reported harassment based on actual or perceived sexual orientation said they missed school at least one day during the past 30 because they “felt unsafe”.

109,000 school absences at the middle and high school levels in California are due to bullying based on actual or perceived sexual orientation. Many additional absences may be attributed to bullying based on other factors including actual or perceived gender identity or expression, race or ethnicity, disability, etc.

The cumulative loss to school districts in California was estimated by the Safe Schools Coalition to be, at a minimum, $39.9 million, annually. This is caused by a loss in Average Daily Attendance (ADA).

Additionally, there are a number of legal cases across the state which has been brought forward by students and their families after suffering harassment, discrimination, or bullying based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation. Most of those cases were settled with undisclosed financial settlements. Some of the disclosed financial settlements were hundreds of thousands of dollars or more.

John Lovell who spoke on behalf of the California Police Chief’s Association said that, “We’re in strong support of this bill. It’s about 50 years overdue. Left unattended, bullying can escalate into criminal activity which has its own set of cost increments. This is an important bill and we are in strong support of it.”

After the main statements of support several community members lined up to offer their own “me too” statements. Representatives from education, governmental, mental health, and parents of bullied youth as well as LGBT organizations including Equality Action NOW, a local Sacramento civil rights group urged the committee to move the bill to a vote and into law.

Senator Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego) who chairs the committee then asked for opposition to the bill from the public which there were none. She then asked a representative from the Finance Department to report on feasibility and was told the department does not recommend implementing this bill for budgetary reasons. Sen. Kehoe quickly suspended the bill for review.

Back in the office of Assemblymember Ammiano, Wendy Rae Hill, Senior Legislative Assistant to Ammiano explained that “they may be able to tweak the bill somewhat but they have already trimmed it to a point where any more trimming would greatly diminish its main purpose”.

Some schools are already ignoring the Safe Place to Learn Act and this bill will spell out steps to implement the law to include intimidation and bullying. It will also serve to inform students and parents of their rights. Parents especially often times don’t know what to do about their kids coming home depressed and distraught from being constantly harassed for whatever reason.

Hill said, “Far too many students continue today to experience severe discrimination and harassment with no meaningful protections from school officials.”

Seth’s Law will be kept in appropriations in the suspense file and will be there throughout the entire summer. It will come off of suspense around August 25th of this year and soon after should go to the floor of the State Senate for a vote.

The ESM Group and the Sacramento Kings team-up for Leadership Academy.

2011-07-07T16:26:37Z

SACRAMENTO, CA -- The ESM Group announced today a partnership with the NBA’s Sacramento Kings for the inaugural Kings Leadership Academy. The Academy gives 11th and 12th grade students the opportunity to get an insiders’ perspective on how a sports business is run and to become an active participant in this unique process. It will run from August 8th - 12th at Kings Headquarters in Sacramento.

“The Sacramento Kings have a long-standing history of giving back to the community and are excited to partner with The ESM Group for this unique opportunity” said Matina Kolokotronis, Kings President of Business Operations.

This interactive academy will afford students the chance to work with other students, hone their social, academic and communications skills, to see how an NBA Franchise is operated on a daily basis, hear and learn from members of the Sacramento Kings Management Team as well as the opportunity to work on a team project during the academy. “We are thrilled to offer the young people of our community the chance to develop their skills in this area by partnering with the Sacramento Kings on such a meaningful learning and growing experience,” said ESM Chief Communications Officer Ron Hyde.

The ESM Group has a long-standing reputation as a leader in the educational services industry. For years, ESM has been getting students into the right-fit college and helping them navigate the college admissions process.

For more information, cost of the program and to register for the Kings Leadership Academy, please visit: kings.esmleadership.com or kings.com

Disclosure: Ron Hyde is the Chief Communications Officer for The ESM Group and covered the Kings as a TV Anchor for 15 years with KCRA-TV Sacramento.

State Assembly Passes Fair Education Act

2011-07-06T20:13:56Z

Tuesday, the California State Assembly passed a bill that would require schools to fairly and accurately portray the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights movement and the historic contributions of the diverse LGBT community in social science instruction. The leadership of Equality Action NOW, a local grassroots civil rights organization is celebrating the 49 – 25 vote.

In an announcement, Tina Reynolds, co-founder of Equality Action NOW said, “When children are taught about the history of our involvement in humanity and how our achievements matter, we will all have better children. Thank you Senator Leno!”

The Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful (FAIR) Education Act (SB 48), authored by Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and sponsored by Equality California and Gay-Straight Alliance Network would also add sexual orientation and gender identity to the state’s existing anti-discrimination protections that prohibit bias in school activities, instruction and instructional materials.

“There are studies that have shown that inclusion of LGBT people in instructional materials is linked to lower rates of bullying,” said Benancio Garza, EAN’s Youth Spokesperson, “that along with strong anti-bullying laws should help kids like Lawrence King who was killed for being gay, have a better view of himself and others respect him for who he was.”

According to EQCA’s web site, “The FAIR Education Act will bring classroom instruction into alignment with existing non-discrimination laws in California and would add the LGBT community to the existing underrepresented cultural and ethnic groups, which are covered by current law related t inclusion in textbooks and other instructional materials in schools."

EAN Education Lead, teacher, and author of the first school workbook about Harvey Milk, Angela F. Luna exclaimed, “"This legislation sends the critical message that equity and accuracy are essential components of excellence in public education and the LGBT perspective in history and the social sciences is equal to that of any other group. This legislation will literally save lives as it validates LGBT youth as well as LGBT educators across California."

“We are selectively censoring history when we exclude LGBT Americans, or any other group of people, from our textbooks and instructional materials,” said Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco). “We can’t tell our youth that it’s OK to be yourself and expect them to treat their peers with dignity and respect when we deliberately deny them accurate information about the historical contributions of Americans who happened to be LGBT.”

The bill now heads to the Governor Jerry Brown’s desk.

Stuart Little Comes To The Salvation Army

2011-06-29T22:55:03Z

Today, the kids from The Salvation Army’s day care and summer day camp programs had a chance to see Stuart Little. Not the movie, but an actual live production, performed by the American River College Theatre Arts Department.

The performance took place at the Salvation Army’s Oak Park campus.

“It’s great that we can bring this to a warm and friendly environment,” said Tracy Martin Shearer, director of the play. “That’s the thing about the arts; it brings joy, entertainment, education and excitement. We often find that more than half of children watching had not seen a play until our performance."

The latest presentation was part of the theatre arts department’s “Children’s Theatre Tour” in which the performers (consisted of nine American River students) take the show to a local elementary school and education program. Most times, the schools are charged a small fee for the performance, but Shearer wanted to do something different for The Salvation Army.

“We wanted to donate the show for the kids this morning,” Shearer said. “It looks like The Salvation Army is doing a great thing for the neighborhood and for the children involved."

The 50-minute play of the classic E.B. White children’s novel was not your typical show. It was very interactive. Some of the children in attendance were asked to participate on stage or interact with the characters during the play.

“This was a great way to expose our children to the arts and for them to see a live theatre production,” said Sonja Stires, Salvation Army’s Director of Programs for the Oak Park campus.

The ARC students will continue performing “Stuart Little” at least four more times in July at the Fair Oaks Community Clubhouse. All of those performances are open to the public.

Syd Fong is the director of public relations for The Salvation Army-Sacramento County Operations. For more information about The Salvation Army in Sacramento, log onto www.salarmysacto.org. For more information about the Stuart Little live show, you can call (916) 224-7947.

Drexel University awards 108 diplomas at inaugural Sacramento commencement ceremony

2011-06-27T21:40:56Z

SACRAMENTO (June 27, 2011) – Drexel University awarded 108 master’s level diplomas on Saturday, June 25, at its first commencement for the university’s Center for Graduate Studies in Sacramento.

Sacramento’s historic Crocker Art Museum played host for the this historic event – the first group of Drexel students in Sacramento to graduate and the first commencement ceremony outside of Philadelphia in the university’s 120-year history.

The commencement included students who enrolled in Drexel master’s degree programs in 2009. To date, Drexel has enrolled 424 students in its doctoral, master’s, and post-baccalaureate programs in Sacramento since opening its Center for Graduate Studies in January 2009.

More than 700 people, including graduating students, their families and friends, Drexel alumni, Sacramento faculty, and senior staff members, came together to celebrate the commencement and subsequent reception at the Crocker Art Museum.

“Two and a half years ago, Drexel University embarked on an innovative program to provide high-quality advanced degrees to working professionals in Northern California,” said Carl "Tobey" Oxholm III, Senior Vice President of Drexel and the inaugural Dean of its Center for Graduate Studies. “These first graduates joined us, willing to be a part of creating something new for Drexel University, new for this community, and at the cutting edge in higher education. They embraced that opportunity and distinguished themselves as entrepreneurs and future leaders of Northern California.”

Michael Kieschnick, co-founder, president and chief executive officer of CREDO/Working Assets, delivered the keynote address at the commencement. He also was presented with an honorary doctorate of humane letters for his lifetime commitment to civic engagement and social justice. Kieschnick praised Drexel for successfully offering both a high-tech teaching and research environment, and mentoring students on how to actively engage with the community.

Steven Pon was among those first students who began classes in January 2009. Pon, who earned his MBA while working as an IT Project Manager with PASCO, was elected President of the new Graduate Center Alumni Council. He said he achieved much more than he expected from his Drexel experience.

“A Drexel education is so much more than textbooks and exams. Regardless of what area of study, Drexel students gain a new perspective on leadership,” Pon said. “Drexel provides its students with the understanding, encouragement, and connections that we need to get involved in the community and to step into leadership roles. I have gained some valuable additions to my leadership experience. These tools are applicable today and they will be a tremendous help to me in the future.”

Drexel University is a nationally top-ranked, comprehensive, private, not-for profit university, which was founded in Philadelphia in 1891. Drexel’s Center for Graduate Studies is known as one of Northern California's most high-tech educational facilities. In its state-of-the-art classrooms, Drexel teaches six master's, one doctorate and one post-baccalaureate program, that are designed for working professionals, in the fields of entrepreneurial business, higher education, knowledge management and health science. It will award master’s degrees in business administration, human resource development, higher education, nurse education, nurse leadership, information systems and library and information science. It is starting two new master’s programs this fall: Masters in Finance and Master of Medical Science. More information on Drexel's graduate programs in California can be found at www.drexel.edu/sacramento or by calling 916-325-4600.

Disclosure: Jeffrey Weidel is Vice President of Halldin Public Relations in Roseville

Grand Opening For New Salvation Army Education Facility in Oak Park

2011-06-23T00:14:06Z

After nine months of construction, The Salvation Army opened the doors to its new Child Development Center in Oak Park today.

The education facility is two stories high and nearly 14,000 sq ft, and it is the home for The Army’s day care and after-school programs.

“To see this come into reality is incredible,” said David Bentley, Salvation Army Sacramento County Coordinator. “We have a new education building that can make a real impact for many families in our area.”

The Child Development Center replaces an old 2,400 sq ft modular building that used to house the day care program for 24 years. A capital campaign was started in 2008 to raise the necessary funds for the construction of a new facility.

“It was not the best time for a capital campaign three years ago,” Bentley said. “But we needed to move forward because of the need in the community. We were very blessed that so many stepped up and assisted us with this project.”

In all, the construction cost $3 million.

The more spacious facility allows The Salvation Army the opportunity for expansion in both education programs. According to Salvation Army officials, the plans are to double the day care and after-school capacity.

“I’m really excited about the possibilities,” said Isa Losè, a mother of two children in the after-school program. “There’s just more room for the kids and more tools for them to learn.”

Since the start of the construction, the day care and after-school programs have been operating within The Salvation Army Community Center. The students will transition into the new building by the first week of July.

Disclosure: Syd Fong is the Public Relations Director at The Salvation Army Del Oro Division, Sacramento County Operations.

Telecom Innovator Michael Kieschnick to receive honorary degree at Drexel’s first commencement in Sacramento

2011-06-01T17:15:15Z

SACRAMENTO– Drexel University has announced that Michael Kieschnick, co-founder, president and chief executive officer of CREDO/Working Assets, will deliver the keynote address at the commencement ceremony Drexel will hold at the Crocker Art Museum on Saturday, June 25.

Kieschnick will be presented with an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters for his lifetime commitment to civic engagement and social justice. The event marks the first commencement ceremony ever held outside of Philadelphia in Drexel’s 120 year history.

The commencement is being held in Sacramento because Drexel opened its Center for Graduate Studies there in January 2009. The June 25 commencement will include students who enrolled in Drexel University Master’s degree programs in Sacramento in January and September of 2009. More than 100 students are eligible to participate in the ceremony.

“I have known Michael for 35 years and am awed by his ingenuity, global perspective and commitment to community,” said Carl “Tobey” Oxholm III, senior vice president and dean of the Graduate Center. “If personal wealth had been his object, he would be among the nation’s most affluent; instead, he has not just been successful in business, but consistently has focused on social justice and been passionate about his family. That is why he is the perfect role model for our students, who are our society’s next generation of leaders.”

Kieschnick teaches a course on microfinance at Stanford University, and previously taught a graduate seminar on financial innovation at the University of California, Berkeley. He holds a Doctorate of Philosophy degree in public policy from Harvard University, and earned Bachelor’s degrees in biology and economics at Stanford University. He serves as a board member for several nonprofit organizations, including the League of Conservation Voters, the One PacificCoast Foundation and the Beatitudes Society. In his spare time, he helps run the Secretary of State Project, which works to elect reform candidates to the position of chief election officer at the state level around the country.

“I am honored to receive this recognition from one of the nation’s preeminent private universities, and one that has managed successfully to offer both a high-tech teaching and research environment and active engagement with its community,” Kieschnick said. “Drexel has replicated both at its Graduate Center in Sacramento in just over two years of operation – a great innovation in higher education generally, at a time when California needs such creativity.”

Headquartered in San Francisco, CREDO/Working Assets is a telecommunications company that is dedicated to changing the world through progressive philanthropy and political activism. Since its founding, Working Assets has donated over $65 million to nonprofit organizations working for civil rights, economic and social justice, voting rights, peace, international freedom and the environment. Its members have contacted selected decision makers by phone, email and letters more than 32 million times, pressing for political change. During the last seven years, the company has helped more than four million Americans register to vote.

Drexel University is a nationally top ranked, comprehensive, private, not-for-profit university, which was founded in Philadelphia in 1891. Drexel’s Center for Graduate Studies is known as one of Northern California's most high-tech educational facilities. In its state-of-the-art classrooms, Drexel teaches six Master's, one Doctorate and one post-Baccalaureate program, all designed for working professionals in the fields of entrepreneurial business, higher education, knowledge management and health science. It will award Master’s degrees in business administration, human resource development, higher education, nurse education, nurse leadership, information systems and library and information science. It is starting two new Master’s programs this fall: Master’s in Finance and Master of Medical Science.

More information on Drexel's graduate programs in California can be found at www.drexel.edu/sacramento or by calling 916-325-4600.

Disclosure: Jeffrey Weidel is a Vice President of Halldin Public Relations in Roseville.

Beyond the Bake Sale

2011-05-27T08:31:54Z

Each year, parents are asked to bake cupcakes; sell wrapping paper, sees candies,magazines, cookie dough, and entertainment books, and all for the one thing our State undervalues most - public education. With education funding in California challenging other States for the lowest of the low, parents are forced to reach into their wallets, again and again and again to support their child's school. At its inception, Westlake Charter School decided that it would forego the frequent traditional small fundraisers in exchange for three large fundraisers; a golf tournament, student olympics, and ...well that has been the problem... that third large fundraiser. No matter what we did, we never made as much as the other fundraisers, and we found the parents to be burnt out and ready for school to end. We realized that if we wanted to fundraise effectively, we would need to create an event for the entire City to enjoy.

With that goal in mind, we axed the bake sale, added alcoholic beverages, rented a City Park, and found a famous band. The School's out For Summer Fest is born! This year, Westlake Charter School is hoping to entertain the City and support the success of its School, by throwing an all day music festival with 10 local bands competing "battle of the bands" style followed by a performance by headlining band, Alien Ant Farm. The local bands will compete by selling the most tickets to the event and receiving votes at the event -- the winning band will receive $3000!

On June 11th, Westlake Charter School is hoping that 5,000 attendees will join them from noon-10 p.m. at the Soutside Park Amphitheater (at 6th & U) for music, food, beverages (alcoholic and non), kids activities, merchandise vendors, and hopefully some sunshine! Parking is available in the Farmer's Market lots and SABA will be providing bike valet services at the event.

Westlake Charter School, is a California public school and non-profit public benefit corporation. A 10/10 ranked school, Westlake Charter School offers grades K-6 (growing to K-8 by 2014) and is in the Natomas Unified School District. The money raised in this fundraiser will support the maintenance of those things that make the School unique, small class size, Spanish language, art, and international themes. For more information, check out http://www.schoolsoutforsummerfest.com. Submitted by a parent at Westlake Charter School, Lisa Corr.

Law professor speaks out on ‘The New Jim Crow’

2011-05-27T05:19:39Z

Law professor Michelle Alexander, author of "The New Jim Crow," spoke to a standing-room-only crowd of over 200 people at the Women’s Civic Improvement Center in Oak Park on Wednesday. The event was sponsored by a variety of local organizations, including the local chapter of All of Us or None, A Project of Legal Services for Prisoners with Children.

The crowd was virtually mesmerized by the fascinating statistics about the devastating effects of the “War on Drugs,” along with the explanations of important details from relevant rulings from U.S. Supreme Court cases that drove home nearly every point made by Alexander’s seemingly encyclopedic recitation from memory.

Although Alexander read brief excerpts from her book, her presentation — which was made mostly without notes and delivered from the heart — mirrored the thesis of her newly published work. Namely, that the nation’s criminal justice system is designed to create a new caste system, akin to former Jim Crow laws, that is on its face colorblind but in reality disproportionately affects poor people and people of color, especially young black males.

Alexander postulates convincingly that felony convictions for relatively minor drug offenses are now used against so-called “ex-offenders” to label them as criminals. That label carries with it the stigma of a lifetime badge of shame and dishonor. The result is that there is now in existence a virtual explosion of the numbers in the burgeoning permanent underclass of mostly men of color who are excluded from most opportunities for education, employment, housing and public assistance that are required to even have a glimmer of hope to escape a revolving-door prison system.

Former Sacramento City Attorney Sam Jackson had the honor of introducing Alexander to the audience. Alexander’s message was met with an enthusiastic response from the crowd, which was sprinkled with grassroots organizers, religious leaders and a variety of well known community activists.

“Michelle Alexander’s book and speech here tonight has clearly and concisely articulated the genesis of the next human rights movement,” said Keith J. Staten, a local criminal defense attorney.

Alexander’s message was far more than what might be expected from an author conducting a typical book-signing tour. She contends that the current crisis in the criminal justice system was not the result of fortuitous events, but it was instead created from a calculated design and perpetuated from the highest levels of policy-making in this country, including both major political parties and the U.S. Supreme Court.

She articulated her reasons for researching and writing the book as the next logical step once she came to realize what was occurring in this county during her years working in the field of civil rights litigation and advocacy.

Alexander indicated that she was especially happy to be back in Northern California during the week the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that California’s prison system was unconstitutionally overcrowded and its population must be reduced by some 37,000 prisoners.

She continued that the election of President Barack Obama proves that even if a nice guy is elected to lead the country, no one person can change a system that is fundamentally flawed.

Dr. Vaja Watson, who serves as the director of research and policy for equity for the Cress Center at the UC Davis School of Education couldn’t have agree more.

“It’s been a long time coming,” she said. “Now that we have the facts in front of us, we need to shut the system down. We are living in a new slave state.”

Alexander currently holds a joint professorship at the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity. Alexander earned a law degree from Stanford University and held a prestigious clerkship with former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun. Her prior accomplishments include extensive experience in the field of civil rights advocacy and litigation, including a term of service as the director of the Racial Justice Project for the ACLU of Northern California.

“(Alexander’s book and tour) is a wake-up call for communities across the county to work to ensure that those coming home from prison will have a reasonable opportunity to heal and become productive members of society, especially in light of the current difficult economic times,” community activist Tim Boyd said.

The evening concluded with a brief but lively question-and-answer session whereby Alexander demonstrated her command of a wide range of subjects, from concerns about zero-tolerance policies practiced at local school districts to articulating how to begin implementing the call to action she communicated to the audience and that is described in detail in the final chapter of her book.

Judging by the number of individuals who lined up to have their newly purchased copy of the book signed, Alexander is much more than a newly minted successful author. She is a force to be reckoned with as legal scholar and an accomplished visionary who is an articulate and powerful voice for change.

EQCA Awards LGBT Caucus and PowerPac

2011-05-19T16:38:08Z

The award program Monday evening, May 16 was short and sweet but the importance of the gathering outweighed the brief ceremony. Equality California (EQCA) held their annual awards presentation at the beautiful Citizen Hotel. In attendance was a who’s who of LGBT and governmental officials.

EQCA founded in 1998, works to achieve equality and secure legal protections for LGBT people. Their stated purpose is to help improve the lives of LGBT Californians. The organization sponsors legislation and coordinates efforts to ensure its passage, lobbies legislators and other policy makers, build coalitions, develops community strength and empowers individuals and other organizations to engage in the political process.

Something the organization is most focused on is writing and advancing legislation that directly affects the lives of LGBT citizens, and this year it is especially geared to our youth. Bills such as the “Fair Education Act”, “Equality and Equal Access in Higher Education”, and “Seth’s Law” which will tighten up anti-bullying polices in schools are receiving a geat deal of attention, mainly by anti-gay groups such as SaveCalifornia.

All-in-all this year there are twelve bills and one resolution EQCA will have something to do with getting to a vote and hopefully made into law - at least here in California.

Monday evening EQCA and their supporters gathered to recognize two major players in the legislative process. First the organization recognized PowerPac.

PowerPAC is a nonprofit advocacy and political organization. The organization was created to champion democracy and social justice in states and communities across the country. They direct financial and human resources to strategic local and state legislative fights, ballot initiatives, and other campaigns by organizing donors who are committed to social justice politics. They identify priority areas for investment and help donors achieve maximum political impact with their political giving.

The second award went to the entire California LGBT Legislative Caucus. The Caucus was formed originally in June 2002. Its role is to present a forum for the California Legislature to discuss issues that affect LGBT Californians and to further the goal of equality and justice for all Californians. Formation of the LGBT Caucus made California the first state in the country to recognize an official caucus of openly-LGBT state legislators.

The LGBT Legislative Caucus had grown each year and this term has seen the largest number yet. The seven members include Assembly Speaker, John A. Perez; Senator Christine Kehoe (Chair); Senator Mark Leno; Assemblymember Tom Ammiano; Assemblymember Toni Atkins; Assemblymember Richard S. Gordon; and Assemblymember Ricardo Lara.

It is through the collaborative efforts of organizations such as EQCA, PowerPac, and of course openly out LGBT legislators and their allies that full equality and civil rights will become a reality for hundreds of thousands of LGBT citizens. It is up to those same LGBT citizens and their allies to elect more gay government officials and openly back the bills that affect them.

Well-Known Sacramento Broadcaster Eric Hogue to Join William Jessup University as Vice President of Advancement

2011-05-18T21:38:39Z

ROCKLIN, Calif. – William Jessup University announced today that Eric Hogue, a longtime Sacramento area talk show host and radio commentator, will join the university as its Vice President of Advancement. Hogue will begin his new role effective June 1.

