May 1998 News Archive
Tuesday, May 26, 1998
Randy Brown Wins Borders Poetry Competition
In honor of National Poetry month, Borders bookstore sponsored a poetry contest. Noted author Judith Viorst wrote the first four lines of the poem. The challenge was to complete the poem in 36 lines. Santa Barbara Junior High School student Randy Brown wrote the winning entry, "The Box In The Basement."
Randy, a student in Mrs. Bregante’s 8th grade English class, received a $50 Borders gift certificate. His poem will now be entered in the national level of the Borders poetry competition. If selected, his junior high school library media center will be awarded a $350 poetry library.
Groundbreaking Ceremony: Rebuild Roosevelt Set To Begin
Friday, May 29, 1998, will be the official beginning of the Rebuild Roosevelt construction project. The ground breaking ceremony will be held on that day. Project leaders, members of the Building Committee, and members of the Safety Committee will be honored at the event.
J.W. Bailey Construction Company is slated to begin excavation on June 12, 1998, the day after the 1997-98 school session ends. Construction of the new facility is expected to be complete in about 15 months.
La Cumbre Students At One With The Ancient Greeks
Sixth grade students at La Cumbre Middle School will present their second annual Greco-Roman Festival on Thursday, May 28, 1998. The festival will take place from 3:30 – 6:30 p.m.
The Greco-Roman Festival is the culmination of a two-semester social studies unit. All of La Cumbre’s 300 6th-grade students will participate. Focal points of the festival will be mock Olympic games; authentic Greek foods prepared by the 6th-grade Home Economics class; poetry recitations and dramatic presentations that will include skits with mythological or historical references. Many of the students and teachers will be dressed in Roman and Greek costumes.
La Cumbre Middle School is located at 2255 Modoc Road, Santa Barbara.
National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month: "The Message is Prevention" Workshop Brings Problem Solvers Together
May is National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month. Under the umbrella of Santa Barbara Healthy Start... Healthy Futures, a collaboration of agencies (Family Service Agency, Girls Inc. of Santa Barbara, SAFE, and the Santa Barbara School District) are hosting a special work session entitled "The Message is Prevention." Slated to attend this workshop are representatives from a spectrum of community agencies: Cottage Health System, St. Francis Medical Center, Community Clinics of Santa Barbara, Cox Cable, the District Attorney’s office, Zona Seca, Santa Barbara Visiting Nurses Association, and many other agencies plus parent and youth representatives.
The purpose of the workshop is to pool ideas and work on a plan of action to increase community efforts to reduce risks leading to teen pregnancy in Santa Barbara. This is of particular concern because while national and California teen pregnancy rates decreased significantly between 1992-96. However, in 1996 Santa Barbara County was one of several counties identified as a high teen birth area.
Healthy Start...Healthy Futures and its partner organizations are working to change the teen birth statistics in this community. In 1996, the organization received a five-year grant (the annual grant award is $225,600) to provide parent/child communication classes and education retreats for youth plus school-based counseling and assistance in finding needed services for youth and families. The program goals are to lower the teen birth rate in the targeted 93101 and 93103 areas, increase school attendance, improve academic skills and family communication, and increase community awareness and action related to teen pregnancy.
"The Message is Prevention" will take place from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19, 1998 at the Santa Barbara School District Administration Center, 720 Santa Barbara Street.
Board of Education Opposes Proposition 223 (95/5 Initiative)
Today the Santa Barbara School Districts’ Board of Education passed and adopted a resolution in opposition to Proposition 223, referred to as the 95/5 Initiative.
The Initiative proposed that, beginning in the 1998-1998 fiscal year and every year thereafter, each school district in California shall include in its budget a system indicating the contribution of each expenditure to the achievement of a specific performance objective pursuant to the district’s effort to improve pupil performance. The Initiative states that every district failing to comply with any provision of the initiative shall be fined by the State Board of Education an amount equal to five percent of the basic per-ADA revenue limit times total ADA. In the five percent, and thus subject to reduction, certain school district costs that provide and protect the quality of educational services provided to students, such as curriculum development, staff development, evaluation and research and supervision of instruction.
