Ipsen takes Silver in China See Page 12
IT’S YOUR PAPER www.claytonpioneer.com
June 11, 2010
925.672.0500
Non-profit to provide recreation programs for city TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
The Clayton gymnasium will not go dark this summer after all. All Out Sports League (AOSL), a private, non-profit sports organization based in Brentwood, has signed an agreement with the city of Clayton to provide the summer camps and enrichment programs left in the lurch by the abrupt withdrawal and bankruptcy of the Mt. Diablo
Region YMCA in March. AOSL, under the direction of Casey Copeland, has been running similar programs for Brentwood and Antioch for two years. Clayton does not have a recreation department and relies on outside contractors to provide recreation programs. Copeland is “a highly motivated, experienced and enthusiastic operator suitable to fill the regrettable void (left by the YMCA),” says city manager Gary Napper.
Summer programs, scheduled to begin June 21, will include sports camps in basketball, soccer, flag football and volleyball, and leagues for youth and adult basketball and volleyball. Enrichment camps will start the week of July 5 with kitchen science and will include classes in science and business. The Clayton Community Gym, built in 2003, is owned by the Mt. Diablo Unified School District, but the city of Clayton and residents con-
tributed substantially to the construction. An agreement with the school district gives Clayton first priority on use during non-school hours. In exchange, the city picks up the operating costs of about $5,000 a month. The city is negotiating with the district to lower these costs, which will be billed to AOSL monthly.
For a schedule of summer camps, see page 7. Register online at alloutsportsleague.com.
Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer
AOSL Executive Director Casey Copeland.
You gotta hand it to dad – at least one day a year HANK STRATFORD
MAYOR’S CORNER Maintenance staff carries heavy load It seems like the rainy season is finally behind us. So with the start of summer our attention turns outside. Our maintenance staff has been chomping (or more formally, champing) at the bit to get started on some projects around town. The city has been receiving questions about weed abatement. The maintenance crew has been waiting for a long stretch of dry weather before they go after the weeds. If the weed abatement is done too early, the weeds will continue to grow. We will start seeing some of the weeds coming down around town soon. The Landscape Maintenance District has been able to build up a reserve over the last few years that can now partially be used to make improvements to the city’s landscaping. The Trails and Landscape Committee approved a list of recommended improvement projects. This list was presented to the City Council at our last meeting. Projects include renovating the area around the fountain, installing pavers in the narrow nose section of the medians along Oakhurst Drive and
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID CLAYTON, CA PERMIT 190
See Mayor, page 11
Mike Basil and daughter Eliana bond over some ice cream. For Father’s Day perspectives from Basil and other local dads, follow this story to Page 22.
Father’s Day, like Mother’s Day, Teacher’s Day and Take Your Favorite Journalist to Lunch Day (coming up soon – don’t forget!), is seen by many as an exercise in creative marketing by greeting card companies. This year, Hallmark expects 93 million cards to be sent to honor the hard work and dedication of fathers throughout the land on June 20. That should ensure their annual bonuses can buy more than a Thank You for being a Responsible Corporate Executive Day card. But a careful reading of flawless source material (Wikipedia) and interviewing of experts in the field (including my husband) finds that the event wasn’t made up by Hallmark after all. Instead, blame the Episcopalians. Grace Golden Clayton of Fairmont, W.Va., first thought of the idea of a Father’s Day celebration in 1908. Inspired by a mine explosion the year prior, where hundreds of children lost their fathers, she suggested the idea to her priest at the Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, South.
See Father’s Day, page 22
Graduating seniors honored for accomplishments TAYLOR TOVREA SARAH ROSEN CVHS Correspondents
The culmination of high school, when all the hard work is finally rewarded, is the last month of senior year. At Clayton Valley High School, this is when deserving seniors receive honors, scholarships and awards, followed by the much-anticipated graduation. The highlight of these festivities is the awarding of the Scholarship, Leadership, Service
and the all-encompassing Grand Altair. A CVHS tradition dating back to the school’s opening in 1958, these prestigious awards are named after the brightest star in the constellation, Aquila, a word meaning eagle in Latin. They are the highest honors a Clayton Valley student can attain. Leticia De Brito won the Scholarship Altair with a GPA of 4.4. At Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, she would like to study architecture and become an architect. She credits her academic success largely to her strong stubborn streak.
What’s Inside Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Church News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Clayton History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
“I’m really stubborn as a person, which is good as a student because it makes you more determined. After getting As all freshman year, I was determined not to lose the No. 1 ranking,” she says. Leadership Altair winner Katy Boeger plans to attend Sacramento State this fall to study nursing. She owes a great deal of her success to her parents, who have supported her throughout her school career. Katy received this award as a result of her hard work and dedication to student government
Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Community Calendar . . . . . . . . . . .14 Directory of Advertisers . . . . . . . . . .5 DVMS Reporter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Financial Sense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Food for Thought . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
and leadership. “I have the most wonderful classmates working by my side; it was going to be a year to make some positive changes within CV,” she says. “I truly believe that we have made many improvements.” Jennifer McLoughlin was awarded the Service Altair, which recognizes students for involvement and volunteer work within school. A Clayton Arts Academy student, Jennifer has been a part of the tech crew for
See Seniors, page 16
Going Green . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Movie Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Obituary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 On the Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Parenting Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Grand Altair winner Eden Mesfin
Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 School News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Staying Fit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Tech Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Theatre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Upcoming Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6