GOOD NEWS. REAL NEWS. HOMETOWN NEWS.
SINCE 1889 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CXXXI, NO. XLVI
EDUCATION
Parents and Students Plead for In-Person Teaching without Face Masks
THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2021
pasoroblespress.com • $1.00 • WEEKLY
FARMING
Templeton Hills Community Farm Celebrates First Anniversary
Players from the Central Coast Crushers Organization selling lemonade on Rolling Hills Drive. Contributed photos
The District assures that the dual immersion program is not at risk of being ended
Central Coast Crushers Raise $2500 with Lemonade Stand
By CAMILLE DeVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
PASO ROBLES — The Paso Robles Joint Unified School District (PRJUSD) Board met for their regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, Apr. 27. The meeting’s general public comment was filled with high emotions and broad concerns from parents wanting their students to return to full-time in-person learning and concerns over the possibility of closing the Georgia Brown campus. Trustee Chris Bausch stated before public comment began that there were 21 written comments and callers. Many parents and students came to the meeting in person to read their comments. Some younger students pleaded to return to full-time in-person learning without the requirement of facemasks. One student shed tears as she told the board the mask gives her anxiety, and she can’t breathe with it on. Other mothers spoke for their children with similar stories of the masks giving their children anxiety, so they remain at-home learning. Many parents said they have seen their children decline from the lack of proper socialization. Many of the parents who spoke said they feel helpless when it comes to difficult hybrid schedules. At the beginning of the meeting, Board President Chris Arend reminded callers of a real-time Spanish translator for the meeting. Arend’s comment seemed to be directed towards a situation that occurred during the Apr. 13 board meeting. There was some conflict that began when caller Rita Casaverde, President of the Democratic Party of San Luis Obispo County, called and spoke in both Spanish and English. There was confusion as to if the caller needed a translator, and President Arend asked the caller to speak in English if she was able to. The caller, Casaverde, accused the board of not having a real-time translator for her. The board did clarify later they do have a certified Spanish translator who is translating the meeting in real-time. Yessenia Echevarria called in, speaking in Spanish. There was some confusion between the transCONTINUED ON PAGE A15
PREVENTION
FUNDRAISER
Community members of all ages attended Templeton Hills first anniversary festivities by enjoying blueberry pancakes, fresh fruit and a tour of the garden. Contributed Photos
By CAMILLE DeVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
TEMPLETON — On Sunday, Apr. 18, the Templeton Hills Community Farm celebrated its one-year anniversary! Anyone within the community was welcome to enjoy the fresh air at the farm. Homemade blueberry pancakes were served along with other refreshments and produce from the farm.
Templeton Hills church member Joy Chalker said, “It was a great day on the farm! We enjoyed harvesting, the tour, and amazing blueberry pancakes! They were so healthy with freshly ground flour, flax, and chia seeds! Thanks so much for everyone’s effort to make it amazing!” Farm manager Matt Giese gave farm tours throughout the day showing new guests around and answering any questions.
Zac Page, Pastor of Templeton Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church, said, “We had a great turnout for the farm’s first anniversary. Quite a few people came by for the first time, expressed their excitement at discovering the farm, and said they would be back. Others who had not been up to the farm recently were excited to see how much progress has been made over the past year. Everyone who wanted
was able to go home with fresh produce. The blueberry pancakes were also a big hit. It was a lot of fun to see people of all ages milling around the farm. We are excited that people are learning how to grow healthy food and are getting to enjoy healthy outdoor community activity on the farm.” Giese said they plan to have more events like this in the future.
by millions of bits of information coming to us through sight, sound, touch, smell, taste, and movement but one by one, we have been cutting our connections and suffering the consequences. Meet Lynette Sonne, who, since founding FARMstead ED in 2014, has been making connections, creating awareness, and providing experiences for “tourists and townies” to learn about the importance of sustainable
PASO ROBLES — A few weeks ago, eight-year-old baseball player Colton Santos had all of his baseball gear stolen out of his car while sleeping in his hotel during a baseball tournament in Fresno. After a long day of playing ball, Santos and his family came out to find their car broken into and all of their expensive equipment missing. Sad and now without the tools to play the game he loved, his teammates and friends in the Crushers organization put their heads together and came up with a plan to raise money for some new equipment and landed on a lemonade stand. The next day, Monday, Apr. 5, a group of kids grinning ear-toear with handmade signs waved over their head, and decent lemonade in their pitcher made their way out to the corner of Rolling Hills Drive in Paso Robles. Quickly, the residents of Paso Robles began pulling up and donating money, far more money than the average cost of a cup of lemonade. Some gave $5, some gave $10, and then one local resident decided to put a post up on social media, and suddenly the funds began to pour in. After just a few hours in the sun with some lemonade and a Venmo account, the Crushers raised $770. However, the generosity was far from over. Hearing about what had happened to Santos, Warstick Sports, a sports stick equipment company owned by former MLB player Ian Kinsler, Musician Jack White and his wife Sarah, whom the Crushers Organization recently partnered with, decided to make a donation of their own. “When Warstic partners with a team, we want a team with character. We care about their success on the field, but what they do off the field is most important,” Warstic Sports stated when asked about the donation. “And when I [Sarah White] learned about what the
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AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION
AgriCULTURAL Fun on the SLO County FarmTrail Slow Down, Reconnect, Enjoy and Learn along the SLO County Farm Trail through FARMstead Ed By SIMONE SMITH For The Paso Robles Press
Z
oom, virtual, telecommuting, self-driving, robotic, remote, quantum computing, push a button, overnight, maximize, lab-grown, instant, high tech, Google, factory farms, e-commerce, data-driven, corporate, the cloud, buy now, automation, artificial reality, artificial intelligence, Alexa…stop… It seems like humanity is speeding ever faster away from itself, from personal hands-on experiences, and from connections we have with each other and the natural world. To make matters worse, the combination of our immediate lifestyle with the recent isolation caused by the pandemic has further compounded our collective disconnect by creating a strange time-warping effect on our psyche. What can we do? Enter Lynette Sonne, founder and “Herd Boss” of FARMstead Ed and creator of the SLO County Farm Trail map, who just might have the antidote we need. The “COVID time warp” has been spoken about by Psychology Today, Wired, Vox, and other publications and basically refers to a warping of our senses by simultaneously having too much time while being stressed by not having enough time. Spending time without having meaningful, immersive events to mark its passing takes a toll. What’s the
SPORTS
Lynette Sonne also known as the “herd boss” rounded up talented professional in the area to create FARMsted Ed. Contributed photos
difference between celebrating a birthday with friends and family virtually, watching a movie at home, or playing a game on the computer? How engaged are you with each of these experiences, and how memorable are they? Also, with the ability to order just about anything at any time and receive it within hours by the press of a button or a word to Alexa, do we know where it actually comes from, what’s involved, or who even made the product? The human experience is multisensory; we are tied to each other and the natural world
COVID-19 UPDATE
By CONNOR ALLEN connor@pasoroblespress.com
AGRICULTURE
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WEATHER
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PASO ROBLES WEED abatement inspections begins May 1 to aid in fire prevention | A2
BEARCATS VS. GREYHOUNDS: SLO COUNTY ADVANCES a rivalry that dates back to 1919, making to Orange Tier as businesses resume this the 101st year of the rivalry | A3 indoor operations and activities | A5 CELEBRATING
THE GREAT CANNABIS DEBATE: Part One of a special in-depth look into this growing industry | A13
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