Growing Up in Santa Cruz March 2023

BRAVE NEW WORLD OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Pre & K Discovery Day! March 9 | 9:30–11:00am

Join us for a morning hike, circle time and classroom play.

Learn about our Montessori-inspired preschool (for ages 3 and above) and kindergarten programs.

RSVP and more information at MountMadonnaSchool.org and (408) 846-4042

At Gateway, I learn to SOLVE PROBLEMS

Come and learn about the advantages of a K-8 school!

School Day Tour Tuesday, March 7, from 9-11am Tour our classrooms in action, including a look into each grade, and learn more about our program.

Register at gatewaysc.org 2

MARCH 2023 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

GATEWAY SCHOOL

Kindergarten–8th grade | Founded 1970

Features

Jim Booth Swim School

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Athlete of the Month

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Evenings • Saturday Classes • Birthday Parties

The BEST in Baby Swimming!

Start at 4 months in our 94° indoor pool!

AI is the New Future

18 Out & About

29 Editor's Note ......................................4 What Kids are Saying..........................5 Your Health........................................7 Athlete of the Month...........................9 Birth Matters......................................11 Teen Resource Guide..........................13 Coloring Contest................................14 Coloring Contest Winners..................15 Grand Parents View............................23 Ask Nicole...........................................25 Teacher’s Desk....................................27 Calendar.............................................29

At Watsonville indoor and outdoor pools

Coming soon to Toadal fitness in Watsonville, providing advanced classes and a non-compe��ve swim team to develop strength, endurance & technique

722-3500 JimBoothSwimSchool.com • Like us on Facebook

EDITOR | PUBLISHER

Brad Kava and Steve Dinnen ART DIRECTOR | MANAGING EDITOR

Nathan Mixter

DISTRIBUTION & SUBSCRIPTIONS

Susan Bernstein

CONTRIBUTORS

Jeanette Prather, Susan Tatsui-D’Arcy, Nicole M. Young, Laura Maxson, Quin Southhall, Kathy Sweeney, Sarah Savasky, Lisa Catterall, Sophia Manzur, Kim Hichok, Michelle Runzler, Gabrielle Gillette, David Larstein, Quinn Southall, Sepi Taghvaei AD REPRESENTATIVES

Ann Fitts  BobbiJo Palmer  Linda Kay  Sophie Veniel Advertising@GrowingUpSC.com CONTACT US

408.656.1519 editor@growingupsc.com P.O. Box 3505, Santa Cruz, CA 95063

MARCH 2023 | VOL. 27 NO. 3

Printed lovingly by Fricke-Parks Press.

Growing Up in Santa Cruz copyright 2022. Printed in the U.S.A. All views expressed represent those of the individual authors. The contents of this publication are meant as information only and should not take the place of a medical doctor’s recommendations. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole or in part, in any form, electronic or otherwise is prohibited without permission by the publisher. This publication does not knowingly accept deceptive or misleading advertising. Growing Up is printed on recycled paper with soy-based inks.

Now Enrolling Preschool & Kindergarten Parents are warmly invited to learn about the world of Early Childhood at the Santa Cruz Waldorf School.

Our teachers will present aspects of Waldorf’s rich and child-centered curriculum to give you an under standing of our program offerings and how we meet the developmental needs of the young child at each stage. This event is for adults only.

Attending an Introduction to Waldorf Early Childhood is a required step in the admissions process for our Preschool and Kindergarten programs.

Register today!

March Tours:

From parenting to local events to monthly guides and everything in between.

Introduction to Waldorf Early Childhood March 18th, 9-10:30am

Walk Through the Grades March 10th, 8:30-10am

831-425-0519 santacruzwaldorf.org GrowingUpSC.com | MARCH 2023

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Even small changes can make a BIG difference.

Triple P is a scientifically-proven, world-renowned positive parenting program available to families in Santa Cruz County.

Triple P strategies address a wide range of parenting challenges by providing a toolbox of easy-to-use tips.

Find a full schedule of Triple P tips and classes at triplep.first5scc.org.

This program is made possible through a partnership between First 5 Santa Cruz County, Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency (MHSA – Prop 63 funds) & Santa Cruz County Human Services Department.

I n f o r m at I o n : first 5 Santa Cruz County 831.465.2217 triplep@first5scc.org • triplep.first5scc.org

Editor’s Note We asked an Artificial Intelligence program to write a poem about being a teen who has grown up in Santa Cruz and this is what we got in 20 seconds: In Santa Cruz by the sea, Where the waves crash wild and free.

I spent my teenage years, With laughter, love, and tears.

The sun-kissed sand, the salty breeze, The boardwalk bustling with glee.

The pier where we’d fish and dream, Our youth so full of promise and esteem.

The town was quirky, artsy, and kind, With open minds and hearts refined.

Where we could be ourselves, express, And never feel the need to impress.

We’d hang out at cafes, skate parks, and beaches, Taking risks, pushing boundaries, and reaching, For new horizons, new experiences, With all the zeal and confidence of adolescence.

Yet with each passing year, We sensed the world drawing near, As we faced the harsher truths, Of inequality, injustice, and the endless pursuits.

We learned to stand up, speak out, To fight for what we care about, To question authority, tradition, and norms, And embrace our own values, passions, and forms.

So as I look back on those days, I cherish the memories, the joys, and the ways, That Santa Cruz shaped who I am, And taught me to be brave, bold, and damn.

Nurture your child’s inner musician Register now for Spring classes Music Together®

Join us for the best in early childhood music enrichment, family bonding & fun

Try as clas

For ages birth to 5 years Did you know?

Music is scientifically proven to support brain development

Don’t miss out.

Contact us today!

831.332.9002 • MusicalMe.com

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MARCH 2023 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

Science fiction has become science fact, so suddenly, and it’s more than a little scary. Susan Tatsui-D’Arcy takes our first look at the new widely available Artificial Intelligence in her column on page 17. She is watching history being made and the world changing as fast as it did when the Internet was invented.

We are shaking our heads and looking to answer more questions. Next month we will have answers from other educators about how they will handle a technology that will do all the homework students can dream of.

Is this a future you want? Are you

ready for it? What should we do with it?

Do you like the poem? Can you do better (we don’t think we can, especially not in 20 seconds, and that’s really scary.)

Let us know your thoughts about a technology right out of “2001, A Space Odyssey” and “Terminator” at editor@ growingupsc.com We promise to keep all of our writing done by humans.

Thanks for reading, Brad Kava, Editor and Publisher

What is Your Favorite

By Jeanette Prather

Thing To Do in the Summer?

Local kids love the sun! A few favorite summer pastimes include swimming, camping and chilling with friends, timeless ways to indulge in the perks of summer. According to SantaCruz.org, three million tourists visit Santa Cruz each year, so it’s no surprise that Santa Cruz kids know how to summer right. Check out the different ways that these kids are tapping into what this area has to offer – Santa Cruz is a hot summer destination!

Lolowe - I want to go to camp this summer, but I’m too young. I like to go to the zoo in the summer, too.

I don’t really know what I’m going to be doing this summer. I also like to go to the pool and the beach to swim a lot.

Jolie, 6, Gault Elementary Swimming is my favorite thing to do in the summer. I swim at my house downstairs. I don’t have anything else planned – no camps or anything like that.

Cameron, 9, Ocean Grove Elementary I like to play at the lake. I also like to go boogie-boarding with my friends at a beach in Capitola. Probably one of my favorite things to do is to go camping at Lake Mont in the Sierras. I also like playing basketball and trying things that I don’t normally do.

Lolowe and Lakie 6, Terra Pacifica Elementary

Lucy, 7, Vine Hill Elementary I like going backpacking; I’ve done it once in Big Sur, and I might do it again this year. I also did the SPCA camp last year and it was my favorite.

I’m going to try a new one this year called Good Life Ceramics.

Lakie – I’m going to Disneyland! I also want to go camping in the wilderness; I like camping in the mountains.

Cabor, 9, Ocean Grove Elementary I’m going to do a lot of swimming this summer at the beach. I’m also going to do the horse camp at Pleasant Valley like my brother, Noah.

Kate, 8, Vine Hill Elementary I’m looking forward to clay camp like my sister, Lucy. It’s my first time doing it. Last year, my favorite camp was Sur la Table. I might be doing another camp in San Jose that’s a different cooking camp. I’m also going camping with my family and friends, probably two times.

Major, 8, Green Acres Elementary I’m going to play video games this summer! I don’t know what else I’m going to do; probably not that much.

I will go over to my grandmother’s house, though.

Tristan, 10, DeLaveaga Elementary I do the baseball camp at the beach that’s in front of the Boardwalk during the summer. I also go camping with my family, we like Sunset Beach.

I hope that we get to go again this coming summer.

Noah, 11, Ocean Grove Elementary My favorite things to do in the summer are joining Cabrillo College’s singing camp as well as horse camp at Pleasant Valley. I’m not sure what else I’m going to do this summer.

Highlands Park Early Education Center is

Now Enrolling Nestled in the magnificent redwoods

and adjacent to the San Lorenzo River, our center serves infants through TK. Built from the foundational dreams of local early childhood legends, we extend our vision with an emphasis on the importance of play, equity and social emotional learning as key foundations for academic skill and the development of a lifelong love of learning. As the only Quality Counts program in SLV, we are dedicated to providing a safe and nurturing space to ensure access to outstanding early learning opportunities for all. Like the redwoods that surround, we invite you to stand tall and thrive with us!

This program offers low teacher-to-child ratios of 1:8 for preschoolers and 1:4 for toddlers.

Visit communitybridges.org/eed GrowingUpSC.com | MARCH 2023

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Come See Us!