Hogue has been a supporter of the university, the Greater Sacramento region’s only private residential university, since it relocated from San Jose in 2004.

“We look forward to Eric joining our executive administration team,” said Dr. John Jackson, William Jessup University’s president. “He will be instrumental as he continues to build our marketing and communications programs as well as foster existing and new relationships in the community that are vital to the continued growth of our institution.”

Hogue, who has worked for Salem Communications radio stations in the Sacramento region since 2000, was KTKZ-AM’s first Program Director and morning talk host.

Hogue, who resides in Roseville with his family, has hosted successful talk shows on Salem’s News/Talk 1380 KTKZ and Christian/Talk 710 KFIA.

He has been a frequent guest host for Salem Radio Network’s national commentators, including Bill Bennett, Michael Medved, Dennis Prager, Mike Gallagher and Hugh Hewitt. He is also a guest opinion columnist for the Sacramento Bee.

“Those that have listened to me over the past 11 years know that, as a marketplace Christian, I am committed to excellence in life, civic leadership and quality, higher education – for that end, there is none better than William Jessup University,” Hogue explained. “I am honored and excited as I begin this new and enriching chapter in my life.”

Hogue will oversee the University’s Advancement program; administering and managing all development and fundraising, alumni affairs and donor, media, church and community relations.

While he will be leaving his morning show on KTKZ, Hogue will continue to host his popular one-hour daily program – “The Capitol Hour” – that airs weekdays at noon.

“I am motivated by achievement….and relevant, creative growth; I also love building for the future. To stay on the air with 1380 KTKZ while joining WJU is a once in a life time opportunity,” said Hogue.

About William Jessup University
Founded in 1939 by William Jessup, the University moved to Rocklin, California, in August 2004. WJU is the first and only WASC accredited private, four-year university to have its main campus located in the greater Sacramento area, offering degrees in many different disciplines including Business Administration, Family & Children’s Ministry, English, History, Intercultural Studies, Liberal Studies (Teacher Education), Music, Pastoral Ministry, Psychology, Public Policy and Youth Ministry. Anticipated majors include fields in the humanities and science. WJU also offers a School of Professional Studies (SPS) at its campuses in Rocklin and San Jose. Program concentrations in Rocklin include Business Administration, Counseling Psychology and a Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Credential Program. In San Jose, concentrations are offered in Business Administration, Counseling Psychology and Christian Leadership. For more information, please visit www.jessup.edu or call (916) 577-2200.

Disclosure: Jeffrey Weidel is the Vice President of Halldin Public Relations in Roseville.

Congresswoman Matsui Announces Over $500,000 for Sacramento YouthBuild Program

2011-05-17T20:56:47Z

Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento) announced that the Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps (SRCC) has been awarded a Department of Labor competitive grant of $542,502 to support their YouthBuild program. This is in addition to the $1 million in federal funding SRCC received in June 2009 for their YouthBuild program; a three year grant that ends in 2012.

“YouthBuild helps young people in Sacramento gain both the academic and work skills they need to succeed,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “By providing valuable job training skills and a modest stipend, the Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps is literally helping our youth build a better life, brick by brick, project by project.”

YouthBuild is a job training program that provides unemployed and undereducated young adults with the opportunity to complete a GED or a High School Diploma while learning job skills in the field of construction. YouthBuild participants alternate between a week of general education academics and a week of building affordable housing in their community for first time low-income home owners. Students are trained on facility maintenance, plumbing, electrical and more, and are required to work toward their GED and perform over 48 hours of community service. Sacramento’s YouthBuild has already served over 65 students in their building maintenance program.

Dwight Washabaugh, Executive Director of the Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps, said, “The Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps (SRCC) is proud to have been selected for a Department of Labor 2011 Youthbuild grant. This grant will enable the SRCC to provide job training in the construction and building maintenance field to some two dozen young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 years of age who have dropped out of high school. The job training will be coupled with academic education at the SRCC’s campus of the John Muir Charter High School, which will provide each participant the opportunity to complete their high school diploma requirements.”

This grant is part of $75,848,000 in additional funding from the Department of Labor for YouthBuild programs to provide education and training to young people across the United States. The Labor Department has administered YouthBuild since 2006, awarding its first grants in 2007. In that time, more than 16,000 young people have participated in programs in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands. YouthBuild participants include individuals who have been in the juvenile justice system, youth aging out of foster care, high school dropouts and others. In addition to receiving academic and occupational skills training, young people develop leadership skills and participate in community service opportunities. The Labor Department held a competition for applications in fall 2010. A first round of awards were announced in March 2011, and an additional 74 grantees were announced today.

To learn more about Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps and for application information, please click here.

Rebirth of Marshall School in Midtown

2011-05-10T19:14:41Z

“Well you roll on roads over fresh green grass. For your lorry loads pumping petrol gas. And you make them long, and you make them tough. But they just go on and on, and it seems that you can’t get off…

Well you’ve cracked the sky, scrapers fill the air. But will you keep on building higher til there’s no more room up there? …

I know we’ve come a long way, Were changing day to day, But tell me, where do the children play?”

Cat Stevens

In the rush to make Sacramento a big city we seem to concentrate on the expanding bars, restaurants, basketball arena, high rises, and other superficial aspects of a big city. We forget that key components to a successful revitalized city are the children and good schools.

A major step to bringing good schools back to downtown occurred last Saturday at Old Marshall School at 28th and G Streets. The California Montessori Project, Capitol Campus, a public charter grade school, had a ceremonial march of over 250 students, parents and neighbors from their old leased space at Pioneer Congregational Church at 28th and L Streets to their new home at Historic Marshall School at 28th and G Streets.

Marshall School, built in 1903 and designed by Rudolph Harold, a locally prominent architect who designed City Hall, was used as a grade school until 1976. In the 1960s and 70s, the great exodus of families from the central city led to the conversion of Marshall School into an adult school. Gradually, as pioneer restoration people began to return to the central city in the 1980s with their families, changing attitudes about living in Midtown, Metro Square and other housing developments began to set the foundation for bringing the school back to Midtown.

On August 17, Old Marshall Adult School will be reborn again into a quality grade school, renamed to California Montessori Project, Capitol Campus at Historic Marshall. This historic moment is brought into perspective if we consider that the establishment of a public grade school in the central city is the first in 70 years.

Let’s take this opportunity in the economic recession to reestablish our priorities and make sure we make room for children in our city’s growth. If we ignore this critical element we will fail.

Editor's note: This article was temporarily removed and reposted again. All reposted articles appear at the top of the story feed.

Equality Action Now Hosts 2nd Harvey Milk Day

2011-05-09T03:41:45Z

Equality Action NOW, Sacramento’s leading grassroots civil rights organization is hosting the 2nd Annual Harvey Milk Day event at the beautiful Crocker Art Museum (216 O Street, Sacramento, CA), Sunday, May 22, 2011. A special VIP reception will be held from 5 -6:30pm. VIP Tickets are $50 per person.

Beginning at 6:30pm there will be a short presentation in the auditorium, a performance by Spoken Word Artist Jovi Radtke, then the award-winning documentary; The Times of Harvey Milk will be shown. The film is educational and is appropriate for all ages. Tickets for the film-only will be $15.

Reserve your tickets online at www.EqualityActionNOW.org.

Funds raised at this event will be used towards scholarships for Midwest Academy of Social Activism Training.

Harvey Milk Bio –

Harvey Bernard Milk (May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978) was a highly controversial and revered politician who became the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

Early in his life, politics and gay activism were not an interest of his. Only after his experience in military service, in the theatre, business, and in the counterculture of the 1960’s at around the age of 40 did he begin to participate in civic matters or was even open about his sexuality.

Milk moved from New York City to settle in San Francisco in 1972 during a migration of gay men to the Castro District. He took advantage of the growing political and economic power of the neighborhood and ran unsuccessfully for political office three times.

Because Milk was very theatrical in his campaigning and he showed that he was not a one-issue candidate, he increasingly became popular. Finally he won a seat as city supervisor repersenting the Castro District in 1977.

Milk served 11 months in office and was responsible for passing a groundbreaking and stringent gay rights ordinance for the city.

On November 27, 1978, Dan White, another city supervisor who had recently resigned but wanted his job back, assassinated Harvey Milk and then Mayor George Moscone in their offices at City Hall.

Despite his short career in politics, today Milk is an icon in San Francisco and a hero to hundreds of thousands of lesbian, gay, bi, and transgender people throughout the nation, and the world.

While Milk’s election to public office made him a trail-blazer to many who came after him, it was what he stood for that continues to serve as a beacon of light, courage, and inspiration to so many and a thorn in the side of those who are vocal against gay and civil rights.

When the older citizens of his district were being mistreated, he stood up for them. When big business took advantage of the common worker, he stood with the unions. When a witch-hunt ensued on gay teachers, he went toe-to-toe with the Anita Bryant’s of the world and stood up publicly to protect their civil rights.

And when a young student told him that he had a new outlook on life because of what he had accomplished, Harvey Milk issued one of his most-used quote to let others know that one of the most important things we can give to LGBTQ youth is, “You’ve gotta give them hope!”

Milk was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.

Harvey Milk Day History–

On October 12, 2009, Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the highly controversial bill (S.B. 572) establishing “Harvey Milk Day” to take place each May 22nd, Milk’s birthday. Last year, Equality Action Now hosted one of the first Harvey Milk Day events, which included the screening of the movie, Milk and a rally at the California State Capitol.

Harvey Milk Day events continue to grow worldwide. There is even a nation-wide push to issue a special Harvey Milk postage stamp.

One of the main reasons for Harvey Milk Day is to educate young people about the life and importance Milk still has in the fight for civil rights and about treating each other with respect. Equality Action NOW hopes students, parents, and teachers will join them on Harvey Milk’s birthday to celebrate his life and legacy.

Harvey Milk Day Resource Information –

1. BOOK – "The Mayor of Castro Street" by Randy Shilts - 1982 – St. Martin’s Press, New York
2. CHILDREN’S BOOK – "The Harvey Milk Story" by Kari Krakow (Author) and David Gardner (Arthur/Illustrator)
3. NEW STUDENT’S WORKBOOK – "In Celebration of Harvey Milk" by Angela F. Luna (Sacramento teacher and Equality Action Now member) – January 2011 – Self-published AuthorHouse.com.
4. MOVIE – MILK – 2008 - Directed by Gus Van Sant, Written by Dustin Lance Black, Starring Sean Penn.
5. DOCUMENTARY FILM – The Times of Harvey Milk – 1984 – Directed by Rob Ebstein.
6. WEB – A Photo History of Harvey Milk – by Strange de Jim with photos by Daniel Nicoletta – http://www.strangebillions.com/harvey/

Rotary Club of Sacramento’s "Bids for Kids" Event on May 14; Will Benefit Powerhouse Science Center

2011-04-28T18:48:01Z

The Powerhouse Science Center has been selected as the recipient for the Rotary Club of Sacramento’s 27th annual “Bids for Kids” charity event on Saturday, May 14.

This elegant evening of fine food and drink will be held at Sacramento’s Discovery Museum Science & Space Center. The night will include silent and live auctions, with a variety of donations that range from exotic vacation getaways, premium wines, restaurant gift cards, theatre and sporting event tickets, and much more.

All proceeds from “Bids for Kids” will go toward building the Powerhouse Science Center, which will be located on the scenic banks of the Sacramento River. The Center will cost an estimated $50 million and has nearly completed its pre-construction phase. The 60-year old Discovery Museum Science & Space Center at 3615 Auburn Blvd., is scheduled to move from its current location and become the Powerhouse Science Center in 2013.

Marianne McClary, morning TV anchor on “Good Day Sacramento” for more than 16 years, will be the host of “Bids for Kids,” which includes a cocktail hour and dinner. The silent auction and cocktails begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m., and a live auction at 8 p.m. Complimentary valet parking will be provided.

“Thanks to the generosity of the Rotary Club of Sacramento, we’re really looking forward to hosting an elegant community event that will benefit a great cause,” said Michele Wong, Interim Executive Director for the Powerhouse Science Center. “It’s a fun evening with great food and wine, and will give our guests a wonderful opportunity to showcase the many interactive ways we plan to help educate students about science.”

An unprecedented event for guests, the Discovery Museum will showcase its new interactive science center’s Space Quest! Exhibit and the recently opened Robotics Lab, which will be part of the Powerhouse Science Center when it opens in 2013.

Guests can visit the Solar System, explore the lightning and plasma ball displays, or view the historic artifacts from past NASA missions that have changed they way we view the universe today.

In the robotics lab, attendees can learn about robot programming by constructing and racing against other team’s robots.

Tickets cost $125 each and are available along with sponsorship opportunities. To support the event through sponsorship, please email Peter Wilson at Peter.Willson@synergex.com.

For more information on the Powerhouse Science Center, including how to become a Founding Partner, visit www.powerhousesciencecenter.org, email info@PowerhouseScienceCenter.org, or call 916 853-0343. Visit the Center on Twitter, Facebook and Flickr.

Disclosure: Jeffrey Weidel is Vice President of Halldin Public Relations in Roseville

Drexel University to hold first Sacramento commencement at Crocker Art Museum on June 25

2011-04-25T16:38:57Z

Drexel University announced today that it will hold its first commencement ceremony outside of Philadelphia in its 120-year history at one of Sacramento’s oldest, newest and finest landmarks, the Crocker Art Museum.

The June 25 commencement will include students who enrolled in Drexel master’s degree programs in January and September 2009. More than 100 graduate students are expected to be eligible to participate in the ceremony. Drexel has enrolled 424 students in its doctoral and master’s programs since opening its Center for Graduate Studies in Sacramento in January 2009.

“The Crocker is the perfect location for us,” said Carl "Tobey" Oxholm III, senior vice president of Drexel and dean of the Center for Graduate Studies. “Not only has it set a standard for excellence in art in the Sacramento area for more than 125 years, as Drexel has in education for our 120 years, but our two organizations are cutting-edge in all that we are doing today. The Crocker is a symbol of the world-class city that Sacramento is on its way to becoming. Drexel is very proud to be part of that trajectory.”

Drexel and the Crocker have partnered on a number of projects since Drexel opened in Sacramento, including the Crocker hosting a student from the university’s undergraduate program in Philadelphia as part of Drexel’s cooperative education program and a reunion of graduates of its Arts Therapy master’s program, who convened as part of a national conference in Sacramento.

“In little more than two years, Drexel University has made a great impact on our community,” said Lial A. Jones, Mort and Marcy Friedman Director of the Crocker Art Museum. “It has demonstrated an enormous commitment to community service and is an active supporter of the arts and other non-profit organizations. The Crocker is delighted to serve as the location for Drexel’s historic first Commencement outside Philadelphia.”

More information on Drexel's graduate programs in California can be found at drexel.edu/sacramento or by calling (916) 325-4600.

The Crocker Art Museum was one of the first art museums in the United States and is now one of the leading art institutions in California. Established in 1885, the museum features one of the country’s finest collections of Californian art, exceptional holdings of master drawings, a comprehensive collection of international ceramics, as well as European, Asian, African and Oceanic art.

The Crocker is located at 216 O St. in downtown Sacramento. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursdays, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Every Third Sunday of the month is "Pay What You Wish Sunday," sponsored by Bank of America. For more information, call 808-7000 or visit crockerartmuseum.org.

Disclosure: Jeffrey Weidel is a Vice President of Halldin Public Relations in Roseville.

Man on the street: "there ought to be a law..."

2011-04-21T21:22:44Z

Everyone has thoughts and opinions about the laws we abide by. The Sacramento Press hit the streets recently and asked random people what law they thought should exist in Sacramento.

Edward Nelson, 22, who is a musician and writer, said he thought there should be a law for stricter education standards.

“There ought to be a law for standards in education that states that teachers who aren’t turning out students at a specific level at the end of each year have to go retest for their teacher’s license again,” Nelson said.

“I hear so many stories about teachers trying to go on strike and form new unions to get them more money. My initial response to that is after seeing so many students that are in college and higher education who can’t even put an essay together, maybe you should turn out more students that can actually read, or spell the name of the college they’re applying to correctly on their application before we decide to give them more money.”

Matías Antonio Bombal, 43, master of ceremonies in stage/screen/radio/television, said he would create a law that required people to act more humanely.

“There ought to be a law that requires a certain amount of humanity in people’s daily lives so that they consider other people that they encounter with the consideration in which they would like to also be considered,” Bombal said.

“We are all people, and as people, we need to consider each other as people and not part of a group or someone who’s like a type or a thing... We need to have the philosophy, the patience and the tolerance to enjoy each other instead of hate each other.”

Chaez Boswell, 29, entertainment and event consultant, said he thinks parents should be required by law to take parenting classes.

“There ought to be a law for mandatory parenting classes. I think it’s just necessary to give people the skills to raise children in this world. There’s a lot of young people who are watching “16 and Pregnant” and “Teen Mom” and think it’s the cool thing to do, and they have no idea what they’re really getting into.”

Theresa Montaño, 58, a professor at California State University, Northridge, said she wanted to create a law for public education funding.

“There ought to be a law for funding public education without having to go to the Legislature and beg for it. I think our schools need it. Our schools, our colleges, our universities are our future, and the fact that every year having to fire teachers and beg for money is just unconscionable.”

Amanda Sanders, 24, who is a graphic designer, had a similar answer to Bombal.

“There ought to be a law that when you pass someone, you have to say hello. I think that’s the first step to peace in the world.”

How would you complete the statement, “There ought to be a law in Sacramento that …”? Let us know in the comment section below.

Attorney General addresses gang problem in Sacramento

2011-04-20T05:38:18Z

California Attorney General Kamala Harris stressed the need to treat the gang problem with a community approach using prevention, intervention and enforcement. Harris was the guest speaker at Mayor Kevin Johnson’s gang forum Tuesday night in Meadowview.

“We have to be smart on crime,” Harris said, eschewing the old notion of the only two choices being to be hard or soft on crime.

She likened the gang violence problem to a public health problem like an epidemic: The best way to prevent it is through inoculations and early treatment, but by the time it is being dealt with in the emergency room, it’s too late, and too expensive.

Harris said combating gang violence should be dealt with regionally, a point that Johnson emphasized in his opening remarks.

“Crime and gang violence doesn’t stop at city lines,” Johnson said. “It goes across multiple jurisdictions.”

Johnson said there are 60 gangs and about 6,000 gang members in Sacramento County, and that students in second and third grade are being peer-pressured into joining gangs.

According to Johnson, the city and school districts will be working together, since the schools oversee youths for seven hours per day during the school year.

They will combine efforts through after-school programs, joint use of facilities and a renewed focus on school safety, he said, adding that benchmarks will be set up so progress can be measured.

One area Johnson focused on was the reading level of third graders, a point he brought up at his State of the City address earlier this year.

“If you can read, you’re not going to jail,” Johnson said after mentioning that 70 percent of incarcerated people are illiterate and only 30 percent of Sacramento’s students are reading at their grade level by the time they finish third grade.

Harris agreed, saying there is a “direct connection” between public education and public safety.

Another aspect of gang and criminal behavior Harris talked about was the “revolving door” of the California criminal justice system.

She said the average prison sentence in California is two years, and 70 percent of people released from prison commit crimes again, highlighting the need for education and prevention programs.

One of those programs is the Ceasefire program through the Sacramento Police Department, which works with gang members to get them out of the gang lifestyle. To read more about the program, click here.

During the question-and-answer session following Harris’ remarks, William Boyer, a resident of Colonial Heights in Sacramento, said police are often viewed as a threat when they come into communities with gang activity.

Harris said that to stop the problem of gang violence, police need to work with the community and the schools and elected officials. She added that witnesses to crimes need to come forward and testify, a problem that plagues gang enforcement, as Sacramento Police recently told The Sacramento Press.

Assemblyman Roger Dickinson attended the forum and said afterward that he agreed with Harris’ and Johnson’s remarks about gangs being a problem the whole community needs to work together to solve.

He also said that he wants to see various state violence prevention programs work more closely together and eliminate some of the redundancies so more resources can go to the actual problem instead of the bureaucracy.

Boyer, who was critical of police presence in the community, said he thinks Ceasefire is a very good program and a great start, but he wants to see more done, especially when it comes to funding to fight the problem.

“They show all these rich people on TV, big cars, mansions and beaches, of course these kids want that, but they’re poor,” he said. “They will get rich or die trying. They need to have more opportunities so they can be educated.”

Gregory King, who works with the Always Knocking nonprofit organization, said the Big Homie Street Team is a program through the nonprofit in which volunteers talk to kids on the streets and show them there are other options. Always Knocking is an organization focusing on ending youth and gang violence.

He said he thinks forums like the one Tuesday night are important, and they are having an effect.

“I’ve been coming to these for years, and each time, there are more new faces,” he said. “People are talking, and people are listening. It’s getting the community together, and people are going to react.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Powerhouse Science Center gets $7 million grant

2011-04-15T23:58:19Z

The Powerhouse Science Center is moving from plan to reality as officials announced Thursday that they have received a $7 million government grant, which means construction will start in July on the riverfront.

The center will educate visitors in science, technology, space and nature through its displays, which will include a planetarium, a Challenger space shuttle learning exhibit and interactive exhibits on natural sciences.

“This is a huge milestone because this is the first significant public money that we’ve gotten into the project,” said the center’s interim executive director, Michele Wong.

The $7 million comes from Proposition 84 taxes, under the Safe Water Bond Act. Voters approved $93 million in nature education grants in 2006.

“This is exactly what we need in the City of Sacramento,” said City Councilwoman Angelique Ashby, whose District 1 will be home to the complex. “The Powerhouse Science Center will bring jobs, education and a family experience for everyone who lives in or visits our region.”

The grant provides enough money to build the Earth & Space Sciences Center, which includes a 150-seat, full-dome planetarium.

That building is the first of three in the complex – centered around a century-old PG&E power station – that will be located on the riverfront on Jibboom Street.

Mike Testa, spokesman for the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the completed center will help draw tourists to the city.

“Anytime you have a wide variety of museums and attractions, it draws visitors,” he said. “The location is great. It’s sort of a ‘museum mile’ with the Crocker (Art Museum), the California History Museum and the Railroad Museum that makes a sort of critical mass.”

He added that he anticipates it being a well-done project.

“The Powerhouse Science Center, this thing is the real deal,” Testa said. “They’re doing it right.”

Wong called the center “a huge milestone” for Sacramento.

“First of all, generally California ranks 49th in the country in math and science scores, and Sacramento ranks in the bottom 25th percentile of California,” she said. “That does not bode well for our global competitiveness.”

She added that, from an economic development standpoint, regional leaders have been talking about developing the riverfront area for a long time.

“This project would be the first significant project to be built on the river since the pyramid building in West Sacramento in 1998 and Raley Field (also in West Sacramento) in 2000.”

Aside from the Crocker Art Museum expansion, it would be the first big project built on the Sacramento side of the river in many years.

With the grant money, construction can proceed as planned.

“We’ve been working on the grant for two years,” Wong said. “We’ve been working under the assumption that we’d get it.”

The next-largest public funding was a grant from the city of Sacramento for $880,000.

Future funding opportunities lie in tax credits, and Wong said she hopes to get between $10 million and $15 million in federal tax credits.

Tax credits are awarded for the rehabilitation of historic buildings, and in the case of the Powerhouse Science Center, the old PG&E building is being rehabilitated as construction goes forward.