The Board’s resolution states that, "...the Initiative reduces fiscal efficiency by reducing district services provided to school sites, such as data processing, payroll, accounting, bulk purchasing, and warehousing; ... the Initiative will increase administrative costs at school sites as they assume more administrative responsibilities from the district and ... will increase administrative costs in school districts as they carry out the mandates contained in the Initiative ..."
CIF Champions In Water Polo and Soccer
Santa Barbara High School’s Mens Water Polo Team won the Division 4, Southern Section CIF championship. Team coaches are Dave Kent and Mark Walsh.
The Team Captain is Patrick Treman. Treman is a three-year Varsity Letterman who has distinguished himself in the sport in the following ways:
- During the last year he was a member of the First Team All-Channel League and First Team All-CIF;
- Last summer he was selected as a member of the U.S. Water Polo All-American team;
- This school year he was recognized as Most Valuable Player in the Channel League; Most Valuable Player All-CIF; set a school scoring record with 139 goals; First Team All-Southern California; Second Team All America Water Polo Team;
- This summer, Treman will join over 200 water polo players in the "20 and under" National Junior Water Polo Team representing Southern California. He will compete with players from across the United States for a spot on one of the two teams which will travel to Cuba and/or Canada.
Treman has been recognized by the Santa Barbara Athletic Roundtable as this community’s single Outstanding Athlete in water polo.
Santa Barbara High School’s Womens Water Polo Team won the Division 2, Southern Section CIF championship. This is the first year that women’s water polo was a sanctioned CIF sport. The Women’s Water Polo Team had a 29 – 1 record. The team was recognized as one of the top three teams in the nation. The team coach is Mark Walsh.
The SBHS Womens Water Polo Team was led by Team Captain Cassie Nichols, a senior whose accomplishments include:
- Channel League’s Most Valuable Player;
- Benson Memorial Cup Tournament Most Valuable Player;
- TYR Tournament All-Tournament team;
- member of the Southern California All-Tournament Team;
- Recognized by the Los Angeles Times as the high scorer in the CIF final game. She scored 8 out of 17 winning points.
Nichols has been honored by the Santa Barbara Athletic Roundtable as this community’s single Outstanding Athlete in women’s water polo.
San Marcos High School’s Mens Soccer Team. The San Marcos High Mens Soccer team had a record of 24-2-4 to capture their first CIF Championship in Division 2. Along the way the SMHS Royals also won their fourth Channel League title of the 90’s.
The Royals were also honored as Channel League’s top sportsmanship team by the Official’s Association.
The San Marcos Mens Soccer Team continued its tradition of being one of the elite academic teams in Southern California. With a GPA of 3.25, the Royals for the 10th straight year were rated among the top ten teams in sports as well as in academics. Among the seven graduating seniors on this year’s team, two are going to attend Stanford, one to Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, and another to the Maritime Academy.
The San Marcos Soccer Team visits college every year. This year the team visited Stanford and UCSB. This is part of the team’s "Into the Future" program, geared to preparing student athletes for college.
The 1997-98 team captain is Sage Shingle. The 1998-99 team captain will be Daniel Brown. Abe Jahadhmy is the Royals soccer coach.
La Cumbre Students Visit Washington, D.C.
Recently, 14 eighth-grade students from La Cumbre Middle School raised funds to travel to Washington, D.C. The trip was designed to complement their American history studies. They were accompanied by teachers Victor Ramirez and Ann Fischer and chaperone Tony Fischer. They were gone for six days during Spring Break.
The group visited Monticello, Manassas, the University of Virginia and various monuments and government buildings in Washington, D. C. Lois Capps welcomed them to the House of Representatives and spent time talking with the students and answering their questions.
Robert DeConde Wins Edison International Scholarship
Robert DeConde, a senior at San Marcos High School, was selected as a 1998 winner of Edison International’s $20,000 Scholarship. This scholarship is to be used at any California college or university of Rob’s choosing.
Rob plans to attend Stanford in the fall. He has not yet declared a major but his interest areas are biology and chemistry.
