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YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 10, No. 11
A day for special Olympians by Ruth Roberts Staff Writer
The night before the big game, James Andrade got a haircut, tried on his new jersey and practiced his hook shot. The preparation paid off. “I made a basket,” said James, 21. “It was a good day.” It was a good day too for the hundreds of other athletes and their families who turned out last week for the Contra Costa County Special Olympics at Freedom High School. The event – one of several hosted throughout the county each year – was a celebration of teamwork, athleticism and friendship. But mostly it was a celebration of possibilities. “It’s a very emotional day for all of us,” said James’ mom, Rosa, who attended the event along with James’ aunt, uncles and grandmother. “He has been so excited, so stoked about this; usually he doesn’t
want to be touched, but today, he’s hugging everyone.” Freedom special-education teacher Jody Jeffray believes the event offers special-needs individuals the opportunity to participate in activities that others take for granted. “I think our kids need as many experiences as possible to feel normal, and today is a perfect example of that,” said Jeffray. “It’s huge for these students and it’s huge for those of us who support them too.” The Contra Costa County Special Olympics, a local branch of the national organization founded in 1962 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, organizes sporting events throughout the county on regional and district levels. The idea behind the soccer, basketball and track and field games is to promote friendly competition while providing a forum for individuals with intellectual disabilities to realize their full potential. Also present were Sandi Klein-
Photo by Ruth Roberts
James Andrade, in red, brought his family to cheer him on at the recent county Special Olympics held at Freedom High School. The support must have helped: James sank a hook shot in the basketball competition. man and her sons Maxx and Zach, 18 and 19 respectively, cheering on their teammates and each other. Amid hugs, high-fives and a few tears of pride, the day was clearly
by Samie Hartley Staff Writer
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Photo courtesy of Rick Rogers
Iron House Elementary School teacher and 2009 Oakley Union Elementary School District Teacher of the Year Lisa Brizendine, seen here with board member Gloria Lott and Superintendent Rick Rogers, received a pink slip as part of statewide budget cuts to education. Now, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegin crisis. In the past two years, Cali- ger has proposed another $2.5 bilfornia education has taken a hit, lion in cuts, and public education losing $17 million in funding. in K-12 will be hit the hardest.
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as important to Kleinman as it was to her boys. “I’m a proud mom,” admitted Kleinman. “This is what see Special page 18A
Sending an SOS to Sacramento Some held rallies in the morning. Others waited until the afternoon. But the message was still the same: S.O.S. – Save Our Schools. Teachers, parents, students, school board members and administrators and staff throughout the state united in the “save our schools” chant during the Stand Up For Schools demonstration last Thursday. Although national coverage of the event focused on the rallies on college campuses, East County students of all grade levels, from kindergarteners to high school seniors, joined in the action, dressing in pink, waving posters and doing whatever they could to let people know that public education in California is
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Gobbler gaggle go to news/WebExtras! Heads turned as a train of turkeys made tracks across a local park.
Funding per student is expected to drop from the 2007-08 school year mark of $8,364 per pupil to $7,417 for the 2010-11 school year – an 11.3-percent reduction. “It’s ridiculous,” said Oakley Union School District Superintendent Rick Rogers. “Those bozos in Sacramento have really messed things up, and they need to find a better solution to deal with the statewide budget issues. Education should be priority number one, and they need to look somewhere else to find the money because this burden shouldn’t be on the backs of our children.” Rogers joined Oakley’s Stand Up For Schools demonstration last Thursday, standing alongside teachers and staff who have been pink-slipped. More than 500 see SOS page 18A
War heroes
go to news/press releases An upcoming event honors those who served in the jungles of Vietnam.
It takes two to tango Our Moon is an indispensable partner in Earth’s dance through the cosmos. Page 6A
Cheersport champs
An East County cheer and tumbling squad took Stockton by storm and earned a ticket to Long Beach. Page 3B
Plus: Calendar ............................ 23B Classifieds ......................... 14B Cop Logs ............................14A Entertainment ................. 10B Health & Beauty ................ 8B Opinion ..............................13A Outdoors ............................. 6A Sports ................................... 1B
FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A
Special gate
go to multimedia/videos An innovative program helps students with special needs find good jobs.