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SINCE 1916 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CV, NO. XXIII
THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 2021
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CLASS OF 2021
EDUCATION
Templeton High Graduates 161 Seniors
Trustees Prepare For 2021-2022 School Year
After a challenging 15 months, the Class of 2021 is ready for their next stage of life
The new benchmark system “FastBridge” will be implemented this year to assess students
By MELISSA MATTSON melissa@atascaderonews.com
TEMPLETON — Templeton High School held their Senior Graduation on Thursday, Jun. 10 at 7 p.m. to see the graduation of 161 students. The graduation was held in-person at Volunteer Stadium, with limited guests per student, and also available live-streamed on Youtube. The ceremony began with Josh Aston, the Templeton High School Principal, recognizing all the staff who have helped these students get to this day. He also recognized the family of the seniors and then the seniors themselves. He read a poem by Douglas Malloch, entitled Good Timber, and summed it up by saying, “this graduation class has had to endure tough winds… The challenges you have endured have made
By CONNOR ALLEN connor@atascaderonews.com
you strong,” speaking about the tough year that this class has gone through these past fifteen months. Next, Ashley Pascual led the pledge of allegiance, followed by the Star-Spangled Banner sung by Abby Brady.
Atascadero Hosted CIF Championship Game Last Friday
By CONNOR ALLEN connor@atascaderonews.com
ATASCADERO — Friday night, June 11, the Atascadero boys basketball team (15-4, 11-1) played for a California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Central Section Division 2 Championship in their building against Roosevelt High School. To get to the Championship game, the Hounds first had to go through their bitter rival for a third time this season. It was as close to a packed house as COVID-19 would allow on Wednesday night, and, as always, the crowd was divided nearly down the middle, with those on one side wearing crimson while those on the other wore orange. Due to tickets being limited to only four people per athlete, Wednesday’s game was
SPORTS
without issue. In Templeton’s small community, the two have worked together many times, coming through for each other in a pinch. Ion recounts a time when a band for Concerts in the Park showed up without music stands, and she reached out to Cheryl Parks to see about borrowing some from the school for the evening, just in time for the event. Parks, not a native to the area, moved to the Central Coast with her husband from Southern California in 1981, looking for the serenity that comes with the pace of life in the area. At the time, her son was one, and she valued being able to have her son in the same school district in which she worked. She began working with the San Luis Coastal School District before switching to Templeton, working as the Administrative Coordinator. Ion, born and raised on the Central Coast, began CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
The Templeton High School Senior Class turned their tassels after one of the most challenging years the world has ever seen and they are now ready to take on anything! Contributed photos from Templeton High School
PREP SPORTS
Greyhounds beat Bearcats 62-47 in Semifinals
ATASCADERO — The Atascadero School Board of Trustees came together for the final time in the 2020-2021 school year on Tuesday, Jun. 8, for a brief session and tied up the remaining loose ends from previous meetings before heading into the summer. The Trustees approved the Learning Control and Accountability Plan and the Annual Budget, which were discussed the week prior, as well as sharing the results from the Spring benchmark assessments and approving phase one on the demolition of the B Building. Tuesday night’s meeting was run by Board of Trustees member Terri Switzer as acting Board President George Shoemaker joined the proceedings via Zoom. AUSD Superintendent Tom Butler touched on a few things during his report starting with praise for all of the graduation and promotion ceremonies within the District. Then, Butler moved forward, addressing summer school attendance which began on Jun. 8. “Here is just a couple weeks we will have our extended school year for our students with disabilities, but we have our summer school K-5 at Santa Rosa, that started today,” Butler said. “Here at the middle school campus, we have not only our middle school students but also high school students, and we also have a few high school students at the high school or at Paloma Creek High School, all told we are at about 700 students.” Butler next addressed the changing of restrictions that would be taking place on Tuesday, Jun. 15, and how the District would move forward this summer. “I am looking forward to keeping tabs on how things change,” he explained. “The team is committed to staying as current as we can to analyze those changes in guidance and how they relate to schools and
the hottest ticket in town, while all that couldn’t make it tuned into the Livestream on the Voice of Paso or following updates online. The Bearcats made the first basket of the game on a Darius Thompson free-throw jumper, but that would be the only time Paso Robles held the lead in the game as the Hounds jumped out to a big lead early thanks to their smothering defense and excellent rebounding. Junior point guard Stevie Waiters answered Thompson’s bucket with a baseline jumper of his own, and on the next AHS possession Logan Reyes nailed a three from the top of the arc, and the Hounds were off. The Greyhounds defensive gameplan was clear from the beginning; they would not let Thompson get comfortable in the post. Atascadero would send waves of bodies at the Bearcat big man, all with active hands, ready to take a charge, if necessary, and made Paso Robles try and beat them shooting from the outside. Atascadero held Paso Robles to nine points in the first quarter and only six points in the second CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
COMMUNITY
Aston returned to the stage, announcing the Salutatorian, Thomas Choboter, who graduated with a 4.57 GPA and will be attending Cal Poly, majoring in Computer Engineering. Choboter gave a speech, focusing on the
word why, “questions are our superpower, and a question that begins with why is the greatest superpower of them all.” Then before moving on to an acoustic guitar CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
COMMUNITY
Retirement of Two Noteworthy Women in the Templeton Community
Cheryl Parks (Left) and Laurie Ion (right) both retire at the end of June after 57 years of service collectively to the Templeton community. Photo by Melissa Mattson
Laurie Ion of TCSD and Cheryl Parks of TUSD both will hang up their hats at the end of June By MELISSA MATTSON melissa@atascaderonews.com
TEMPLETON — At the end of June, Templeton will see the retirement of two dedicated employees who have served Templeton for 57 years collectively. Cheryl Parks and Laurie Ion have been behind the scenes keeping Templeton rolling and soaring over the past 25+ years. Parks has worked for the Templeton Unified School District (TUSD) for 25 years, and Ion has worked for Templeton Community Services District (TCSD) for 32. Both have served in their same, albeit evolving, roles within their respective organizations, wearing all necessary hats to keep things operating
COVID-19 UPDATE
WEEKLY FEATURE
WEATHER
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A SEASON LIKE NO OTHER continues with Baseball, Softball and Basketball | A3
PASO ROBLES CHILDREN’S Museum announces re-opening after 15 months | A4
CALIFORNIA OFFICIALLY retires Blueprint for a Safer Economy as Gov. establishes a timeline | A5
JUNETEENTH National Freedom Day: A Day of Observance | A14
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