Celebrating Healthy Smiles

National Children’s Dental Health Month

Open House

DENTISTRY FOR INFANTS, CHILDREN AND TEENS New patients welcome!

Dr. Jackson likes to see children early to help assure healthy smiles later on. In fact, we recommend a first visit around the time of your child’s first birthday.

Call Us!

Se Habla Español. Medi-Cal accepted Affordable rates for uninsured patients Mid-County

1830 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz (near REI) 831.464.5409

Live Oak

1500 Capitola Road, Santa Cruz (near 17th Ave) 831.276.7010

Beach Flats

302 Riverside Avenue, Santa Cruz (near the Boardwalk) 831.464.5411

Watsonville

1430 Freedom Blvd, Suite C, Watsonville (near Cardenas) 831.621.2560

www.dientes.org

Gateway School, K-8 School Day Tour March 7 from 9-11am 255 Swift Street, Santa Cruz www.gatewaysc.org Come and learn how Gateway School inspires children’s innate curiosity and sense of wonder through daily exploration, discovery, and hands-on experiences. Tour our classrooms in action, including a look into each grade, and learn about our program. Go to www.gatewaysc. org to register and experience all that Gateway has to offer!

Are you getting the latest news to your inbox?

Campus Tour March 14

Don’t miss out on local stories, activities, and events!

| 10:00am–12:00pm

Meet our diverse, inspired, creative and academically vibrant learning community Offering bus transportation and financial aid | MountMadonnaSchool.org | 408-846-4042

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MARCH 2023 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

Sign up now by visiting our website: GrowingUpSC.com

TEEN HEALTH A Plea for Your Help

It is important for teens to regularly visit the dentist and practice good oral health

BY SEPI TAGHVAEI, DDS Kevin, a 16-year-old teen, was sitting in my dental chair in terrible pain. He had a deep cavity that was hitting his nerve and needed treatment right away.

As a dentist and a mom, I really felt for Kevin. Fortunately, I was able to get him the care he needed to get him out of pain and save his tooth – a risk he didn’t know he had when he arrived.

I knew that the cavity had taken years to get to this point. If he had been seen by a dentist at an earlier stage, it could have been easily treated with a filling before it caused Kevin any pain.

Or even better, it could have been prevented all-together by regular checkups, cleanings, and fluoride treatments (all of which are painless!). Kevin hadn’t been in for a dental check-up in 4 years.

Busy with school, sports, and a part-time job, the to-do of going to the dentist fell away. In talking with his mom, I understood that Kevin didn’t want to come in for his regular check-ups and that the family didn’t understand how important it was -- that he could even lose his teeth at his age if he didn’t take care of them. We had a great conversation about how to move forward and restore his oral health.

This experience is not unique to Kevin or my experience as a dentist. As a matter of fact, this is an example of a disturbing trend that we have noticed when it comes to pre-teen and teenagers visiting the dentist. Based on the 2022 Oral Health Needs Assessment for Santa Cruz County, going to the dentist starts to drop sharply once children get to the pre-teen years*.

The percentage of children who access dental services starts strongly with 1- and 2-year-olds, peaks at the ages of 6-9 (at 68%), but then starts to decline sharply in the tween years, going all the way down to only 21% by age 20.

This is unfortunate since most dental services at this age are brief and painless and can prevent a lifetime of problems with your teeth.

The data is clear: we’re doing a great job of bringing our youngest children to the dentist for important preventive visits, but once they get to the pre-teen years, it stops being a priority.

To try and understand why, I’ve talked to patients Kevin and his mom to understand their lived experiences. I’ve talked with mental health professionals to better understand the teenage brain and motivation. And, I’ve considered my experience with my own son, who at 11 years old, strives for independence and autonomy in his decision making.

I’ve concluded that teenagers have busy lives and dental health is just not a priority. Secondly, as they become more independent, they want to have more autonomy in deciding what to do in their

Patient Dustion Clark, age 16, and Dientes RDA Roselyn Cohen

free time and let’s face it, visiting the dentist is not the top of their list.

As a dental provider, I want to reach the teenagers where they are. Some of my ideas include social media campaigns about how great a healthy smile looks and feels, bringing dental care onsite to middle and high schools, and engaging the teenagers themselves to get their ideas about what would motivate them to make the time to visit their dentist!

But, I need YOUR help too! I know

as a parent, you don’t want to nag your child! But a gentle reminder about the importance of regular dental visits and making those appointments would go a long way!

Maybe give them a choice for when they go? Maybe a lunch with mom or dad afterward as a reward? If nothing else works, maybe tell them about an article you read about a dentist mom begging you to bring your teenager for their dental checkups so they’re not sitting in

her chair in pain. *Data reported is based on Medi-Cal recipients.

By Sepi Taghvaei, DDS, Executive Vice President of Operations, Dientes Community Dental Care Co-chair, Oral Health Access Santa Cruz County.

GrowingUpSC.com | MARCH 2023

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MARCH 2023 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

EDUCATION Community College is Best Path to University of California Schools like Cabrillo College provide tools to help with the transfer

BY GABRIELLE GILLETTE Each year more than two million people enroll in a California Community College. While each student has their own personal goals during their time at community college, many have aspirations to transfer into a four-year university — the most popular of these universities being University of California.

In April of 2018, the UC president and California Community Colleges issued a memorandum of understanding (an “agreement”) that guarantees admission for all CCC students who complete one of the UC pathways and has qualifying GPA.

The GPA standard is set at 2.4 or 2.8 for non-residents. While this base GPA varies between majors, it offers a reasonable expectation for students who want to attend a UC but are unsure if they have the ability to meet the standards.

There are 20 UC Transfer Pathways for the most popular majors that makes it easy for students to ensure they are completing the correct coursework.

No pathway for your major? No problem. Cabrillo College counselor Claudia Hernández recommends working with a counselor to use the website ASSIST.com that will help

find the Cabrillo course equivalents to complete the necessary major preparation.

The agreement also states that if the applicant is not admitted to their selected campuses, they will automatically be entered into a Systemwide Transfer Guarantee Pool where they will be offered admission to another campus that has space available in their selected major.

The hopes of this agreement is that it will inspire more CCC students to apply to a UC — and it definitely has. There has been a surge in transfer applicants from CCC to UC since 2019 when the agreement took effect and the numbers continue to

rise each year.

When asked her advice to students who may be weary of applying to a UC, Claudia Hernández recommends to get a good understanding of the transfer criteria and never assume that you don’t have a chance.

With this in mind, students should feel more confident in applying for transfer admission into a UC. Take the time to meet with a counselor to work out a transfer plan and see your goals become achievable before your eyes.

Gabrielle Gillette is a Cabrilo College Journalism student covering campus issues.

Athlete of the Month

Oliver Santana, 16, works to be the best and fastest version of himself

BY QUINN SOUTHALL Local swimmer Oliver Santana of Soquel High School is only a sophomore, but has already proved himself to be one of Santa Cruz county’s most promising young athletes at age 16.

Oliver’s parents encouraged him to take swimming lessons as a child to grow familiar with the nearby ocean. This is where his love for swimming collided with an innate desire to compete and improve.

“I always just loved the water,” said Santana. “I like doing a little more every time.” And improve he has; as Santana has improved his times nearly every time he competes. Not only is he racing against other swimmers from the area, but additionally against himself every time he has swam before.

“I do better on the longer distances because there are more walls,” said Santana. This was evident in the PC MAC Senior Open when Oliver placed 14th overall in the 100 meter breaststroke, compared to second place in the 200 meter breaststroke.

Of all the events Santana participates in, breaststroke is his most dominant and favorite. It requires a great deal of strength and persistence to be a competitive swimmer, and he has been working on every facet of his game to be the best and fastest version of himself as possible.

Santana explained how. “It’s a lot of strength training, it’s a lot of working on technique to try to perfect my stroke and adjust individual details.”

As a local kid from Santa Cruz County, Oliver has already begun to make a name for himself in the global swimming community. He made his international debut in 2022 in Sweden, where he showcased his speed to

become the Swedish age group 200 meter breaststroke national champion.

Not only was the trip to Europe an incredible experience and one he hopes to duplicate, but the difference in culture was unlike anything he’s ever seen.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Santana. “I have family over there so I joined up with a team and it was really interesting to get immersed with that.” As it happens, Oliver speaks fluent Swedish so his ability to experience the area wasn’t hindered by linguistics. As it is only his sophomore year, he has another offseason to get even faster followed by two more years for Soquel.

In that time, Santana has made up his mind about where he wants to be in his swimming career, and has set some big

goals for himself.

“This year I want to qualify for state,” he said. “Eventually I hope to win state and go to a division one school for college.”

One way Santana has tirelessly worked to make his dreams a reality is through club swimming. He has competed for Quicksilver swimming, based in San Jose but practices in Soquel.

Oliver believes that club is more fun and slightly less serious than school meets, and allows him to swim with even more of his friends from around the area. He really enjoys the atmosphere and team culture of Soquel as well, partially because his team coach is also his club coach.

Oliver’s favorite memory of high

school swimming so far in his early career was last year’s CCS finals. While he was recently sick which slowed down his times, he hopes to make that time up this year.

Something that many people don’t know about Oliver is that his parents are the owners of famed local Mexican restaurant Manuel’s in Aptos. “It’s really interesting, people come up to me and be like, I didn’t know your parents own Manuel’s.” With Santana’s sophomore season wrapping up, one thing’s for certain: he will continue to bring his A-game every time he steps into the water.

Quinn Southall is a journalism student at Cabrillo College and writes for the Watsonville Pajaronian.