Leeches, Snake Charmers, and Leeky Medici Soup are Part of the Renaissance Fair at Santa Barbara Junior High School
Santa Barbara Junior High will hold its first Renaissance Fair on Friday, May 8, 1998, from 3:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Fair activities will take place in front of the the main building, located at 721 East Cota Street. The area will be clearly visible as pennants, banners, flags, and trumpeters welcome students in grades 6-8. Food booths will be available, serving such delectables as chicken, ribs, and Leeky Medici Soup.
Gerrie Fausett, SBJH principal, reports that the Renaissance Fair has two objectives:
- Demonstrate part of the 7th grade curriculum in social studies in a manner that is educational, informative, and fun.
- Provide an opportunity for incoming 7th grade students to participate in an activity at Santa Barbara Junior High. Students from SBJH feeder schools (Cleveland, Roosevelt, Peabody, Franklin, Cold Spring, Washington, Montecito Union) have been invited to attend.
Santa Barbara Junior High 7th graders begin the academic year studying world history, and finish their spring course work with the Renaissance. In keeping with their studies, all 7th grade students and teachers are involved in planning and implementing this event.
Highlights will include various demonstrations and hand-on activities such as: sword fighting, calligraphy, snake charmers, jugglers, and magicians. There will also be an area focused on medieval medical practices. Using microscopes, students will be able to observe leeches while they are feeding. They will also conduct leech races (students have identified their "racers" with names such as Sir Lance-Clot, Sir Slug of the Swamp, Count Dracula of Tranfusia, King Ventral, etc.).
Music from the period will be provided by the Anacapa String Quartet, Santa Barbara High School Madrigals, Celtic Fiddlers and Dancers, and SBJHS student groups. Those performances will take place in the school’s auditorium.
Award of Contract: Roosevelt School Reconstruction
Today, May 5, 1998, the Santa Barbara School Districts’ Board of Education announced the award of contract for the Roosevelt School Reconstruction Project. The Reconstruction Project is designed to have three phases. The first phase is site excavation. The second phase is permanent building construction. The third phase consists of exterior grounds and site finish work. On April 9, 1998, following public advertisement of the project, eight contractors attended a mandatory job walk. Six contractors submitted bids, which were opened May 1, 1998. The bid selected for final consideration is as follows:
- Phases 1, 2, and 3: J.W. Bailey Construction Company with a bid amount of $6,690,000.
J.W. Bailey Construction is a Santa Barbara-based firm with almost 50 years of building experience.
Additionally, the Board of Education approved the award of contract for asbestos mitigation to the firm of Zenco Engineering, Inc, a Camarillo-based company. Their base bid is $56,780. That amount will be funded from one-time funds. The necessity for their services of Zenco Engineering, Inc. is due to the previous discovery of minor amounts of asbestos material in the excavation area of Roosevelt School’s reconstruction site and the compact schedule requirement needed to open school on time in the fall of 1998. Zenco’s five-person team will be on site during excavation. This will allow immediate removal of any material and not delay the excavation contractor.
The Roosevelt School Reconstruction Project will be funded initially from general obligation bonds, capital facilities funds, and one-time funds. In addition, an application has been processed to obtain funding from the State Lease-Purchase program.
Architectural design has been completed by the Blurock Corporation and approved by the Division of State Architect. The Renovation Project has been given a planning phase approval by the State of California. A construction phase approval is necessary from the State prior to signing of a contract for the construction portion of the project. The construction phase request is being submitted for final approval at the May 27, 1998 State Allocation Board meeting.
The need for improved facilities on the Roosevelt campus was identified some 30 years ago. A clearly articulated need, dedicated parents, and strong community support came together in 1994-95, creating the condition for bond measure passage when the issue was placed on the June 1995 ballot. Roosevelt Elementary School serves the needs of approximately 600 students.
A ground breaking ceremony for the Rebuild Roosevelt project is slated to take place on Friday, May 29, 1998 at 3:30 p.m.
Carolyn Teraoka-Brady Is 1999 County Teacher of the Year
Carolyn Teraoka-Brady, music instructor at Goleta Valley Junior High (GVJHS), was recently named 1999 Santa Barbara County Teacher of the Year. She was selected from a field of outstanding countywide nominees. Mrs. Teraoka-Brady now joins the list of candidates who will be considered for California Teacher of the Year in the fall.