“We’re very excited,” Wong said. “This makes the project real. We’ve seen the progress, but this is like an indication that this is really going to happen.”

Work is expected to be completed in 2013.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Region's $9.6 billion education cluster threatened by 'all cuts' state budget

2011-04-15T00:14:34Z

A state budget that makes $25 billion in cuts will drastically impact the Sacramento region—especially the $9.6 billion education industry in six counties.

“The education industry is critical to our region’s economic prosperity,” said Matthew Mahood, Sacramento Metro Chamber president & CEO. “Not only for the work the sector does to educate our residents—but also for the huge injection of dollars into the region. Education institutions employ thousands of people who make consumer purchases throughout the region.”

A newly released Education Industry Cluster Economic Impact Report, commissioned by the Metro Chamber, analyzes everything from elementary schools and universities to private technical colleges. The report pegs the impact on the economy at $9.6 billion—generated by $5.1 billion in direct impacts, $3.1 billion in employee spending and $1.4 billion in industry purchases. The study analyzed data from 2008.

In fact, payroll for the education cluster employees totaled $4.2 billion in 2008. The largest sector, of course, is public education whose institutions employ 79,000 people in the region. Private sector schools account for 19,000 jobs.

Most visible are the region’s nationally and world-ranked institutions of higher education: UC Davis, Sacramento State and the Los Rios community colleges. These schools and others contributed $3.2 billion—or one-third of public education’s impact—on the region’s economy.

“Higher education is a huge economic engine for this region in so many ways,” said Los Rios Chancellor Brice Harris. “From the thousands of students we move into the workforce, to the millions of dollars we pour into goods and services, and the millions of dollars more spent in the region by our employees.”

Between 2004 and 2008, the education sector stood out as one of the region’s leading industries in terms of growth, racking up double-digit advances in terms of dollar value contributed to the economy. The annual dollar impact grew by 19.2 percent.

Gains made since 2004, however, are threatened if the state Legislature ultimately opts for the “all-cuts” budget. Statewide, the California State University and University of California systems will see about $1.1 billion cut, according to the S.F. Examiner. The community college system will lose $585 million and K-12 education will lose $5 billion.

“With a $73 million budget shortfall that could occur, UC Davis is projecting staff cuts of at least 450 to 500 employees,” Mahood said. “If this were a private company announcing they were shutting down or laying off 500 employees—there would be an uproar. These are employees who pay mortgages, buy cars, groceries, shoes, clothes and spend money across all sectors.”

“The report demonstrates the positive economic impact that education has all around in our region,” Mahood said. “Our region is known for its innovation driven by our institutions of higher education. It’s what keeps us competitive with other regions across the nation—and world. Strong schools mean a skilled workforce—and that’s something that business must have to create jobs. Our schools have an impact that ripples through the generations. These proposed massive cuts in the state’s education spending will be likewise: all around, everywhere and down through the generations. It’s very concerning.”

To download a copy of the complete report, visit http://bit.ly/SMCCEducationReport.

Hal Silliman is communications director for the Sacramento Metro Chamber.

Local teacher releases children's Harvey Milk workbook

2011-04-14T03:58:41Z

Whitney Avenue Elementary School fourth grade teacher Angela F. Luna recently self-published a children's workbook aimed at fostering compassion and understanding toward the LGBTQI community.

Luna, a member of the Equality Action Now leadership, said the activist group encouraged her to work on LGBTQI curriculum for school-age children after the first Harvey Milk Day on May 22, 2009.

What resulted is her new 32-page book called “In Celebration of Harvey Milk: Educational Materials for Grades 4 through 12” that honors the memory of the gay rights activist who was assassinated in 1978.

To Luna, it was Milk's courage to be himself at a time when it wasn't popular to do so that she admires so much. “That inspires me everyday,” she said.

“In this day and age, 30 years later, people are still afraid to come out … (Milk's) courage is so amazing to me,” she said.

Luna was not able to get married because of Prop 8, but now she doesn't care what the opposition may or may not do in response to her book. As a teacher, she said, she has a responsibility to teach her students about Harvey Milk because youth are at risk.

“I just care that students are safe at school,” she said.

Since it has been published, the LGBT Task Force for the Sacramento City Unified School District sent out a memo to all district staff stating that the book is available upon request to SCUSD teachers who wish to review it. (Whitney Elementary is a San Juan School District school.)

When Luna piloted the book last year in her classroom, students had to get permission slips signed by their parents to participate. Of the 22 in her class, eight opted out of the lesson.

“I feel it's another form of discrimination … In a sense, the children who could have benefited most weren't able to participate,” Luna said.

One activity incorporated in the lesson plan for the book has students determine when the phrase “That's so gay” is used with a negative connotation. Another has students determine whether a statement about Milk such as – He realized he was gay at the age of 27 – is true or false.

Luna said many of the students were surprised that Milk knew his sexual identity at 14 years old and that he was not just an activist in the gay rights movement but also fought for elderly and disabled people's rights.

“They didn't (call him) a hero,” Luna said, “but I could tell they were impressed he helped so many people.”

Luna said she hopes that this year, with a new administrator on campus, students won't have to get permission slips signed to participate in the workbook activities.

Luna has taught for 16 years and was a finalist for the San Juan Unified School District's Teacher of the Year in 2011. She currently is a candidate for National Board Certification.

The book is available to the public on Amazon.com

Professor Michelle Alexander and the New Jim Crow American Social Justice Tour Will Stop in Sacramento

2011-04-12T18:02:27Z

http://www.newjimcrow.com/

Wednesday, May 25, 2011 from 6:30pm 8:00pm, the Sacramento Chapter of All of Us or None, Black United Fund of Sacramento Valley and the Sacramento Area Black Caucus (SABC) will co-sponsor and host noted author and legal scholar, Professor Michelle Alexander’s visit to Sacramento. The event will be held at the historic Women’s Civic Improvement Center, 3555 3rd Ave., Sacramento, CA. 95817.

Michelle Alexander is a civil rights lawyer, advocate and legal scholar. She is also the author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness (The New Press, 2010). See http://www.newjimcrow.com. The book is a bold challenge to the widespread belief that our nation has finally "triumphed over race" with the election of Barack Obama. Jim Crow laws were wiped off the books decades ago, but an astounding percentage of the African American community is warehoused in prisons or trapped in a permanent, second-class status. By targeting African Americans through the War on Drugs and the "get tough" movement, the U.S. criminal justice system now functions as a contemporary system of racial control. So many of the old forms of discrimination -- denial of the right to vote, automatic exclusion from juries, and legal discrimination in employment, housing, education, and public benefits -- are suddenly legal again once you have been branded a felon. Alexander argues that we have not ended racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it.

Join the Sacramento Chapter of All of Us or None, Black United Fund of Sacramento Valley and the Sacramento Area Black Caucus in co-sponsorship of Professor Michelle Alexander and the New Jim Crow American Social Justice Tour Will Stop in Sacramento, May 25, 2011

.For more information please contact: All of Us or None 916-226-7623 or Faye Kennedy (SABC) (916) 4845025/fayek@springmail.com

Disclosure: Faye Kennedy is a member of the Sacramento Area Black Caucus and Black United Fund of Sacramento. She also serves on the planning committee of Professor Michelle Alexander and the New Jim Crow American Social Justice Tour Will Stop in Sacramento.

5-star restaurant put on by 4th graders

2011-04-07T00:19:15Z

Forty-eight fourth graders at Oak Ridge Elementary School transformed the cafeteria into a five-star restaurant Tuesday night that featured local celebrity chefs, fine linen and a dinner made with ingredients from the Sacramento farmers market.

With the help of about 10 chefs from Mulvaney’s Building & Loan restaurant and Jeff Clark of Nugget Markets, the students acted as servers, chefs and hosts to the VIP guests, who upon entry were handed a bit of the bubbly – some sparkling apple cider in champagne glasses.

“The idea is to help kids experience the learning skills of entrepreneurship,” said Stella Ruiz of Miracles and Milestones, the group that organized the four-month restaurant program.

From the first day of the program to Tuesday’s culmination, the kids were treated like partners in a real business, Ruiz said. Students had to interview for their jobs on the sales, public relations, interior design and finance teams. They held business meetings after school and on Saturdays. They made sales calls to sell tickets at the Capitol, City Hall and other locations around Sacramento.

City Councilman Jay Schenirer, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, Sacramento City Unified School District Superintendent Jonathan Raymond and Vance Raye, presiding justice of the Third District Court of Appeal, were among the local VIPs who purchased $60 tickets to the dinner.

The kids also learned the ins and outs of the restaurant business from Mulvaney’s chefs and Clark, including how to plan, cook and serve gourmet meals.

Called the “Saturday café” volunteers and local chefs helped students, where they learned to cook breakfast tacos, smoothies and dishes from around the world.

“The kids were so excited to be involved that some would show up at 7:30 a.m. for the 9 a.m. program on Saturdays,” Ruiz said. “They want to work.… We've had a lot of fun,” Ruiz said.

“They learned teamwork and how to delegate amongst each other because it takes many different hands – the more hands the better,” Mulvaney's restaurant manager John Oldham said.

Last weekend, Oldham said students learned the menu and on Sunday they did all of the shopping at the farmers market so that they could see “where the food comes from.”

Student Christhian Bravo, 9, was a server on Tuesday who said she learned a lot from the program but her favorite part was meeting the other students in her grade.

This was the fifth year that chefs have helped worked with students at the school and the program is expected to happen again next year, Ruiz said.

Chris becomes a tutor

2011-03-25T06:13:42Z

I've changed lately into recognizing the value of my college education. I've even been faced with the realization that someone with a college education should know more about 7th grade mathematics than what I remember, and tutoring has already taught me more about myself than I expected to learn this soon in the experience. I've got some homework to do. That said, I wanted to share the way tutoring middle-school students feels and looks in Sacramento, from the point of view of a rookie looking to make an impact.

(I've changed names, just to be safe, and will not mention the name of the school for the same reason).

Tutoring Day Two:

I'm asked to introduce myself. “I graduated from Sonoma State with an English degree,” I say, center-of-attention and red-faced (still gotta get used to an audience). “Now I'm planning to join the Peace Corps and teach English overseas and I think this will be good experience for me." I realize that I'm over-gesticulating and finish quickly with, "So I look forward to helping out here.”

I feel like a fool. I have to get over that, too.

“Do you guys know about the Peace Corps?” Mrs. Noel asks. None of these kids know about the Peace Corps. “Chris—maybe you could say a little bit about the Peace Corps and what they do.”

“Um. Yeah.” I wish I could just burst out with some charismatic, Well kids, let me tell you all about the Peace Corps monologue—the kind where dramatic music starts up halfway through and there’s a lot of soft-focus angles on kid’s faces as their eyes light up. “It’s a program that sends people to other countries to help out,” is basically what I tell them. Mrs. Noel adlibs a little more about it to save the kids from going home with just my lame explanation. At the very least I think she likes me because of my commendable goal for this volunteer gig, but she knows I have no idea what I’m doing. The good news is that she’s really nice about this. I think I’ll get the hang of it soon, anyway.

So for the first hour I’m spending pretty much the whole time with one girl while she reads a page-long story about Tiger Woods and has to answer a couple questions about the text. To start, we go through each question and classify it as either a “Book” or “Brain” problem. The girl carefully and slowly reads the whole story out-loud to me, well enough—mispronouncing a few words, fumbling up a few sentences—and I can almost hear her brain sounding-out each word before she speaks. I’m reminded of my twelve-year-old sister. I feel older now. The girl and I talk through each question and sometimes she gets it right and sometimes she doesn’t and one time she admits she’d just been guessing and we talk about why she was right. We don't really chit-chat much and she's very shy, but interested in discussing each question and thinking out loud with me. Once she’s done, I get up and pace around the room and see if anyone else needs help and wait to see if Mrs. Noel will pair me up with someone else specifically, but she doesn’t. I realize how important it is for me to take the initiative here. Be my own boss. Be a teacher. Know what the hell I’m doing. So I ask other kids if they’re doing alright. They say yes. And so I end up forcing my way into a group of off-task girls and reading them flash-cards and asking for the definition of their most recent vocabulary terms. Stereotype. Complex sentence. Simple sentence. Assess. Independent clause. Half this stuff I don’t even know. They’re keeping score of who answers correctly first and the points mean nothing but they’re having fun with competition and hopefully learning—two of them more talkative than the other two, but they speak up when I ask for them to try. This goes until the end of the hour and Mrs. Noel gives her final word before they head off for transition.

The 4:00 to 5:00 block takes place in another room with rows of tables instead of desks. Here the four tutors unite to help six struggling kids with the lowest GPAs (there were meant to be 8, if not more, but I get the feeling the Principal and the Tutors have some kind of rocky relationship, so it’s been cut down a lot). The fewer the better, I guess, for those six, but still…

Anyway, I’m paired up with Ricky.

Ricky is an 8th grader with self-described ADD and OCD and dyslexia and a hyperactive mind and scribbled handwriting and a wild imagination and surprising political awareness and a passion for 1930’s music and quotes from Stephen Hawking floating around in his busy mind. I checked over his math homework—need to re-teach myself the quadratic equation, it seems—while he re-wrote his science homework, and he writes like his thinks. He was very curious and mature as we talked about the Peace Corps, orbital defense systems, college, nuclear weapon assessment in Iraq, and plans for the future. He sharpened his pencil with delicate concentration. He changed topics and assignments as quickly as one changes channels to avoid commercials. Then the hour was up and Ricky packed up his bag and left with the group, hopefully content with the help I'd offered.

You never expect to see the quadratic equation ever again after college.

Worst Moment #1: I was putting on my sweatshirt near the door as kids came in and out of the rain, and one of those kids came up behind me to my left as I brought back my arm to slide it into the sleeve, and I elbowed him in the face. He was shocked. I was shocked. He passed some sheet of paper to the teacher holding open the door, then just slowly wandered back into the class. I apologized and slipped outside, melting into the current of students that pushed me down to the detention classroom. I kept waiting for that kid to come into the class, assuming he had detention or needed somewhere to wait for his parents, but he didn’t.

Sorry kid.

Here I realized that I didn’t need to stay for the 5:00 to 6:00 hour. I’m not being paid for this and the other tutors don’t do anything but sit around and wait for any of these kids to need help with their homework, which they’re encouraged to do while detained. No one ever needs help in detention. They’re all in their own heads, anyway, or reading. I sit around for a half hour and practice the quadratic equation with Stephanie and watch Jason doodle while Crystal checks her phone and I quietly observe the students and try to remember what it was like to be that young.

Hard to remember.

It was definitely a more focused day compared to the first. Sitting down one-on-one with the kids makes a big difference. There's so much responsibility on my shoulders to be an honest, truthful, inspirational figure in their lives--and right away, too, because first impressions are huge when it comes to kids. They trust their instincts. I sensed Ricky poking me to see what sort of wisdom I would leak, or if I had any weaknesses, and I think I did a good job of being an elder and being a friend. Still a little squeaky on the ol' quad-formula, I'm worried I didn't do a very good job checking his math homework... And I wonder the effect on a child's brain if I were to interrupt them every time they make a mistake or if I should let some slide and plan to correct them if the same mistake comes up again later. Here I sense my fear of confrontation is getting in the way. I shouldn't worry about them challenging my assistance. So far I've sensed nothing but embrace of assistance. Doesn't help that I have this elder's bias of knowing what kind of information really matters in twenty years and what you'll come to forget and live without. It's all important to them. It's important to their grades, the test results, school funding, California's budget, the nation's deficit and global society.

That's a lot of pressure, but I think I'm starting to like it.

Mayor Johnson announces a third grade reading campaign

2011-03-22T22:35:02Z

Mayor Kevin Johnson announced the launch of a third grade reading campaign for the greater Sacramento area Tuesday at his press conference.

According to Johnson, the three areas that the campaign will focus on are school readiness, school attendance and summer learning.

The 10-year campaign will combat low literacy levels and make sure that all Sacramento students will be reading at grade level by the time they graduate third grade, Johnson said.

“Third grade is a pivotal point for young people. It’s where kids transition from learning to read and reading to learn,” he said.

“In terms of a city, it impacts our crime rate, impacts our employment rate, impacts our competitive environment in terms of a highly educated work force, health factors and quality of life,” Johnson said.

According to Sacramento City Unified School District standardized testing scores, 39 percent of third graders in Sacramento are reading at grade level, Johnson said.

“Our vision is to be the first city in this country where every third grader graduates and can be reading at grade level,” Johnson said. “We have to mobilize our entire community.”

Ron Fairchild, senior consultant of the campaign acknowledged that the reading initiative is not a new campaign, but the achievement gap is a result of things that happen before kids get into kindergarten.

“Lower-income kids on average hear 30 million fewer words than their middle- or upper-income peers by the time they reach age 3,” Fairchild said.

Sacramento County Office of Education ~~City Unified School District~~ Superintendent Dave Gordon said he is pleased with the reading campaign efforts.

“For the first time, we’ve got superintendents and city leaders and officials working together to help align city services with school district services so we cut out the waste and we make the programs that we have together most effective,” Gordon said.

According to Gordon, the reading rates got this bad because of the significant amount of funding that has been taken away from schools.

“The state has not funded schools in a consistent or effective matter,” Gordon said, adding that there needs to be more focus on the range of subjects schools teach.

Literacy is important for students reaching their full potential, Capt. Dan Schiele of the Sacramento Police Department said. “Without basic reading skills, a person may choose a life of crime in order to survive.”

Parent Monica Jones of Natomas expressed concern about the lack of parent voices.

“You have got to engage the parents in this process,” she said.

“The parents are the key and most important indicator of everything we’re talking about,” Johnson said.

Another key challenge is students for whom English is a second language, Johnson said.

“We want to be able to holistically look at this whole problem to make sure everyone has an opportunity,” he said.

At the end of the press conference, Johnson also addressed the Kings’ issues.

“I feel like we’re dying a slow death,” he said. “Every day there’s a different clue of the likelihood that the Kings are going to Anaheim.

“We can’t control a business decision that the Maloofs are going to make, which they feel is in their best interest,” Johnson said. “We as a community want to have grace and dignity and to continue to support the Kings as long as they’re here in town.”

Editorial Note: A correction has been made to this story after it was published. The incorrect information has been struck out and the correct information has been added.

11th Annual Cesar Chavez Youth Leadership Conference come to Roseville

2011-03-11T19:25:09Z

Roseville, CA – The Robert C. Cooley Middle School will be ground zero for one of the largest youth education forums in Northern California. Close to 1,000 elementary, middle and high school students will converge on the Cesar E. Chavez Youth Leadership Conference and Education Fair on Saturday, March 19, 2011 in Roseville, CA.

For over a decade, this event has provided guidance to youth seeking to pursue higher education and grant information. This unique educational forum allows 6th to 12 grade students and their parents an opportunity to learn how to pursue secondary educational and grant opportunities. College recruiters will be available to answer student questions. There will also be information designed to empower families to become stronger advocates for their children's education.

The conference is open to people of all ages. It is scheduled from 8:00 am to 3:30 pm at the Robert C. Cooley Middle School campus located at 9300 Prairie Woods Way in Roseville, CA 95747. Approximately 700 students and 200 parents attended the 2010 conference. The event is sponsored by The Hispanic Empowerment Association of Roseville (HEAR), the Latino Leadership Council and the Cooley Latino Student Club.

The conference is free to anybody interested in pursuing a higher education. Pre-registration is not required but strongly recommended. Pre-registration is available by downloading conference information at http://www.hear2000.org. The conference was founded 11 years ago by Rene Aguilera, a Roseville City School District Board Trustee. The conference traditionally kicks off a series of Sacramento-area events related to California’s Cesar Chavez Holiday.

There will be an entertainment portion of the conference from 12:30 pm to 2:15 pm. Jose Montoya, former CSU Sacramento professor and original member of the Royal Chicano Air Force will make a presentation. Other performers to be showcased, include:

The Folklorico Latino de Woodland
The Miktlantekuhtli Aztec troupe
The Miktlantekuhtli Aztec troupe
A Bachata dance troupe
The Yemaya salsa dancers
There will also be a live theater presentation of ‘Nightmare on Puberty Street,’ by the Kaiser Educational Theater Program. That presentation begins at 9:30 am.”

“The Cesar E. Chavez Youth Leadership Conference supplements what most school districts do on or around March 31 – his birthday and acts as a primer for learning,” said Aguilera. “We ask parents, students, educators and business and community leaders to come out and volunteer their time to teach and learn from each other on both days. The overall goal of the conference is to help youths learn how to be community leaders; how to become involved; how to learn about social and political issues; and how to pursue educational opportunities beyond high school. Topics will include student financial aid, scholarships and career information including law, journalism, military, teaching, social welfare, art, music and dance, medicine, law enforcement and professional athletics and many others.”

Cesar Chavez was co-founder and president of the United Farm Workers (UFW) union. He led the union from the 1960s to his death at age 66 in 1993. The UFW was instrumental in organizing farm workers in several states. In 2000, Governor Gray Davis signed SB 984, asking that school districts give an hour of instruction in all schools around Chavez's March 31 birthday.

The youth conference continues to recognize the UFW founder's lessons on non-violence, self-sacrifice and social justice. Students are encouraged to engage in some form of public service appropriate for their age and grade as part of the Cesar Chavez Day of Service of Learning.

“Overall, we expect around 800 students from throughout Sacramento, Northern California and the Central Valley,” said Aguilera. “Many students come back to this event year after year. They find it beneficial in helping them find out more about college opportunities. They have fun interacting with other students, conference presenters and event volunteers.

“One of the great things about this particular conference is that we have so many parents involved,” said Aguilera. “Once again, the California Association Bilingual Education (CABE) is registering parents for the conference. We will have a parent specialist conduct a presentation showing parents how to be more involved with their child’s school."

For additional information on the Cesar Chavez Youth Leadership Conference, call Rene Aguilera at (916) 532-5998, or fax registration applications to H.E.A.R. at (916) 782-2040. Students can also take their completed application to their counselor and ask them to fax it. Visit the conference web site at www.hear2000.org.

# # # #

Powerhouse Science Center Raises More than $233,000 in Saturday Telethon

2011-03-09T00:49:24Z

The Powerhouse Science Center, a science and space learning center for Northern California that will be located on the banks of the Sacramento River, announced today that it raised more than $233,000 during its first telethon on Saturday.

The Center received major contributions from Social Venture Partners of Sacramento, Wells Fargo, Sierra Health Foundation, Intel and Aerojet, along with hundreds of contributions from other donors.

“The Powerhouse Science Center is a tremendous collaborative effort between many dedicated groups,” said Michelle Wong, interim executive director for the Powerhouse Science Center. “We were gratified at the community reaction as so many people participated and shared our vision for a premiere science education center in our community.”

In particular, Wong thanked KOVR CBS 12/CW-31 for promoting this telethon and making the Good Day Sacramento time available to her team on Saturday.

The Center, which will cost an estimated $50 million, has nearly completed its pre-construction phase. The 60-year-old Discovery Museum Science & Space Center on Auburn Boulevard is scheduled to become the Powerhouse Science Center (www.powerhousesciencecenter.org) in 2013.

The Powerhouse Science Center will include science laboratories and classrooms, a 150-seat full-dome planetarium, Challenger Learning Center, robotics exhibit and labs, outdoor stage and screen, restaurant with riverfront views and more.

The center will transform a historic Sacramento landmark into a cutting-edge educational center featuring a museum that will immerse children in science, technology, engineering and math.