GrowingUpSC.com | MARCH 2023

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Prizes include an entire week of summer camp ($379 value) or a 10-class pass ($289 value) to Young Art classes in San Jose.

artcadets.com/art-challenge-1 10

MARCH 2023 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

BIRTH MATTERS Nurture Your Parenting Skills

BY LAURA MAXSON, LM Most parents are laser focused on birth, and the first few months postpartum, then they hit the ground running and things rarely slow down.

The needs of a new baby are clear and insistent, but fast forward to toddler time. Suddenly the newborn is crawling about, dumping over the cat’s food, and chewing on the tv remote. This behavior might be seen as normal inquisitiveness by one parent, and defiance by another.

Each parent brings their own history and family upbringing into a parenting partnership. Their own life experience can feel like the norm, especially if they have never really explored parenting issues.

Two different parenting perspectives coming together with a lively two- or three-year-old in the house may lead to friction. This can be a vulnerable time for parents, especially when the tension is unexpected. Families might need to invest a bit of time and effort to resolve issues before they escalate.

Parenting is difficult when family life is filled, not only with the challenging behavior of a young child, but also with arguments and power struggles between parents. Being proactive and anticipating

the need for new skills, strategies, ideas, and support around parenting a toddler (and beyond) can be a big plus. There will always be differences in parenting styles. It can take real commitment to understand where each person is coming from and make a parenting plan to go forward together.

Parenting classes and support/ play groups can help discussions and decisions be less focused on each other and more focused on child-development research and theory. By learning together parents can be on the same page as they develop parenting strategies that grow with their family.

There are a variety of options for parenting support in Santa Cruz County.

Families can take advantage of.

Triple P, Community Resource Centers, and Positive Discipline Community Resources offer classes and support for families, and the larger community, in person and via zoom – on a sliding scale.

Play/support groups are available in a variety of locations countywide. An assortment of independent parenting coaches and counselors provide another

option for support. The majority of these resources provide services in Spanish.

Here’s a snapshot: Community Bridges Family Resource Collectives: Our programs and services include food distribution, mental health counseling, parent education workshops, public benefits enrollment assistance, youth tutoring and more.

Independent Parenting Coaches: Offer parenting support groups, individual coaching, workshops, and/or playgroups.

May include a variety of parenting techniques based on Attached at the Heart, Heart to Heart Parenting and others.

Positive Discipline Community Resources: We want to help parents enjoy more ease and positive connection in their parenting over the long-term while helping their children to learn and thrive.

Raíces y Cariño/RC FAM, Watsonville: We commit to providing families with support systems that lead to finding connections, empowerment, and wellbeing for the whole family.

The Circle Family Center, Aptos: We offer groups, classes & workshops to support families as they navigate

pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and parenting.

Triple P: Parenting is very rewarding and enjoyable, and it can also be challenging and exhausting. There is no one right way to be a parent – it is up to you to decide what values, skills, and behaviors you want to teach your child.

With so many forms of help, from general parenting seminars and workshops, to help with specific topics, and one-on-one sessions; there is a fit for every family and every pocketbook. The resources listed above are just a few of the parenting education opportunities available.

Just as childbirth classes are encouraged for an upcoming birth, wouldn’t it be nice if parenting support classes were just as popular? It’s never too early to start, and certainly once issues are identified, it’s never too late to begin.

Instead of falling into default patterns that may not be supportive of each other or the child, parents can work with intention to safeguard those relationships by being proactive about developing a parenting style together.

831.426.3062 wafwc.org 303 Walnut Avenue, Santa Cruz

Accepting Enrollment from Birth to Pre-K Embracing diversity for a welcoming and safe place for your child’s development Subsidized for families who make a low income

Applications Accepted Looking for teachers, substitute teachers and teacher aids Offering competitive wages and benefit packages Volunteer opportunities also available!

GrowingUpSC.com | MARCH 2023

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TEEN RESOURCE GUIDE Adventure Sports Swim

303 Potrero Street #15, Santa Cruz 831.458.3648 asudoit.com/ We teach infants - adults the joy of water through our Swim School. We are looking for motivated teens to be swim instructors!

We like to have fun and share our love of water with the youth! Stop by and learn how you can make a difference teaching children to swim!

Be Natural Music

740 Water St, Santa Cruz 831.515.8369 BeNaturalMusic.Live Learn and perform Jazz, Rock, Reggae, Motown, Pop & more at our two locations: Santa Cruz and Cupertino. We offer ongoing private Music Lessons, Real Rock Band classes for teens, & young adults, Workshops, and Summer Music Camps.

We offer lessons on voice, piano/keyboard, guitar, bass, drums & percussion, saxophone, clarinet, ukulele, harp, theory and composition. Summer camps, kid & teen musicians showcase their talent & creativity as they compose original music, script music videos, and record their song on stage! The final high-quality music video is posted on our YouTube Channel to jump-start your kid’s career.

Community Boating Center, UCSC

790 Mariner Park Way, Santa Cruz 831.425.1164 Recreation.ucsc.edu/youth/juniorsailing/ index.html The UCSC Community Boating Center has been teaching local juniors how to sail for over 30 years. All classes are hands-on, co-ed classes, ages 8-16 and are taught in RS Quests, RS Visions and Lasers.

Students learn the basics in the protected Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor and progress to the beautiful Monterey Bay. Enjoy sailing in a safe, fun, and supportive environment with knowledgeable, experienced staff.

Sign up today! (Adult classes are also available!)

Community Bridges Family Resource Collective

831.688.8840 Communitybridges.org/FRC La Manzana Community Resources – 521 Main Street, Ste. Y, Watsonville Live Oak Community Resources – 1740 17th Ave., Santa Cruz Mountain Community Resources – 6134

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Highway 9, Felton Nueva Vista Community Resources – 711 East Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz The Family Resource Collective works with individuals and families in Santa Cruz County and the Pajaro Valley to build safe, healthy, and compassionate communities through education, resources, and advocacy. We offer a variety of bi-lingual, bi-cultural services to meet each family and individual’s needs. Our programs and services include food distribution, mental health counseling, parent education workshops, youth tutoring and more.

Dientes Community Dental Care

Main Clinic: 1830 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz 831.464.5409 Live Oak: 1500 Capitola Road, Santa Cruz 831-276-7010 Beach Flats: 302 Riverside Ave, Santa Cruz 831.464.5411 Watsonville: 1430 Freedom Blvd., Suite C, Watsonville 831.621.2560 Dientes.org Dientes Community Dental Care is a fullservice dental provider located throughout Santa Cruz County. We practice whole family dentistry aged 0-100+ including: young children, tween/teens, adults, and seniors. Our patients are cared for by experienced pediatric and general dentists. As a non-profit dental service provider, our focus is on high-quality, affordable oral health services, including exams, x-rays, fillings, sealants, and root canals. We accept Medi-Cal and we have affordable sliding scale fees for uninsured patients. We offer bi-lingual services. Se habla Español! Dientes, providing dignity through dentistry for over 30 years.

Gateway School K-8th grade

Santa Cruz 831.423.0341 GatewaySC.org Gateway School has provided students in grades Kindergarten through 8th grade with an exemplary education for over 50 years. Our Middle School offers a dynamic, challenging education that prepares teens for the fast-changing world by focusing on scholarship, citizenship, and compassion.

The Kindergarten through 8th grade model allows students to become leaders and engage in age-appropriate activities which leads to higher levels of selfesteem and academic achievement. Our graduates have an inquiring spirit, are confident, act with grace and courtesy, and stand up for those who need help.

MARCH 2023 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

It’s here! Every spring Growing Up in Santa Cruz publishes an annual guide to resources available to teens (and their parents) in the Santa Cruz County area. Our goal is to provide an accessible, helpful list of resources to help teens and families navigate the complex needs of teens in ways that promote healthy avenues for growth, exploration and development. The resources in this guide offer support for dealing with academic, peer pressure and relationship issues, as well as recreational, job training and volunteer opportunities.

We encourage you to share this guide with your teen and post a copy up in your house so your teen has easy access to the resource list.

As some topics may be difficult for teens to request support with, we also suggest giving a copy of this guide, and especially of the phone and text hotlines at the end of the guide, to your teen.

Visit www.gatewaysc.org to register and experience all that Gateway has to offer!

Jim Booth Swim School

Watsonville indoor pool and coming soon to Toadal fitness 831.722.3500 JimBoothSwimSchool.com Be a water wonder! From our Little Otters swim class for parents and their babies to Aquaphobics, our adult beginner class, the whole family splashes together at Jim Booth Swim School. Little Otters is a gentle introduction to our 94-degree pools that will make you confident that you are guiding your infant to a happy water experience. Our group lessons emphasize quality swimming in an exciting class taught by our caring, well-qualified teachers. Soon offering a non-competitive swim team to help develop strength, endurance & technique. The whole family can swim at Jim Booth Swim School!

Live Oak School District

984-1 Bostwick Lane, Santa Cruz info@losd.ca 831.475.6333 www.losd.ca We invite families to enroll at Live Oak School District’s Shoreline Middle School.

Music, sports, art, physical education, social-emotional health, safety and nutrition resources are available at all LOSD primary and middle schools. We support the education and well-being of students, their caregivers, and all members of our school district community. Visit us online at sl.losd.ca.

Distrito Escolar de Live Oak

984-1 Bostwick Lane, Santa Cruz info@losd.ca 831.475.6333 www.losd.ca Invitamos a las familias a inscribirse en la Escuela Intermedia Shoreline del Distrito

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Escolar Live Oak. Música, deportes, arte, educación física, salud socio-emocional, recursos de seguridad y nutrición están disponibles en todas las escuelas primarias e intermedias de LOSD. Apoyamos la educación y bienestar de estudiantes, sus cuidadores, y todos los miembros de la comunidad de nuestro distrito escolar.

