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April 29, 2011
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CV charter school drive sparks interest TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
Backers tout local control, better funding A push to convert Clayton Valley High School to a charter
school is gaining momentum as teachers and parents look for a way out of the crisis in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District. More than 150 parents crowded into the Clayton Library last week to learn more about converting CVHS from a
MDUSD school to a charter school. To convert, CVHS would withdraw from the district and become a self-governing body with full authority to hire and fire teachers, control spending and determine curriculum at the school level.
Teachers Pat Middendorf and Neil McChesney are spearheading the movement, which arises out of frustrations with poor academic performance, inconsistent discipline, epidemic tardiness and low morale. “When you compare Clayton
Valley’s Academic Performance Index (API) with other schools in the state with similar socio/economic statistics, we are in the lowest 10 percent of those schools,” said Middendorf. “We’re seeing a ‘brain drain,’ with some of the best students
leaving for private schools.” A charter school brings all decision-making to the local level, says Middendorf. “We only have to consider the 1,800 students that we are responsible for. See Charter School, page 8
Travel from the tropics to Asia on garden tour NICOLE HACKETT Specia,l to the Pioneer
Meandering pathways, rock features, poolscapes, entertaining areas, pergolas, flowering trees, shrubs and perennials await guests on the Clayton Valley Garden Tour. Sponsored by the Clayton Historical Society, the self-guided tour runs 10 a.m.-4 p.m. May 6 and 7. Asian fusion is one of the themes of Martin and Diane Andrew’s garden. This newer garden incorporates old plantings with new installations, creating a balanced environment. Various colored stones generate
DAVE SHUEY
MAYOR’S CORNER ‘Chartering’ a better course I am my father! We all have that moment where we realize we have become our parent, usually when we are telling our children how it was much harder in our childhood. “I used to walk to school five miles everyday, uphill both ways in the snow.” Well, just like many of you in
Proposed fire assessment vote delayed a month
LOU FANCHER Clayton Pioneer
TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID CLAYTON, CA PERMIT 190
See Assessment, page 13
See Garden Tour, page 6
From bows to biscotti, Art and Wine covers the bases
See Mayor, page 13
A measure to rescue fire protection services in East County, including the rural areas of Clayton, will likely go to the voters in June, says fire chief Hugh Henderson. The East County Fire Protection District Benefit Assessment District needs approval by a simple majority of voters in the district. An annual assessment of $93 per parcel will raise about $4 million,
visual motion and contrast with the plants. Lavender walkways lead to sitting vignettes, where the rest of the yard can be enjoyed. When people love their yard, it becomes a garden. Dee and Art Turrin created theirs with love and built it with their own hands. Part-sun perennials make landscape borders, and the twig arbor hallway to the rear garden is perfect for wandering. Kathy and Bill Gray’s garden has made the most of every available inch. This yard is in a new development, and issues
Tamara Steiner/Clayton PIoneer
THIS CORNER IN LINDA PINDER’S CHAPARRAL SPRINGS home, showcases ideas for a small cottage garden. Pinder’s home is one of six on the Clayton Historical Society annual Garden Tour May 6 and 7.
Clayton is gearing up for the 16th annual Art & Wine Festival, a two-day party filled with music, food, art, beer, wine, games and happy crowds. This year, the festival gets underway at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 30. With more than 125 art and craft exhibits, visitors will find both returning favorites and newcomers to explore. Co-chairs John Garrett and Chance Gernhardt take on the leading roles this year. The
See Art & Wine, page 6
Surprise! Moms learn as they go DENISEN HARTLOVE Clayton Pioneer
A search of Amazon.com for parenting books brings 37,698 choices in paperbacks alone. Advice ranges from what one exasperated father described as the “Gulag diet” in Heidi Murkoff ’s “What to Expect” books for expectant and new mothers (sugar is bad, bran is
What’s Inside
best) to Vicki Iovine’s more laidback suggestion in the “Girlfriends Guide” series for moms to not “stand when you can sit, don’t sit when you can lie down, and don’t stay awake when you can sleep.” Despite the plethora of advice, every mother interviewed for this article – regardless of age, income level or number of children – was surprised by
something about the experience of parenting. None of the moms felt they always knew what was coming next while raising their children: whether it was the intense joy when she first laid eyes on her new baby or the exhaustion from waiting up for her 16-year-old to come home on prom night (only to have the brat sail on by with nary a wave before sharing her
stories with 2,743 Facebook friends). Barbara Goldsmith of Clayton is the mother of four grown children, two older boys followed by twin, now 19-yearold daughters. She remembers her surprise at her ability to love each child individually with such intensity, without taking away
See Moms, page 9
Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Directory of Advertisers . . . .5
Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Food for Thought . . . . . . .16
Safety Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . .17
School News . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Community Calendar . . . .14
Letters to the Editor . . . . . .5
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Concert Schedule . . . . . . . .2
Obiturary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Take a Hike . . . . . . . . . . . .16
CHARLIE, THE BEAGLE, has his eye on a tasty biscotti from Millie’s Boutique Biscotti, owned by Concord resident Sherry Guthrie, one of 125 vendors that will be at the annual CBCA Art & Wine Festival April 30-May 1.
CV lacrosse teams play for Clough family
Photo by Mike Dunn
CAMERON “CAMMY” BACIGALUPO was decked out in school colors last week as the Clayton Valley High School boys and girls lacrosse teams “battled” each other in a benefit game for teammate Joey Clough and his family who lost their Clayton home in a fire on March 30. See story on Page 10.