“We are extremely pleased to help the Powerhouse Science Center become a reality,” said Kevin Walsh, general manager and president of CBS 13/CW 31. “Not only does this project revitalize the Sacramento riverfront district, the Powerhouse Science Center will also provide our region’s children with a firm foundation in STEM education (science, technology, engineering, math). We are excited to be part of such a wonderful opportunity to educate our viewers about the future home of Northern California’s premiere science education center.”

On Saturday, volunteers from many groups helped staff the phone banks, including people from Soroptimist, the Sacramento Downtown Rotary, Drexel University, Ducks Unlimited, Mountain Lions cheerleaders and the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

The Powerhouse Science Center is also being supported by many local government entities.

“The Powerhouse Science Center will allow us to educate the next generation of children. Our country is lacking right now in math and science education for young people,” Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson said. “This facility will give us an opportunity to get a leg up in these very important areas of education. The Center will also create over 300 jobs and activate our riverfront. Sacramento has a beautiful river that we have not taken advantage of yet. Building the Powerhouse Science Center will allow us to do that.”

The Powerhouse Science Center will serve as a public forum, showcasing the latest scientific discoveries in a venue that is accessible to the entire family. The center will highlight the scientific achievements of the Sacramento region, the latest developments in medical science and technology, and the fundamentals of resource conservation. The center will be used as a field trip destination for pre-kindergarten to 12th-grade students from throughout the region.

For more information on the Powerhouse Science Center, including how to become a founding partner, visit www.powerhousesciencecenter.org, e-mail info@PowerhouseScienceCenter.org, or call 853-0343. Visit the center on Twitter, Facebook and Flickr.

Disclosure: Jeffrey Weidel is V.P. of Halldin Public Relations in Roseville, Volunteer PR work for Powerhouse Science Center.

Free 10-Week Music Program for 4th-6th Graders Starts During March, "Music In Our Schools Month"

2011-03-07T23:38:48Z

Children in grades 4-6 are invited to participate in a new 10-week community-wide music program.

Under the leadership of educator and choral Dr. May Tuan Tucker, this new youth choir will rehearse Mondays and Thursdays, 5:45-6:30 p.m., at Bethany Presbyterian Church, 5625-24th Street, in Sacramento (off Fruitridge Road between I-5 and Highway 99). Rehearsals start Monday, March 14, 2011. There will be no rehearsals the week of April 18, when most local schools are on spring break.

To sign up or ask questions, parents may contact May Tucker by e-mail or telephone (916-428-5281), or simply show up at rehearsals. The first rehearsal will be Monday, March 14 at 5:45 p.m.

Rehearsals will lead to a free community performance on May 22 of Project: Peace, a chorale composed for public school choirs by Roger Emerson. With over 900 titles in print and 30 million copies in circulation, Emerson has been the recipient of ASCAP’s Standard Award for 20 years running, and his works have been performed at the White House, Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. In addition to composing, Emerson teaches music at the College of the Siskiyous in Northern California. Project: Peace is a hauntingly beautiful work that communicates the benefits of peacemaking, tolerance and teamwork. The chorale features nine uplifting and inspiring musical numbers created specifically for children and youth to sing.

Free refreshments will be served at rehearsals. Parents and siblings are welcome to remain for rehearsals.

Bethany Presbyterian Church, which in 2014 will celebrate its 100th year of serving Sacramento, is hosting the children's music program as a community service. "We know that funding for music in schools is scarce," says choir director May Tucker. "The science behind music education is there, though: kids involved in music education typically outperform their peers academically, as well as gaining an understanding and appreciation of collaboration and teamwork. Children who participate in this program will learn music fundamentals and build new skills while having fun preparing for a live community concert."

The new music program is being launched during March, which is celebrated as Music In Our Schools Month across the nation.

There is no charge to participate in the children's music program.

A downloadable flyer and parent/guardian information letter are available at www.bethpres.com.

University of Phoenix Sacramento Campus Makes City Greener

2011-02-23T20:07:35Z

More than 100 employees from University of Phoenix’s Sacramento Campus joined together to help maintain and beautify the Northern California Parkway, a landmark scenic area that helps differentiate Sacramento as the “City of Trees.” In support of the Sacramento Tree Foundation (STF), volunteers planted 43 trees, demonstrating the significant impact volunteers can make in just one day when working together.

“University of Phoenix Sacramento Campus has a fantastic group of employees, and fosters a culture that encourages ongoing community involvement and volunteerism,” said University of Phoenix Sacramento Campus Director Scott Lewis. “We are proud to support the efforts of the Sacramento Tree Foundation, and believe that working to maintain the beautiful natural landscape of Sacramento benefits the entire community.”

University of Phoenix volunteers worked with STF to plant new trees and perform maintenance work on trees planted in previous years including, staking, un-staking, mulching, weeding and irrigation work. Further beautification activities included trash pickup, brush clearing and pruning back rose bushes.

“Our mission to plant, protect, and teach about trees relies on the dedication and contributions of thousands of volunteers who work alongside our staff every year,” said STF President William Ishmael. “We are so encouraged by the generous outpouring of hard work from University of Phoenix Sacramento Campus. The Sacramento region would suffer greatly without the benefits that trees provide, and we need informed and active citizens, like those who joined us from University of Phoenix, to create a legacy of healthy, livable communities for many generations to come. ”

STF is leading the effort to plant 5 million trees by 2025 in the greater Sacramento region. The organization has been protecting, planting, and promoting education about trees since 1982.

Disclosure: Justin Dyke is a public relations professional in Sacramento working on behalf of University of Phoenix.

CBS-13/CW-31 will air telethon on March 5 to raise funds, awareness for new Powerhouse Science Center

2011-02-22T20:09:19Z

The greater Sacramento region will soon be home to a high-tech, hands-on science museum that will immerse our children – and our children’s children – in science, technology, engineering and math.

But the new Powerhouse Science Center needs your help to ensure the project remains on schedule for a proposed opening in two years.

One way to help the Powerhouse Science Center is by supporting the upcoming KOVR- CBS-13/CW-31 telethon that airs from 9-10 a.m. Saturday morning, March 5.

“Good Day Sacramento” (CW-31) will promote the event from 6-9 a.m. during its March 5 broadcast, and the telethon will air live on CW-31 between 9 and 10 a.m. Viewers will be able to call in and donate to the Powerhouse Science Center during the live telethon. The phones will also be open from 10-11 a.m. for donations.

Located on the scenic banks of the Sacramento River, the Powerhouse Science Center will be the premiere science and space learning center serving Northern California. It will serve as a model for 21st-century experiential education in science, math, technology, engineering and space – and an exemplary “green” building that functions as an environmental teaching lab.

CBS 13/CW 31 is actively supporting Northern California’s premiere science center.

“We are extremely pleased to help the Powerhouse Science Center become a reality,” said Kevin Walsh, General Manager and President of CBS 13/CW 31. “Not only does this project revitalize the Sacramento riverfront district, the Powerhouse Science Center will also provide our region’s children with a firm foundation in STEM education (science, technology, engineering, math). We are excited to be part of such a wonderful opportunity to educate our viewers about the future home of Northern California’s premier science education center.”

“Good Day Sacramento” will focus a majority of its March 5 broadcast on the effort to help fund the Powerhouse Science Center. Discovery Museum Spokes-robot Cosmos will bring his unique style of “reporting” to the “Good Day” television set from 6-9 a.m. on the March 5 telecast.

“The Powerhouse Science Center is a tremendous collaborative effort between many dedicated groups – like CBS-13/CW-31 – and individuals who are all playing a significant role in making this vision of a premiere science education center become a reality,” said Michelle Wong, interim executive director for the Powerhouse Science Center. “We’re going to transform a historic Sacramento landmark into a cutting-edge educational center, featuring a museum, planetarium, restaurant and conference center.

“STEM careers are crucial to the young people in our region. The Powerhouse Science Center can definitely play a key role to inspire future engineers and scientists,” Wong added.

The telethon will feature walk-on testimonials from several of the Powerhouse Science Center’s founding partners, including the City of Sacramento.

“The Powerhouse Science Center will allow us to educate the next generation of children. Our country is lacking right now in math and science education for young people,” Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson said. “This facility will give us an opportunity to get a leg up in these very important areas of education. The Center will also create over 300 jobs and activate our riverfront. Sacramento has a beautiful river that we have not taken advantage of yet. Building the Powerhouse Science Center will allow us to do that.”

The Powerhouse Science Center will include science laboratories and classrooms: a 150-seat full-dome planetarium; the Challenger Learning Center; a robotics exhibit and labs; an outdoor stage and screen; a restaurant with riverfront views and more.

During the telethon, Wells Fargo Bank, the Morgan Family Foundation and other groups will be presenting generous checks to the Powerhouse Science Center.

The Powerhouse Science Center will serve as a public forum, showcasing the latest scientific discoveries in a venue that is accessible to the entire family. The Center will highlight the scientific achievements of the Sacramento region, the latest developments in medical science and technology, and the fundamentals of resource conservation. The Center will be utilized as a field trip destination for pre-kindergarten to 12th-grade students from throughout the region.

For more information on the Powerhouse Science Center, including how to become a Founding Partner, visit powerhousesciencecenter.org, e-mail info@PowerhouseScienceCenter.org, or call 853-0343. Visit the center on Twitter, Facebook and Flickr.

Sac schools to get help going green

2011-02-09T06:17:02Z

Sacramento City Unified School District is getting some national help to renovate and make some of its more than 80 campuses more eco-friendly.

A full-time sustainability officer will help schools meet LEED standards as part of a program through the U.S. Green Building Council, said Rachel Gutter, director of the Center for Green Schools, which is based in Washington, D.C.

“(We) were impressed by your community’s enormous undertaking to become the greenest region in the country,” Gutter said, adding that beginning districtwide sustainability measures takes a large amount of time and money.

The Green Schools Fellowship Program aims to help improve school sites to make them more environment-friendly.

“Over a three-year period, this fellow will help your city make tremendous strides,” she said.

The fellow will be chosen in the coming months and will start a three-year term in the district over the summer. The position will be fully funded by the USGBC, and Gutter said it is the equivalent of bringing in $300,000.

The announcement came at the final meeting of Mayor Kevin Johnson’s Greenwise initiative Tuesday, which calls for the retrofitting of 15 million square feet of school space in the next 10 years and reducing water usage by 20 percent.

The meeting was held at the Guild Theater in Oak Park.

Gutter said the fellow’s efforts will set the groundwork for continuing green development of school sites after the three-year period.

The fellowship’s pilot program was in New Orleans following the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Katrina, and the result was to build more than 15 school sites that are LEED-certified and build a “world-class green school,” Gutter said.

“Schools are the center of our community,” Gutter said. “They represent our hopes, our dreams, our investment in the community.”

Gutter said that when schools are fully “green,” they become teaching tools to educate students about climate and environment issues.

In addition to having less of an impact on the environment, Gutter said green schools save the districts money, which can then be spent on teacher salaries and classroom supplies.

During her remarks, she highlighted schools in Colorado that have already seen six-figure savings due to their facilities being green, as well as mentioning the first “net-zero” school, which was erected in Turkey Foot, Ky.

A “net-zero” building is one that creates as much energy as it uses.

Johnson said in a press release that “a large part of this (Greenwise) commitment is to green our schools and to provide our students with a safe, healthy and welcoming environment.”

Gutter said those goals can only be realized by making sustainability someone’s full-time job.

The district’s superintendent, Jonathan Raymond, said there’s “no question” that Sacramento has been given an opportunity.

“The opportunity to truly prepare our kids for careers and for college in the 21st century – it does make a difference where they go to school,” he said.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

University of Phoenix Awards Thirty Full-Tuition Scholarships

2011-02-08T00:58:28Z

Sacramento, Jan. 31, 2011 – University of Phoenix, the largest private University in North America, today announced that it has awarded 30 full-tuition scholarships to be used in pursuit of an undergraduate degree at University of Phoenix. This marks the fifth year of the University’s Paying It Forward® Scholarship program which, to date, has awarded 150 full-tuition scholarships.

“Americans are struggling to make ends meet, ending the dream of a college education for many,” said Dr. William Pepicello, University of Phoenix President. “University of Phoenix has proudly set aside millions of dollars in scholarships to help give more students access to the quality education they could not otherwise afford.”

In 2006, in celebration of its 30th anniversary, the University launched the Paying It Forward® Scholarship program where thirty University alumni identified thirty deserving individuals who could change their lives and the lives of others through a college education. The University awards select recipients a full-tuition scholarship to pursue one degree in a program of their choosing at University of Phoenix.

In Northern California, San Diego Campus alumnus Thelma Harris nominated Paying it Forward® Scholarship recipient Edward Simmons, who resides in the Sacramento suburb Natomas. Harris met Simmons online, becoming close friends as he supported her through a difficult time in her life. Sharing a common faith and commitment to helping others in their community, they soon fell in love. Now as a couple, Harris jumped at the opportunity to nominate her best friend and soul mate, who has always put the needs of others before himself.

“The education I received at University of Phoenix helped me grow personally and professionally,” said Harris. “Obtaining the bachelor’s of nursing and master’s of nursing degrees opened doors and opportunities I never knew existed. I truly believe paying forward this scholarship is the greatest gift I could ever bestow upon someone else.”

Simmons completed two years of college before joining the United States Army and serving his country. Upon return, he entered the workforce and now is a security officer, who in his free time mentors young people struggling in his community. Now with the scholarship opportunity, Simmons plans to explore a degree in Human Services and fulfill his dream of a career in social service.

“I am so grateful to Thelma and University of Phoenix for this amazing opportunity,” said Simmons. “I have wanted to return to college for years, but finances and life circumstances have stood in the way. I am truly excited to begin this journey and dedicate my career to working to support young people and our community.”

“We are thrilled to congratulate Edward on this new opportunity,” said Scott Lewis, campus director for University of Phoenix Sacramento Campus. “The Paying it Forward® Scholarship program allows deserving individuals an access to quality, higher education that may not have been available to them before.”

Scholarship recipients were nominated by alumni from University of Phoenix bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree programs and selected by the Paying It Forward® Scholarship committee consisting of representatives from University of Phoenix, including alumni.

For more information about University of Phoenix’s scholarship initiatives, please visit:
phoenix.edu/scholarships.

For more information about educational opportunities in the Sacramento area, please visit:
http://www.phoenix.edu/campus-locations/ca/sacramento-valley-campus/sacramento-valley-campus.html

About University of Phoenix
University of Phoenix is constantly innovating to help students balance education and life in a rapidly changing world. Through flexible schedules, challenging courses and interactive learning, students achieve personal and career aspirations without putting their lives on hold. University of Phoenix serves a diverse student population, offering associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs from campuses and learning centers across the U.S. as well as online throughout the world. For more information, visit www.phoenix.edu.

Disclosure: Justin Dyke is a Public Relations professional working at Randle Communications

Mayor Johnson speaks at Oak Park Neighborhood Association Meeting

2011-02-05T01:27:51Z

The Sacramento Food Bank was filled with about 50 people Thursday night as Mayor Kevin Johnson spoke at the Oak Park Neighborhood Association meeting.

Johnson spoke about the green economy, downtown development, the state of Sacramento’s schools, volunteering in the city and homelessness.

He emphasized the need for a strong and vibrant downtown and a growing green economy.

“You kill two birds with one stone,” he said. “No. 1, you improve the environment, and No. 2, you can create jobs.”

Johnson said he is a proponent for building the sports arena downtown.

“Our community deserves a world-class facility, and I’d like to see that downtown because it creates jobs, and all the other businesses benefit from 20,000 people coming to that place 50 or 100 times a year,” he said.

The city has hired a business recruiter to find businesses to fill up the empty spaces on K Street, he said. He added that the pedestrian malls around the country haven’t worked, so cars are coming back to K street in 2011.

He also brought up the problems with Sacramento’s schools, especially the reading levels.

“In terms of third graders in the city of Sacramento, only 39 percent are reading at grade level citywide,” Johnson said. “That should be alarming. That means 61 percent are not.”

He proposed a citywide initiative to get 70 percent of third graders reading at grade level. The proposal would involve a tutoring and mentoring program utilizing seniors and recent college graduates.

Johnson said the initiative could begin in March.

People are moving away from the city for their children's education to places like Roseville, El Dorado, Folsom or Elk Grove that have better schools, he said.

One community member voiced concerned about Sacramento High School.

“Is there a threat to Sac High?” she asked. “How do we fight this idea that because student population has dropped we close the school?”

Johnson explained that the school district had prevented Sacramento High from recruiting students from the Oak Park area.

“What the school district did for the last five years was they would not allow Sac High to recruit kids from the normal middle schools that would go to Sac High,” he said. “They would not even send information to the middle school families to say that this is an option that you have.”

“That just doesn’t make sense,” said Johnson.

He expressed confidence that the community would fight to keep the school open.

An Oak Park Neighborhood Association board member wondered how people in Oak Park could work with the city volunteering effort.

Johnson suggested she contact Keith Hart, chief service officer, who is coordinating the city’s volunteer effort.

He said he set a goal of 500,000 volunteering hours in 2009, and the city got 1.7 million. In 2010, his goal was 3 million, and the city got 3.1 million hours. This year, his goal remains 3 million, with the addition of raising the number of Sacramentans who volunteer from 24 to 35 percent.

The mayor’s top four issues for volunteers to get involved with are education, homelessness, environmental issues and emergency preparedness.

“What are we doing about the homeless?” one attendee asked.

Johnson responded that the city set a goal of building 3,000 permanent housing units over three years and built 1,500 of them last year.

“In the first year we’re 500 ahead of schedule,” he said.

He mentioned an effort by the faith community called Winter Sanctuary, where churches bring in up to 100 homeless, the effort has saved the city a couple hundred thousand dollars, he said.

Sacramento had the opportunity to get $1.6 million from the federal Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program but had to raise $400,000 to receive the funds.

The city raised matching funds with the help of area churches who asked their congregations to contribute at least one day’s worth of their rent.

After the mayor finished, the OPNA held an election for seven board positions. Only seven people were on the ballot. One community member, Cory Cliff, attempted to put himself on the ballot but was ineligible because he hadn’t attended three OPNA meetings in the last 12 months.

The new board members are: Bill Knowlton, Terre Johnson, Micheal Luna, Charles Mason, Rev. Ashiya Edeye, Julian Slee and Joany Titherington.

The next Oak Park Neighborhood Association meeting will be held on March 3 at the Sacramento Food Bank, 3333 Third Avenue.

Natomas School District's Future Hinges On Proposed Tax Extensions

2011-02-01T07:04:32Z

Natomas Unified School District officials probably know better than any other in California the importance of Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed tax extensions.

Voter approval in June has the power to pull this small Sacramento-area district of 10,000+ students back from the brink of bankruptcy. If the proposition fails, state funding to K-12 education could be cut 6 percent – or more – and two local legislators are poised to introduce legislation in the coming weeks that would empower the state to take over the cash-strapped school district in Natomas.

While school districts statewide will be equally impacted if Gov. Brown's propositions fail to pass, Natomas Unified will financially be out of time. The question is: Can the community, more specifically California voters, save the school district from bankruptcy?

“The process of a state takeover has begun,” said Bruce Roberts, Natomas school board president.

The Natomas Unified School District has 13 schools and is home to four independent charter schools which have, in part, contributed to a decline in enrollment at its traditional campuses. The district's history of controversial budgeting practices, coupled with the collapse of the housing market and ongoing cuts to funding at the state level have created what some have described as a “perfect storm” in Natomas education.

State education code requires school districts show a balanced budget three years out and when Natomas Unified failed to do so for the 2011-12 school year, Sacramento County superintendent David Gordon started bankruptcy proceedings. Despite recent concessions by its employees – in the form of layoffs, increased class sizes, furlough days and pay cuts that balanced the budget for 2011-12 – Natomas Unified coffers cannot sustain the district into 2012-13 with its current proposed budget. Gordon fears the school district will be crippled if Gov. Brown's proposed five-year tax extensions are not approved by voters.

“I keep emphasizing to the district they have to be prepared and plan ahead,” Gordon said. “It is difficult to stay solvent if you do it for one year and just squeak by.”

Gordon knows going back to the bargaining table so soon after striking a deal is not easy, but says Natomas Unified has to budget for “automatic inflators” such as annual step and column pay raises and insurance premium increases in 2012-13. The school district, he said, also needs a contingency plan in the event tax extensions are not approved for the 2011-12 school year. The teachers union expects to resume contract negotiations in February and the classified employees union is scheduled to be at the table in March.

“The county assured the Natomas Teachers' Association that state receivership would be avoided if teachers contributed 7.9% to the budget deficit,” teachers' union president Cynthia Connell said. “The community which rallied together to urge teachers to take these cuts must finally understand that teachers cannot save this district; they've been misled to believe we can.”

In recent years, Natomas Unified has laid off dozens of employees. The school district has also reduced funding for athletics, cut stipends for extracurricular activity advisers, eliminated summer school programs, discontinued all school busing except for special education students, closed all elementary school libraries and one school.

Parent groups and the Natomas community have rallied in response to support their neighborhood schools. Fundraisers are held to pay for school supplies, equipment and field trips. Most recently, enough money was raised to temporarily reopen some school libraries for limited use. Natomas Unified superintendent Bobbie Plough is moving forward with plans to renegotiate agreements with the charter schools and earlier this month hosted a community meeting to generate additional fundraising ideas.

“I’m glad that our teachers and classified employees made generous concessions this year, but we need to fix our long-term budget problem to prevent a state takeover,” said Ryan Herche, a Natomas resident and former school board candidate who attended the meeting. “We can raise new revenue by opening school property for advertising and applying for grants.”

Herche, who repeatedly called for an audit of Natomas Unified accounting during his campaign for school board last year, believes the school district can save money by changing its competitive bidding process and by using district employees, instead of contractors, when it proves more cost effective.

“Doing business 'the way we've always done it' has caused a fair share of our financial woes,” added Connell. “It is going to take changes in policies and practices at the district and board level to turn around the years-old practice of deficit spending.”

Work toward a balanced multi-year budget continues at the school district level. Meanwhile Assemblyman Richard Pan, District 5, and Assemblyman Roger Dickinson, District 9, plan to jointly introduce a spot bill in February that would authorize a state takeover of Natomas Unified. Pan said the legislation is a placeholder that will be enacted only if necessary to keep the school district solvent.

“We would like to avoid a state takeover,” said Pan, a Natomas resident with two young children. “We also don't want the district to go under. I am hopeful that is not going to happen.”

Pan and Natomas Unified plan to hold a town hall meeting Feb. 17 about the state budget, the proposed tax extensions and the assemblyman's role in the state receivership process. Even if the district manages to make more budget cuts for 2012-13, parent volunteers like Scott Dosick, who serves on the school district's budget advisory and bond oversight committees, say they understand the depth of the school district's financial woes and what would come with a state takeover – more layoffs, larger class sizes, school closures and negative impacts on the community. They also know the future of Natomas Unified likely hinges on whether Gov. Brown's proposed tax extensions will be passed or voted down.

“That would represent a cut of $3.5 to $4 million dollars for the Natomas Unified School District,” said Dosick. “This would be beyond catastrophic – I don't even know what word to use.”

Our children are just numbers to them

2011-01-25T20:10:35Z

“I don't understand why they placed him like they did, when he is clearly not what they say he is.”