Visítenos en línea en sl.losd.ca.

Mount Hermon

37 Conference Drive, Mount Hermon 831.335.4466 mounthermon.org Mount Hermon is a Christian Camp and Conference Center located in the beautiful Santa Cruz Mountains and offers various camps and retreats for all ages. Our 7-12th grade summer camp, Ponderosa Lodge, is a one-week camp experience full of fun, community, and worship where students experience life to the fullest. At Ponderosa, students can surf, play laser tag, make new friends, swim, ride one-wheels, and experience our zip line or rock climbing wall. Most importantly, in one week at Ponderosa, students will encounter the God who knows and loves them and who wants to change their lives for eternity.

Mount Madonna School, Preschool12th grade

491 Summit Road, Mount Madonna 408.847.2717 MountMadonnaSchool.org Mount Madonna School (MMS) prioritizes the social, emotional and physical well-being of its students, while emphasizing academic excellence, positive character development and creative self-expression. MMS strives to prepare well-rounded human beings who succeed in college, value collaboration, form meaningful relationships and engage with their communities, nation and the world. Visit MMS and learn how its transformative education is within reach for your family. Financial assistance and transportation available, with bus

Community Bridges

“I like to come to the Nueva Vista afterschool homework program because I like to get help from the volunteers, they’re all so nice!”

- Sophie, participant at Community Bridges’ Nueva Vista Community Resources

Santa Cruz Community Health’s mission is to improve the health of our patients and the community and advocate the feminist goals of social, political, and economic equality. Driven by a 48-year commitment to health care as a human right, we are a leading nonprofit provider of high-quality, affordable and comprehensive health services in English and Spanish to all ages including teens, youth and children,gender identities, ethnicities, abilities and sexual orientations, regardless of their ability to pay. We are your affordable neighborhood health clinic with locations in Downtown Santa Cruz, Ben Lomond and a new site in Live Oak. Make an appointment today: 831.427.3500.

Community and Jr. High) 244 Cabrillo College Drive, Soquel Established in 1964, Santa Cruz Montessori is a non-profit school serving children 18 months to 14 years. Our beautiful classrooms and outdoor environments engage the children’s senses as they learn. Based on a deep understanding of child through adolescent development, our programs meet the interests and needs of our students, engaging and challenging them to do their best. Our Junior High program, Wavecrest, supports 7th and 8th grade students to develop self-discipline, confidence and peer connections through collaborative learning and community involvement. Students work weekly at Live Earth Farm and develop an understanding of their personal vision through community involvement and a challenging academic experience. Now accepting applications for Fall 2022

Santa Cruz Montessori

Santa Cruz Public Libraries

service throughout Santa Cruz County.

MMS does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, medical condition, gender identity or gender expression Santa Cruz Community Health

Ages 18 months – 14 years Main Campus (Primary and Elementary) 6230 Soquel Drive, Aptos 831.476.1646 scms.org Winston Campus (Young Children’s

224 Church St., Santa Cruz 831.427.7713 SantaCruzPL.org SCPL is your partner for student success.

The Santa Cruz Public Library provides online and in-person educational resources

and K-12 homework help. Students can access research databases, take practice tests, check out a laptop or tablet, or join one of our programs (like chess club or the diverse youth meetup).

SLVUSD Charter School

325 Marion Ave, Ben Lomond 831.335.0932 charter.slvusd.org Since 1993, San Lorenzo Valley School District’s SLV Charter School has offered a range of programs that support a variety of learners. Active learning, parent involvement, and student voice are key components of our programs.

In addition to supporting all academic areas, charter programs foster student creativity, social-emotional development, and the pursuit of individual student passions. Built on a foundation of strong ongoing teacher, student, and parent connection, SLV Charter boasts a wide variety of program structures including one 5-day a week program (6-8), six 2-4 day a week homeschool-hybrid programs (K-12), and an independent studies program (K-12).

AIDS Hotline 1.800.367.2437 California Youth Crisis 24-Hour Hotline 1.800.843.5200 Domestic Violence 24-Hour Hotline 1.800.799.SAFE 1.800.799.7233 National Runaway Safeline 24-hour hotline-will relay messages 1.800.RUNAWAY 1.800.786.2929

Teen Job Postings Adventure Sports Swim

303 Potrero Street #15, Santa Cruz 831.458.3648 asudoit.com We teach infants - adults the joy of water through our Swim School. We are looking for motivated teens to be swim instructors! Stop by and learn how you can make a difference teaching children to swim!

Boulder Creek Recreation & Park District

831.338.4144 bcrpd.org

Ages 15-18 can apply to become a camp counselor or lifeguard at the Bear Creek Community Center Summer Camp. Engaging with kids ages 5-11 with projects, games, sports and river walks. Apply online.

Mount Hermon

37 Conference Drive, Mount Hermon 831.335.4466 mounthermon.org/diningserver Looking for a job that works with your school schedule and is in a fun and dynamic work atmosphere? Apply to be a Dining Server at Mount Hermon Camp and Conference Center today

Treasures Fine Jewelry

218 Mt Hermon Rd, Scotts Valley, 831.438.1355 www.treasuresfinejewelry.com/

Redwood Camp Grades 2–6 Ponderosa Lodge Grades 7–12

CRISIS PHONE NUMBERS

Part time position in customer service -- greeting customers, taking in repair work and showing jewelry.

On the job training. Looking for someone who can work four-five days per week, including Saturdays, 20 hours/week. Call today.

To submit a listing, contact editor@growingupsc.com

Parental Stress Hotline 831.724.2879 831.426.7322 Sexual Assault 24-Hour Hotline 1.800.656.HOPE 1.800.656.4673 Teen Line Teens Helping Teens 1.800.852.8336 Text TEEN to 839863 Quit Smoking 1.800.766.2888 Suicide Prevention Services 831.458.5300 1.877.663.5433  This is by no means a complete list of all the teen resources and programs in Santa Cruz County. GUiSC is not responsible for any errors or omissions, nor does inclusion in this listing constitute our endorsement of a program.

Please call to verify the information listed.

This month’s secret word is “intelligence.”

Enter it on page 14 for a chance to win a prize.

GrowingUpSC.com | MARCH 2023

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COLORING PAGE

SECRET WORD _________________________ Inside this section is a secret word somewhere. Can you find it? __________________________________________________ Enter it on for a chance to win a prize. (Last month’s secret word was Bridges) Submit your coloring entry to editor@growingupsc.com for a chance to be in our next issue! You can also mail them to Box 3505, Santa Cruz, 95063 Submissions due by March 15.

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MARCH 2023 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

SCHOOLS

Alysa Age 7 | Elaina Age 11

Eleanor Age 5 Conrad Age 5 Victoria Age 3

Kai | Age 6

Aro | Age 5

Cash | Age 5

Ella | Age 6

Flora | Age 4

Hunter | Age 5

Johnie | Age 6

Mila| Age 4

Weylyn| Age 7

Submit your coloring entry to editor@growingupsc.com for a chance to be in our next issue!

You can also mail them to Box 3505, Santa Cruz, 95063 Submissions due by March 15.

GrowingUpSC.com | MARCH 2023

15

Valerie Mishkin Realtor 831.238.0504 Cal Dre# 02092111

VMishkin@BaileyProperties.com ValerieMishkinRealtor.com

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MARCH 2023 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

EDUCATION ChatGPT – How Will This Change Education?

Artificial intelligence can be used to write entire essays now

BY SUSAN TATSUI-D’ARCY When spell check and grammar check features became available in the late 1970s, critics feared that we would rely on technology to edit our work and that the quality of our writing would diminish.

Then when the internet first appeared in 1983, critics worried that people would lose the ability to think critically.

Both the internet and spell/grammar check features have become a mainstay in writing and we rely on them for research and editing our work. Today ChatGPT – an artificial intelligence software program that provides instant research results and can write an original essay in a matter of seconds – is the new obsession. Teachers and administrators are anxiously searching for ways to ban it and penalize students for using it.

Now that the genie is out of the bottle, there’s no putting it back, so we best find how we can make GPT a positive educational tool.

One of the benefits of GPT is that all students have equal access to it. It’s like having a private tutor, 24/7, to answer questions and help write essays. Up until now, only wealthy students have had access to private tutors who teach concepts that they didn’t get in school and help them prepare for exams. These students have also had the luxury of private tutors who organize, edit, and even write their essays. With GPT, all students will have the opportunity to get individualized attention and guidance. It actually evens the playing field between the haves and the have nots.

I recently opened a GPT account to experiment with it. I recommend that everyone do this before condemning it.

Go to chat.openai.com/chat to enter a question. Ask it to write an essay. You’ll see that it writes a good essay using proper grammar and spelling. It may suggest that you add information to personalize it. As you read the responses, you’ll see that GPT functions like a personal search engine and secretary.

The writing style is basic; nobody is going to win essay contests with GPT. While we have become dependent on spell check, it has created a generation of poor spellers. Likewise, grammar check helps us keep pronouns matching their antecedents, and reminds us of parallel structure and verb agreements, but sadly, has not helped us learn these skills as they autocorrect our writing. In other words, spell check and grammar check features temporarily help students with assignments but they don’t make them better writers.

Recently, teachers now have access to software that will be able to detect if ChatGPT (or other programs) were used in writing students’ essays. This will be a never-ending challenge for the AI and the software-detection developers,

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Maybe we’re going to have to rethink what we are testing and how we are evaluating student learning. With search engines at our fingertips 24/7, do we really need to make students memorize facts like dates and names?

similar to the programs that teachers use to detect plagiarism.

