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June 29, 2012
Kristian, Kara bound for Olympics JAY BEDECARRÉ Clayton Pioneer
A small town tucked in the shadow of Mt. Diablo Clayton stood tall last Friday when a native son and daughter each earned a berth on the United States Olympic team that to compete next month in London. And the selections of Kristian Ipsen in diving and Kara Kohler in rowing took place 2400 miles apart, neither very close to their hometown. Last Friday morning Kohler, at the final training sessions for the American national team in Princeton, NJ, was selected for the women’s quadruple sculls boat in London, unseating a member of the team that won the 2011 World Rowing Championships silver medal. That evening Ipsen and his partner, now four-time Olympian Troy Dumais, won the only berth for the USA in men’s three-meter synchro diving at the Olympic Trials near Seattle in Federal Way, WA.
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Kohler will join Adrienne Martelli, Megan Kalmoe and Natalie Dell in the quad. Kalmoe, who finished fifth in
the double sculls at the Beijing Olympics, won silver in the quad with Martelli and Dell at last year’s World Rowing Cham-
Photo courtesy Allison Frederick/USRowing
IT CAME DOWN TO THE FINAL TWO DAYS of selections but Clayton’s Kara Kohler (second from left) proved her worth and earned a berth on the United States Olympic rowing team in the women’s quad. Kohler joined three rowers who earned the silver medal at the 2011 world championships in the event by her strong showings this summer and in the final two days of “seat racing” when nine women were going for the four spots in the American boat.
DENISEN HARTLOVE Clayton Pioneer
Everyone remembers the teacher who made a difference in their lives. For David Linzey, the new executive director of Clayton Valley Charter High School, it was Mr. Ryder in sixth grade. The second youngest child in a family with 10 kids, Linzey often got lost in the mix. But
City of Clayton Budget 2012-13
MAYOR’S CORNER
Patriotism is front and center for 4th of July parade Clayton will once again be transformed into that “Norman Rockwell community” we all love when we celebrate Independence Day. Our Fourth of July Parade committee, composed of city officials and other volunteers, has worked hard organizing, seeking donations and rounding up volunteers to make this year’s celebration a memorable one. We still need parade volunteers. If you plan to be at the
See Mayor, page 14
not be contested in London) in Bled. The favored Ipsen and Dumais had a less-than-satisfy-
ing first day in 3M synchro, an event they have dominated
See Olympians, page 8
Photo courtesy of Ipsen family
CLAYTON WAS WELL REPRESENTED at the US Olympic Diving Trials last week at Federal Way, Washington as local lad Kristian Ipsen earned a berth on the American Olympic team going to London next month. Celebrating the selection for Team Ipsen in Washington were, from left, maternal grandparents Joe and Rene Cleary, mom Yvette Ipsen, Kristian Ipsen, sister Lauren Ipsen, dad Kent Ipsen and paternal grandparents Linda and Skip Ipsen.
Charter school leader guides with a caring hand with Ryder, it was different. “(He) recognized my talent and really focused on that,” said Linzey. “He believed in me, told me I needed to go to college, just said really nice things, got my self-confidence, my selfesteem up.” Not surprisingly, Linzey thinks caring teacher-student relationships are at the heart of a school’s success. “I believe No. 1, first and
Clayton Council approves budget with $200,000 gap HOWARD GELLER
pionships in Bled, Slovenia. Kohler was a member of the American gold medal-winning women’s four (an event that will
General Fund Operating Budget 2012-13
General Fund CIP $3,670,702 $2,237,307
What’s Inside Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . .15
the basics for school success transcend size and socio-economics. In an article published in Education Week in 2010, he outlined his work improving Los Angeles high schools in “less affluent sections of the city,” where the student populations were 100 percent minorities, many from disadvantaged
See Linzey, page 8
Community Church considers new site for worship center TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
Other Funds $4,881,991
Last week, the City Council approved a 2012-13 budget that falls $200K short of balanced. Continually declining property tax revenues, the Redevelopment Agency bloodbath in February, cumulative state takeaways and a decade of slow to non-existent growth have now sent general fund revenues below what they were in 2002. A
N u e vo ’s Nuview U n i o n School District, whose entire student body roughly equals the DAVID LINZEY number of students at Clayton Valley Charter High School. He has come to believe
Approval may be easier than in downtown
Successor Agency $1,083,794
Total: $11,873,794
foremost, all students can learn and can achieve,” he said. “We have zero tolerance for drugs, zero tolerance for bullying, zero tolerance for harassment. But we should also have zero tolerance for failure, for lack of learning.” Linzey’s work experiences ranges from working with charter schools in the massive Los Angeles School District to serving as superintendent of
long, confusing list of “trailer” bills to the state budget threaten to further squeeze blood from the city’s turnip. “This is the ‘dawning of the Age of Austerity’,” said City Manager Gary Napper in his budget message to the Council. Despite the current
Clayton Community Church (CCC) has made an offer on 4.5 acres on Pine Hollow Court adjacent to Mt. Diablo Elementary School. The church wants to build the facility originally planned for downtown Clayton. The offer is contingent on the church selling its Main Street property and obtaining financing and all approvals and permits by December, says pastor Shawn Robinson.
See Budget, page 6
See Church, page 9
Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Community Calendar . . . . . .14 Design Diva . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Directory of Advertisers . . . . .5
DVMS Reporter . . . . . . . . . .13 Fashion Over 50 . . . . . . . . . .8 Food for Thought . . . . . . . . .16 Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Hiker’s Haven . . . . . . . . . . .17
Total: $3,670,702
CLAYTON COMMUNITY CHURCH HAS PUT IN AN OFFER on 4.5 acres of the old Frank family ranch on Pine Hollow Court where this barn was built 91 years ago. The church is hoping to sell their downtown land in favor of building outside the Town Center.
Letter to the Editor . . . . . . . . .5 Performing Arts . . . . . . . . . .15 Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Safety Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Sports Shorts . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Tech Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Teen Speak . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 The Charter Papers . . . . . . .13
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID CLAYTON, CA PERMIT 190