At 18 months old, my child was diagnosed as autistic. Like any concerned and loving parent, I immediately began learning about his developmental delay as I gathered all the resources I could to help him. I learned of a frightening statistic; One child in every 166 births will be diagnosed with autism. He began receiving speech and occupational therapy from the Alta Regional Center.

As I watched and participated in his hours of therapy per week, I saw my non-verbal but happy child make progress very slowly. Sometimes the constant mental prodding was just too much, and he would melt down. We would stop for the day, knowing we could try again during the next appointment. No matter the stress he and I underwent, he was still happy, and I was still determined. He would get his chance to receive a proper education; I thought I had done my best by getting him the services he deserved.

At the age of 3, my toddler was set to attend diagnostic preschool in the San Juan Unified School District. I cried the tears of a reluctant yet eager mother as I placed my tyke on the bus for the first time. I saw it as a milestone, and I was relieved because I had helped prepare him for this situation. I trusted in the school and the teachers to help me help my son progress. I asked questions, gave input and collaborated with the school's staff for his Individualized Education Plan (IEP). The staff would test him, bring me the results, and we would discuss what our goals were going to be that year. Anyone with a special needs child can tell you a good amount of thought and time goes into the IEP process.

Fast forward five years. Different school district, same label and same education process. We had continued over the years to ask the questions and develop my son's IEP based on his path and progression. My son was now attending school in the Sacramento City Unified School District, and we had had nothing but good experiences with the district and his teachers. His recent IEP, however, brought something to light that none of us had ever imagined could happen.

“I don't understand why they marked him like they did,” said the school psychologist. “He tested low average, not where they put him.”

I sat across from the psychologist as she explained to me that all this time, he was in the wrong classes. I looked at her as though she had just told me she was Napoleon. Her passion shone through, and my heart sank. During my son's attendance in the San Juan school district, they had mislabeled him. He had tested in the low/average percentile, and they marked him lower with a label of “Intellectual Disability.” Before 2006, this label was known as “MR” or “Mental Retardation.”

Someone in the San Juan district had studied the test results and signed off on the wrong classification.

For the past five years, his classes have been based on this mislabeling. He learned mostly living skills and speech, while academics took somewhat of a backseat. Both of his teachers over the past few years had recognized his intelligence. It was because of this recognition that the most recent IEP had new information. They had retested him, and the scores proved him to be in need of challenges. With this news, we plotted a new course: a new school with a new class – one with the correct curriculum for his current stage of learning.

My son is behind five years in his education because someone in the San Juan school district marked him lower than his test scores. The impersonal nature of the educational system made it easy for whomever marked him, because he or she saw a number for the bottom line – not a child.

He has gone from finger-painting and preschool math to multiplication he has never seen. These jumps occurred in the span of a week. His frustration has meant increased meltdowns and desperation on our part to just help him overcome these hurdles. As a baby, I pushed him gently but firmly to endure the therapy and education placed before him. He took it on as best as he could, and even though it hurt my heart, I knew I was pushing him toward a better future. I lost a lot of sleep making sure he had all the help we could access, but I didn't mind because I knew it would pay off for him. Now, I have to do it again to catch up on everything he has lost due to the person responsible for marking him as something he was not.

I tend to wonder how many other children in this type of situation have fallen through the cracks due to ineptitude. I worry about the carelessness on the part of school officials who depend on mere numbers to place children in special programs. These children have enough challenges as it is without being cheated of a “free appropriate public education.” I know my son is not the first child this has happened to, and unless there is an outcry, he won't be the last.

Any parent with a child in school needs to learn a lesson from our family. If you suspect for even a moment that your child may have special needs, take the reins. Get all the help you can, do all the research, access all the resources. Don't trust the school to tell you what your child is without asking for explanations for every term they use.

When you get that booklet of parent rights, you get to decide what happens. Even if you are overwhelmed, you need to keep asking questions. There is no such thing as too many questions. You will know a school is not for you if your questions annoy the school staff. You need to find a school that is willing and capable of helping the special needs of your family. Find ways to access private testing. There are plenty of programs in your area that have this information. Never assume that the school district possesses the same agenda you do. Request the numbers and e-mail addresses of the staff involved with your child closely, and keep in contact with them often to see to it that your child is making the proper progress.

Take our story to heart and take part in your child's future. Our goal is to help families avoid the situation we are in at this time. The resources we have found in Sacramento and in the state of California are plentiful, even with budget cuts. If this hits as close to home as I believe it will for many of you, find out what is available in your area and contact someone today. Our situation is unfortunate, and our story is not over.

Sponsors and Vendors sought for 2011 Juneteenth Celebration

2011-01-23T07:22:58Z

Summer is months away but organizers of Solano County’s only free community-wide Juneteenth Celebration are already planning the 23rd annual event scheduled for Saturday, June 18, 2011 from 11-6 at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park in downtown Vallejo. The celebration was recently named one of the top five community events in 2010 by the Vallejo Times-Herald.

The event theme for the historic observance is “Creating healthy communities through education and empowerment.” Organizers say the celebration will focus on self-development and making informed choices by providing access to a variety of community resources and services that help families live better.

“This event is about celebrating the end of slavery in the United States but there’s more to it than that,” said Juneteenth committee president Angela Jones. “Through partnerships with local health care providers, non-profit organizations, educational institutions, small business owners and some major companies, we’re able to connect families from all walks of life with quality health care services, opportunities for educating our children, and the chance to support the local economy which are important ingredients for a healthy, vibrant and sustainable community.”

The celebration will mark the 23rd year that Vallejo has observed Juneteenth. Historians say Juneteenth dates back to June 19, 1865, when the civil Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with the news that the war had ended and the enslaved were now free. The announcement was delivered two and a half years after President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation which had become official on January 1, 1863. African Americans commemorate Juneteenth with a celebration of family, friends, community and freedom.

The celebration is free and open to the public. Organizers estimated 3,000 visitors at the previous event. However, the committee receives no public funds and is seeking charitable contributions and sponsors to help pay expenses. As part of the festivities, the Committee is soliciting vendors for food, craft and specialty sales, non-profit organizations that can provide free helpful information and services, and a variety of other exhibitors. The event will promote education and literacy through an essay contest for students. There will also be live on stage entertainment. Interested performers should contact the committee on the website for more information. Details including sponsor opportunities and application packets are available on the website at www.vallejojuneteenth.com.

Philanthropic Group Offers College Scholarships

2011-01-22T05:45:37Z

Once again Soroptimist International of Sacramento, Inc. (SIS) will award scholarships to female college students in the Sacramento area. This year's theme, “Bridge to Success,” encompasses SIS' goal of helping today's bright students become tomorrow's leaders.

“Soroptimists work to promote a better life for women throughout the world,” says Alice Jarboe, chair of SIS' Scholarships Committee. “These scholarships are just one way SIS helps local women build the bridge to their future.”

Each year SIS awards between four to eight scholarships to students currently enrolled in local community colleges or universities. The scholarships – which are all made possible by the generous donations of SIS members – range from $500-$2,000 based on academic achievement and financial need.

Applicants must submit applications by February 25, 2011. The awards will be made on April 29th, 2011. For eligibility requirements and to download an application visit www.soroptimistsacramento.com.

About Soroptimist International of Sacramento, Inc.
Soroptimist International of Sacramento, Inc. (SIS) was established in 1923, the fifth oldest club in the world. Currently there are almost 95,000 Soroptimists in 120 countries around the world. SIS is very active in raising funds for and providing services to activities and organizations which assist “at-risk” women and children in our community and world-wide. For more information, visit www.soroptimistsacramento.com.

Johnson presents agenda at State of the City

2011-01-21T02:24:41Z

In addition to breaking the news that former Washington, D.C., Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee would base her education group in Sacramento at Thursday’s State of the City address, Mayor Kevin Johnson also laid out his agenda for the environment, education and downtown development.

Johnson’s speech was the key draw of the Sacramento Metro Chamber’s 19th annual event, held at the Sacramento Convention Center. The chamber’s communications director, Hal Silliman, said this year’s turnout of about 950 people set a record.

In remarks before Johnson’s speech, Metro Chamber Board Chair Gregory Eldridge commented on the poor economic environment in Sacramento, saying “many of our members continue to struggle.”

The economy was also central to Johnson’s comments on “Greenwise,” the regional environmental initiative he started last year. The initiative will focus on five objectives.

The first is a goal of bringing twice as many green jobs to the region by the year 2020, doubling the current 14,000 green jobs.

“Our signature projects, in my opinion, when it comes to the green sector, are game changers for our community,” Johnson said.

The mayor’s second goal is to remodel school buildings in an environmentally friendly manner in the next 10 years. Greenwise aims to refurbish 15 million square feet of existing school buildings in the region.

A third element of the plan is to encourage people to buy local food. The fourth priority is to advance energy innovations.

Johnson’s fifth environmental goal is for the region to launch a biofuels manufacturing sector.

“With all of the waste that we produce in our region, particularly around agriculture, we have a tremendous amount of raw material in which we can create biofuels,” he said.

“Everything we need is right here. So on the flip side of it, if every garbage truck, if every bus, if every vehicle, if every city, county and state fleet, runs on biofuel, we can create a market and satisfy it with just our purchasing power by us becoming consumers here in our community.”

On the education front, Johnson set a goal to bring all Sacramento third graders in the city up to grade level in reading.

“We are announcing an initiative today that we want to be the first city in the country that ensures that every child is reading on grade level by the third grade,” Johnson said.

The mayor also discussed his development agenda. He mentioned his desire to revitalize downtown and bring a new sports and entertainment arena there.

A task force studying four current proposals is likely to make an analysis public on Friday.

“I don’t want us to just limp through this (economic) crisis,” Johnson said. “I think if we look back to the history of our community, we know that we have a strong core in this community and we can do a lot of things to get our mojo back.”

Read the complete text of the Greenwise plan here.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Rhee's StudentsFirst will be based in Sacramento

2011-01-20T21:55:42Z

Former D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee has decided to base her new education nonprofit in Sacramento. Mayor Kevin Johnson, who is engaged to Rhee, announced Rhee's decision in his "State of the City" speech Thursday.

Johnson said Rhee's group, StudentsFirst, aims to raise $1 billion in its first year.

"She was asked at the launch where the organization would be headquartered," according to the text of Johnson's speech. "She said that while many big city mayors had come a'courting that the mayor of Sacramento had made the most aggressive overtures."

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Nonprofit brings arts program to schools

2011-01-20T00:34:57Z

Local artist Kim Grace faces a unique challenge each week: how to teach visual arts to the visually impaired.

Grace is one of 75 artists who work with students in the Sacramento City Unified School District through the Very Special Arts program, teaching art to both students in special education and students in general education.

“It’s been a real experience for me,” she said. “Most of these students don’t get a lot of opportunity for art in schools, so when you walk in with a box of paint, it’s like you’re the biggest rock star around.”

When it came to working with blind and visually impaired students, Grace said she had to rethink her teaching process, focusing on how the artistic media feel in her hands and how she can relate her knowledge to students who can’t see.

Very Special Arts is an international nonprofit network affiliated with The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

Alice Parente founded the local chapter of the organization, called “I Can Do That!,” 25 years ago, and it now serves 3,000 students in 60 schools in the district.

“This is my heart’s passion,” she said. “I’ve seen some of these students grow up going through the program, and it’s rewarding to see how much they’ve grown.”

Parente works with the special education teachers at the school sites, who then partner with general education teachers so art classes mix the students together.

“What’s amazing is, when you look at a class, you can’t tell who is a student in special education and who isn’t,” Parente said. “They’re all artists.”

The program is largely funded by the nonprofit, with the school district paying for 10 percent of supply costs, half of Parente’s salary and transportation to performances and art shows.

“And they provide a lot of support,” Parente said. “They really believe in this program.”

The students’ academic performance is measured before and after they start the program, and Parente said there are noticeable improvements in math, reading and language arts, but the biggest improvement comes in self esteem.

“The arts are success-oriented and non-threatening,” she said. “They get told they can do whatever they want instead of being told they can’t do something.”

Sherron McCarthy is a special education substitute teacher in the district with a personal connection to the program.

“My son is 28 years old, and he went through the program,” she said. “He enjoyed art. He was never very artistic, but it was good training for him.”

Her son, who has Down Syndrome, currently works at a golf course and lives independently.

“(Leonardo Da Vinci Elementary School) gave him a good start,” she said.

Students in the program learn to work in clay, sculpture, painting, drawing and performing arts such as music and various forms of dance.

The students’ work is shown in art shows held in winter and spring. The next one is the sixth annual Winter Very Special Arts Festival, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Jan. 27 at the Sam Pannell Meadowview Community Center, 2450 Meadowview Road.

It is free and open to the public, and performances including dancing and singing will start at 10 a.m.

One of the more than 500 students whose art will be shown or performed at the show is 14-year-old Austin Benavidez, who is visually impaired.

“Artwork is fun,” he said. “Usually I love doing clay. Clay makes things easier. The painting is messier, but I’m good at making pinch pots and rolling pots (out of clay).”

Last year, Austin was in the program’s blues band playing tambourine, but he said he prefers sculpting from clay.

Billy Lei is a 13-year-old visually impaired student who immigrated from China last year.

“I like to make bowls and put handprints in it,” he said. “I made a clay box with handles. This is my first year doing art. I like this.”

Shelby Haines is a special education teacher at Leonardo Da Vinci who specializes in working with visually impaired students, including Austin and Billy.

“It’s really exciting,” she said. “Having a professional artist gives them another experience that I wouldn’t be able to offer them.”

Haines said private programs are available, but they are very costly, and having the Very Special Arts program come directly to the school is a benefit to all the students.

Parents who want their children involved in the program should go through their school’s special education teacher, Parente said.

“In 25 years, we’ve never turned away anybody,” she said.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Drexel’s Center for Graduate Studies holds information sessions on three programs

2011-01-13T20:49:42Z

The School of Education at Drexel University’s Goodwin College will hold three information sessions this month on programs offered at the Center for Graduate Studies in Sacramento for individuals who wish to pursue an administrative career in education or human resource development.

The School of Education programs featured in Sacramento are: a Master of Science in Higher Education, a Master of Science in Human Resource Development and a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Management.

The schedule for the information sessions:

-- Wednesday, Jan. 26 – San Francisco
6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Four Points by Sheraton San Francisco Bay Bridge, Emeryville

-- Thursday, Jan. 27 – Santa Clara/Silicon Valley
6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Embassy Suites Santa Clara-Silicon Valley, Santa Clara

-- Saturday, Jan. 29 – Sacramento
10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Center for Graduate Studies, Sacramento

To register, visit: http://sacramento.drexel.edu/admission/visit/
For more information, please contact the Graduate Center at sacramento@drexel.edu or call 916-325-4600.

Drexel’s School of Education is recognized by U.S. News and World Report as one of America’s Best Graduate Schools.

The Master of Science in Higher Education program prepares students to lead in complex administrative and management positions in university and college offices, national and international associations and organizations, government agencies, foundations, and corporations. For more information, visit http://sacramento.drexel.edu/programs/masters-higher-education/

The Master of Science in Human Resource Development program prepares students for strategic human capital roles in facilitating employee and organizational learning, performance, and change in a variety of workplace settings such as private corporations, public organizations, and NGOs. For more information, visit http://sacramento.drexel.edu/programs/masters-human-resource-development/

-- To meet the needs of the working professional, the Spring 2011 master’s students will be taught in an all-new “Executive Format.” Each quarter, three classroom sessions will be held on Friday and Saturday. All remaining coursework will be delivered online.

The doctoral program in Educational Leadership and Management provides students with the expertise in administration, finance, and leadership needed for leadership positions in the field of private schools, colleges and universities, businesses, foundations, and government agencies. For more information, visit http://sacramento.drexel.edu/programs/education-doctorate/

Disclosure: Chris Silvestri is the News media contact for Drexel News Bureau

Office: 215-895-2705; Cell: 215-668-0780
Email: csilvestri@drexel.edu

Inaugural Students Graduate from Drexel’s Center for Graduate Studies in Sacramento

2011-01-10T22:13:49Z

Two years after opening its high-tech Center for Graduate Studies in Sacramento, Drexel University is celebrating the graduation of its first class of students.

Thirty-five students will be honored this weekend at a celebration event that will precede a formal graduation in June. They have earned an MBA, MS-library & information science, or MS-information systems.

“We are truly proud to have educated and mentored such an extraordinary group of working professionals,” said Carl “Tobey” Oxholm III, senior vice president of Drexel and dean of its Center for Graduate Studies. “These individuals showed how entrepreneurial they are when they enrolled with us. Now the region will see just how farsighted they were and experience the value that comes from a practical, nationally top-ranked graduate education.”

Kyle Glankler was among those first students who began classes in January 2009. Glankler, who earned his MBA while working as a business development manager for Roebbelen Contracting Inc., said he obtained much more than he expected from his Drexel experience.

“When I enrolled in Drexel’s MBA program, I was expecting to learn numbers, accounting and finance,” said Glankler, who served as Drexel’s first Graduate Student Association president. “I learned all that, but I also learned so much more. Drexel has a great program that gives all its students, regardless of their area of study, a new perspective on leadership. Drexel shined a light on an area that I didn’t fully understand before. I have a new outlook on what it means to be an authentic leader. That’s going to benefit me in the future.”

Alumni and graduating students joined faculty and senior staff members to celebrate the first class of Drexel graduates at a reception Saturday, Jan. 8, at the Firehouse Restaurant in Sacramento. They were welcomed into Drexel’s 130,000 alumni community by James Gravesande, (Drexel ’84), the president of Drexel’s Northern California Alumni Club.

With more students completing their coursework in the months ahead, almost 100 working professionals will be eligible to participate in the formal Commencement ceremonies being planned for June in Philadelphia and Sacramento.

Since opening in January 2009, Drexel has enrolled more than 350 students in its doctorate and master’s degree programs in Sacramento. The Center for Graduate Studies is known as one of Northern California’s most high-tech conference and educational facilities. In its state-of-the-art classrooms, Drexel – a top-ranked national comprehensive university – teaches six master’s, one doctorate, and one post-baccalaureate program that are designed for working professionals.

All eight programs are focused on the heart of Greater Sacramento’s growth and economic development initiatives – entrepreneurial business, human resource development, higher education, public health, knowledge management and information science. Classes “fit” with the students’ business responsibilities and are a blend of in-class and online pedagogies. All classes are held in the evenings or on occasional weekends.

Information for Drexel's graduate programs in California can be found at drexel.edu/sacramento or by calling (916) 325-4600. The next Information Session will be held from 6 - 8 p.m. Jan. 13 at the Graduate Center, One Capitol Mall, Suite 260.

Disclosure: Jeffrey Weidel is V.P. of Halldin Public Relations in Roseville

Art Education is Hands-on at the Crocker

2011-01-08T00:45:36Z

A young artist experiments with color and vision.

Learning spatial relations and composition.

Demonstrating kinetic art.

The Crocker Art Museum was the first public art museum in the west, dating from 1885 when Margaret Crocker donated the original building, grounds and art collection to the city of Sacramento. Her intention was to create a public trust that would ensure that a vehicle for the appreciation of art would always be available to Californians.

The Crocker Art Museum Association has upheld that intention through the decades, and has recently completed an ambitious expansion which tripled the size of the facility.

The expanded space enables the museum to display much more of its impressive permanent collection and to accommodate larger traveling exhibitions.

The addition of an auditorium space, a reception area that can host up to 400 guests, and a beautiful courtyard and atrium has
transformed the Crocker into a beautiful and fully functional showcase for all kinds of art.

One of the most impressive improvements is the restoration of the museum as an educational institution. This week, The Sacramento Press was invited to tour the newly opened 6500-square-foot Education Center, housed on the lower floor of the original Victorian structure donated by Margaret Crocker. The center features three functional and flexible studio art spaces, a children’s participatory gallery, a teacher resource center, an expanded library and new student exhibition space.

There are myriad social and economic factors at work that remove children farther and farther from the arts with each passing year.

Decreasing budgetary support for the arts in schools has become a cultural tragedy. A society in which children know about Playstations but not Picasso, Gameboy but not Goya, Wii but not Whistler, is a society in need of art education.

Historically, art museums acted as centers for education for both adults and children, offering studio art classes and an opportunity for exposure to art as an everyday part of a healthy community.

Julie Didion, sculpture and art instructor, mesmerizes children with clay art demonstrations.

Children engrossed in shape and color.

Tactile experience with art.

Lial Jones, Director of the Crocker Art Museum.

Lial Jones, director of the Crocker Art Museum, was on hand to welcome a few dozen journalists and some very excited children to the education center.

Jones, who has been at the helm of the Crocker for 11 years, said she is seeing a generational change in the way people are exposed to art. She said the goal of the museum is to provide entry points for the life enrichment experiences that are made possible by interactions with art.

“We want the community to think of the Crocker Art Museum as a go-to resource for Sacramento families. We see a gap; we try to step in to
fill it…. We want to meet the public where they are with art, and to make art accessible to all,” said Jones.

“Education has been at the core of the Crocker’s mission since the museum’s founding, but it is the museum’s recent expansion that has enabled us to present year-round classes for all ages for the first time in our 125-year history,” said Stacey Shelnut-Hendrick, director of education at the Crocker Art Museum.

Stacey Shelnut-Hendrick, director of Education at the Crocker Art Museum.

The Winter 2011 class schedule includes 25 classes for children, teens and adults. The class catalog is available online.

Additionally, the museum has just been awarded a First 5 Sacramento grant of $566,040 to develop and implement the All About Families—Early Childhood Initiative educational program for children ages up to age 5 and the adults who care for them.

Among the many art experiences available to children and families through the Crocker are the all-ages (with adult) “Drop, Yak, Splat! A Museum Adventure for Families,” and “Wee Wednesday,” a weekly adventure for 3 - 5-year-olds. These events are free with museum admission.

Robin Koltenuk, Director of Marketing & Communications (right) at Crocker Art Museum.

On Feb. 5, enjoy free admission to the Crocker and more than 25 other museums in the Sacramento region. For details, visit http://sacmuseums.org/

For more details about the Crocker Art Museum, its collections, or any of its programs, visit crockerartmuseum.org

SacPress Photos | Kati Garner

Generous Grant From First 5 Sacramento Will Allow Powerhouse Science Center To Devote Entire Area to Young Children

2010-11-29T17:58:58Z

The Powerhouse Science Center in Sacramento today announced it has accepted a $250,000 grant from First 5 Sacramento. The grant will help build a room that will support a school readiness program by featuring age and development-appropriate learning activities.

Located on the scenic banks of the Sacramento River, the Powerhouse Science Center will be the premier science and space learning center serving Northern California. It will serve as a model for 21st-century experiential education in science, math, technology, engineering, and space – and an exemplary “green” building that functions as an environmental teaching lab.

The Center, which will cost an estimated $50 million, has nearly completed its pre-construction phase. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2013.

The grant will fund the First Discovery Room, a 625 square-foot, semi-enclosed space located within the main Powerhouse building – the historic PG&E power station. The room will serve as an affordable, accessible, and culturally-sensitive space dedicated for children zero through five years of age, their families, and caregivers to experience an array of school readiness, parenting, and community building activities.

“The Powerhouse Science Center is an innovative educational center that will cater to many different age groups,” said Michele Wong, Interim Executive Director for the Powerhouse Science Center. “First 5 Sacramento focuses on the early growth experiences for children, so this generous grant means we will definitely have an area that can help provide the zero through five age children and their families with many wonderful experiences that will enable the children to be more successful in school and ultimately have a better opportunity to succeed in life.”