Some teachers are now requiring students to handwrite in-class essays. Others are providing students with word processors that allow them to type their responses in class without access to the internet. GPT is forcing us to quickly adapt to new ways of doing research and writing essays.

When classes were conducted online in Zoom during the COVID pandemic, teachers cleverly administered exams (without access to search engines and textbooks) while students were at home.

Naturally, some students found ways to cheat by finding ways around GPTdetection software.

Since OpenAI released GPT-3 in June 2020, there’s been an uproar about how to grade student performance. Maybe we’re going to have to rethink what we

are testing and how we are evaluating student learning. With search engines at our fingertips 24/7, do we really need to make students memorize facts like dates and names? If we want students to identify their beliefs or perspectives, should we allow them to use GPTs to write the first draft but require them to personalize their ideas by incorporating them in further drafts? Maybe teachers will ask students to defend their writing or request that they add new material that will require critical thinking, research, grammar, and style to their essays.

If GPT helps everyone produce well-written essays and comments that reflect their ideas, should we welcome this refreshing opportunity? Over the past decade, the ability to communicate ideas in writing have dwindled away with the vast expansion of text messaging.

Without an emoji, many text messages are incoherent and often don’t make sense.

Has good writing become a lost art?

The future of GPT programs and software to detect machine-generated text will be ever improving. I hope that students will learn how to use these powerful resources to improve their written communication skills by giving them a start with GPT drafts. Educators have a new opportunity to teach concepts, utilize these AI software programs, and evaluate student learning and progress.

We are in the midst of a huge paradigm shift – whether or not we like it.

Susan Tatsui-D’Arcy is the founder of Merit Academy (one-on-one classes) and Merit Educational Consultants (college and educational advisory). She has written books on projects, free child care, education, and parenting. Susan hosts TEDxMeritAcademy for students to present their innovative projects and solutions. In 2019, she was California Mother of the Year. meritworld.com

GrowingUpSC.com | MARCH 2023

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We Want to See Your Pictures IN SANTA CRUZ

Send us your best shots around Santa Cruz to editor@growingupsc.com by March 15

As part of its ongoing efforts to support the community after the devastating storm, Comcast held a free community event in Scotts Valley to bring family and friends together for an afternoon of movies, games, and food. Comcast surprised local organizations Community Bridges and the United Way of Santa Cruz, donating $50,000 towards their storm recovery efforts.

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MARCH 2023 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

Summer Camps for Everyone Welcome Summer Camp Festival patrons! The MOD and Growing Up in Santa Cruz have assembled this fun, interactive board game to help you organize your summer camp schedules.

Simply sign up for the camp that you want your little one to participate in during whichever designated week, have the camp place their sticker or stamp on the week, and voila! You can refer back to this summer calendar throughout the season. Bonus if you fill up your board game!

Participating summer camps: • Boulder Creek Recreation & Park District • Camp Capitola • Cirque.Tumble.Cheer • Cosmo Chic • Horse Feathers Training and Riding Academy • Kennolyn Camp • Kokoro no Gakko • Little Garden Patch Farm • Monte Vista Christian School • Ovy Camp • Salvation Army • Santa Cruz SPCA • Seven Directions Art & Science Institution • Teen Kitchen Project • Water Warriors • WOLF School Summer Nature Day Camp/Camp SEA Lab • YMCA Watsonville

For more info, visit the Santa Cruz Museum of Discovery at sccmod.org.

GrowingUpSC.com | MARCH 2023

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Welcoming the next generation— for generations.

Now, with the most comprehensive Birth Center in the Monterey Bay area.

Meet Jennifer. She was born at Dignity Health – Dominican Hospital.

And when it was time to bring her babies into the world, she wanted to go to the most advanced Birth Center in the Monterey Bay area. So she came back to Dignity Health – Dominican Hospital. Our past gives us the foundation to provide leading care to future generations.

Jennifer & mom

Jennifer & daughter

Jennifer & son

20 MARCH 2023 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

EDUCATION Tips for Music Teachers

Special Needs Resource Guide

BY DAVID LARSTEIN

My greatest satisfaction, after 70 years of musical experience, has been teaching piano to people of all ages.

I’ve found it to be an art of empathy, perception, intuition and constant appraisal. Teaching is about preparing and encouraging a student to continue conscious and creative learning as a life long practice. Here are some tips that may be useful.

1. Love and respect - Everyone deserves to be treated with courtesy and encouragement. Having said that, chemistry is essential. For some students, you won’t be the right fit, and some won’t be right for you. Find out how your student thinks, what music they like. Are they left handed or right handed? How much music have they had before? Are there musicians in the family?

2. Make it fun - I do not teach a one-size-fits-all method. I meet them where they are. I listen to my students because they often know what music they like. I use different kinds of music ranging from classical to rock, blues, surf, video games, movie and TV music,

show tunes, pop songs, and jazz. I also encourage them to write their own pieces, and to be creative in everything they do, not just music. No one has to be bored learning how to play.

3. It’s all in the hands - It’s harder to unlearn a bad habit than to learn the right way from the beginning. Good posture, relaxed hands and proper

fingering technique means fewer mistakes. It makes playing and reading easier and more enjoyable.

4. “Oops” not “no” - Mistakes are opportunities for learning. Kids hear “no” enough. Better to say “oops” when they make mistakes.

5. Help your students discover their own way of learning - You don’t learn to walk by reading a book about it. At first, piano is all about listening, wiggling fingers, inventing and playing small pieces, doing exercises. Some students can play naturally by ear. Some will learn to improvise. Some will become good readers, especially if they learn another instrument. A few will be able to do all of it. Nobody learns the same way, but everyone can fall in love with music, because music is the language of the heart.

Finally, if you’re teaching in your student’s home, make friends with the family dog. If the dog likes you, you’re in.

David Larstein plays music all over Santa Cruz and teaches private, in home lessons. He can be reached at Larstein@cruzio.com

Miracles Santa Cruz

Contact: Steve Ferro @ 831.325.5685 Miracles Santa Cruz is a performing arts troupe for young adults and adults with special needs.

We rehearse on Monday evenings in Scotts Valley. Everyone is invited to join us whether as a performer or a volunteer. Let’s make some theater magic together!

MusicalMe, Inc.

musicalme.com

Make music an exciting & enriching part of your child’s life. In our weekly classes, babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and the grownups who love them come together for 45 minutes of fun-filled, learning-filled, bonding-filled family time. Our classes are all about relaxed, informal musicmaking for the whole family, regardless of age, ability, or learning style. Because the things we do in class are developmentally appropriate for all participants, you and your child with special needs are always welcome to join our warm and inviting community of singing, dancing, instrument-playing families. Our Mixed-Age classes include children from birth through age 5, so each child is uniquely accepted and included. All abilities are respected, regardless of age or stage, and all children are encouraged to participate in their own way. As you discover fun ways to play with music both in & out of class, you’ll be supporting your child’s music-learning and overall development. Classes are offered throughout the year, with a new song collection each season. Contact us today and bring the joy of music into your family’s life.

See more listings at growingupsc.com

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LIVE OAK SCHOOL DISTRICT

LIVE OAK SCHOOL DISTRICT

NOW ENROLLING FOR THE 2023-2024 SCHOOL YEAR

ESTAMOS INSCRIBIENDO PARA EL AÑO ESCOLAR 2023-2024 ¡ÚNASE A LA COMUNIDAD ESCOLAR DE NUESTRO DISTRITO!

JOIN OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT COMMUNITY!

LOSD ofrece instrucción gratuita y cuidados de 7:30 AM - 6:00 PM, programas de enriquecimiento antes y después de la escuela, preescolar gratis para familias elegibles, y Programa de Inmersión en Dos Idiomas Español/Inglés.

LOSD offers free instruction and care from 7:30 AM - 6:00 PM, before and after school enrichment programs, free preschool for qualifying families, and a Spanish/English Dual Immersion Program.

Music, sports, art, physical education, social-emotional health, safety and nutrition resources are available at all primary and middle schools. We support the education and well-being of students, their caregivers, and all members of our school district community.

LEARN MORE Live Oak School District 984-1 Bostwick Ln Santa Cruz, CA 95062 (831) 475-6333

www.losd.ca

Música, deportes, arte, educación física, salud socio-emocional, recursos de seguridad y nutrición están disponibles en todas las escuelas primarias e intermedias.

Apoyamos la educación y bienestar de estudiantes, sus cuidadores, y todos los miembros de la comunidad escolar de nuestro distrito.

APRENDA MÁS Live Oak School District 984-1 Bostwick Ln Santa Cruz, CA 95062 (831) 475-6333

@LiveOakSD

www.losd.ca

@LiveOakSD

GrowingUpSC.com | MARCH 2023

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

By Michelle Runzler

Harraher is the Chief of Neurosurgery at Dominican Hospital Dr. Ciara Harraher is running around her front yard on a cool Saturday afternoon in January with 20 nine-yearold boys at her son, Finn’s, birthday party.

Directing a nerf war is no easy task.

“Wrangling the boys was like getting an operating room in check! That was so much fun. Finn envisioned doing his nerf war, so I had to come through with it,” said Harraher.

Dr. Harraher’s professional resume is remarkable. She is the Chief of Neurosurgery at Dominican Hospital and heads the Stanford Neurosurgery Outreach Clinic. She also teaches Principles of Medicine to Stanford MD students. She received her medical degree from McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, a Master of Public Health from Harvard, completed residence at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada and fellowships at Stanford University.