What makes Mrs. Teraoka-Brady an award winning educator? According to Goleta Valley Junior High’s principal, David Cash: "She is a tireless, dedicated, and passionate teacher. Carolyn has always performed at the highest levels of excellence in her teaching and has been an incredible resource for students, parents, and staff."
GVJHS Library Media Teacher Gerry Sottak added: "Carolyn receives students each year who are musical neophytes. She take these students in frighteningly large numbers and patiently, kindly, and lovingly turns them into musicians. ...Carolyn does not give up on anyone. She has that one-in-a-million talent for making students believe in themselves when no one else does...She instills the desire to work hard, to do one’s best, to participate as a cooperative member of a groups, and to love life and music...She [also] seems to be the mentor, the fixer of problems, the advocate for so many of our brand new teachers. She hones in on their needs and...guides them along the right paths."
Congratulations!
Doll Exhibit Brings Together SBHS Fashion Students and N.Y. Designer Mel Odom
Beginning May 12, 1998, Santa Barbara High School, Ashton-Drake Galleries, and Westmont College proudly present "Fashions Designed With A Doll In Mind: A ‘Young Designers of America’ Exhibition." The exhibition, created by current Santa Barbara High School Fashion Students, is a display of original designs for a 1940s-50s movie star doll named "Gene." The public is invited to a Reception For The Artists on Tuesday, May 12, 5:00-7:00 p.m. Adding to the event, Mel Odom, the New York illustrator and designer of "Gene," and Joan Greene, from Ashton-Drake Galleries, will be on hand that same day for an Artist’s Talk at 4:00 p.m.
Mr. Odom’s work has been shown at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum and the Society of Illustrators. Two-time recipient of the Award of Excellence from the Society of Illustrators, his art has appeared on the covers of Time and Omni magazines and frequently appears in the New York Times Magazine.
Santa Barbara High School’s Fashion Illustration class, under the direction of teacher Kasia Stefanek, will exhibit their original designs for the fashion doll "Gene." This will be the third "Young Designer of America Awards," which originated in 1996 at Santa Barbara High. It began as a partnership between the school, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and Ashton-Drake Galleries.
There are several important steps each student much accomplish prior to the exhibition:
- historical costume research;
- creating a portfolio of multiple drawings and designs;
- pattern making and draping;
- textile and trim field trip;
- creating an actual garment;
- completing the design;
- accessorizing and styling the hair.
Once their garment was complete, each completed a full color illustration based on their design. Finally, they had to create a story explaining Gene’s character in their design and a description of the actual garment. This work was done in the computer lab. During the final week, each doll was photographed and delivered to the Reynolds Gallery for final display. For the third year in a row, the result is a stunning show of unique student-designed garments, illustrations, and storied designed just for "Gene."
The 1998 student designers are: Melissa Andrade, Casey Fabing, Lucia Gonzalez, Erica Griggs, Saini Heinze, Brenna Henry, Nicci Hersey, Natalie Holmes, Selena Hoover, Samantha Hutchinson, Jillian Jacobs, Laura Johnson, Sunida MacLachlan, Meredith Manee, Katie McHale, Nidia Mejia Cordero, Mackenzie Moore, Meghan Moore, Cynthia Munoz, Emily Powers, Alicia Quiroga, Nena Santoyo, Maggie Steele, Mandy Taylor-Gratzer, Courtney Tentler, Robin Wilson, Oriana Yeomans-Leo. The guidance of Kasia Stephanek and Student Teacher Rechelle Thorne were central to this project. Students also benefited from the assistance of several adult volunteers plus Westmont teacher advisors and student mentors.
During the first year of this project, two student designs, created by Shelley Rinker and Michelle Gutierrez, were selected for addition to the 1997 "Gene" line. Additionally, Nicole Burke’s 1997 design will make its debut in the 1998 "Gene" line. Hopefully, this year’s designs will hold a similar opportunity for one or more of Santa Barbara High’s young student designers.
"Fashions Designed With A Doll In Mind: A ‘Young Designers of America’ Exhibition" is on display through May 15, 1998, at the Reynolds Gallery at Westmont College. The Gallery is located at 955 La Paz Road, Santa Barbara. It is open from 8:30-4:30, Monday through Friday.