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EDUCATION
Trustees Discuss Returning to In-Person Learning No Later Than Mar. 16 By CAMILLE DeVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com PASO ROBLES — The Paso Robles Joint Unified School District (PRJUSD) Board of Trustees met for their regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday night. A new translation system has been put in place to provide real-time Spanish translation. For a real-time Spanish translation of the meeting, a separate Zoom link is available on the agenda. To call in and make a public comment in Spanish, call (805)608-4230. During public comment, some concern was raised in regards to the behavior of some board members. Both comments addressed trustee Chris Bausch’s remarks when he was on KPRL’s “Sound Off ” on Feb. 22. Susan Holt called in addressing comments made by a trustee on a radio show when they criticized Chris Arend, “I am calling in this evening to say that I believe Chris Arend is doing an excellent job as board president. He is focused on current issues and not hung up on the past. His integrity and professionalism are what we need for this board, and I do hope other board members will follow his lead and work with him on fixing current issues like getting all of our kids back to school. I don’t understand how anyone on the board member can go on public radio and publicly criticize another board member instead of spending that energy on working together as a team.” Another written comment was read, “My comment today regards some of the behavior I see coming from your board room. There is a certain trustee that falls asleep every meeting. How disrespectful to the students, our community, and the staff members who have prepared presentations for you. I understand this person stays home because he refuses to wear a mask. How then do you ask teachers to return to work and use the required PPE if you yourself cannot mask up and show up for our community? Additionally, there is a second trustee who speaks on public radio to defame staff and fellow trustees. This is unbelievably shameful behavior. You cannot claim to speak as a public citizen but then read district email on-air and CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
SPORTS
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021
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COMMUNITY HEALTH
Templeton Hills Community Farm Impacting Their Community One Seed at a Time What started as a simple idea has grown into a flourishing community farm that builds strong relationships By CAMILLE DeVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
O
n Apr. 18, the Templeton Hills Community Farm will be celebrating their one-year anniversary! You would never know it was there from the street, but between the Templeton Hills Seventh-Day Adventist Church and school sits a little farm on what used to be a soccer field. What started as a way to produce healthy and affordable vegetables for their community has grown into a place where people can learn how to grow and harvest their food while building memories and strong relationships. In 2019, church members wanted a place where people could gather, a community center or maybe a garden, they thought. Matt Giese, the part-time groundskeeper for the school and church, suggested, why not build a farm? With the help of a grant from the Pacific Union Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists, the farm started with one hoop house, a small greenhouse, and some outdoor row crops. In 2020 the farm was ready to open to the public, just a month before the pandemic shutdowns. But amid pandemic lockdowns and woes, the Templeton Hills Farm became a place
of peace for many people. Steve Mulder, a regular at the farm (and avid lover of microgreens), said, “God has blessed this place--this is not here to make money, this is not a commercial operation. This is a community operation.” Giese, who now manages the farm, happened to have a passion for gardening already. For the past ten years, he, his wife, and children have loved gardening together as a family hobby. “We love being outside and harvesting, getting your hands dirty. It’s an awesome experience for kids, for the family,” said Giese. For Giese, growing their food was one thing, but introducing his children to life’s hard work and seeing their rewards come harvest time was something quite special. Growing one’s food is a lost art that did seem to develop some traction during 2020 lockdowns. Giese hopes to inspire his children and others to get involved with farming and reignite the age-old trend. “I want to get kids and people, the younger generation inspired in farming,” said Giese. Since the farm opened to the public, it has gained another hoop house, and more plans are in the works for expansion. A washing system for produce and a storage container for root vegetables like potatoes and garlic is CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
With the help of a grant from the Pacific Union Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists, the farm started with one hoop house, a small greenhouse, and some outdoor row crops. Contributed Photo
DEDICATION
TOURISM
Stu’s Studio: The Stoddard Center for the Arts It appears the only person in the county not sure Stoddard is deserving of the honor is the man himself
San Miguel is Growing, Come Visit Safety
By CONNOR ALLEN connor@pasoroblespress.com ATASCADERO — The naming of new public facilities, especially in a public school district, is generally met with some conversation and at least a little discussion over many different options. However, when the name “Stu Stoddard” was mentioned a few months ago in Atascadero, all conversations about the building’s name ceased and were instead replaced by story after story of Stoddard’s grace, knowledge, and uncommon kindness. The citizens’ advisory committee and the Atascadero Unified School District Board of Trustees were in unanimous agreement. On Feb. 2, the Black Box Theater officially changed its name, in its new home, to Stu’s Studio: The Stoddard Center for the Arts. It is rare to hear of someone spoken about with such reverence by all, but after just a few seconds absorbing his preacher’s cadence and basking in his glowing warmth, it becomes clear why every face at the Board of Trustees meeting donned a smile while presenting the prestigious honor to a man that worked in the District for 29 years. Stoddard began his illustrious career for the Atascadero Unified School District in
AGRICULTURE
By MICHELLE HIDO For the Paso Robles Press
very tight financial years. Over the next 20, Stoddard would hold a couple of different titles, including the Director of Support Services in 2007 and eventually Executive Director of Bond Projects in 2016. For most of Stoddard’s tenure, he was forced to be the harbinger of bad news regarding leaky roofs and decaying facili-
SAN MIGUEL — As we start to see the light at the end of the tunnel after a long winter with the pandemic, San Miguel is ready to welcome locals and tourists to visit safely. The Mission San Miguel is closed, but masses are celebrated outdoors in the inner garden. San Miguel’s restaurants and wineries are open once again and happy to have visitors. A shared sentiment throughout is that they miss having people in their businesses not just for the sales but also for the social aspect. In a time where take-out food and wine tasting by mail has helped many businesses stay open, they are really missing the sense of community and catching up socially with local people and meeting tourists. Be sure to come and visit and let them know what you have been up to!
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Stu Stoddard with his wife JoAnne and son Cam (Cameron) stand in front of Stu’s Studio: The Stoddard Center for the Arts. Not pictured daughter Gwen who is an ICU Nurse in San Luis Obispo and their son Cy who passed away in 2007 but there in spirit. Photos by Hayley Mattson
1989 as a maintenance and trades worker, mostly building cabinets, after finding himself out of a job in Geology due to the oil crisis. For the next eight years, Stoddard worked around the District, wherever he was needed, with expanding levels of responsibility. In 1997, Stoddard was named the Director of Facilities and officially became the man in charge of fixing a school going through some
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