She also has leadership positions on numerous boards, advisory committees and professional organizations. Dr. Harraher was also a professional dancer who toured the world, but at home, she is Mom. Her daughter, Gemma McDonnell, 11, says. “My mom and I really like ballet.

She danced when she was a kid, and I dance now, so we share, and talk about dance a lot. We go to the ballet, and we share a lot of other things that we like including shopping”.

“We do biking, exercising and running, a lot of running, and she watches movies with me,” said Finn McDonnell, 9.

Born in Toronto, Dr. Harraher learned hard work and dedication from a young age from her passion for dance. After high school, she went on to study neuroscience and philosophy.

Upon graduating, she moved to Europe, doing contemporary and modern dance professionally in London, and then later working on a British Cruise line.

After an injury sidetracked her dancing career she applied to medical school where only 6 percent of neurosurgeons are female, and many people tried to dissuade her from the profession, but she didn’t listen, and took on this new challenge.

Professors even tried to persuade her to choose a different specialty, saying she wouldn’t be able to have a family life

as a neurosurgeon, she would never get married, wouldn’t be able to have kids, and life would be difficult.

After meeting her husband, Mike McDonnell, in her second year of residency, she realized a family and life being a neurosurgeon could blend.

McDonnell, a professional chef, has been her biggest supporter and when she voiced concerns about not being able to have enough time for any kids in the future he replied, “I’ll be there.” Her former professor was wrong, she could have kids and a family life.

Today, Dr. Harraher often performs multiple surgeries a day, of which many are lifesaving procedures, in Santa Cruz, and sees patients with some of the most serious health issues in our county. Stanford has an agreement with Dominican Hospital, to provide neurosurgery services, and Dr. Harraher has served as the chief of neurosurgery since 2014. Having someone with her expertise living and working in our county is beneficial to the community.

In the following interview Dr. Harraher explains her path to neurosurgery, a typical day in her life, lack of diversity in her field, work/life balance, and her family. She is a Healthcare Hero of Santa Cruz County and serves the critical medical needs of the community.

Your passion growing up was dance, how did you get interested in neuroscience?

Dancing had always been my main activity, on a serious level, throughout my childhood and adolescence. I wanted to do professional dance right out of high school, but my parents, in their wisdom, felt that I could dance while I was at college and still get my undergraduate degree. Towards the end of high school, I became quite interested in biology, specifically neurobiology of the brain.

When I went to University, I studied neuroscience and philosophy. I always had a hard time between science and the arts, I loved both and I think medicine is really a big blend of art and science to be honest, and it was a really good fit for me. I got advice towards the end of college that I would be good at medicine, because I was good with people.

How did you decide to go into surgery?

22 MARCH 2023 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

I had a friend who wanted to be a surgeon and we were very alike. She convinced me to do surgery as an elective. My friend said, “You’re a dancer, you can perform under pressure, and you stay pretty cool.” Following instructions, working hard, performing under pressure and doing the same thing over and over again – it’s like surgery. To this day, I can take a deep breath because I know what I’m doing. I have my little area of work, I’m going to do what I need to do, and I’m going to get it done.

Surgery and dance are similar, and I like that. There is some aspect of performance.

There are lights, there is procedure, there are things you have to do every time and ritual - and I liked the element of pressure.

I’m good under pressure, so it’s okay that I need to do something quickly and I need to get it done now!

What does a typical day look like for you?

I try and get up in the morning at 5:30 or 6 am, before the kids and the animals and everyone gets up. I do yoga for an hour. It’s good in a lot of ways for strength and fitness, but it’s also good mentally to center myself before the day stars, which can get crazy. Once I finish yoga, we get the kids out to school, and then I leave somewhere between 7 or 8:30 am.

On clinic days, I have somewhere between 15-20 patients, there’s a combination of new and follow up patients, and I also have patients in the hospital that I’m going to see as well, in between patients. I take calls from Dominican Hospital frequently, which means I’m getting calls from the Emergency Room with patients with neurological issues that need to be seen.

I’m the only full-time neurosurgeon in Santa Cruz, and I’ve been the chief of the department since 2014.

On operating days, one to three days a week, it’s a combination between general neurosurgery cases, things like spine surgery, neck and back, degenerative spine

disease conditions, tumors, trauma and brain bleeds. I also do a little peripheral nerve like carpal tunnel as well.

Female Neurosurgeons represent only 12% of neurosurgeons in the U.S. and Canada, and only 6 percent at the full professor level. Why are women significantly underrepresented in neurosurgery?

Many men told me not to do it. It would be too difficult a lifestyle. It would be too stressful. It would be too hard to have a family. I would never get married.

I’d never have kids. I could have a much easier life if I did something else. A lot has changed in 20 years, but I think there is still an element where people tell women not to do things. Also, women don’t see their mentors in neurosurgery, so they don’t pick it.

Does a work/life balance exist for women?

The thing about balance is you don’t have it all the time. There are going to be times when you don’t have a lot of it, and times you can make up for it. Quality time versus quantity is important.

Talk to your kids. I do this when I’m in the car with them. We have meals together. Meals are so important. I really try to be home for dinner, even if it means going back to work later. It doesn’t always have to be a lot of time, it just has to be quality time. Being present is important.

You work in such a demanding field. How do you manage it all with motherhood?

Having a supportive partner is the key to why I can do this job. A partner who is okay with working outside of normal expected marital roles. Mike, my husband, has always been supportive and proud of me. He has never thought of my job as a burden, he is proud of what I do. Also, women are always expected to be the one the school always calls. Just change the number on the form. They can call dad too. There is no way I could do everything alone. It takes a village.

GRANDPARENTS VIEW A Grandmother’s Love

BY SARAH SAVASKY

My granddaughter is adorable and everything she does is adorable. I’m not just saying that because I’m her grandmother. Everyone thinks so. She is objectively adorable. Why do I feel the need to say that? Probably because I am not only an adoring grandmother, I am also an obnoxious grandmother. And I’m not just saying that. I am objectively an obnoxious grandmother. Everyone says so. I can’t get enough of that little pumpkin. I make excuses to stop by just so I can smell the top or her head (which is very big because of all the brains).

I knew that I would love my grandchild even if she wasn’t objectively adorable.

And I thought I knew what that love would feel like, but I was surprised by the intensity of my love. I could have left it at that and continued to smother her with my grandmother love, but because I am me, I pathologized it. I wondered if perhaps I needed to get a life. I asked my grandmother friends if it was normal to feel this way. (Side bar: if you had asked me when I was little what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have said, “normal.” As an adult I

know that normal is not a great life goal, but it’s hard to teach an old grandma new tricks.). My friends all agreed my feelings were normal or at least not inappropriate, but I couldn’t just take their word for it. I had to ask the expert, Dr. Google.

Imagine my joy, when I discovered an actual scientific study validating my feelings! A group of anthropologists and neuroscientists (who were apparently

reading my mind) teamed up to investigate the relationship between grandmothers and their grandchildren.

The author of the study, James Rilling, found that when grandmothers looked at pictures of their grandchildren, there was activation in the brain areas that are associated with emotional empathy (feeling emotions that another person is feeling), but when grandmothers looked at pictures of their grandchildren’s samesex parent (often the grandmother’s own child), there was more activation in the areas of the brain linked with what is called cognitive empathy (understanding at a cognitive level what a person is thinking or feeling). “If their grandchild is smiling, they’re feeling the child’s joy.

And if their grandchild is crying, they’re feeling the child’s pain and distress.

These findings suggest that when mothers are engaging with their grandchildren versus their children, they may be adopting these sorts of different mental perspectives.”

Rilling goes on to say that “young children have likely evolved traits to be able to manipulate not just the maternal

brain but the grand-maternal brain …

An adult child doesn’t have the same cute ‘factor,’ so they may not elicit the same emotional response …This work is a reminder about the uniquely enriching ways the elderly people in our lives can contribute.”

My grand-maternal brain was right there with you, James, until you referred to me as elderly.

Coming in April Summer Activities

To advertise email editor@growingupsc.com

Late Faculty Member Leaves $2.5M to Cabrillo College

“

Congratulations on your recent awards and acknowledgment for your years of hard work. Bravo!

Retired recently, I often gave clients a copy of your wonderful paper if it featured (and normalized/destigmatized) an issue with which they were struggling with their children.

You are community treasures…

Diane Cohan LMFT, Scotts Valley.

The Cabrillo College Foundation received the largest estate gift in its history from the late Tom Sourisseau, a former faculty member who passed away at the end of 2021.

The beloved anatomy instructor left $2.5 million in his estate plans that will support biology scholarships and faculty and staff grants to fund staff-driven projects on campus. In recognition of his contributions, Cabrillo College held a dedication on March 1 at the Allied Health Building to name the building in his honor.

“Tom was a beloved anatomy and physiology instructor who taught many of the current healthcare workers in this community. He was a strong presence at Cabrillo and was deeply committed to the college. When he wasn’t teaching biology, he was teaching county lifeguards,” remembered Interim Vice President of Instruction, Robin McFarland. “Personally, he was an inspiration--he helped me buy my first wetsuit and swam in the ocean with me, helped me train for my first half marathon, and invited me to a book club which he participated in until the end of his life. He was a respected and valued colleague and friend.”

Tom dedicated over three decades of his career to teaching at Cabrillo College,

where he established a top-notch human anatomy program, prepping students for careers in healthcare. His focus on delivering an exceptional curriculum, and its impact on students, elevated Cabrillo’s anatomy program to a level of distinction.