The First Discovery Room will provide a wide variety of school readiness and community building programming, including:

Community Meeting Area that will help build community by providing a safe, comfortable place where families can interact with their children in an instructional manner while socializing with other parents, children, and community members.
Stage, with Movable Puppet Theatre and Hidden Storage Area.
Play Diner featuring healthy food choices and pretend play, and school readiness activities.
Reading Cabin featuring a cozy space where youth and caregivers can interact and read.
Take-Away Kiosk, with free, helpful publications.
Tot Crawling Area where the youngest children can interact with age and developmentally appropriate manipulatives while learning to socialize with each other.

“We are very excited about partnering with the Powerhouse Science Center and what this will mean for the many families that we represent,” said Roger Dickinson, Chair to the First 5 Sacramento Commission. “First 5 Sacramento partners with high quality learning programs that are committed to providing children with the necessary tools to make them successful life-long learners. One of our primary goals is preparing children to enter kindergarten ‘ready to learn.’ The Powerhouse Science Center will be a great asset in helping First 5 Sacramento achieve that objective.”

Situated in the River District off Jibboom Street, the historic PG&E Power Station B was the first-choice location for the Powerhouse Science Center because the historic building’s position on the riverfront is highly visible, creating greater awareness for the imaginative science facility.

A premiere Northern California science and space learning facility, the Center project is a unique public, non-profit educational institution that involves a partnership between the Powerhouse Science Center, PG&E, The City of Sacramento, and 28 other Founding Partners who have declared a commitment to the project.

In restoring and reusing this property that is now owned by The City of Sacramento, the Center will serve as a model for 21st-century experiential education in science, math, technology, engineering, and space, and be utilized as a field trip destination for pre-kindergarten to 12th grade students from throughout the region.

The Powerhouse Science Center will include:

Generous exhibit space for current and traveling exhibits
Science laboratories and classrooms
150-seat full-dome planetarium
New Challenger Learning Center
Robotics exhibit and lab
Environmental exhibits
Outdoor stage and screen
Cafe with outdoor seating
Restaurant with riverfront views
Spacious entry, reception, event and meeting areas
Bookstore and gift shop
Auto and bus parking areas

For more information on the Powerhouse Science Center, visit www.powerhousesciencecenter.org, email info@PowerhouseScienceCenter.org, or call 916 853-0343

Disclosure: Jeffrey Weidel is V.P. of Halldin Public Relations in Roseville, Volunteer PR work for Powerhouse Science Center.

Dr. Oz brings health program to Sacramento teens

2010-10-25T06:58:23Z

Television personality, author and surgeon Dr. Oz spoke at Luther Burbank High School in South Sacramento Saturday afternoon with the goal of making Sacramento eat healthier and exercise more.

HealthCorps, a nationwide movement founded by Dr. Oz, aims to fight obesity by changing the mindsets of young people. The group has now begun programs at Luther Burbank High School and Sacramento Charter High School with funding from the California Walnut Commission.

Sacramento County has the third highest obesity rate of the 58 counties in California. Obesity has links to cancer and heart disease, the two leading causes of death in the U.S. Mayor Kevin Johnson, who welcomed Dr. Oz to the stage, said he wants Sacramento teens to be role models in the arena of health.

HealthCorps consists of three parts. The first part is education – each school is joined by a recent college graduate who has chosen to delay her entrance into medical school to teach students about health and coordinate the program for two years.

Luther Burbank High School was joined by Chioma Enweasor, who said she wanted to teach kids and bring health into their life in a way that is tangible and real to them. In this spirit, students have started a produce garden at the back of their school. The food from the garden will be used by the school’s cafeteria and donated to homeless shelters.

“They were so excited when I said the word ‘garden,’” Enweasor said. “They all wake up early on Saturday morning. This has been the most supportive environment.”

Sacramento Charter High School was joined by Jessica Steele, who said that teaching high school students has been great, but she hasn’t solved the country’s health issues quite yet.

“It’s an uphill battle sometimes,” Steele said. “I’ll do a great lesson on neurotransmitters and then we’ll go outside and they’re all eating nacho cheese chips.”

The second component of HealthCorps is something called “Fit Town,” a community-oriented plan to improve the health of those in the community. Students survey the environment in and around their schools, plan ways to improve the health and well-being of themselves and those in the community, and then execute their plans.

Lastly, HealthCorps advocates policy change that will enable people to live healthier lives.

According to the HealthCorps website, these programs have demonstrated positive, quantifiable change in the places they have been.

“Everyone has a personal story about health,” Luther Burbank principal Ted Appel said. “When you talk about relevance in education, this is what you talk about."

Dr. Oz said he could reach teens by using advice that Oprah had given him: People make decisions based on emotion, not based on facts. With this in mind, Dr. Oz set forth sharing ideas that would make an emotional impact on the audience.

He showed an image of a pink, healthy lung and the lung of a smoker, blackened and decrepit. If someone has a visceral reaction to something, he said, there’s a greater chance that person will change his or her behavior.

He showed an animation of blood cells making their way through an artery and then showed what happens in the years leading up to a heart attack.

He explained that an excess of fat is unhealthy because it can block the production of insulin, puts pressure on the kidneys, creating high blood pressure, and inhibits the liver’s ability to produce healthy cholesterol.

He measured Johnson’s waist while explaining that if the former Dream Teamer hopes to be healthy, the measurement must be less than one-half his height. At 6-foot-1, Johnson's waist made the grade by one and a half inches.

Dr. Oz explained that biology is a much stronger force than human willpower, and that in order to overcome something like weight gain, a person would do well to learn tricks like having a snack 30 minutes before eating to initiate the process of telling the brain the body has found food.

“We can’t fix health care in Washington,” Dr. Oz said. “We have to fix it in our communities, in our bedrooms and in our living rooms.”

People aren’t as healthy as they once were, he said. Americans exercise less and eat more every year.

“We can not afford that financially or ethically,” he said.

UC Davis launches $1b campaign

2010-10-22T04:51:04Z

University of California, Davis, officials plan to kick off the public portion of a $1 billion fundraising campaign Friday – and they’re already halfway there.

The Campaign for UC Davis has already raised more than $605 million in pledges during its quiet phase, which started in 2006. Last month, the UC Board of Regents agreed the effort could go public with a billion-dollar goal they hope to meet by the end of 2014.

The campaign is the biggest in the 102-year-old institution's history. It’s also the university's first comprehensive fundraising effort, stretching across all schools, departments and programs.

Such a bold initiative is needed to help UC Davis continue its work to improve the region and people's lives, support the economy and solve global issues through research and education, Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi said at a press conference Thursday.

"This is a very difficult time – we all know that," she said as she stood inside the school’s Peter J. Shields Library. "It is now that our students, more than any other time, need support to continue their education."

Comprehensive campaigns have been used by private universities for years. But they're new among public universities. Fundraisers taking on an immense pledge drive like that usually keep the effort private until they’ve met at least 40 percent of the goal, according to the university.

At least $120 million will be raised for student scholarships. The money will also be used for financial aid, creating endowed chairs and professorships, teaching, emerging opportunities, boosting patient care and improving facilities, collections and equipment.

Other funds will help support the kind of cutting-edge research already under way at UC Davis.

University researchers also have been working on such projects as nutritional supplements to help prevent malnutrition in Africa, a virtual reality helmet that helps older autistic children function better in school and stem cell therapy that can help humans and animals.

On Thursday, researchers, professors and other faculty led visitors on tours to the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain, and the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science.

UC Davis operates the largest undergrad food and science program in the country, said Jim Seiber, chairman of the Department of Food Science and Technology.

The state-of-the-art experimental winery, brewery and food processing complex was built with $20 million in private donations as a testing site for new technology and production processes.

Dairy products are a $7 billion-per-year industry in California – the largest food industry in the state. The $3.5 billion grape industry is the second-largest, said John Krochta, Peter J. Shields endowed chair of Dairy Food Science.

Krochta is overseeing one of the university’s newest endeavors – an 800-square-foot milk-processing lab, where some of the research will be used in the campus’ “Foods for Health” initiative.

The lab is being built more than a century after Shields – a Sacramento judge and dairy cow breeder – used his desire to start a state dairy school to help establish UC Davis. The school began as the University Farm.

“This represents a return to UC Davis’ roots,” Krochta said.

Rick Steves Travels to Sacramento

2010-10-21T18:49:27Z

Acclaimed travel writer Rick Steves made an appearance at St. John's Lutheran Church in Sacramento on Wednesday night. Brought in to raise funds to support the 'The Rwanda School Project' and 'Lutheran Social Services of Northern California,' Rick spoke about traveling as a spiritual act.

The speech hi-lighted the nearly 30 years of Rick's life on the road and his desire to learn from each experience. Rick Steves, who is the author of more than 40 travel books, preaches about the transformative power of travel. His latest book 'Travel as a Political Act' was the basis for his speech Wednesday night. The speech, as well as the book, encourages the audience to travel abroad to experience history and culture and see what life is like for 96 percent of the planet's citizens, the ones who are not American. He speaks about his growth as a Lutheran and how travel has vastly opened his eyes to his spirituality.

With many personal stories Rick made the point that, “Travel should change you, get you out of your comfort zone,” and continued with “When you travel you realize there's exciting struggles going on that we would be clueless to if we didn't get out there and talk to these people.” He firmly believes that throughout the world there are numerous sets of morals and no one person or country should dictate the morals of others.

During the hour and a half speech Rick interjected numerous personal vignettes. He recounted a conversation with an Irishman from the country's west coast: “I asked him, 'Have you lived here all your life?'” The Irishman replied, 'Not yet.'” Then he asked, “Did you grow up around here?” and the man replied, “No, about five miles away.” The point Rick was making was that the world sees life differently; to understand cultures and people there must be an open mind and willingness to learn.

As Rick wrapped up his presentation to the roughly 200 people in attendance, he reiterated his challenge to travel as a political act, travel to broaden your perspective and come face to face with some of the world's less pleasant realities. He stated that, “Fear is for people who don't travel very much.”

He ended with his own version of an amen, telling the crowd, “Happy travels!

______

Since the 1994 genocide of nearly 1,000,000 people in Rwanda the new government has expressed an interest in building secondary education. The government believes that through secondary education its youth can build critical thinking skills, sound academic and moral training, enhanced science and math skills and a good understanding of teamwork and self-discipline.

The main beneficiary of the evening, The Rwanda School Project, was founded in 2005 as a way to bolster this secondary learning initiative through the building of a new high school in Rwamagana (eastern Rwanda). The school, which officially opened September 30, 2010, will accommodate 540 students when complete and is striving to be a fully sustainable complex.

The schools self-sustaining systems includes the use of solar panels, water catchment systems, a bio-gas digestor, passive lighting and permaculture gardens. The schools curriculum focuses heavily on concepts of sustainability and careers which relate to sustainable development. With a desire to see graduates move on to university the Rwanda School Project teaches in English and accepts students of all income levels and faiths.

For more information on the Rwanda School Project or to make donations please visit www.rwandaschoolproject.org

For more information on Lutheran Social Services of Northern California or to make donations visit www.lssnorcal.org

For more information on St. John's Lutheran Church click here

For more information on Rick Steves click here

Marc McLaughlin is a Contributing Writer and Photographer with Sacramento Press

Handbag Fundraiser Helping Salvation Army Programs

2010-10-20T17:54:54Z

“I was thrilled. I called my husband immediately.”

That is the reaction Sacramento resident Cindy Nelson had after she outbid other ladies for a Ferragamo handbag during the live auction portion at the sixth annual Salvation Army Helping Handbag luncheon on October 16.

Nelson was one of nearly 400 attendees who came to the Radisson Hotel for the annual fundraiser.

“We have more ladies than in years past,” Major Colleen Riley, Salvation Army Divisional Director of women’s ministries and Women’s Auxiliary representative. “The event was well organized and the ladies were excited to bid on the purses.”

More than 200 items were offered during the event’s live and silent auctions, including designer handbags, local celebrities’ gently-used purses, donated gift certificates, and items given by local businesses. Some notable items that auctioned off at Helping Handbags included items donated by singer Linda Ronstandt, District Attorney Jan Scully and community leader Joyce Raley Reel.

In all, Helping Handbags grossed more than $40,000. Proceeds from the luncheon will go toward Salvation Army’s programs for women and children in the Sacramento area.

“We’re obviously supporting a great charity,” Nelson said. “It’s a lot fun, you meet lots of nice ladies, you see some familiar faces, and hear a great testimony.”

The luncheon fundraiser was organized by The Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary, a volunteer program made up of a group of local business women who believe in the mission of The Salvation Army, and donate their time and financial support to develop fund raising events like Helping Handbags.

“Behind the scenes, a lot of women put in many hours to organize this incredible event,” Major Riley said. “They truly put their heart and soul into this one.”

Syd Fong is the public relations director for The Salvation Army. For more information about The Salvation Army, please log onto www.salarmysacto.org

Wolf Awareness Week Begins

2010-10-19T18:21:38Z

Each year, the third week of October is proclaimed Wolf Awareness Week across the Nation. This is a time to recognize the importance of wolves as a crucial part of our ecosystems and to educate the public about current wolf and wolf hybrid issues. Considered endangered prior to the passing of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, successful efforts have been made to recover wolf numbers, but the road to recovery has been bumpy. Continued hunting of wolves in areas heavily used for livestock, trophy hunting, ill conceived state management plans, aerial hunting and the continued practice of killing pups in dens, which are unfortunately growing in popularity.

Organizations around the country are pushing education over myths this week in hopes of bringing about a better understanding of the role wolves play in our world. From protecting hybrids from owners that had little understanding of the patience needed to raise a wolf/dog hybrid, to seeking better management of wolf populations through state and federal programs.

Local groups such as Humane Outreach for Wolves League and Never Cry Wolf Rescue and Adoptions seek to protect the species by dispelling popular myths that portray the wolf as an aggressive brute, working with farmers and ranchers in problem areas, offering humane options to population control, operating and collaborating with wolf sanctuaries, and executing educational and awareness campaigns. In doing this, they hope we can rely on the positive effects these creatures have on the environment, thus ensuring a safe ecosystem for generations to come and prove that wolves and humans can peacefully coexist.

For more information go to HOWL and Never Cry Wolf Rescue and Adoptions

All Photos Courtesy of Monty Sloan/WolfPark.org

Latest Board Update from the desk of Superintendent Jonathan P Raymond

2010-10-19T15:10:40Z

Teaching and Learning

Priority School Professional Development: Staffs of the six Superintendent’s Priority Schools gathered at the Serna Center this week for training with Rochelle Herring-Peniston, president of Transformation By Design. Faculty learned the use of Data Wise inquiry protocols, which assist in analyzing student work, and learned how to identify learning goals and teacher learning needs. The sessions used the teachings of Harvard researchers such as Kathryn Boudette, Richard Elmore and Brent Stephens as well as the work of Nancy Love, Linda Darling-Hammond and Walter Doyle.

Every Day Counts: Charlotte Chadwick, principal at John Bidwell School, is throwing down the gauntlet —on October 7, her school had nearly 100 percent attendance for both staff and students. All staff members were present and only three students out of 381 were absent, which equated to 99.993 percent. Almost exactly the same occurred on October 13, she notes, with the exception of one staff illness. Chadwick’s announcement kicks off a competition – can any school achieve 100 percent attendance this year?

CORE Launch: Superintendent Raymond was in Los Angeles on Monday for the launch of CORE (California Office to Reform Education), a nonprofit organization founded by the seven superintendents (including Superintendent Raymond) who authored California’s Race to the Top application. The group’s intention is to leverage the collective energy of these seven districts – which together serve more than a million students – to continue moving forward with reforms developed for RTTT despite the federal government’s denial of California’s bid. CORE aims to engage public school communities at the grassroots level in changes that will improve teaching and learning. Those change initiatives include implementation of the Common Core State Standards in math and English (which were approved by the state Board of Education in August); development of formative student assessments aligned to the new standards; and developing tools and processes to better serve teachers and principals.

Standards Discussed: Cesar Chavez Intermediate School’s fourth- and sixth-grade teachers held a “Standards Night” for parents last week in which they shared the results of the first benchmark tests in English and math and explained the purpose of real-time learning assessment and discussed learning expectations for students.

Cougars Hit the Right Note: The John F. Kennedy High School Marching Band competed in the Oakmont High School Invitational Marching Band Tournament and came in second place within their class. Individual student Chris Chin won first place in the Drum Major category.

LEED-ing the Way: Fifty businesses/organizations from throughout the area participated in “Career GPS,” a LEED (Linking Education and Economic Development)-sponsored event held Thursday at Luther Burbank High School and attended by Rosa Parks Middle School students. The event featured interactive exhibits by regional employers and a talk-show format panel presentation with industry experts.

Operations

Grant Money Received: SCUSD’s Planning and Construction department received word last week that the State Allocation Board approved the district’s joint-use grant application of $572,374 for the Robbie Waters Pocket-Greenhaven Library at the School of Engineering and Sciences. The project is funded by Proposition 55.

Community Engagement

Community Meeting/Back-to-School Night at Hiram Johnson: Hiram Johnson High School held a community meeting on Thursday night prior to the school’s Back-to-School night. At the meeting, district staff presented an overview of plans to engage the school community in developing a shared vision for the school. A few parents in attendance expressed concerns about the changes at the school and the meeting format. The Back-to-School Night, which followed the community meeting, was very well attended by parents and staff.

Healthy Competition: Students from Pacific Elementary and Maple Elementary met on the soccer field on October 8, where they “kicked” up a lot of school spirit. The event (pictured below) was a joint effort between Pacific and Pacific Enrichment Program (PEP), the campus after-school program.

Safety Meeting: Maple Elementary School held a Community Meeting with staff from the district’s Safe Schools Office and representatives of the Sacramento Police Department on Wednesday, October 13. Community and parents learned how to be the eyes and ears of the neighborhood, the importance of reporting unusual activity and information on gang prevention. The officer in attendance also addressed issues of traffic around the school.

‘Target’-ing Literacy: Parkway Elementary School won a $2,000 grant from Target stores for an Early Literacy Program for grades K-3.

Upcoming Events

C.K. McClatchy Homecoming Saturday, October 16 – 10 a.m.

The school’s 74th annual homecoming parade, themed “Party at the Pyramids,” begins at 10 a.m. in the CKM parking lot, 3066 Freeport Blvd. From there, the floats, marching band and “royalty” cars head south as they wind through the Land Park neighborhood. The homecoming football games against the Hiram Johnson High School follow: JV at 11 a.m. and varsity at 1 p.m.

Author Dave Eggers at JFK Wednesday, October 20 – 1 p.m.

Dave Eggers, Pulitzer Prize finalist for his memoir “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius,” will speak with 450 John F. Kennedy High School students about his latest book, “Zeitoun,” a Los Angeles Times Book Award winner. Eggers’ appearance is sponsored by One Book Sacramento, a Sacramento Public Library program.

Health Fair Thursday, October 21 – 5 p.m.

Families will get free dental and vision screenings and other medical services and get an opportunity to sign up for health insurance or connect with health care providers. City of Sacramento Parks and Recreation will be providing entertainment. The fair is jointly sponsored by the City of Sacramento, Kaiser Medical Foundation and The Effort, a mental health and social services organization. The fair will be held at McClatchy.

Make a Difference Day Saturday, October 23 – 8:30 a.m.

Volunteer construction crews will be digging post holes, shoveling dirt and stacking cement blocks to create a brand new school garden at Bret Harte Elementary in Curtis Park, on Saturday – national Make a Difference Day. The work day will be organized like an old-fashioned barn-raising: Volunteers who participate will then take their newfound knowledge of garden installation to Luther Burbank High School, where they will rehabilitate a school garden there. The garden installation is a joint effort of several partners, including Bret Harte teachers and PTA, the Healthy Food Task Force, Sacramento Area Community Garden Coalition, Sierra Health and AmeriCorps.

Fall Graduation Tuesday, October 26 – 6 p.m.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell will be at the district’s annual Fall Graduation ceremony for students who completed all the requirements to earn a diploma last summer. Forty-nine students from throughout the district have been invited to attend with their families. The event will be held at the Charles A. Jones Skills Center, 5451 Lemon Hill Ave.

Hate Crimes Forum Thursday, October 28 – 3:30 p.m.

The 2nd Annual “Youth Against the Hate” forum, sponsored by SCUSD, Asian Resources and YouthRISE, will be held from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the cafeteria at McClatchy. The afternoon program will include a keynote address by Basim Elkarra, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, workshops for teens and their parents and spoken word poetry by members of Sacramento Youth Speaks.

Ethel I. Baker Library Makeover Friday, October 29 – 1 p.m.

More than 150 volunteers will put finishing touches on a new school library at Ethel I. Baker Elementary School before an official ribbon-cutting ceremony at 2:45 p.m. The library makeover – one of 32 nationwide – is being made possible by Target and The Heart of America Foundation. The new library will have thousands of new books, new furniture, paint, carpet and technology. Additionally each student and their siblings will receive seven new books to take home to their personal library.

SCUSD Web Site http://www.scusd.edu/Pages/default.aspx

Johnson backs school board candidates

2010-10-13T20:59:52Z

Mayor Kevin Johnson announced his picks for school board races on Wednesday.

He endorsed Andrea Corso for the Area 2 seat, which includes the Meadowview neighborhood; Shane Singh for Area 6, which includes the Pocket neighborhood; and Paige Powell for the Area 1 neighborhoods, which include Land Park.

Johnson praised the candidates at a press conference held at the Robbie Waters Pocket Greenhaven Library.

These candidates for the board of the Sacramento City Unified School District “understand that everything isn’t OK,” Johnson said. “And they don’t want business as usual.”

Corso is the deputy director of Stand Up, Johnson’s education non-profit. The group formed four years ago, but Johnson made it one of his priorities in 2009. Stand Up’s website says the group presses to improve troubled schools in the Sacramento area.

Johnson said that education efforts may not be in the job description for mayors, but education should be a top priority for them.

Singh, Corso and Powell believe that teachers should be evaluated with data and the education system should include charter schools, Johnson said.

Representatives from various groups, including the city’s police union and the Sacramento Metro Chamber’s political action committee, stood with Johnson at the press conference. Johnson said the groups were part of a coalition that supports the candidates for school board seats.

The entire slate of candidates for the three seats follows:

Area 1: David Ross, Paige Powell, Ellyne Bell

Area 2: Andrea Corso, Jeff Cuneo, Matthew Easley, Mary Hernandez

Area 6: Darrel Woo, Sharon Owens Thomas, Rob Gunn, Shane Singh, Robert Bartron

Read about the SCUSD forum held Tuesday here.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Candidates vie for SCUSD Board seat

2010-10-13T07:06:32Z

The slate is diverse, ranging from a higher education teacher to a retired Naval commander. All are vying for one thing: the chance to represent the Pocket neighborhood on the SCUSD School Board.

Five candidates met at a forum on Tuesday evening at the School of Engineering and Sciences to make their case as best representative for SCUSD District 6 Board Member. The forum was organized by the Didion/Lewis Park Recreational Center Committee and moderated by Michael Langley, editor of Pocket Online.

The biggest topic of reform referred to teachers.

"Everything is in instruction," said Sharon Owens-Thomas. "We probably have one-third high performing teachers in the district, another third mediocre, and another third that are underperforming."

"The first thing we have to do is change the way that we bring teachers into this system."

This feeling was echoed by other candidates.