Tom was a lifelong learner, consistently enrolling in diverse courses at Cabrillo College including Spanish, chocolate making, dance, and wine classes through the Culinary Arts program. He received his degree from UC Berkeley in 1968, followed by a twoand-a-half-year service with the Peace Corps in West Africa. He possessed a passion for travel and was fluent in seven languages. He was a lifeguard and trained others in the profession. He often rode his bike to work, loved swimming in the ocean, and was an avid runner.

“Tom will always be remembered for his contributions to Cabrillo and our local community,” said Cabrillo College Foundation Executive Director Eileen Hill. “This gift will be a permanent endowment, ensuring student support for generations to come. I think he would be very proud to make such a lasting contribution to the education of students, especially those walking through the doors of the Sourisseau Allied Health Building.”

GrowingUpSC.com | MARCH 2023

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ASK NICOLE Managing Screen Time

BY NICOLE M. YOUNG, MSW Let’s face it. It’s hard to unplug from our screens. Our devices connect us to other people, as well as to fun and useful information, but they can also have a downside. In this month’s column, I’ll share some reminders for managing screen time as a family.

This monthly column provides tips for anyone who is helping raise children, based on the world-renowned Triple P – Positive Parenting Program, available to families in Santa Cruz County. If you have a question or idea for a future column, email me at triplep@first5scc.org.

Dear Nicole, We have a toddler, a third grader, and a tween who is growing up fast. If we let them, they’d spend all their time staring at a screen, and there are many days where it feels like that’s the best way to keep the peace. I know they enjoy connecting to friends online, but I worry about what else they’re seeing, what they may be missing, and the example we’re setting for our youngest. Any suggestions?

- Max

Dear Max, Your concerns are understandable and shared by many parents and caregivers.

Finding the right balance between rules or limits and gradually increasing independence is a challenge. Teaching children and teens to use screens in healthy, responsible ways teaches them self-regulation skills and prepares them for responsibilities later in life. Here are a few ideas to try: Inform yourself. Technology changes quickly; it’s hard but important to keep up.

For example, social media whistleblowers recently exposed how some companies use algorithms to steer children, teens, and adults to harmful content (e.g., searching for exercise routines leads to content that promotes behaviors associated with eating disorders).

Talk with your children to understand their screen habits. Show interest in what your children are doing online, keeping in mind that some screen time may be beneficial. Connecting with peers, creating art or music, playing an active game— these can be healthy activities that happen on a screen. Try to avoid lecturing or criticizing them about their digital world.

Help your children think ahead and

plan for safety. For teens or older children, discuss sharing certain kinds of personal or financial information, how hard it can be to remove information from cyberspace (e.g., social media posts that a future employer might see), what to do about unwanted or explicit messages, or being alert to scams and computer viruses Watch for other problems. Too much screen time can contribute to physical health problems (headaches, lack of sleep) and mental health concerns (depression, anxiety), especially if it increases social isolation, decreases physical activity, or exposes kids to bullying. Ongoing discussions about screen time can help you notice these sooner and intervene.

Encourage your children to tell you if any online interactions feel strange or threatening.

Develop family agreements for screen time. Keep them simple and realistic.

Consider setting weekly (versus daily) screen time limits, defining what’s acceptable versus off-limits, and agreeing on rules about when and where screens can be used (e.g., “Put away phones while we eat,” or “Turn devices off by 10 p.m.”). Involve your kids in defining these agreements, how they will follow them,

and what will happen if they ignore the rules. Remember that logical consequences, such as temporarily removing screen time privileges, are meant to be a teaching tool versus a punishment. Emphasize that the more your kids can follow the family agreements, the less you have to intervene to enforce the rules. Then set a good example with your own screen time habits.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Teaching kids about managing their own screen time is one way to help them become confident, competent individuals. Plus, we can all use reminders!

Nicole Young is the mother of two children, ages 19 and 22, who also manages Santa Cruz County’s Triple P Positive Parenting Program, the world’s leading positive parenting program.

Scientifically proven, Triple P is made available locally by First 5 Santa Cruz County, the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency (Mental Health Services Act) and the Santa Cruz County Human Services Department. To find a Triple P parenting class or practitioner, visit triplep.first5scc.org, www.facebook. com/triplepscc, or contact First 5 Santa Cruz County at 465-2217 or triplep@ first5scc.org.

GrowingUpSC.com | MARCH 2023

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26 MARCH 2023 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

TEACHER’S DESK Caramel, Beige and Pink

Ending racism starts with having open conversations with our kids

BY LISA CATTERALL Race is a mirage but one that humanity has organized itself around in very real ways.

– Ibram X. Kendi My son asked me the other day about our different skin colors. He’s six, and something that might have been affecting him for several years is suddenly something he can put into words: “What color am I Mama?”

“You have absolutely beautiful, caramel-colored skin,” I said.

“What color are you?” he asked. I thought for a moment. “Pink and spotty,” I said. I’m an aging surfer, and this was the most accurate description I could come up with.

I wondered if I had been correct in how this conversation went. He seemed quite satisfied with the descriptions and went on playing.

Last week I was very proud of our county when I attended the conversation on racism between Ibram X. Kendi and Nic Stone held by Bookshop Santa Cruz.

The authors are on a book tour for their new release, “How To Be A (Young) Antiracist.” The event had to be moved to the Kaiser Arena, and even that huge venue sold out. It seemed the whole town turned out in droves. It reminded me of the rare years when the sandbar shows up along the Cowell Beach cliff and absolutely everyone plays in the ocean together.

I’ve heard many, many white friends questioning what they can do about racism in America. They want to be allies, they want to take action, but they are still unsure how to start. The message of the evening was quite clear; you start by exploring your own inherent racism, and you talk with grace and curiosity to other white people who haven’t taken that step yet.

If you’re slamming on the brakes here, denying you are racist, then perhaps you didn’t grow up in America?

The authors made the wonderful analogy of growing up in a pool, then being surprised you are wet. Racism is built into our history, our systems, and our country. It’s everywhere, and it’s terrible for all of us. If you don’t think you’re racist, they ask, then how do you define racism?

Language for everything about racism is a key point in their book. If you define racism as having deeply learned ideas about different groups of people not being inherently the same, it makes it a bit easier to understand, and much easier to forgive ourselves and move forward.

I had a student do a biology report on racism the year after the genetics study completely debunking genetic differences between races came out.

How is it that at the time, the idea that people born in different native groups

“

If you define racism as having deeply learned ideas about different groups of people not being inherently the same, it make it a bit easier to understand, and much easier to forgive ourselves and move forward.

in Africa are more genetically different from each other than any African is to a person with European ancestry was so shocking?

If one traces the path of humans over the span of evolutionary history, it actually makes sense. In fact, the two most distinct genetic races in the world are the Aborigines of Australia and those native to the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa. An individual from either would have been classified as “colored” under the Jim Crow laws in America. It’s completely arbitrary.

I love that we have a liberal majority in Santa Cruz County. I love that we are thinkers, I love that we seem to always have high ideals and intentions. But we know we have a long way to go. I’ve experienced people who think they are the most unracist doing and saying terribly racist things.

When I told people that we were preparing to adopt a child from foster care in Santa Cruz County, two people

actually expressed their excitement about the idea that I could adopt a black child, but grimaced when I said that given the statistics in our county, we would likely welcome LatinX children into our home.

When we moved to Watsonville from the West Side, we were warned by white friends about gang activity and lack of safety, even though statistically our neighborhood in Watsonville had 75 times fewer drug-related crimes reported than where we lived in Santa Cruz.

When we got to Watsonville, we learned that our babysitters’ mom called her a “coconut” when she did something foolish, which meant smart like a Latina on the outside and dumb like white lady on the inside. Absolutely no one, in any of these situations, thought they were a racist, or saying something racist.

It’s not fun to report all of this, but what really needs to end in order for our society to transform is the idea that we should not be talking about this. What

also needs to end is the idea that it is not happening within ourselves and our communities. This is not a “somewhere else” problem.

Nic Stone told a story about her son, who has lighter skin than she does.

When he turned six, he asked her the same question my son asked me. She told him his skin is “beige.” I breathed a sigh of relief.

We teach kids colors, don’t pretend skin color is not different, and don’t pretend it can’t be named. She’s ready for more conversations with her son about how the world may see him differently than other groups, after all, she wrote the book.

My next step in becoming the anti-racist I want to be is getting ready to have those conversations with my children and my students and my colleagues and friends, anytime they come up, with no fear.

Lisa Catterall teaches STEAM, math, science, and art at Mount Madonna School and is a senior associate of the Centers for Research on Creativity.

She lectures and trains teachers and administrators on innovation in education in Beijing, China. Lisa has five children and lives in Santa Cruz County.

GrowingUpSC.com | MARCH 2023

27

YOUR HEALTH School Should Start Later to Give Teens More Sleep As her teenage son groggily dragged himself out of the house and into the car at 7:10 am to make it to school on time, Lisa Lynn Lewis wondered if he was even capable of absorbing information in those first few hours of the day. “He was hardly alert, and definitely not in an optimal state to be showing up to school ready to learn.

It was his first year of high school, and classes started at 7:30 am. “That was the earliest he’d ever had to go to school, and it really felt too early for all of us,” she said. She was right.

Last July, state Senate Bill No. 328 went into effect, making California the first state to mandate later start times for middle and high schools because of the overwhelming evidence that early start times disrupt teenagers’ normal sleep cycle. Beginning this year, middle schools cannot start earlier than 8:00 am and high schools no earlier than 8:30 am. There are exceptions for schools that are considered rural, such as San Lorenzo Valley High School, which has maintained a start time of 7:55 am.

Lewis, a journalist and author of “The Sleep Deprived Teen,” played a key role in initiating the switch to later school

start times in California.