"It's sad to say, but there are a lot of teachers that are excellent and phenomenal, and there are a few teachers who are not," said Shane Singh.

Darrel Woo, whose qualification as a teacher came under question last week, took a somewhat different approach.

"I'm not in favor of throwing out the baby with the bathwater," said Woo. "What I am in favor of is making our teachers better teachers, making our parents stand up for their children, and making our children responsible for their education as well."

Robert Barton looked at reform in terms of motivation.

"Reform is to help leaders in charge of schools, not administrators," said Barton. "The Principal's role is to inspire, to lead, to train, to motivate; it's all about leadership at the school."

"You don't fire the teachers, you motivate them."

The topic of teachers led to the inevitable discussion regarding labor unions.

"We need school reform, we need to work with the unions to try to somehow phase out these teachers who are no longer motivated," said Rob Gunn.

In regards to unions, Singh discussed tenure and proposed training, something Owens-Thomas took exception to.

"How much training can we have," asked Owens-Thomas. "I don't wan't see another training program. What I want is to grade highly effective teachers in the classroom."

Singh suggested having a gauge to measure teacher performance, and Owens-Thomas was quick to point one out.

"I'm sorry Mr. Singh but we do have a gauge in Sac City Unified," responded Owens-Thomas. "They're called benchmarks."

In the end, all the candidates shared a common goal.

"Let's make our teachers better teachers," said Woo. "Let's make them the best teachers they can be for our children."

Both District 7 Councilmember Candidates Ryan Chin and Darrel Fong were on hand for the meeting.

Representatives from Mayor Kevin Johnson's office were also in attendance.

Visit Pocket Online for more information regarding the candidates and audio clips from the forum.

Dry Creek art docent program pops

2010-10-07T20:58:35Z

Despite scaled-back school budgets, art education is flourishing in the Dry Creek Joint Elementary School District in west Roseville.

The Sacramento Press observed an art docent lesson in Annette Willis’ fourth-grade class at Coyote Ridge Elementary School last month. The art docent program is one of a variety of measures the district is using to incorporate art into the curriculum.

The hour-and-half-long lesson began with art docent and parent Stephanie Jones asking 33 attentive students to think of different modes of transportation. The children quickly identified the subject of the day: trains.

Jones held up a large Currier and Ives print entitled “American Express Train.”

“What do you think about it?” she asked.

Children excitedly described aspects of the picture that interested them. Jones added further information about the picture as students noticed its different stylistic characteristics.

“The thing about art that I love is that all you guys can look at it and have a different opinion about it,” she said.

Students viewed five more paintings of trains by artists Lyonel Feininger, Joseph Anderson Faris, Paul Delvaux, Grandma Moses and Claude Monet.

Then they had the opportunity to create their own works of art.

The art docent program is a packaged curriculum designed for delivery by non-artists. Volunteers receive instructional materials containing background information on several pieces of art, directions for student art projects and tips for interacting with the children.

Art docents teach one art lesson per month.

“Without the support from the community, it doesn’t work,” Coyote Ridge Principal Michelle Harmeier said.

There is at least one art docent for every class at Coyote Ridge.

“If a class doesn’t have an art docent, it’s a crisis,” Harmeier said. Due to the wellspring of support for the art docent program among parents of students at the school, a volunteer always steps forward to teach an extra class when necessary.

Two parents volunteered as art docents in Willis’ class this year.

This is the fifth year Jones has volunteered as an art docent in one of her children’s classes. She studied art as an elective in high school.

Jerusha Freeman is the other art docent. Freeman has a bachelor’s degree in fine arts. Although this is her first year at Coyote Ridge, she volunteered as an art docent for the last two years at Green Oaks Elementary in Orangevale in the San Juan Unified School District.

Freeman and Jones are alternating as teachers. Freeman will teach the next lesson since Jones delivered this lesson. The docent not teaching the lesson assists with supervising the art project.

Children crafted pictures of trains following guidelines from Jones.

First, students sketched out plans for their pictures using pencils and rulers; then they outlined their pencil drawings in black marker; next they applied oil pastels; and finally they applied a watercolor wash.

Jones helped a girl stuck in the drafting stage of the project determine how she wanted to finish sketching her train.

Freeman encouraged a boy not satisfied with his picture to appreciate the artistic impact of the bright orange oil pastel he had used on his train.

Willis remained in the classroom during the art docent lesson and students proudly showed her their completed pictures.

Students demonstrated familiarity with using oil pastels and watercolors.

The art docent program begins in kindergarten, and there is a separate curriculum for each grade.

The instructional materials incorporate California’s Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) standards, which address education in music, art, theater and dance.

Individual school districts decide how they will meet the VAPA standards, said Dry Creek Assistant Superintendant of Educational Services Evonne Rogers. Dry Creek has decided to employ the art docent program among other strategies, Rogers said.

The art docent program is not new to Placer County.

The program has existed here since 1985, Office of Education Executive Director of Administrative Services James Anderberg wrote in an e-mail.

Office of Education staff provides optional training for art docents in addition to instructional materials.

“There have been updates to the curriculum as the years have passed and changes due to economic conditions” Anderberg wrote.

Individual schools determine how they will fund the art docent program. Like other schools in the Dry Creek school district, Coyote Ridge holds an annual art auction.

Each child selects one piece of art from his or her portfolio of projects completed through the art docent program. Parents are encouraged to purchase a piece of their child’s art for a minimum bid of $1. With more than 900 enrolled children, the Coyote Ridge art docent program raises about $1,500 toward replacement of art supplies such as pastel chalk, paints, charcoals and art paper.

This year, Coyote Ridge also participated in the annual Race for the Arts, held in August. Runners collected pledges for participating arts organizations. Coyote Ridge raised $150, and staff hopes to build upon that next year. Antelope Meadows Elementary, also in the Dry Creek school district, participated too.

In addition to the cutbacks in school funding necessitating such fundraising, changes in teaching methods have also contributed to changes in art instruction.

“The important thing for parents to understand is the transition from ‘art,’ ‘music,’ ‘drama’ to a more thematic approach that says kids don’t learn pieces of information in separate chunks,” Rogers said.

In place of permanent art staff, schools now weave art into curriculum in myriad ways. In addition to art docent programs, textbooks incorporate art into language arts, social studies and math lessons, and teachers initiate art projects in the classroom.

Willis described how she uses art to teach her students about the desert region of California. Instruction on the four regions of California is a fourth-grade curriculum standard.

In the project, students paint sunset desert scenes using “warm” watercolors. They also learn the term “translucent.”

Willis led an art club at Coyote Ridge for two years. She said the club was “a way for students interested in art to express themselves and be exposed to different mediums.”

Willis said she is glad Coyote Ridge’s PTA decided to purchase the art docent materials from the Office of Education.

Since the school owns the materials – including scores of large prints – they are available for the school’s use at any time. Schools that don’t own the materials must borrow them from the Office of Education and may retain them only for a specified period.

Jones and Freeman will present the October art docent lesson on tribal art of the United States and Canada to correspond with Willis’ lesson about Native Americans.

Forum for SCUSD District 6 Trustee Candidates

2010-09-30T03:57:46Z

Residents of the Pocket and Greenhaven neighborhoods will have a chance to hear from candidates running for Trustee Area 6 of Sacramento City Unified School District at a forum on Tuesday, October 12, 2010.

Photo by MikkiPiper.

Five candidates are running for the position since two-term incumbent Roy Grimes declined running for a third term. Grimes served as SCUSD board president three times during his eight year tenure.

The slate of candidates is diverse:

Rob Gunn is a transportation engineer.

Darrel Woo is a higher education teacher and City Parks & Recreation Commissioner.

Robert Bartron is a retired Naval Commander and education administrator.

Shane Singh is a community volunteer and attorney.

Sharon Owens Thomas is a teacher.

The forum, presented by the Didion/Lewis Park Recreational Center Committee, takes place in the gym of the School of Engineering & Sciences from 7pm-8:30pm.

Michael Langley of Pocket Online is slated as moderator.

View more from Mikki Piper.

Groundbreaking for Salvation Army Education Building in Oak Park

2010-09-22T20:33:08Z

The Salvation Army of Sacramento County hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for its new child development center in the Oak Park area on September 21. The new facility, located on the corner of Alhambra Blvd. and Broadway, will be two stories high and nearly 14,000 sq ft, which is nearly six times larger than the old education building. The child development center will be the home for The Salvation Army’s day care and after-school programs.

“It’s a long time coming,” said Major Tedd Lowcock, Salvation Army Sacramento Corps officer. “We had been operating in an older building for years. So to have something new in which you don’t have to worry about and to have the extra space here is pretty amazing.”

The new facility will replace an old 2,400 sq ft modular building that used to house the day care program for the last 24 years. The Salvation Army relocated the program from downtown Sacramento to the current Oak Park site in 1986.

For the last three years, The Salvation Army has worked diligently on a capital campaign to raise funds for various projects, including the child development center.

“This day is about as close as a dream come true,” said John Frisch, Salvation Army advisory board member and chairman of the capital campaign. “After all the work, all the giving by so many people, all of hours planning and soliciting, to see it finally happening is almost a spiritual experience.”

Frisch said the capital campaign has raised more than $5 million, which is more than enough to start construction.

Currently, the day care and after-school programs are being operated within The Salvation Army community center.

“There is a lot we can do with the new building,” Lowcock said. “If all goes well, we may be able to add more kids in our programs down the road.”

The construction is scheduled to last for at least the next six months.

“When this building opens,” Frisch said, “it’s going to make me happy. The kids are so adorable and so innocent, and we hope we can make a positive impact on their future.”

Syd Fong is the public relations director for The Salvation Army-Sacramento. To learn more about The Salvation Army, log onto www.salarmysacto.org

Community Conversations in Oak Park

2010-09-18T00:02:59Z

Participants in Thursday’s Community Conversations discussion expressed that a community’s success rests on the shoulders of its citizens.

About nine people gathered around a table at Old Soul at 40 Acres to engage in a civic discussion centered around the question; “What should government do for you?”

Facilitator Brian Fischer prefaced the meeting’s purpose by saying, “the most important thing is to listen and learn from each other.”

Community Conversations organizers are hoping to create an open forum where citizens of all stripes can engage one another in a thoughtful discussion that would help improve the quality of life in Sacramento communities.

Thursday’s meeting was Community Conversations third discussion, and is accomplished as a partnership of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation, Capital Public Radio and The Sacramento Bee.

Among the nine in attendance were small business owners, teachers, community activists and a government official.

With a group made up of people diverse in age, experience and background ready to share their insight, Fischer posed the question, “How has the role of government changed in your lifetime?”

Stacey Willet, a 10-year-resident of Oak Park, said she has seen cuts in funding for education, which have caused a greater divide between the haves and the have-nots. With music and art programs being some of the first to go, students in poorly funded districts are offered a less-holistic educational experience.

It was education that Terre Johnson, who ran for City Council this spring, said played a vital role in the success of his entrepreneurial endeavors. In speaking of barriers to success Johnson said, “The bar is set high to do business, and it’s not available to the uneducated.”

Sacramento State geography professor Robin Datel stated that improving the quality of education would be more feasible if resources were restored to the public sector.

Oak Park resident and neighborhood association member Tom Sumpter suggested that a worldwide reorientation of the standard of living is taking place.

While education remained a topic of discussion for a good portion of the meeting, District 1 Supervisor Phil Serna made clear his beliefs on the role of government.

“(Government) should maintain and enhance people’s quality of life and help those who can’t help themselves,” Serna said.

However, Oak Park resident Aisha McCullough said that she feels not all people are represented by government officials, saying that representation isn’t always “of the people.”

As people challenged the reasoning behind some government funded programs and wondered why they weren’t allocated elsewhere, a common theme surfaced within the group: Citizens need to engage the issues.

Fischer recalled the origins of western society’s structure, stemming in large part from patterns in Greek and Roman government. The government was much like a household where everyone within it had a responsibility to the community.

Today, however, “there is a disconnect between citizenry and government,” Fischer said.

This problem of disconnect became a source of discussion as the group sought ways to bridge the gap.

Professor Datel suggested that a year of mandatory community service be required for students newly graduated from high school.

McCullough said more people should volunteer in programs like AmeriCorps.

Sumpter proposed that a mentoring program be started between high school and grade school students.

“Ingrain community service into the young person’s psyche,” Sumpter said.

McCullough followed that idea by stating that people ages 25-40 need to participate.

“It’s not just about me, it’s about the community,” McCullough said.

Acting as a lone representative for the governmental side of things, Serna challenged those at the table by saying, “When you hold the government accountable, do it with full engagement.”

Serna expressed that people need to change their mentality towards government.

“Government is not them, it’s us,” Serna said.

The group agreed that community service is vital at all levels, and it is the citizen who sets the pace for what does or does not happen in their community.

“Community needs to set the example of what it means to be healthy and prosperous,” Johnson said.

Ultimately, it was decided that a community’s success depends largely on the engagement of its citizens.

Community Conversations will continue to provide a venue for engagement every other month. Fischer said he hopes enough momentum will be created that the conversation will take place monthly. In the meantime, a calendar of future meetings can be viewed at the Community Conversations’ website, and you can also stay up to speed with them on Facebook.

New DAC President Lourdes “Lou” Jimenez-Price Invites SCUSD Board of Education Candidates to Join with Parents, Teachers and Community At District Advisory Council Meeting

2010-09-11T17:26:32Z

Greetings to all of the candidates:

My name is Lourdes Jimenez-Price, and I am the President of the District Advisory Council (DAC) for the Sacramento City Unified School District. Please accept this e-mail as an invitation to join us this coming Tuesday, September 14, 2010, for the DAC General Meeting at the Serna Center. I have attached a copy of our agenda.

For those of you unfamiliar with the DAC, the purpose of the DAC is to advise the SCUSD Board of Education, Administration and the School Site Councils (SSC) on issues affecting the education of the students in SCUSD including, but not limited to, all matters pertaining to parental involvement in the review, planning and improvement of Title I and State Compensatory Education (SCE) programs.

Our meeting on September 14, 2010, will have a 45 minute portion intended for parents to get to know the DAC and to mingle. I am encouraging voter registration.

Dinner and childcare is provided.

Let me know if you will attend.

Thank you.

Lourdes Jimenez-Price, DAC President

SAC CITY UNIFIED: SCHOOL BOARD RACES
Voters in Sacramento City Unified School District's Areas 1, 2 and 6 will elect trustees to represent them November 2, 2010.

Candidates listed in order of appearance on http://www.elections.saccounty.net/coswcms/groups/public/@wcm/@pub/@vre/documents/webcontent/sac_024898.pdf

• AREA 1: Land Park, downtown, midtown, Curtis Park.

David Ross: Chief Executive Officer

Ellyne Bell: Children's Shelter Director

Paige Powell: Teacher/Mother

• AREA 2: East Sacramento, Tahoe Park, College Glen, part of midtown.

Andrea "Andie" Corso: Teacher [e-mail not found]

Jeff Cuneo: Parent/Children's Advocate

Matthew Easley: Youth Athletic Trainer [e-mail not found]

Mary Hernandez: Community Organizer

• AREA 6: Pocket area.

Darrel Woo: Teacher/Parent

Sharon Owens Thomas: Teacher [e-mail not found]

Robert Gunn: Tranportation Engineer [e-mail not found]

Robert Bartron: Retired Nacal Commander

Shane Singh: Community Volunteer/Attorney

The next DAC meeting is Tuesday, September 14, 2010at the Serna Center, Community Room, from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. Free dinner and daycare is provided for your convenience.

Sac State celebrates opening of The WELL

2010-09-03T04:17:24Z

Sacramento State students won’t be disappointed with their investment.

The WELL officially opened Thursday in front of a crowd of 250 students, faculty, staff and community members. The University’s new 151,000 square-foot recreation and wellness center was paid for by a student fee approved by students in a campus-wide referendum.

“Today is a historic day for Sacramento State,” said Sacramento State President Alexander Gonzalez. “I especially want to congratulate the students, because you are the ones who came to me and told me this is what you wanted, and you worked very hard to make it happen.”

“I know for many, many years you’ve been looking forward to this day, and what a day it is. It’s a day when all our recreation, health and fitness services are housed under one environmentally friendly roof. It’s a day when your commitment to passing the referendum has come to fruition.”

Getting The WELL built was no simple task. Two ASI Recreation Center Referendums failed in the late 1990s. It wasn’t until 2001 that ASI President Peter Ucovich raised the possibility of a new referendum with University Union Director Leslie Davis. Student-center open meetings and focus groups began taking place in 2003 to explore possible features and interest levels. Gonzalez offered support and assistance.

Students approved a measure to fund The WELL – then called the “Recreation Wellness Events Center” – in Spring 2004. Fee increases began the following semester. The facility was later renamed “The Wellness, Education, Leisure, Lifestyle Center”, or The WELL.

“It’s a wonderful day to be here to see what coming together really can accomplish,” said Ucovich. “I have yet to be inside this building, so I’m excited to see what is actually inside this great facility.”

“This represents a beacon of hope,” said California State Assemblymember Alyson Huber, who presented Gonzalez an Assembly Resolution recognizing the work that went into making The WELL a reality.

The WELL comes equipped with 13,860 square feet of cardio and weight space, an indoor running track, a multi activities court, a four basketball court complex, a rock climbing wall, a MAC Court, and four racquetball courts. Peak Adventures (outdoor recreation and bike shop) moved to the facility from its previous, much smaller location at the University Union. The Health Center also moved from its older location near Yosemite Hall.

The facility is also a LEED Green Building. It is projected to use 23% less energy than a typical new building, 43% less water than a typical new building, and its construction used 25% recycled content materials, and diverted 82% of the total waste generated from going to a landfill.

“This building has a wonderful presence,” said John Davis of Hornberger & Worstell Architects and the design team leader. “It’s an energy sustainable model for Sacramento and the California State University system.”

Individuals eligible for membership to The WELL include Sac State Students, administration, emeriti, faculty, staff, and pre-paid alumni. Alumni Membership is currently limited to alumni memberships to those who have paid into the facility.

Tours of the facility were given throughout the day with demonstrations provided on cooking, rock climbing, and roller hockey.

A dodge ball tournament was scheduled for later in the evening.

Pictured performances: 2nd Nature Crew, Martial Arts Club of CSUS

New school will see fewer students with enormous backpacks

2010-08-25T01:16:43Z

A new, bookless public school is opening in West Sacramento Sept. 7. Instead of the usual stack of textbooks, each student at the California College, Career & Technical Education Center will receive an Apple iPad.

The school will initially serve only ninth- and 10th-grade students, but plans to expand to serve adult-aged students within one year and kindergarten through eighth-grade students within two years.

“As a charter school, we have some freedom to try things like this,” Executive Director of CCCTEC Paul Preston said. Preston said he wouldn’t be surprised to see devices like iPads begin replacing books in classrooms across America soon, citing the high price of text books and broad utility of devices like the iPad.

“I think it has the capability to really take off in the next two to three years,” Preston said.

As for concerns that students would play games on their devices instead of work, Preston said it’s a matter of teachers being able to control students and pointed out that it’s just as easy for students to play Tic-Tac-Toe on a piece of paper.

Teachers have the option to create their own supplemental learning materials and electronic devices could facilitate the distribution, said Tim Herrera, spokesman for the Sacramento County Office of Education.

“Anything technologically that can encourage students to learn and get them excited about their schoolwork we encourage,” he said.

As for teachers creating something wacky or incorrect, Herrera said distributed materials must adhere to state standards; the materials must be vetted, credible, and accurate.

“It’s a great idea,” said 10th and 11th grade English teacher Christin O’Cuddehy, who works at Arthur A. Benjamin Health Professions High School. “The problem then becomes the maintenance. What happens when a student drops it in the bathtub?”

Despite these types of problems, O’Cuddehy said the advantages of a bookless classroom make the whole endeavor worth it.

“We just had a big meeting about this,” O’Cuddehy said. “It’s something we’re hoping to roll out in the next five years.”

One commonly cited advantage of a bookless system is the sheer amount of free textbooks, novels and other learning materials that can be readily found on the Internet and stored.

Print publications are slowly being taken over by the proliferation of the Internet, but many people remain adamant that the printed word will never disappear completely.

The principal of Merryhill Elementary School, Lezli Warburton, said she was uncertain whether a program like the one CCCTEC is trying would work well with her students because of their young age. She said she doesn’t see electronic devices replacing pencils and paper at her school anytime soon.

Sacramento Press reporter Brandon Darnell contributed to this story.

Non-Profit Farm Plants Ideas in City Folks' Heads

2010-08-23T16:56:08Z

A sold-out class of about 15 budding farmers visited the non-profit American River Ranch in Rancho Cordova Saturday and Sunday to learn about small-scale farming. Students paid $150 to attend the two-day, hands-on class, which covered the knowledge needed to plan and run a farm smaller than 20 acres.

The class, titled “Grow Your Groceries,” served one of the farm’s missions, which is to educate the community about how to use its land. The American River Ranch is the 25-acre headquarters for Soil Born Farms Urban Agriculture and Education Project, who hosted the class along with the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op. The students were happy to oblige the farm’s mission as they bombarded the farm’s workers with questions and requests for detailed advice all weekend.

Getting people excited about growing their own food is a big part of why the farm holds its classes, said Sean Hagan, who taught the class along with Randy Stannard.

“We’re in an area of the country where the land is so fertile, and we’re shipping in something like 98 percent of our food,” Hagan said.

Though it’s not possible for the population to become completely self-sufficient now, classes like these are a step in the right direction, he said.

If the farm’s mission of creating a local food system is to succeed, it will need good farmers. A good farmer is basically two things: observant and willing to put in the time required, Hagan said.

The students ranged from complete farming beginners to certified master gardeners looking to expand their repertoires. Each student had a vision for a beautiful, bountiful garden or farm somewhere in their life.

One couple, Andy Bucchiere and Marilyn Schiveley, stood looking at the farm’s irrigation system, which feeds off the American River. They said they plan to move to Colorado and start a small farm; the class was very helpful in filling in some of the details.

“This is great,” Schiveley said. “Every little tidbit helps.”

Living at “the epicenter of Sacramento,” Stefan and Akie Fukushige Wenk said they already have a successful garden at their Oak Park home but know there’s room for improvement.

“We are hyper-local,” Stefan said. “We want to buy everything as local as possible.”

Akie, a landscaping architect, said the class was more of a refresher for her, having already taken some farming courses. Although, she considered the class to be more than just a source of information for her.

“It’s inspiring, too,” she said. “We’re getting lots of ideas.”

Another student, Sherman Wong, alternated between a look of rapt attention and thoughtfully placing things down in his notebook as he listened to the teachers. Wong said he wants to grow food for his family because he and his daughter have deficient immune systems. Growing his own food would enable him to know the history of what he was eating to ensure that it wasn’t making his family sick.

The farm wants more people to grow their groceries in their yards, teacher Randy Stannard said.

“We want people to reconnect with the land and where their food comes from.” he said.

For more information on future classes and events, you can consult the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op website or the Soil Born Farms website.

Congresswoman Matsui Applauds Announcement of $205 Million in Recovery Act Funding for California Broadband Projects

2010-08-18T20:53:28Z

SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, Congresswomen Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet, commended the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) announcement that California will receive Recovery Act funding totaling $205,147,578 for seven Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) projects in California. One such project, the Foundation for California Community Colleges, has been awarded $10,944,843 to provide outreach, training, and learning support to increase digital literacy and broadband usage. As a result, community colleges systems like the Los Rios Community College District, which serves the Sacramento community, will benefit from the fiber optic cables being laid up and down the state as a direct outcome of this grant.