In 2015, as she witnessed her exhausted son struggling to make it to school in the mornings, she turned her focus toward researching and writing about early school start times and its effect on teen sleep and health. She found a wealth of research existed on the topic. In fact, in 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics released an official policy statement recommending that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:00 am and 8:30 am, respectively, because earlier start times were disrupting teenagers’ normal sleep cycle and having negative effects on teen health.

“We’ve known for a long time, I’d say for decades, that teenagers experience a natural change in their sleep cycle called the delayed sleep phase, which causes them to stay up late and wake up late,” explained Dr. Zachary Adams, a sleep medicine physician for Sleep Health MD in Santa Cruz. “Teens are going to stay up late no matter what,” he said.

“So early school start times just deprives them of those extra few hours of sleep they would get if they were able to sleep on their natural schedule.”

Studies have found that early start times for high school age kids are associated with a variety of undesired outcomes, such as more car accidents and poorer academic performance, Adams said.

“Sleep is something that you spend a third of your life doing, so it makes sense to prioritize it just as we do other aspects of health, no matter what age,” Adams said. For teenagers, getting eight to 10 hours of good quality sleep every night is critical as they navigate this major transitional stage of life.

In September 2016, Lewis wrote an opinion piece for the LA Times titled “Why Schools Should Start Later in the Day.” The article caught the eye of state Sen. Anthony Portantino, who was also a parent of a teen at the time. “And it just so happened their high school was in the midst of conversations about changing the school start time, so this topic resonated with him,” Lewis said.

Portantino dug into the issue further, and with the support of Lewis, the California Parent Teachers’ Association, and Start School Later, a non-profit organization that’s been advocating for later school start times since 2011,

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introduced a bill to the state legislature in February 2017.

After a two year process to obtain approval from the senate and state assembly, Governor Jerry Brown vetoed it, stating that school start times “should be decided at the local level,” Lewis said.

“So that was, needless to say, very, very disappointing.”

Determined, Portantino reintroduced the bill in 2019, and shepherded it through the approval process once again. By this time, Gavin Newsom had entered office as the new governor, and Portantino immediately visited Newsom to speak with him about the bill. A few months later, Newsom signed the late start bill into law in October 2019.

“School start times are the biggest policy change that can impact teen sleep, so that’s why this is so important,” Lewis said. “By the time kids are juniors or seniors, they may start looking like adults, but they’re not adults yet” – they still need a lot of sleep.

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THROUGH 4-14

art that is inspired by the artists’ view of the physical world. mountainartcenter.org/theview-from-here

Downtown Fridays Enjoy live bands at two or more locations along with events and activities at several downtown locations. Fun for the whole family.

FRI 3

THROUGH 3-18 Mountain Arts Center: Art Show 12-5pm No matter where artists find themselves, they are constantly affected, influenced and inspired by the physical world around them.What artists see before them will often become the subject of their art. For this first exhibit of 2023, we present

Ocean Inspired Dance 5pm, 5:30pm, 6pm, 6:30pm Filmmaker, choreographer, and naturalist Amelia Nommensen will bring her ocean-inspired dance project Upwelling to the Sanctuary Exploration Center in Santa Cruz. The event will share film screenings, live dance interspersed through the evening, and a photo gallery premiere. Join us to witness movement translate the sensations of the ocean. montereybay.noaa.gov/calendar.html

Submit your event at growingupsc.com GUiSC will attempt to update the calendar listings as needed; however, it is the responsibility of the organization listed to provide updated information. GUiSC assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. Readers are encouraged to check the accuracy of the information provided. Events that are free or cost less than $10 can be submitted for inclusion in the calendar. GUiSC does not guarantee that a submitted event will automatically be included. Preference is given for events of interest to children and/or parents. Calendar entries must be received by the 15th of the month prior to the month of the event. Calendar entries and photos will be selected by the Calendar Editor.

SUN 5

SAT 18

Reptile and Amphibian Walk Join Quail Hollow Ranch County Park Docent James Maughn for a saunter along park trails in search of reptiles and amphibians.

This free activity is open to ages 6 & up.

Space is limited. Register in advance at scparks.com or call 831.454.7941.

She is Beautiful Race Grab your friends, co-workers, mom, daughter, or partner for the 13th annual She. is.beautiful. All levels welcome: run, walk, jog, stroller push. runsheisbeautiful.com/ events/she-is-beautiful-santa-cruz

TUES 7 SLVUSD Charter School Info Night 6-7:30pm This is an information night for families interested in K-12 homeschool hybrid programs. charter.slvusd.org

SUN 19 Makers Market 10am-5pm The market features 40+ local makers & artists in downtown Santa Cruz on the 1100 block of Pacific Ave. between Cathcart and Lincoln streets.

Gateway School Day Tour 9-11amCome and learn how Gateway School inspires children’s innate curiosity and sense of wonder through daily exploration, discovery, and hands-on experiences.

Tour our classrooms in action, including a look into each grade, and learn about our program. Go to www.gatewaysc.org to register and experience all that Gateway has to offer!

THUR 9 Mount Madonna Pre & K Discovery Day 11am Join staff for a morning hike, circle time and classroom play. Learn about Montessori-inspired preschool (for ages 3 and up) and kindergarten programs. RSVPs encouraged. Contact Linda Manzur at 408.846.4032 or admissions@mountmadonnaschool.org.

SAT 11 Summer Camp Film Festival 5-8pm See the best films made at summer camp by young actors. This is a fancy dress, red carpet occasion at Rio Theatre. Doors open at 4pm. G Block begins at 5pm and PG Block begins at 7pm. $30 for adults, $20 for youths.

SUN 12 Antiques Faire 8am-6pm Vendors offer an eclectic blend of antiques and unique items, vintage clothing, collectibles and more. Visit the Antique Faire on Lincoln Street between Pacific and Cedar.

TUES 14 SLVUSD Charter School Info Night 6-7pm This information night is for grades 6-8 for the Nature Academy program. charter.slvusd.org

THUR 16 Alternative Family Education Information Night 6:30-8pm Learn about student leadership opportunities, parent-led classes/events/field trips, Alternative Schools sports league, clubs and groups in a variety of interest areas. sccsbssc.ss8.sharpschool.com/schools/afe

SUN 19 Santa Cruz Makers Market 10am5pm Visit 40+ local makers and artists.

Every third Sunday. Located on the 1100 block of Pacific Ave. between Cathcart and Lincoln streets near New Leaf and alongside a great strip of downtown restaurants, this monthly market hosts a wide range of locally handmade goods.

Visit scmmakersmarket.com for the full list of participating vendors

SAT 25 Top Dog Film Festival 7-9:30pm The Top Dog Film Festival will wag its tail in at the Rio Theatre sharing a two-hour collection of short independent films from around the globe, all about dogs. Meet dogs from all walks of life on the big screen at this year’s event. This carefully curated program of short canine-themed films is comprised of the most inspirational, heartwarming and entertaining stories about dogs and their human companions, from independent filmmakers around the globe. riotheatre.com/events-2/2022/12/13/ topdog

GrowingUpSC.com | MARCH 2023

29

STUDENT’S VIEW Addressing Period Poverty and Menstruation Stigma

BY SOPHIA MANZUR Period poverty is defined as the struggle those who have a menstrual cycle face while trying to afford menstrual products.

Despite not being able to control a menstrual cycle, those who have one are still left to purchase products that some cannot afford. I believe that menstrual products should be an approved item to purchase using government subsidies or covered through medical insurance. To help alleviate this problem for our local community, I have started a school club called “That’s on Period Project.”

That’s on Period Project’s goals are to raise awareness about the stigmas surrounding menstruation, to raise money to purchase period products and to organize period product drives. We aim to partner with local organizations who support those in need, and to provide donations of the menstruation products for those in need.

Recently That’s on Period organized a drive where Mount Madonna School students, parents, faculty and staff donated about 110 packages containing period products. The chosen recipients of this drive are the Watsonville-run Center for Farmworker Families’ Oaxacan Community Shed, a non-profit organization dedicated to education, advocacy, and support for farmworker

Sophia Manzur with some of the products she collected to donate

families and Gilroy’s Community Solutions, which provides services for families and individuals of all ages who are facing times of crisis, ranging from mental health and substance use to domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking.

The Center for Farmworker Families’ Oaxacan Community Shed was chosen because of the large number of the migrant families living in Watsonville who are in desperate need of assistance to meet essential daily needs like personal hygiene products, including period products. Some of the families utilizing

this organization’s resources must choose between feeding their children or purchasing items like tampons and pads. For these families accessing period products is a luxury instead of a basic human need that should be fulfilled.

One of the reasons Community Solutions was selected is because they serve survivors of domestic violence who flee their homes without personal belongings like clothing and toiletries.

Providing period products to these families and individuals is one way we can ensure all of their basic needs are met while they receive additional services to

keep them safe from violence.

I am inspired by the Mount Madonna School sixth grade to twelfth grade students, their families and faculty and staff who donated the products to help their local community members surrounding an issue that is somewhat taboo to speak about. It was encouraging to see my peers of all genders understand the very real predicament those with periods face when deciding to purchase food or pay an electric bill over obtaining period products that would allow them to experience menstruation in a more dignified and comfortable way.

Access to menstrual products supports those who have experienced menstrual cycles ability to fully participate in society with confidence and without the fear of embarrassing bleed through - not to mention compromising their health due to the increased risk of urogenital infections from using inadequate period products.

Sophia Manzur is a junior at Mount Madonna School. To donate menstruation products or funds to purchase menstruation products to the That’s on Period Project, contact Sophia at thatsonperiodproject2020@gmail. com or on Instagram at: instagram. com/thatsonperiodproject

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