“In our increasingly connected world, it is important that all Americans have access to, and a comfort with, broadband technology,” said Rep. Matsui. “I am pleased that California has been awarded these funds, and that the Los Rios College District will be among the beneficiaries. These awards will assist both urban and rural communities throughout California in bridging the digital divide and ensuring that our citizens are able to be active participants in all aspects of society.”

On July 30, Congresswomen Matsui and Eshoo sent a letter to NTIA Assistant Secretary and Administrator Lawrence Strickling urging the NTIA to give greater consideration to California BTOP applications in the next round of Recovery Act funding. NTIA announced their decision to award California over $205 million in BTOP funding early Wednesday.

“Every day the Internet becomes a more influential and critical resource for education, free speech, and commerce around the world,” said Rep. Eshoo. “When a child cannot access the Internet, she suffers a severe disadvantage to her peers. This is one reason we specifically crafted language in the Recovery Act to fund broadband deployment to underserved areas. I’ve worked on this issue for a long time and I’m so pleased today, because these vital grants are a real victory for California’s children, our first responders, and our nation.”

“The California Emerging Technology Fund commends the California Congressional Delegation for aggressively advocating for Federal investment in needed broadband infrastructure,” commented Sunne Wright McPeak, President and CEO of the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF.) “We are especially appreciative of Congresswomen Matsui and Eshoo in coordinating the submission of a letter from the Delegation to the Administration. And, we are grateful that NTIA has recognized that the needs are great in California with 44,000 square miles of rural and remote communities still un-served and underserved in our state--an area as large as the State of Kentucky – and more than 10 million residents still not connected with broadband to the Internet – a population comparable to the State of Illinois. This investment in California is a major step forward in closing the Digital Divide in America.”

The Foundation for California Community Colleges project focuses on sustainable broadband adoption in the state by providing lower-income students with laptops and software training, and developing an open source online digital literacy course available to students and their families at libraries and other public computer centers.

California BTOP Projects Funded By Today’s Awards, Totaling $205,147,578

Foundation for CA Community Colleges: $ 10,944,843

California Connects will provide outreach, training, and learning support to increase digital literacy skills and broadband usage. Laptops and software training will be provided to lower-income students. An open source, online, digital literacy course will be developed and provided to students and their families and accessed at libraries and other public computer centers throughout California.

California Broadband Cooperative, Inc., Digital 395 Project: $81,148,788

Digital 395 is a 583 mile fiber optic network between Carson City NV and Barstow CA providing Mid-Mile broadband & route diversity to 15% of California. Serving 25,949 households, 2571 businesses, 237 anchors, & 68 POIs in the Eastern Sierra, the Cooperative represents a CPUC-funded public-private partnership aimed at long-term economic development. It creates 1107 shovel-ready jobs over 2 years.

CENIC/Cvin: 18 Counties in the Central Valley -- Middle Mile: $46,619,757

CVIN/CENIC will build a 1371 mile fiber-optics infrastructure through 18 California counties: Amador, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Fresno, Kings, Kern, Mariposa, Merced, Madera, Nevada, Placer, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tuolumne, Tulare & Yuba providing direct fiber connectivity to 63 anchor institutions & access by another 40 anchor sites & hundreds of thousands of businesses & residences.

Motorola: BayWeb Public Safety Project for Greater Bay Area: $50,593,551

The project is a public-private partnership between Motorola, public safety agencies, and broadband providers in the San Francisco Bay area. The project will deploy a comprehensive Middle Mile network that will expand broadband service for emergency responders utilizing LTE technology and offer wireless broadband service to community anchor institutions and residential and business end users.

Plumas Sierra Rural Electric: Middle Mile Project: $ 13,770,240

The Plumas-Sierra Telecommunications (PST) CCI project is a fiber optic Open Access network that traverses through parts of Plumas, Sierra, and Lassen County that are unserved and underserved. The PST Middle Mile project is a collaborative regional effort.

ZeroDivide: Tribal Project in Rural San Diego: $686,157

ZeroDivide's “Tribal Digital Village Broadband Adoption Program” will increase broadband adoption from the 17% current baseline usage to 70% (4800 new broadband users) among members of 19 Native American tribes in rural So. California. This will be accomplished through outreach & public awareness, digital literacy training, content creation, and establishment of sustainable business models.

ZeroDivide: Shared Project Between CA, HI, NM, OR, UT, and WA: $1,384,242

ZeroDivide will expand broadband access to low-income youth in communities across these six states. The project plans to provide training and support services to encourage sustainable adoption and technology awareness with a focus on disadvantaged communities.

# # #

First day of School brings out local dignitaries

2010-08-16T17:48:40Z

Today marks the first day of school for many kids in the greater Sacramento area. Some districts, like Folsom Cordova, are already in their second week of school, but for a majority of the districts today is the end of a hopefully fun filled summer and back to building of a foundation that will help them succeed into the future.

For most kids the school they are attending will be the same as last year or one that has seen many kids through the years. With the downturn of the economy and housing market we have not seen many new schools built in recent years. Many districts have even started to consolidate and close schools. That is not the case for this year’s students attending Cosumnes River Elementary School in Sloughhouse. Students at Cosumnes River Elementary School, or as most of the local residents call it CRES, are attending a brand new school today.

CRES is located in the eastern portion of the Elk Grove School District in Sacramento County. The CRES name is the same as the old school which was built in 1948. The old CRES was too small to support the growing student population. The former facility also lacked many of the core facilities, such as a multipurpose room, needed to offer important programs and resources. Even with less than ideal facilities, CRES has consistently been a top ranked elementary school in the state.

For almost 10 years the district as been searching for a site to rebuild the school. There have been several locations under consideration, but none of them worked out for various reasons. The topic of a new school has many threads on the popular Rancho Murieta discussion forum Rancho Murieta Online. Many had given up on an updated school until the Mosher and Ledbetter family agreed to sell their land that happen to be right next to the the old school site.

Construction began the day after school let out in June of 2009 and continues even today. While the new school is technically built and kids are in session there is a lot of work to be done. The old school is in the process of being torn down and will be covered by dirt. The old school site will be the ball fields of the new school. The new school has been needed for a long time and now the staff, teachers, and students have a top of the line facility.

Today was the official ribbon cutting which brought out not only parents and staff, but local dignitaries and the media. The campus this morning was a buzz with newspaper photographers and TV crews. On hand were officials from the Elk Grove School Board as well as Elk Grove District staff. Sacramento County supervisor Don Nottoli was also on site to participate in the day's festivities. Opening day at CRES was great day for everyone involved and the new facility will be around to support our kids for many years to come.

In a program handed out by students, Principal Mike Gulden wrote; "I want to offer my personal thanks to the entire Mosher/Ledbetter family for allowing us to build this beautiful new school, our version of the Italian villa on the hill and a legacy in which I hope your family will take pride for generations to come."

Johnson to ask staff to find safe ground sites, anticipates meeting with school board candidates

2010-08-10T19:13:40Z

Mayor Kevin Johnson announced today that he will be asking city staff to find three spots suitable to serve as safe ground for the homeless.

But that’s just one aspect of Johnson’s goal with regard to the homeless.

“If the dialogue on homelessness is only about SG, we’ve missed our mark,” Johnson said, adding that the overall goal is to get permanent housing.

“It is a thorny issue,” he said. “It’s one that I don’t mind being out in front of.”

Johnson said he would have preferred to start looking at possible sites back in January or February, and since that isn’t being done until now, there won’t be a permanent safe ground before November and the onset of cold weather.

He did, however, hint at good news to come.

“We’re going to (give an) update in the next week or two on the progress we’ve made on permanent housing,” he said. “It’s astounding...not just for our city, (but for) the region.”

Switching his focus to education, Johnson also announced that he will be taking an active look at the 10 candidates who will be on the ballot for three school board positions in November.

“My passion is education,” Johnson said. “It’s something I feel very strongly about. There’s no way we will have a great city without great schools.”

Johnson said he wants to sit down with all 10 candidates and make sure they put the children first, are willing to assume personal accountability for results, make decisions based on performance and work to put good teachers and principals in every school.

“You can go to school board meetings around the country, and they’re not talking about children as much as they should,” Johnson said, adding that he thinks every decision made should be in the best interest of the children – not unions or other adults.

“I do see that as part of my job,” Johnson said. “(Education isn’t) part of my job description, but it’s part of my job.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Student from Gaza tells story of deportation

2010-08-06T01:15:41Z

Imagine being held at a security checkpoint for seven hours, told you can't return to where you have lived for the past four years, blindfolded, handcuffed and dropped at the border of a rough neighborhood in the middle of the night.

This is Berlanti Azzam's story, as told by her to a diverse audience including Palestinians and Jews Wednesday night at the Sierra Arden United Church of Christ.

The 22-year-old was six weeks away from graduating with a bachelor's degree in business administration from Bethlehem University when deported from the West Bank to her homeland, Gaza.

Azzam was given legal aid from GISHA, an Israeli legal team dealing mostly with freedom of movement issues, but was not granted permission from an Israeli court to return to school. She maintained correspondence with the university and eventually finished her coursework and received her degree remotely. Azzam said that it was a very discouraging time.

Sacramento Area Peace Action cohosted the event with SacramentoBethlehem, the organization behind the Sacramento to Bethlehem Sister City Initiative.

Patricia Daugherty from SacramentoBethlehem introduced the audience to the university's Kate Casa, executive director of the North American Development Office in Washington, D.C., and Brother Jack Curran, vice president for development.

Curran said that having Azzam in the United States was an unexpected treat. Being allowed to travel outside of Gaza can be difficult for Palestinians.

Curran and Casa had plans to visit donors and supporters throughout the country without her, and they didn't know Azzam would be able to come until July 18.

"We had been working on that since October," Curran said. "I wasn't going to believe it until I saw the whites of her eyes in Washington, D.C."

Once Curran finished speaking, a DVD was shown that told of Bethlehem University's and Azzam's story in tandem. Afterward, Azzam related her firsthand account to the audience in more detail.

When asked what helped her get through such a difficult experience, Azzam said that the support she received was crucial.

"When I saw that Bethlehem University was (still) standing beside me, I decided to continue," she said.

She said that having GISHA on her side was very encouraging as well.

Though the intention of the organizers was to have Azzam respond to inquiries relative to her experience, the audience members often asked questions better-suited for politicians than a recent college graduate.

"If you had the power, what would you do to bring peace to that region?" one person asked.

Azzam avoided offering a specific prescription to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, telling the audience that politics were not her specialty. She did, however, reveal her personal feelings.

"I'm pessimistic about peace being possible," Azzam said.

Curran agreed with her, but said there have been equally dire political situations in other places that have become peaceful, including Ireland, South Africa and Germany.

Azzam was asked to talk about the separation walls – tall concrete walls distinguishing Palestinian and Israeli land – that are gerrymandered throughout the Holy Land. After her description, a man identified himself as a Jew and asked her if she knew why the separation walls were originally built.

"It is what they have always told us...a security risk," Azzam said.

The man then asked her what she thought could be done to take the walls down. Azzam replied that she didn't have a good answer.

She tried to focus more on her story and less on holding Sacramento's own version of Middle East peace negotiations. Afterward, she said she was just glad to talk about it with people.

"I feel good, because I am speaking about what happened (to) me and (what has happened) to other Palestinians" she said. "I don't know what will happen, but I am just sending the message. Not only for me, but for others."

She said she was initially offended when the discussion turned political, but she realized that it's a subject people are very passionate about and was glad for the opportunity to discuss it with Sacramento area residents.

Adeeb Alzanoon, 48, is a Palestinian and has lived in the Sacramento area for 25 years. He is a member of the Palestinian American Congress and came to hear Azzam's story.

"I always (hope) that these kinds of functions should not include only Palestinians," he said. "We need to attract other organizations, churches, and the whole community to get educated and to know more, rather than just relying on the mainstream media."

Retired state employee Brigette Jaensch is a board member for SacramentoBethlehem and Sacramento Area Peace Action. She said she thinks events like these help to educate the community.

"I thought in general everyone was very respectful," she said. "I think we all have tremendous respect for such a young person in having such a dramatic experience, and I think regardless of your politics or your religion, you have to empathize with that horrible situation she had to go through."

Bethlehem university is a Catholic institution. It's student body is two-thirds Muslim and one-third Christian. The university works hard to foster positive interfaith relationships and requires all students to take a fourth year religious studies course together. The course is taught in two parts, one with a Muslim professor, the other with a Christian professor.

Tuition at the university is $1,200 annually, though it costs the school $4,000 to educate one student. On average, after scholarships and grants are awarded, students need to spend $700 of their own money. Sixty-nine percent of the school’s operating budget comes from fundraising, according to the DVD.

Teacher Raises Afoot? Optimistic on School Chief's Hiring Practices !

2010-08-05T17:50:10Z

We teachers have all been sacrificing lately for the good of students and the financial solvency of Sacramento City Unified School District. I have an SCUSD-tested plan, however, to help us improve our financial and working condition, especially in light of the SCTA-generated concessions to our District. Here’s what we do.

Apply to the SCUSD school board to use the title, “Chief”, in front of our employee classification. For example, I would take over the moniker, Chief 6th Grade G.A.T.E. Teacher of Phoebe Hearst (it’s better to use capital letters…more credibility). You can immediately see how much more grandeur it gives a lowly teacher. But there are a host of reasons why we all should use the title, Chief:

*It improves student discipline. We all understand the importance of students deferring to classroom authority. Quiet kids make for productive kids.

*Classroom learning is enhanced. Studies show that totally compliant children make marked gains on standardized tests, the only true reliable test of student achievement.

*Teacher appearance necessarily will approach some higher standard. Let’s face it, a Chief Anything can’t come to school to improve learning for students in, say, jeans and sneakers!?! I’m a proponent of the bowtie, for example. You all must have lots of ideas on how we can dress ourselves more properly. Let’s do mandatory in-service on how to enrich a school community by what Chief teachers wear. If only we could enlist some administrative help with teacher wardrobes.

*Parent-teacher conferences will go more smoothly and there will be more of them as well. No parent is going to dare skip the chance to talk to a “Chief” Teacher, and those pesky questions about student progress will be a thing of the past.

But this is the best news. We’ll all get huge raises. I don’t know how the Superintendent does it, but it’ll happen. He’s so confident that he replaced the Chief Financial Officer of SCUSD with a Chief Communications Officer. The financial predicament we face must not be all that bad, I guess! Maybe we’ll all just talk our way through the mess. I’m all for it anyway; it’s way easier than doing math and stuff.

So that’s one chief at $100,000 plus per year. His Chief of Staff? Again up into the six figures. The new proposed Chief of Family and Parent Engagement is expected to cost a bundle. We don’t exactly know how much the new Chief of Accountability will make, but the District spent $52,000 for a North Carolina outfit (none available in our state, I guess) to study accountability for us, so you know it’s going to cost a lot to hire someone to oversee how students, and eventually teachers are doing. Gotta be in the $100,000 plus range, though. All totaled SCUSD boasts seven new chiefs and counting. Heck, Mr. Raymond is spending thousands of dollars just to move secretaries, I hear. So any of you certificated people out there that know some secretaries, let them know about what we can do for them, too. Let’s spread the wealth!

So my plan then, placing a capital Chief in front of our lowly titles, will automatically generate an average salary increase of $42,000 per year, roughly a $1 for every student we serve--- if you look at finances the way our District does. And don’t worry about the school board; they’ve approved every Chief thrown at them. Besides, the Sacramento Bee hasn’t questioned the impropriety of any of our Chief’s Chiefs. It’s all on the up and up. You see, friends, we’re golden; we can’t lose.

So let’s start applying then. The District is apparently long on dollars, longer on Chiefs. The only thing we may be in short supply of is common sense. But we can solve that with a new position…..Chief of Better Judgment. Of course, we’ll have to run that by the SCUSD Communications Department for fiscal soundness.

Erik Knudson
Applying for Chief Random Article Writer status as the Need Arises

New Community Mural

2010-07-13T17:30:39Z

At 7th and S Streets, one block north of Southside Park, a colorful 40-by-10-foot centerpiece flanked by two 19-by-19-foot panels has materialized on the front of a concrete building. This latest montage was created by Sofia Lacin and Hennessy Christophel of LC Mural & Design. The mural features representations of people living and working in the Capitol Park Neighborhood who are illustrated as paper-based sketches over a boldly-colored city grid. In executing the mural, the artists showcased the diversity and spirit of the Capitol Park Neighborhood, but allowed for there to be some ambiguity in identifying specific people. Passers-by will note the loosely-modeled Fremont Community Garden and State Capitol Building as reference points as well as bicyclists who are most likely competing in the AMGEN tour. California’s state flower, the golden poppy, is also highlighted in the mural.

Lacin, who was recently featured in Sacramento Magazine’s “People to Watch” article said, “We were able to take the building wall from simply filling space on the street to creating a place that offers personality – it’s like a new person came to town.”

Christophel, Lacin’s business partner, added, “Through the process of painting we got to know a lot of the people from the community as they came out to watch the mural taking shape. We believe in the transformative power of public art and hope that our piece will further develop the neighborhood’s identity.”

Lacin and Christophel are currently featured on Sacramento365.com for their mural work. Their current projects are located at the Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary off of Folsom Boulevard, an alley off of J and 16th Street, and at Face’s nightclub on 20th and K Streets. In addition to their murals, these two artists also do solo work. Lacin is an abstract painter (you can view her paintings at: www.sofialacin.com) and Christophel is an illustrator.

The Capitol Area Development Authority (CADA) who commissioned LC Mural & Design to create the mural has long championed the arts in downtown Sacramento through commissioning several murals, sponsoring Chalk it Up, and hosting competitions for art in public places among other contributions.

New gym/wellness facility at CSUS

2010-07-08T01:56:28Z

With 151,000 square feet of floor space, self-shading sky lights, recycled sunflower seed walls, and a host of Big Ass Fans, Sacramento State's new recreation center is sure to be the main attraction when the fall semester begins.

The name of the building is the WELL. It's an acronym for: wellness, education, leisure, lifestyle. Inspiration for the name came from the perspective that the university didn't want just an athletic center, but a place that encouraged wellness in all aspects of a student's life.

The WELL will house a primary and urgent care clinic, pharmacy, psychological services and laboratory services in addition to four basketball courts, four racquetball courts, an indoor track, and plenty of cardio and free-weight space. The full list of features can be viewed here.

"It's more than just a recreation center — we're looking to service the students on many levels," WELL Director Mirjana Gavric said. "We're building a place where people can go and forget about books and finances for a half-hour and then get back to the world."

The project has been a long time in the making, dating back over 10 years when the student body rejected the proposal through a referendum in 1999. The project was shelved until three years later.

In 2002 the University Union Operation of CSUS Inc. explored the idea again in partnership with the university, Associated Students Inc., and other auxiliary organizations to discuss how to proceed.

They held open meetings and focus groups, and conducted a student survey to find out what the campus community would want in a building like this. They also hired an outside consultant to help them with feasibility aspects.

"It was really the partnership between the students and President (Alexander) Gonzalez that bought the project to fruition," Union Executive Director Leslie Davis said.

In the spring semester of 2004, a referendum was finally passed that made way for the WELL's construction. The project's groundbreaking ceremony was held in October 2008.

"The biggest thing about the WELL is the impact it will have on the campus. It will aid in the recruitment of students, it will aid in the retention of students, and it will be a source of pride," Davis said.

The new building cost $71.3 million, $50 million of which is being paid for through a California State University system-wide bond. The other portion of the cost is being covered by student fee hikes approved through the referendum passed six years ago, according to University Project Manager Victor Takahashi.

Takahashi is in charge of the design and construction of the WELL and has been one of the leaders in making sure the building meets LEED certification standards.

"We are trying to make this a sustainable building," Takahashi said.

The WELL management staff anticipate getting the silver certification but are working toward attaining gold. In order to achieve this, the building employs many different energy-efficient technologies. The abundance of natural lighting in the building and the use of recycled materials in the walls and floors are two examples of the building's green characteristics.

"We're cutting edge," Davis said.

The grand opening will be on Sept. 2 and will be open to the public. There will be free food, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, tours of the building and an attempt at the Guinness World Record for the largest dodgeball game.

You can view the WELL webcam with live video of the construction progress here.

Veteran teacher hosts Wake for Public Education

2010-07-01T02:52:54Z

Close to 60 people converged on a home in the River Park neighborhood of East Sacramento Tuesday evening to mourn the reductions in the public education budget in the Sacramento area and to discuss what can be done to prevent further cuts.

Educators, students, parents, political figures and concerned members of the public were all in attendance to listen to speakers, hear poetry and voice their concerns and opinions on the state of education in the community.

The wake was hosted by Jim Harper, a teacher of American government and history at Laguna Creek High School and an occasional instructor at California State University, Sacramento. Harper has been teaching for 23 years and was involved with education at the state level prior to that. He said he has seen the cuts in education firsthand and wanted to do something about it.

"I'm not just going to go home for the summer and be on vacation," Harper said of his idea to have the wake.

In an interview after the wake, Harper said he thinks there needs to be three elements to promise a better future to public education in Sacramento and across the state: first, a zeal for reform in government and the community; second, using test scores and data appropriately; and third, connecting the school community with the surrounding community.

Those attending were encouraged to wear either pink or black to commemorate the California teachers that have been pink slipped this year and to symbolize the proverbial death of public education. A coffin filled with education paraphernalia resided in the front lawn as another symbol of education's grim future.

Towards the end of the wake, those in attendance brainstormed ideas to alleviate the issue and raise awareness. They consolidated these ideas into a compact of five points, which they are sending to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, members of the State Legislature and candidates running for statewide office.

You can read the compact and see more photos of the event on the Wake for Public Education's Facebook page.

Other community members included political staffers, teachers recently laid off and political candidates.

The current budget crisis does not hold a lot of promise for education funding, according to David Gonsalves, a staffer for Assemblyman Dave Jones.

"This being a year when we're $20 billion in the hole, everything is on the chopping block unfortunately," Gonsalves said. "Events like these help us to understand what the priorities of the community are," he said.

When asked if Jones has any plans to protect education funding in the state budget, Gonsalves said that while it is important for the Assemblyman, his influence only goes as far as expressing his priorities to the legislative leadership.

Ryan Chin, who will compete in a runoff election for City Council, said education has always been a priority for him in his District 7 race and he would look to local businesses to alleviate the funding shortfalls.

"You have a greater influence as a City Council member to reach out to (private business) and say, 'Come to the table. Education is important to the work force of Sacramento, so step up and help us fund it,'" Chin said.

Susan Cooper, education consultant to State Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, was the first to address the audience about the budget crisis and education.

"We need to raise taxes," Cooper said.

Cooper added that new taxes will be a critical source of revenue for an educational budget, but that it's not the only source.

"It would be a really smart thing to convince our friends on the other side of the aisle to extend some taxes that are about to expire," she said.

An audience member asked if there was sufficient political will for special taxes for educational funding.

"There is an appetite, but it's a partisan appetite," Cooper said.

Cooper encouraged members of the community to contact their legislators often and voice their opinions.

"You got Steinberg's vote, so work on the other (legislators)," Cooper said.

Ken Poppers from the Elk Grove Education Association spoke after Cooper with a message of solidarity for the teachers in attendance.

"We're all in this together, we're here to serve our students," Poppers said.